I’ve been doing more research into video blogging. One of the things I’ve been looking at over the last few days is YouTube Intros. I’m still undecided on whether I should use an intro or outro in my video but I thought it would be good to share what the services I have found so far.
What are video intros? Video intros are small video clips which are placed at the start of videos for branding purposes. If done right, it can present a professional image of you and your videos. It’s a good way of promoting your website too. Video outros are the same thing but are placed at the end of a video.
I have included an example video where possible in order to show you the quality of the video you can expect.
Custom Video Intro & Outro Solutions
Having a professional design your intro and outro is probably the best guarantee of having something which is both professional and unique.
1. Hire a Professional
The price of video intros differs greatly between designers. You can pick up a basic video intro for only $5 at Fiverr however a professional video intro will normally cost between $50 and a few hundred dollars. Elance, Freelancer and Odesk is a good place to post your project.
The quality of videos through Fiverr varies greatly. Their video intro section is very popular, with many video creators and many people using the service. I was actually very surprised at how good some of the videos are.
Stay away from sellers who have bad ratings or do not have any ratings at all. Make sure to check out the demo video and the previous videos that the person has created. If the seem like a good designer, it may be worth paying for one of the seller’s additional services. For example, some video creators will provide a video in 1080p (HD) quality if you pay an extra five or ten dollars. Others will improve the video in some way if you pay a little more. The delivery time varies between providers. When I recently ordered an advertisement type banner for my martial arts forums, I was told I would have to wait 7 days, however the seller provided the image in just two days.
Whilst there is no disputing that Fiverr does not attract professional video designers, it is a great place for picking up a logo for cheap. I recommend checking it out.
Logo Video Intro & Outro Solutions
There are a lot of great services which create intros based on your company logo.
2. Intro Maker
Intro Maker is a great service that offers a few different video intro options. There are one or two free options but most videos cost either $5, $10 or $20. After choosing your video and uploading your logo, you will be asked to pay for your video. They will then email the finished video to your PayPal email address.
Link: Intro Maker
3. VideoHive
VideoHive has over 2,000 different logo introductions. The quality is very high and prices are usually under $10. To use your own logo in a video you need to open up the file in Adobe After Effects. Like all Adobe products, After Effects is quite expensive. However there is a 30 day free trial available that lets you try it out in full.
The video clip does not come with any audio. Thousands of short intro clips can be found at VideoHive’s sister website Audio Jungle. Good intros range from around $5-$10 in price.
Link: VideoHive
4. Splasheo
As I am looking for a professional intro, I was really impressed with the options available at Splasheo. They have 10 logo intro animations available. Once you pick the one you like, you need to choose one of 6 audio options: rock, happy, inspirational, cinematic and hip-hop. You can also choose to have no music.
Videos cost $47, which is more expensive than videos from VideoHive and Intro Maker, however it’s still affordable.
Link: Splasheo
Text Video Intro & Outro Solutions
Text intros are easier and cheaper to make. All you have to do is customise the videos with text.
5. FlixPress
FlixPress has a lot more options that Intro Maker however you cannot upload your logo.
There are 3 different membership options. Free, Basic and Pro. Basic costs $10 per video. Pro gives you an initial $50 credit in your account which you can then use to buy pro videos. The price of pro videos ranges from $5 to $50 though many videos in their catalogue are only $2 or $3.
Link: FlixPress
6. IntroChamp
IntroChamp has a huge catalogue of videos. 720p videos costs $7.95 whilst 1080p videos cost $9.95.
Link: IntroChamp
7. VideoMated
VideoMated provides text animated video intros for only $5.
Link: VideoMated
8. VipID
Vipid has several custom video intros based on famous movie introductions. The price you pay depends on the quality you want. A 480×270 resolution video can be downloaded for free but comes with a watermark. 640×360, 1280×720 and 1920×1080 resolution videos are available for $1.99, $4.99 and $6.99 respectively.
Link: VipID
Software Video Intro & Outro Solutions
9. Aurora3D
Retailing at $69.95, Aurora3DAnimation is available for Windows and Mac. It can be used to create a video intro in just a few minutes.
Link: Aurora3DAnimation
10. Blender
Blender is a free open-source 3D graphical script that can be used for creating animations and video effects. Andrew Price has written a fantastic guide on how to create a title intro entitled Create a Sizzling Title Intro. The tutorial is 50 minutes long and walks you through everything you need to do to create a great looking intro for your video.
Link: Blender
If you know of any other great ways to create a video into or outro; please leave a comment and I’ll update this list 
Thanks,
Kevin
Movie Maker online and Video Intro seem to be my favorite of the ones listed here. Both seem professional but not too overly dramatic. I’m still trying to get over my fear of doing video blogging. Not sure what my fear is but sometimes I’m a little closed minded. Plan to use video to post myself online soon. Just can’t seem to figure out which software and which video camera I want to purchase.
A lot of readers are looking to do video.
Would you be interested in trying a video conference one day? I think it would be great if a few of us could get together and try out video together
Kevin
Kevin, I am stil trying to find an ideal theme. I am not ready to dive into YouTube, videos, and intros yet, but when I am ready I will be more knowledgable thanks to you and your post. I really enjoyed reading your post and viewing the videos that you embedded. Thank you.
I just found your website and really enjoyed reading your About page. Lots of great experiences. This article is helpful, because I am looking for intros and outros for interviews I am starting to do. Thanks for putting together this list. Gives me lots to look at.
Glad you found it useful Lisa
Kevin:
I don’t know if you remember me or not but you did a guest blog post for my on a site I used to own – Flip Websites. At any rate, I was digging up some info for video intros and your post was ranked #1:) As soon as I saw your blog I knew it would be something good as you’re the man when it comes to great useful content.
Thanks for putting these resources together. It’s exactly what I’m looking for. What service did you ultimately end up going with for your video intro?
Travis Van Slooten
Hey Travis,
Yeah I remember your blog. I think you sold it a few months after I did that guest post. I didn’t know what you moved onto next though. Are you still active on Flippa?
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you found the article useful. In the end, I decided not to use any video intro. I have only uploaded several videos, so it isn’t a major problem for me at the minute. Plus, YouTube allows you to use a custom thumbnail so that people see your logo etc before the video launches.
I may add an intro in the future, though if I do I will definitely keep it short. Whilst intros are good for branding, I think most people don’t enjoy long intros.
Appreciate the comment. Hope things are going well for you online
Kevin
Ya, I did sell it and went back to affiliate marketing for a bit. For the past two years I’ve been doing local SEO – basically helping small businesses get found online.
Well based on your blog post here, I just placed an order with Splasheo. I’ll post back here with my feedback once my intro gets delivered.
Take care!
Travis Van Slooten
Nice one. I’m going to try and get back into affiliate marketing, though I’m keen on releasing more products first.
Would love to see your intro when it’s finished, so please make a point of sharing it when it’s finished
Kevin
Kevin – here is a link to the intro they created. The process was super slick. It took me about 5 minutes to place my order online and I had the video in my inbox in about 12 hours. For $47, I think it was a steal considering I spent all of about 5 minutes to get one done.
http://www.tvsinternetmarketing.com/main-video.mp4
Travis Van Slooten
Very nice…and only 8 seconds long too. That’s a fantastic turnaround time. I definitely need to keep them in mind for the future.
I’ve noticed that there are many people selling video intros on Fiverr too. Some look ok…for a fiver!
Ya, the length is perfect. I looked at Fiverr initially but there was so much “noise” and the few I found that looked really good had like 10 day turn arounds. At any rate, thanks for putting this post together. I would have never found Splasheo otherwise. Take care!
Travis Van Slooten
No problem. Glad you found it useful.
Yeah the quality on Fiverr varies greatly.
All the best with your website
Kevin
Hello Kevin and thank you so much for including my video intro site in your article! I am the owner and intro designer for http://www.introchamp.com
You’ve done great job highlighting the attributes of the various choices available. I think what sets my site apart is its ease of use and the fact that your finished intro is delivered in only a few minutes.
In the end, it comes down to personal preference and taste. It’s a challenge to create a body of choices that potentially appeal to every one.
Kevin, thank you again for the inclusion
~Joel Cooper (AKA: intro Champ)
Thanks for dropping by Joel. You’re more than welcome.
Wow, that’s crazy you can deliver a video in just a few minutes.
How’s business?
Kevin
Hi Kevin!
My site is relatively new and growing every day.
As more and more people seek to find their voices online through video, my odds for growth improve.
I try to add fresh new video intro solutions every week to stay current.
I too am still finding my voice with my potential customers, but I love the challenge!
Kevin, thanks so much for your interest! ~Joel
Yeah I think YouTube is just going to go from strength and to strength. More and more bloggers are trying out videos, and many of those people will need video intros, so you have the potential for a lot of new customers.
Best of luck with your business
Kevin