What's inside this article:
- Basic information
- Upload a video file
- Add the General title and URL slug
- Add Categories
- Add an introduction
- Trim the video file
- Define the video thumbnail
- Add authors
- Manage the status and publish
- Send the video to social media
Basic information
This article explains how to upload and publish a new on-demand video from Pangea CMS.
What is an on-demand video?
An on-demand video is a piece of video content that website visitors can consume at any time. After you publish a new on-demand video:
- The video is published on its own dedicated content page. It can be shared and promoted on widgets like any other content page.
- You can embed the video directly into text content pages. Visitors can watch the video from the embedded player without leaving the content page.
- Pangea offers special widgets for sharing on-demand media. You might share the video on a Multimedia or Podcast widget. For detailed information, visit the relevant article below:
NOTE: The Stealth published status allows you to publish a video without a dedicated content page or a public URL. Stealth videos can be shared only as embedded content. Learn more.
Upload a video file
First, you need to manually upload the video file to Pangea CMS. To start the upload process, go to Create > Multimedia > Video. For detailed instructions and information on how to upload a video file, visit the following article:
As soon as the upload starts:
- The video is saved in Pangea CMS. The default title for the video is the name of the video file.
- Pangea creates an edit page for the video. Here, you need to add and update the settings before publication.
You can open the edit page for a newly uploaded video using one of the methods below:
- (A): Hit the Edit button in the upload manager.
- (B): Find the video on the main Search page and hit the title. For tips on how to use search in Pangea CMS, visit the following article:
The remaining chapters in this article describe the essential steps for publishing a new on-demand video, as well as some optional features that might be helpful.
Add the General title and URL slug
By default, the name of the video file is used as the General title. It is essential to update this title before publishing the video. We also suggest adding a URL slug for every content page.
Add the General title
Via General > Title, add the General title for the video.
The General title will be displayed as the headline on the video page and in the player if the video is embedded. This text will also be used as the The meta title is included in the source code for a webpage and helps search engines to understand the content. It is normally displayed as the clickable headline on search engine results pages. Learn more. for the video page.
Add the URL slug
After you add the General title, we suggest adding a URL slug. The slug will be included in the URL for the video page. This improves usability by telling users where they will go after clicking the link. URL slugs can also help your pages to rank more highly on search engine results pages.
Add a URL slug via General > URL slug.
Add Categories
Every content page in Pangea CMS must have at least one Category. Categories act like folders on your computer, where items are stored and organized. A Category is normally a topic, such as 'Politics' or 'Sport'. For each content page, you can add one or more Categories. To get started, go to General > Categories.
Set the Primary Category
If you add multiple Categories, you need to set one Primary Category. Click the badge for your chosen Primary Category, so that it is marked blue. All other Categories will be added as Secondary Categories (marked gray).
The name of the Primary Category will be shown on the published video page. For videos that are part of a regular newscast, podcast, or show, use the name of the series as the Primary Category. If the Multimedia archive is a Category layout (available for TV and Radio Categories) designed to highlight shows and podcasts. When enabled, it adds a header with clickable tabs to both the Category page and content pages. This helps visitors to browse episodes and navigate without losing their place. Learn more. layout is enabled for the Primary Category, this layout will be applied on the published video page.
For detailed information about the significance of Primary versus Secondary Categories, visit the following article:
Add an introduction
On a video page, you can display a brief introduction beneath the player. The introduction builds on the title, offering more details about the topic of the video. A well-crafted introduction enhances storytelling, sparks curiosity, and encourages deeper engagement with your content.
Via General > Introduction, add the General introduction for the video. To display the introduction on the video page, tick Display introduction.
NOTE: Even if Display introduction is not ticked, the introduction may still be displayed on other public-facing pages.
Trim the video file
Using the Trim feature on the video edit page, you can cut unnecessary footage from the start and / or the end of the video file. Trimming is only available after the video file has been fully uploaded and processed.
Find more details below:
After you trim a video, Pangea creates a new (trimmed) version of the video with a separate edit page. On the edit page for the new trimmed video:
- The title matches the original with [TRIMMED] - added at the start.
- The status is Draft.
- All saved settings from the original (untrimmed) video are kept and automatically applied (except for 'Multimedia distribution' settings).
The edit page for the original (untrimmed) video remains open. The original video is not removed from Pangea CMS or changed in any way.
IMPORTANT: Ensure you save the video before trimming. Unsaved settings will not be transferred to the edit page for the new (trimmed) video.
You can use the preview on the video edit page to identify how much of the video needs to be trimmed. We suggest making a note of the following timepoints:
- New start time: All preceding content will be cut in the trimmed video.
- New end time: All following content will be cut in the trimmed video.
To trim the video:
- Select Video in the left panel.
- Hit Trim.
- Enter the new Start time and End time, then select + Save as new.
The edit page for the new (trimmed) video opens in a new tab. Pangea CMS now needs to upload and process the trimmed version of the video file.
Define the video thumbnail
The thumbnail (sometimes called a 'poster' or 'player image') is the static image shown in the player before playback begins. A strong thumbnail helps your video to stand out, drives engagement, and gives viewers a quick visual preview of what to expect from the video.
You can define the thumbnail using one of the methods below:
- Video frame: Use a frame (timepoint) from the video file.
- Website teaser: Use the Teaser image.
- Image upload: Upload a custom image.
Choose your preferred option via Video > Thumbnail
For more information, review the sections below:
Instructions (horizontal and vertical videos)
Find detailed instructions for each method below:
You can use a frame (timepoint) from the video file as the thumbnail.
Follow these steps:
- Under Thumbnail, select Video frame.
- Under Video frame, manually type the timepoint (format: HH:mm:ss.fff).
Your chosen frame is now visible under Preview.
The preview helps you to identify the frame for the thumbnail. Using the player controls, you can change which frame is visible. However, this action does not change the thumbnail. To use a different frame as the thumbnail, you need to manually change the timepoint under Video frame.
You can use the Teaser image as the thumbnail.
Follow these steps:
- Under Thumbnail, select Website teaser.
- Go the Website teaser in the left panel.
- Under Horizontal image, set the image for the horizontal thumbnail.
- Under Vertical image, optionally set the image for the vertical thumbnail. This extra step is recommended for vertical videos.
When you return to the Video settings, your selected horizontal image is now displayed in the preview.
You can quickly upload an image from your device to use as the thumbnail. When you use this option, there's no need to add the standard image metadata, such as the Source and Caption.
Follow these steps:
- Under Thumbnail, select Upload image.
- Hit the Upload image button.
- Perform one of the actions below:
- Drag and drop the image file into the box.
- Hit Browse files, navigate to file location, and select the file.
Your uploaded image is now displayed in the preview.
Your uploaded image is also added automatically as the Teaser image (horizontal and vertical). However, you will not be able to crop the Teaser image.
NOTE: Your uploaded image won't be searchable in Pangea CMS, and it won't be useable on other pages.
Further advice for vertical videos
On mobile devices, vertical videos are displayed inside a vertical player. On other devices (desktop and tablet), vertical videos are displayed inside a horizontal player with pillars. This means that for vertical videos, you need to consider both the horizontal and vertical version of the thumbnail.
For vertical videos, you can use any of the three thumbnail options:
- Video frame
- Website teaser
- Image upload
For the best visual quality, we suggest using the Website teaser option. This approach gives you full control over how the vertical thumbnail will look, including which image is used and how the image is cropped.
Find advice for each method below:
To use the Teaser image as the thumbnail for a vertical video:
- Via Video > Thumbnail, select Website teaser.
- Go to Website teaser.
- Select the image under Vertical image.
- Optionally select the Crop image button to adjust the default cropping.
- Under Horizontal image, select the same image or a different image.
The vertical image will be displayed in the vertical player (on mobile), and the horizontal image will be displayed in the horizontal player (on desktop / tablet).
If a vertical image is not selected, the central section of the horizontal image will be displayed in the vertical player. (Pangea will automatically crop the image.)
If you use a video frame as the thumbnail, no extra steps are required for vertical videos.
Your selected frame will be displayed in the vertical player (on mobile) and in the horizontal player (on desktop / tablet).
If you upload an image to use as the thumbnail, no extra steps are required for vertical videos.
Your uploaded image will be displayed in the vertical player (on mobile) and in the horizontal player (on desktop / tablet).
If you upload a horizontal image (16:9), the central section of the image will be displayed in the vertical player. (Pangea will automatically crop the image.) The full image will be displayed in the horizontal player (on desktop / tablet).
Add authors
By consistently showing author names on content pages, you help to demonstrate authority and build trust with your audience. On video pages, authors might include both the journalists who captured the footage and the editors who produced the content.
Select one or more author names via Authors, contributors > Authors.
Select names from the approved authors list for your site. You cannot use authors from other sites. To learn how to add a new name to the approved authors list, visit the following article:
Manage the status and publish
Every video has an internal publication status in Pangea CMS. A video might move between the following statuses during the publication process:
- Draft: The video is not published. The item is still in progress and is not yet ready for editorial review.
- Edited: The video is not published. The first draft of the item is prepared and waiting for editorial review.
- Published: The video is published. It has a dedicated content page and a public URL.
- Stealth published: The video is available for use as embedded content. It does not have a dedicated content page or a public URL. For detailed information about this status, visit the alternative article below:
Change the status using the selector at the top of the edit page. For example, to change the status from Draft to Edited:
- Select Edited in the selector.
- Hit Save or Save & close.
The video is now saved in Pangea CMS with the Edited status.
When you are ready to publish the video, two options are available:
- Publish immediately.
- Schedule publication for a set time and date in the future.
For detailed information about the options for publishing a new content page, visit the following article:
Send the video to social media
The Multimedia distribution feature lets you conveniently send on-demand video content to social media. You can send each video to an unlimited number of YouTube and Facebook accounts. This saves time, as you do not need to manually upload and publish the same video on multiple accounts.
NOTE: Multimedia distribution is not available in Pangea CMS by default. We can enable this feature on request for individual services. If your service would like to start using Multimedia distribution, contact Pangea Customer Care.
To get started, select Multimedia distribution in the left panel.
For detailed information and instructions, visit the alternative article below:
