Formats · Length 60-90s short, 8-20 min long · 9:16 short, 16:9 long · intermediate
Vlog: how to shoot, edit, and prompt it
A vlog is a first-person video diary. Talking to camera, b-roll of what is happening, and music, cut so the day has a beginning, a point, and an end.
By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24 · Example: @sulansart
- Platforms
- YouTube, TikTok, Reels, Shorts
- Length
- 60-90s short, 8-20 min long
- Aspect
- 9:16 short, 16:9 long
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Gear
- phone or camera, a small mic, a day
This is the format that made me build Vyra. Hours of footage, 90 seconds of video, whole nights of scrubbing.
At a glance
| Best for | Personality channels, creators, artists, travel, lifestyle |
| Hook style | Say what today is about in the first sentence |
| Pacing | Talking 5-15 seconds, b-roll 2-4 seconds |
| Caption style | Phrase captions on speech, none on b-roll |
| Music | One or two tracks, ducked under speech |
| Shot list | Talking to camera at each stop. B-roll of hands, food, places, walking. Doors and cars as transitions. A closing talk. |
| Common mistakes | 40 seconds of talking with no cut. No point to the day. Music over your voice. |
Structure
- 0-5s: today's plan, to camera
- 5-20s: setting off, b-roll and a line
- 20-60s: the main thing, talking plus b-roll
- 60-75s: a small problem or surprise
- 75-85s: wrap up to camera
- 85-90s: last b-roll shot
How to shoot it
- Say the plan into the camera first thing.
- Talk in short bursts, then film b-roll of what you just described.
- Camera at chest height, face in the upper third.
- Film every transition. Leaving, arriving.
- Record a closing thought before you stop for the day.
How to edit it
- Keep only the talking that moves the day forward.
- Cover every mention with b-roll.
- Music 8-10 dB under speech.
- Cut b-roll on movement and on the music.
- Captions on speech only.
- Closing shot with no captions and no talking.
Prompt it in Vyra
Cut today's vlog to 90 seconds. Keep my talking segments tight, only the sentences where I say what I'm doing or how it went, and cover everything I mention with the matching b-roll. Add phrase captions on my speech, a soft music bed that ducks under my voice, and end on the shot of the sunset with no captions.
Use the "Vlog (Short)" template style for the pacing and caption look.
Cut the part where I repeat the plan twice and move the coffee shop section before the studio section.
Variations
- Silent vlog, no talking, text only.
- Studio vlog, one project.
- Weekly vlog, several days in one.
FAQ
Vlog editing takes me hours. Is that normal? You're scrubbing an hour of footage for 90 seconds. Vyra transcribes and analyzes everything on upload, so you can ask for "the part where I talk about the deadline" instead.
Do I have to talk to camera? That's what makes it a vlog and not a montage. Three short moments are enough.
How much footage per minute of vlog? About 10 to 1. A 90-second vlog comes from 15-20 minutes of clips.