Well, I am going to say a few different things here.
When I first started making videos (back when a double lift on a webcam in WMM made me feel like the best magician/editor ever) I ALWAYS got bashed. I could NEVER get a good video out and then I would see other people who seemed to do the same thing and ALWAYS get compliments.
So I noticed a few things about Youtube and the magic community.
1) Like stated above, live performances are always good. Sure, it is better if it is shot in HD, but if it is live, the camera quality doesn't matter TOO much as long as you can tell what is going on. Heck, the patter could be bad but as long as it is live and you have "decent" chops people like it.
2) If it is solo for the camera, it is much better if it contains something original. People (mostly magicians) don't want to sit thru ANOTHER performance of Doc Daley's Last Trick if there isn't something special about it to grasp their attention.
3) Focus on entertainment. As magicians, of course our performances should be entertaining, but I think that if I am going to post a video, it should at least be as entertaining as possible. This could mean having some good backround music playing softly enough so you can still hear my patter but loudly enough to cover dead time (titles and whatnot) or maybe a cool editing effect.
4) NEVER be afraid to take another shot. When I was starting out (magic and videos) I would always be like, "YES. I got that clip DONE. I don't care that I had 30 flashes! It is DONE!". Always re-film it if possible.
5) Test it before you post it. Whenever I do a video, I email it to about 30 of my magician and laypeople friends so I can get their opinion before posting it on Theory11 or Penguin or anywhere. If the majority say that it sucked, re-do it.
Everything else, like the editing and whatnot, is ALL personal preference. Most people HATE heavy editing in videos, but people like me really like it. So, that all boils down to what you really want the final product to look like.
Keep in mind as well that not everyone will like your video. It could be the GREATEST trick in the world and people might not like it.
All the best and I hope that helps!
