When we first set up our video studio in Houston, Texas, we wanted to do it right: with apps that allow our team to work from home while still maintaining the highest quality creative in our videos. 

Sounds great, right? So, wait, why weren’t more companies doing this? Well, one common concern we heard from agency owners hesitant to move toward the remote model is the fact that creative work is often collaborative. We don’t disagree. Afterall, some of the best ideas come from groupthink. Agency owners know creativity clicks when you have a team of creatives in a room brainstorming together. They weren’t sure if a virtual Zoom room would feel the same.

Well, spoiler alert, it doesn't. Nothing can truly replace face-to-face human connection (we miss your face, Cale!) But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. \

ith a few heavy-lifting apps, we’ve been able to successfully work from home as needed, which has saved us the headache of moving to a remote model on the fly. 

So, how do we get the creative juices flowing when stuck inside with limited access to our team? Zoom? Slack? Google? We figured now’s a good time to share what team apps help us create high-end videos for our clients from the comfort (is comfort still the right word?) of our own homes. 

G Suite

As digital marketers, we tend to get caught up in the latest apps and automation tools. Here’s the thing about thiat: Google’s G Suite does pretty much everything a small team NEEDS for $12 per user per month. We’ve been using this since we opened and have never once looked back. 

It seems people are catching onto this. Google searches for Google Drive, G Suite, Google Calendar, have been through the roof lately.

Favorite feature

UNLIMITED storage! As a video studio specializing in 3D animation, custom motion graphics, and high-end video production, we are constantly storing and sending annoyingly large files. It’s ridiculous. If you’re a team of less than 10 people, you get unlimited storage for $12 per user per month. Which, in our opinion, is a steal of a deal.

P.S. we should mention we are in no way affiliated with Google. Just a fan of their business products. 

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How we use it

We use Google Hangouts Chat (formerly Gchat) for team communication and Gmail for client communication. With G Suite you can set any website domain you own as your email domain, which looks much more professional than “gmail.com.” You can also easily update your email domain if your business name changes. We know because we did this recently. 

We also use the Google Hangouts Meet, which is a silly name, but works well. Plus, Google just unlocked some of the advanced video conferencing features for all G Suite users (even the Basic plan) to help teams stay connected during Covid. Thanks, Google. <3

Here’s a screenshot of the email they sent explaining the expanded Hangouts Meet features for video conferencing: 

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Some good alternatives

Office 365, Slack (for team communication)

Adobe Creative Suite

Adobe Creative Suite is exactly what it sounds like, a whole host of apps in one. So, we’re kind of cheating here by adding it as an app. However, it’s much more cost effective for creative teams to buy the whole suite rather than buy just a few apps à la carte. We live in Premiere Pro and After Effects. It’s a toss up between those two for our favorite Adobe app. If you’re not a video person and just need a straightforward video editor without the bells and whistles, Adobe Rush is for you. 

Favorite feature

You can access all Adobe apps on up to two computers with the same login information. Pro tip for 3D animators: 3DS is the same way.

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How we use it

As always, it depends what we’re making. Good ol’ Illustrator is still the best for designing static graphics and elements. Once we’ve created those elements, we can export them for use in animations. We often use Premiere and Camtasia together for how-to videos. 

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Some good alternatives

Let us know when you find one! We cannot in good faith recommend a solid alternative to the entire Creative Suite. However, Canva can help you out with basic designs in a pinch. 

Camtasia

Camtasia is one of the best applications for walk-through videos where you need to share your screen. You can enlarge and highlight your mouse, zoom in and out of the entire screen to show detail, and so much more. If you want to create engaging how-to videos, Camtasia won’t let you down. 

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Favorite feature

The UI (User Interface) is very clean. It gets the job down and is rarely buggy. 

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How we use it

If you follow us on LinkedIn, you’ve likely noticed that we’re big on explainer and how-to videos. Anytime you see a screen shared in our videos, it’s courtesy of Camtasia. 

As videographers, we are picky about video editing. So, we tend to do most of the actual editing of Camtasia videos in Adobe Premiere Pro; however, Camtasia does have a basic editor that works fine. 

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Some good alternatives

Loom, Clapboard

When in doubt, keep it simple. Whether you use G Suite, Microsoft 365, or a CRM to communicate, you likely have what you need right in front of you. 

Focus on what you have and explore how you can optimize your existing apps. It’s incredible what can be done within Gmail alone. 

TL:DR: If you’re a creative working from home, start with G Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, and Camtasia. Those should keep you busy, professional, and productive. 

Please stay safe and stay at home! If you have a question about any of these apps or video marketing tools in general, shoot us a message! We’d love to swap and compare.