The process of writing a wikiHow page begins with the realization that there is not enough information on how to perform a particular activity on the website. While there may be lots of information on the topic elsewhere on the web, it may not exist sufficiently in the wikiHow format. Lots of places that host tutorials exist on the web, (such as YouTube, company websites, blogs, and miscellaneous sites) but wikiHow stands out for its simplicity and ease of use for its readers, editors, and creators. The format of wikiHow pages makes the information in the article easy to absorb by using a step-by-step layout with pictures that accompany the steps; learning an activity on wikiHow is a simple process.
After a potential wikiHow creator finds a lack of information
on a subject on wikiHow, they should be sure that their knowledge and expertise
in the subject is sufficient for teaching others. For this project, the chosen
subject was a tutorial on a particular tool in the video layering and special
effects software Adobe After Effects. This project was chosen because the
creator had recently finished a college course that centered on the use of this
program and the tool (Roto Brush) in particular. Rotoscoping is a special
effects method that the creator of the article noticed was a common headache
for students in the course. During a rotoscoping project in the course, which
made use of the Roto Brush tool, the writer of the article was frustrated that
specific questions regarding the brush could not be answered with the available
YouTube tutorials. Issues that arose included the Roto Brush not responding to
edits to the selection area made by the user, and the brush propagating to
areas not near the subject. By working through these problems through trial and
error, as well as reading information on various special effects websites, a
solid knowledge of common problems and solutions with the Roto Brush was
developed.
During the experience of the class, the writer of the
article found that there was plenty of video tutorials for the process on
YouTube, but no sufficient multimedia tutorials for users who prefer not to
watch a video tutorial. The writer was able to identify specific, helpful
information learned in the class to the wikiHow that was not found in YouTube
tutorials, to be included in the wikiHow. The next step was to gather and
organize the information for the wikiHow and also research how to compose the
article.
This reference on the wikiHow website goes into detail
about how to create a passable wikiHow article. One of the key points is to
create an outline. For this project, the outline was made to include at least
eight steps and several tips and warnings for the activity. By creating an
outline first, the creator has time between the inception of the article and
the writing of the first draft to consider what information, images, and other
elements should be included in the article. For this project, it was determined
that the tutorial should begin with the basic step of importing footage into
After Effects (AE). Since the tutorial is intended for those already familiar
with the software, it was determined that basic information of After Effects,
such as how to create a new composition, how to create and duplicate layers,
and how to export the video, would be assumed as knowledge for the reader.
While creating the outline, the activity itself,
rotoscoping with the Roto Brush tool, was performed and documented for the
article. In order for a user to learn a process in software like AE, it is
necessary to take screenshots to accompany the text directions. The screenshots
were taken at each major step to provide a visual reference to the reader, who
could read simultaneously read the article and use After Effects in order to
know that they are clicking the right tools, in the correct panel, and so on.
The text of the outline was designed to be inclusive of
all the relevant information for each step while also maintaining conciseness.
Since there is lots of room for confusion in using a program like AE, which has
many expandable features and tools tightly packed into a small space, it was
important to be specific about what is being done in each step.
After the outline was created, and all the information,
images, and elements had been gathered, the draft was written in wikiHow code
in a text-processing program. The simple code included in the draft serves to
organize the information in the article by indicating headers, bold text, and
bullet points. For example, by including a pound sign (#) before a sentence,
the sentence will appear in bold; or by placing an asterisk (*) in the same
fashion, which will create a bullet point. Once the code had been applied to
the text, and had been organized into the preview, steps, tips, warnings, and
related wikiHow sections, the text was pasted into the new article editor in
wikiHow. To do this, a wikiHow account was created, which provides access to
the editing tools. To be sure that the
final article would appear as intended, the preview function is used to see how
the article will look once it is published. Once final adjustments have been
made, and the preview reflects what the article should look like, the article
is published and is then subject to editing by wikiHow users and admins.
Overall, the process of writing a wikiHow article falls
into a few steps: Research, Outline, and Editing. Although anyone can create a
wikHhow page, care to all of these steps is important for making an article
that can withstand the quality control of wikiHow.
