Have you been perusing the KickLight website and you saw some cool kicks with Amazon products? Thankfully for the graphically challenged you don’t have to mess with positioning images, sweating over researching products prices or inputting your Amazon links. With the Quick Kicks function you can create visually appealing, accurate and affiliate linked Amazon kicks. And now with this Amazon kicks tutorial video you can learn how easy it is to create these types of kicks.

These particular kicks can be powerful, especially if the viewer is in a mood to click and buy. There are so many types of products within Amazon.com that you will not have a problem finding a product to offer through your kicklights. When it comes to making loads of money all you have to do is plug these videos into your traffic funnel and watch the sales pour in. That is assuming of course you have a flow of traffic to work with and that they will click through the kicks. However, even with a 3-5% click through rate if you have the views you should be making some sales. Whether or not you make “loads” of money is entirely up to you but with the power of clickable kicks viewers are much more likely to click and visit the product pages.

Enjoy this short but informative video about how to build sleek Amazon kicklight kicks. Feel free to leave comments if you have any questions.

Here is my newest kicklight. I just finished it yesterday. The YouTube and Twitter star iJustine has produced over 250 videos, so she has a lot of videos to convert to a kicklight. This video is from two years ago so I thought it would be fun to revisit and hopefully enhance with some kicks. Let me know what you think.

If you are interested in making a kicklight then at some point you will need to put together some kicks. In order to create a kick, which is a jpg, gif or png file, you will need access to an image editing program or software. The ideal and more commonly used program is Photoshop, but if you don’t own a copy or don’t have have access to the program then you will need to explore some other options. If you own a copy of Photoshop and have yet to learn the basics of the program then this might be the perfect reason to start.

There are many options for image editing and graphic creation programs. You can purchase a software program, download some free programs or even use online based image editing software. I have listed some of these options below so you can find what works best for you.

Image editing programs for purchase:

Photoshop

Fireworks

Pixelmator (Mac only)

Paint Shop Pro (Windows only)

Image editing programs for free download:

GIMP (Windows & Mac)

Paint.net (Windows only)

Krita

Online image editing programs:

Sumo Paint

Pixlr

There are quite a few other programs available but this should point you in the right direction. The answer to the question in the title of this post is a resounding Yes!  In order to make your own kicks with complete control over the file you will need some sort of image editing program. You can utilize the Do-It-Yourself feature (Watch for a video tutorial on this feature) on the kicklight site, but in order to have more control over the graphic and to be able to add gradients, cropped images, use brushes etc. you will need at least a basic image editing program.

If you have never cracked open Photoshop or other similar programs don’t be too worried about the learning curve. If you just want some images and text in your kicks then you will just need to learn some basics of Photoshop or whichever program you will be working with. These basics could include working with layers, image cropping and the text tool. If you are a newbie to image editing program then look out for a post with a list of some sites that have excellent tutorials.

Go ahead and decide which program works best for your budget and computer and then you can get to creating some awesome kicks and kicklights.

Leave a comment about which of the above programs you are using and how they worked out for you.

1. Turn videos into kicklights to expand your creativity.
2. Turn videos into kicklights to make life easier for your viewers.
3. Turn videos into kicklights to provide background information.
4. Turn videos into kicklights to increase return visitors.
5. Turn videos into kicklights to establish your brand.
6. Turn videos into kicklights that will allow your videos to do their job.
7. Turn videos into kicklights to learn Photoshop.
8. Turn videos into kicklights to send visitors to your website.
9. Turn videos into kicklights to express yourself with this medium.
10. Turn videos into kicklights to add humor.
11. Turn videos into kicklights to inform your family.
12. Turn videos into kicklights for your online resume.
13. Turn videos into kicklights to provide commentary.
14. Turn videos into kicklights to tell a story.
15. Turn videos into kicklights to surprise someone.

If you are new to the kicklight concept then check out the following post: What Is A Kicklight?

Please add more to this list in the comments section.

I have put together a quick tutorial about how to create a kicklight. This video will tell you every step of the kicklight creation process, from uploading a video to grabbing kicks you have created. Once you watch this video and go through the process several times it should become second nature. The Kicklight user interface is fairly straightforward so I hope this video helps you to start putting together kicklights fast and easy.

The actual kicklight compilation process doesn’t take that long, it’s the video production and kick creation that will obviously consume most of your time. I will be producing more videos about various aspects of the Kicklight website. For now this video is without kicks but I will be adding kicks to it. Stay tuned for more videos.

Thanks for visiting and please leave any comments or questions.

Update: This tutorial video now contains kicks and is a full fledged kicklight. This is an example of how a kicks can enhance a video, especially a tutorial.

The most fundamental part of a kicklight are the accompanying kicks. If you are new to the Kicklight concept then it is critical that you understand more about what constitutes a kick and a little about how to create them. Without the kicks your kicklights will be empty of potential and simply be a video. If you are familiar with a graphics program like Photoshop then you will have a leg up on others.

A kick is a 468 pixel wide by 120 pixel high graphic. The graphic can be a gif, jpg or png file and can be no larger than 3 MB. As of now you can not upload animated gifs or flash files. However, in the future this option will probably be made available. Here are a few examples of kicks:

A kick can contain anything you want, including text, images and graphics. A kick is a palette for you to create an eye catching graphic or to include pertinent information. You just have to make sure and sync up the kicks with the video so that they are complementing each other. In other words a video about dancing should not have a kick directing the viewer to click to learn about your new weight loss program. Kicks are for visual or informational enhancement just so long as they keep in line with the video.

To make a kick simply open Photoshop or your favorite graphics program and start creating. I won’t go into detail about what kicks to create because that is up to you. In the future I will be posting about some ideas behind creating kicks.

One of the most important aspects of putting a kicklight together is to really think about what the kicks are going to add to the video. If there are existing videos on YouTube you feel would be enhanced by kicks then try it out. I believe that is the case for a large amount of online videos. Kicks can also be used in conjunction with a brand new video you are producing, which will probably become the most convincing reason for utilizing this technology. Just imagine some of the more popular YouTube videos with kicks that contain additional information and links attached.

If you’ve been thinking about learning the basics of Photoshop then the introduction of kicks could be the perfect catalyst for starting the process. You don’t actually have to be an expert with a graphics program. If you can manipulate text or add an image to a graphic file then you’ll have no problems creating kicks. Remember to that you can attach URLs to kicks so keep that in mind as you start working on a kicklight.

If you have created a kicklight please leave the link in the comments so we can all see your creation.

Thanks for reading.

If you are new to the Kicklight concept you might be wondering what constitutes a kicklight. Talk about a fundamental question. A kicklight is a video with kicks. It’s that simple and I’m sure you feel completely enlightened. Actually let me elaborate a bit more.

Take a video and slap kicks underneath them and you’ve got a kicklight. Kicks are small jpg, gif or png graphics that you create with a graphics program like Photoshop. These kicks are then put together with a video to build a complete video viewing experience. If you are the producer of the video you can now include kicks to enhance the video with additional information and/or images. In addition kicks can have links attached to them which you the video producer will include.

If you upload videos to YouTube you know the only place to put a clickable link is in the description area of the YouTube video page. What are the chances your video viewers will click that link? You would have to bring a lot of eyes to your video for a decent amount of clicks. Now with kicklights viewers will become accustomed to clicking on the kicks, and you can even include directions on the kicks directing viewers to click them.

Just like YouTube kicklights have embed codes for blogs and other websites. This code carries both the video and the kicks, which of course have all the links included within the kicks. Therefore if you have a blog you can include a kicklight for all your viewers to watch and click. As a video watcher you can enjoy the entire kicklight outside of the Kicklight site. When the video is served outside of the Kicklight site the video is a bit smaller, just like YouTube videos.

I don’t think every video will end up having kicks attached to it for a variety of reasons. Some videos just don’t need any additional information, they are much more visual or tell a story without the need of narration or background. Also the added work of creating five, ten or more individual kicks will be a barrier for many people. However, I think a healthy portion of creative and entrepreneurial people will invest the time to create kicklights not just videos.

I hope this article has sufficiently outlined what a kicklight is and that it may have peaked your interest. If so then go forth and make some powerful kicklights. Here is a kicklight I had a lot of fun making, for obvious reasons.

One of the first kicklights I created was a very funny reenactment by Brandon Hardesty of a scene from the movie There Will Be Blood. I had stumbled on his videos while clicking through YouTube and thought one of his creations would be a good video for a kicklight. I wanted to enhance the video by offering general information about Brandon for those that may not know him while utilizing the linking capabilities of the kicks. Since this video is a reenactment of a popular movie I included some information about the movie as well as links to the Amazon page for the DVD.

This kicklight is a perfect example of how a very succesful YouTube content producer could use kicks to dramatically increase their revenue. As of the writing of this post this video has been viewed more than 73,000 times. If kicks had been attached to that video Brandon could potentially make some serious sales.

Let’s say only one percent of viewers had clicked through to the Amazon page (I actually think this is a low click through rate). That would be approxiametely 730 people who are at least interested in knowing more about this movie. Of those 730 if only three percent made a purchase that would be almost 22 sales. While a DVD is not a high ticket item the bottom line is that kicks can drive more visitiors to money pages. Also consider that Brandon has made 97 videos as of this post, with many of his other reenactments receiving hundreds of thousands of views per video. Using my minimal math skills those numbers could add up to some monster sales totals.

I truly believe that people who consistently produce online videos on YouTube and have a large following could benefit greatly with kicks. For now they would have to send visitors over to the Kicklight website.  In the future if Google does purchase Kicklight I’m sure kicks will be integrated into the YouTube site, which will make the entire process smoother for viewers and producers.

Thanks for reading and good luck with your kicks!

If you have never before heard of Kicklight then this article will help shine some light on the issue. I wanted to write about exactly the idea behind Kicklight and how it can make a difference for you as either an online video producer or a video viewer. There are some similarities and differences to the benefits for both parties. Once you have a better grasp of the concept you will see why Kicklight has dubbed itself a revolutionary company for the online video experience.

Online Video Dilemma

Do you enjoy watching YouTube or other popular video sharing site videos? Aside from the many silly videos there are plenty of how-to and tutorial videos that give out great information. Some of these video producers include text on the screen as you are watching, such as steps. Other entertaining videos may be exclusively images and sound. What if the video producer or you the viewer wants additional information that might enhance what you are watching? Currently the narrator has to say something or text has to be put on the screen. For some videos this might not be a big deal but for others it can get in the way of the video.

As an example take the most viewed video in YouTube history, The Evolution of Dance by Judson Laipply. While enjoying this hilarious video what if you wanted to know the name of a particular song and the artist/groups name? Unfortunately you would have to do some searching or the video would need to display song information on the screen. As of now Judson would have to place a link in the right side description section of the video and hope that people actually click on the link. What are the chances very many people will click on that link? Very few, which means Judson and so many other video producers will not be able to capitalize on their efforts and audiences will not be able to get the information they want.

So how does Kicklight fix this problem? With a simple but powerful concept, kicks.

The Kicklight Solution

What if you could receive all pertinent, informative, interesting, useful information for videos without disrupting the video viewing experience? Allow me to explain the Kicklight concept. Think outside of the box. Literally. Kicklight has placed the information outside of the video screen and attached it to the bottom of each video. A box that is filled with a graphic file (a kick) that can contain images and text that pertain to the video. Problem solved. No more need for stuffing text and audio within the video. The kick will do the heavy lifting for you by displaying information that corresponds with the video playing.

Here is an example of a kicklight with behind the scenes information.

There is probably not an unobtrusive way to include so much information into the silent movie other than with kicks. I can only imagine the amount of movie producers who would love to provide background information for their productions. My guess is that many would like to offer up some interesting tidbits for their fans.

Kicklights Are Clickable

On top of all the previously mentioned benefits for kicks there is also the ability to attach URLs to each individual kick. Have you noticed some YouTube videos have in the screen links to click? Personally I find these links run the gammit from a bit obtrusive to completely obnoxious. With kicks viewers can simply click on the kick and they will be brought to the corresponding page. Clickability not only cleans up the video screen and therefore improves the viewing experience but also greatly improves the chances of viewers clicking on links. This is positive for both video producers and watchers.

Let’s say you produce weekly videos on YouTube and sell shirts, hats or other product to support your efforts. Instead of saying “Make sure and click on the link in the description” or leaving a message at the end of the video directing people to a certain URL you can put that information in a kick. Using kicks will cut down video length and greatly increase the chances of viewers clicking on your links. There of course will be a very slight learning curve as the general video watching population becomes used to kicks and their interactivity.

Kicklight Breeds Originality

Most current Kicklight users are uploading YouTube videos that were already published to create kicklights. However, the long-term perspective is for Kicklight users to create original videos that utilize the power of kicks. Therefore over time as Kicklight catches on there will be a wave of original videos that only work with kicks. The possibilities are endless for incorporating kicks into already entertaining videos. My intent is to start producing some how-to videos for new Kicklight users and fully utilizing kicks.

Wrap Up:

• Kicklights enhance the video viewing experience
• Kicks are unobtrusive
• Clickable kicks increase the chance of viewers actually following links
• Kicklight will create new “kicked” videos

I for one see the incredible potential of Kicklight and wonder how long it will take for the site to catch on. It will be very interesting to see people’s imaginations running wild with the Kicklight concept.

Have you heard of this funny thing called Kicklight? As of the posting of this article chances are you have not. Kicklight is nothing short of a revolution for online video interactivity and a viable monetization solution for user generated content. There is so much opportunity for creative minded people with the power of Kicklight in their hands. As you become more acquainted with Kicklight and its possibilities you might be interested to know more about this company. I thought I would share some tidbits with you.

#1. The idea for Kicklight came about two years before the company was started.

The founder of Kicklight John McIntire formulated this idea back in 2006. However, he sat on it for two years because he thought for sure that YouTube or Google would come up with a similar idea. Much to his surprise and obvious delight his idea was never discovered. With the backing of Stanford Research Institute (SRI) John set into motion the revolutionary concept of Kicklight.

#2. Initial marketing for Kicklight was done by a Claremont Mckenna College Junior Shamil Hargovan.

Shamil is the person that introduced me to Kicklight back in October of 2008. He did a 2008 summer internship at SRI, where he met John McIntire and learned about Kicklight. Shamil was and still is the person who is marketing the site to the public. He is very energetic and has a great deal of vision for Kicklight. I’m impressed that he can market this up and coming company while being a full-time student. I for one could not do it.

#3. Kicklight was tested and used by Claremont College students in the beginning.

While this may not come as a surprise it is interesting to note that the founder of Kicklight, John McIntire a CMC alum, decided to place Kicklight in the hands of college students. Through a few presentations on the Claremont College campuses students were introduced to Kicklight and allowed to produce their own creations. My introduction to Kicklight was through a presentation at Scripps College in 2008.

#4. The hope for Kicklight was that Google would purchase it and integrate kicks into the YouTube experience.

From the beginning Kicklight did not want to be a competitor to YouTube but instead a partner. The idea behind Kicklght is that videos be made with the intention of utilizing kicks to enhance them. YouTube/Google has struggled mightily to find a way to monetize their videos. They briefly played with pre-rolls, which was axed almost as quickly as it appeared, and now are placing ads in transparent boxes and a variety of other “in the box” formats. Kicklight has brought kicks outside of the box so as to maintain the integrity of the video and not distract from enjoying it. Wouldn’t you prefer seeing ads, graphics and other information outside of the video you are watching? Welcome to Kicklight.

#5. Kicklight contacted YouTube/Google about their concept.

This may seem strange or counterintuitive but YouTube was contacted about the concept behind Kicklight. A representative from Google told Kicklight that they thought the idea was interesting and would keep an eye on them. I found it strange that Google would not jump on Kicklight from the beginning but they may have wanted to see if it caught on before investing time and money into the idea. My guess is that once Kicklight reaches a certain level of exposure Google will dip in a offer to purchase it. Of course this is assuming that most video producers will want to create their own kicks.

It is interesting and strange to be writing about Kicklight before most people even know about it. I hope some of these tidbits will interest you, especially if/when Kicklight is a household name. I think it would be a lot of fun if the online video community were to grasp the power and earning potential behind Kicklight. Here’s to the Kicklight revolution!