Hello, fellow content creators and digital innovators! It's time to unlock the potential of your video content with the dynamic capabilities of Voomly's video player customization. As artists, educators, entrepreneurs, and entertainers, we know that the true power of content lies not just in its creation but also in its presentation. It's this presentation that becomes a platform to not only engage your audience but also to encapsulate your unique brand voice, setting you apart in an increasingly crowded digital space. At Voomly, we're committed to empowering you to create and curate a viewer experience that's as distinctive as your content. This goes beyond basic customization - this is about equipping you with a dynamic toolkit to amplify viewer engagement and content retention.

Our journey today takes us into the heart of the Voomly video player, with its nine feature-rich menus, each designed to offer robust customization options. However, we believe in nurturing a detailed, hands-on understanding, and hence, we'll approach this systematically. In this post, we will guide you through the first four menus: General, Thumbnail, Player Skin, and the Control Menu. Each of these menus has unique capabilities to transform the way your audience interacts with your content. As for the remaining five menus - Subtitles, Interactions, Security, and Video Page - we'll get into those in our subsequent post, ensuring you're well equipped to master every facet of the Voomly video player.

So are you ready to elevate your content and captivate your audience? Let's dive in!

The first step on this trail is to familiarize yourself with navigating to the Video Player screen. This is the main hub of your video player customization, where you'll find all the tools to make your video content just the way you want it. Accessing the Video Player menu on Voomly is straightforward and intuitive, designed to be as efficient as possible.

There are two routes that lead you to the Video Player menu:

Whichever option you choose, it's a direct route to the Video Player screen, the main hub for all your customization needs.

Now that we've familiarized ourselves with the Video Player screen, it's time to dive deeper. Let's explore the feature-rich menus Voomly has to offer, each promising a unique way to elevate your video content. Onward we go!

Let's begin our journey into video customization with the General Menu. This is your main switchboard for your video settings, managing your video's behavior from the first scene to the last. As we kick things off, keep in mind that Voomly typically autoplays your video by default. This feature ensures that your video begins to play immediately as soon as a viewer lands on your webpage. However, Voomly understands that your content and your audience are unique, and one size does not fit all. Therefore, you are given complete control to adjust this setting to suit your viewers' preferences and your content strategy.

The General Menu is like a toolshed full of customization choices, each made to give you total control over your video's viewing journey. This is where you find the tools to shape the initial impact your video makes, and the lasting impression it leaves when it finishes playing. Within the General Menu, you can tweak settings such as Autoplay to control whether your video starts playing automatically or waits for viewer interaction. This menu also provides you with the flexibility to fine-tune your video's ending through a feature called 'Actions at the End'. Whether you want your video to pause on the last frame, reset to the thumbnail, loop for a repeat viewing, or even redirect to a specified URL - all these choices are at your fingertips.

Remember, each of these settings can play a significant role in determining how your viewers engage with your content. Thus, feel free to experiment, mix and match, and find the perfect combination of settings that resonate best with your audience and align with your content strategy. So, with a wealth of features at your disposal, it's time to unlock the full potential of the General Menu. Let's dig into each setting and see how they can be used to make your video experience even better.

The Autoplay feature is the first tool within the General Menu. When enabled, it guarantees that your video springs to life the very moment a viewer lands on your webpage where your video is embedded. It's like having a personal greeter who instantly engages your visitors. This feature can be a powerful tool to catch your viewers' attention and draw them into your content from the get-go.

Voomly understands that each video and each viewer group may require a different Autoplay approach. Thus, it provides a diverse range of options that you can adjust to optimize the Autoplay feature to your advantage:

1. Start Muted

This option is ideal if you wish to ensure that your video autoplays without making a sound. It's a subtle way of saying, "Here's a video. When you're ready, please feel free to unmute and enjoy." It's a great strategy if you are targeting viewers who might be browsing in a noise-sensitive environment, or if your video is designed to pique curiosity before revealing its audio content.

2. Start with Sound if Possible

When this option is selected, your video bursts into life with both visuals and sound. Note that this feature depends on browser support, which varies across different browsers. Still, when enabled, this feature can create an immediate audio-visual impact, quickly capturing viewer attention and setting the tone for what's to come. It's a fantastic option if your video starts with engaging sounds or crucial spoken information.

3. Allow to Resume on Future Visits

If you are creating content that invites repeat visits or has longer duration, the 'Allow to Resume on Future Visits' option can be a game-changer. When you enable this, your video remembers where a viewer left off during their last visit and picks up from that point on their return. It's a bit like bookmarking a page in a book. This option is especially valuable for educational or training videos, where viewers may want to progress through the content at their own pace.

The ending of your video is just as important as the beginning. The "Actions at the End" settings empower you to define exactly how your video concludes, providing a finishing touch that aligns with your content strategy and viewer expectations. Here's how you can utilize each option:

1. Pause the Last Frame

By choosing to "Pause the Last Frame", you ensure that the video's concluding image stays on screen after the video ends. This can be a potent tool to drive home a powerful message or to keep a striking image in the viewer's mind. It could be a dramatic conclusion, a thought-provoking question, or even your brand logo that lingers, continuing to engage viewers even after the video has ended.

2. Reset to the Thumbnail

Opting to "Reset to the Thumbnail" means that once the video concludes, the initial thumbnail you've set reappears on the screen. This feature can provide a tidy finish and a subtle reminder of where the video journey started, encouraging the viewer to possibly re-watch or explore other videos. It also ensures a visually pleasing image stays on the screen, enhancing the overall aesthetic of your webpage.

3. Loop Video

Selecting the "Loop Video" option will make your video replay from the beginning as soon as it finishes. This is particularly useful for videos with high re-watch value, or if you are featuring an animation, demonstration, or background ambiance video. Looping keeps the content running and maintains a dynamic element on your webpage.

4. Redirect to a Specified URL

"Redirect to a Specified URL" is a feature that allows you to take your viewers to a designated webpage or another video once your current video finishes. This can be an effective tool to guide your viewers through a curated viewer journey, possibly leading them to more of your content, an interactive platform, or a sales page.

Remember, these end-actions are all about viewer experience and engagement. By understanding your audience and experimenting with these options, you can discover the perfect concluding act that best compliments your video content and viewer behavior.

Next, we'll look into the Thumbnail Menu, a powerful tool that lets you set the initial image your viewers encounter before your video starts playing. The thumbnail serves as the gateway to your video content—it's a visual appetizer that captivates your audience and prompts them to step into the world you've created in your video. Therefore, if you want your audience to truly absorb your chosen thumbnail and create anticipation, you might want to consider disabling the Autoplay feature.

1. Video Frame

This option allows you to handpick a specific frame from your video to represent as the thumbnail. You might choose a particularly captivating moment, an intriguing scene, or a frame that encapsulates the essence of your video. This creates a direct connection to your content and arouses curiosity about what unfolds next.

2. Video Loop

With a Video Loop thumbnail, you have the opportunity to define a start and end point within your video, thereby creating a short looping preview. This snippet offers a dynamic glimpse into your video content, adding an extra layer of allure. It's advisable to keep it succinct, ideally less than a minute, to maintain interest without revealing too much. Remember, this feature is an exclusive perk to Voomly Plus, Cloud, and Pro accounts.

3. Custom Image

If you're looking to make a unique impression, Voomly gives you the freedom to upload your personalized thumbnail image. This is where you can exercise your creative prowess, designing a thumbnail that is as distinct as your video. Whether it's a professionally designed image, an intriguing graphic, or a compelling title card, this is your chance to make a memorable first impression.

But that's not all, Voomly goes a step further by allowing you to overlay buttons, text, and images on top of your thumbnail, bringing a whole new level of interactivity. With this, your thumbnail isn't just a static image but a responsive element that not only attracts but interacts with your audience. It's about creating a compelling invitation to your video content, one that is impossible for your viewers to resist.