When director Kevin Smith calls himself “a glorified straight-to-video filmmaker who gets a large theatrical window,” he’s not being totally disingenuous.

Smith knows he has improved as a director in the 10 years between his first release, the rough-edged, cheeky Clerks, and his most recent film, the kinder and gentler romantic comedy Jersey Girl. But he also knows his strengths and likes.

“I’m a better storyteller now in that I don’t solely rely on dialogue anymore,” says Smith from his home in Los Angeles, adding that the look of the film depends primarily on who’s shooting it. “I’m all for pretty-looking pictures, but since Clerks was my first movie … and got favorable critical notices as a movie that looked like hell but still worked, I’m kinda still in that mind-set.”

His home, by the way, happens to be the former residence of pal Ben Affleck, who was in a few of Smith’s movies — Dogma, Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back — before starring in Jersey Girl.

That was a release “fraught with peril” for Smith, who thought the film would be an easy sell with Affleck, Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler on board, but that was before the disaster of Gigli and the tabloid frenzy that was “Bennifer.”

That led Smith to assume his familiar role as the “voice of the movie,” something that began when Miramax opted to send only him on tour to promote Clerks, and he became popular with reporters who liked to listen to the director’s amusing stories. This has made him a personality, rare for most directors, even rarer for low-budget ones like Smith. (He’s even done Panasonic commercials.)

While Jersey Girl didn’t set the world on fire in theaters, Smith credits Miramax with preventing the movie — which is a sweet comedy with a ring of truth — from turning into another Gigli after all the bad press on that film.

Besides, Smith says, his films do well on video. (Jersey Girl and a 10th-anniversary edition of Clerks have just been released on DVD.)

“That’s why I love video, man. Nobody will ever remember the box office for the movie, and it will live its life on video.”

Clerks (10th Anniversary Edition) — Miramax; $34.99. Includes commentary, a making-of documentary and the original movie on three discs.

Jersey Girl — Miramax; $29.99.