Video is a form of art that is rarely appreciated. It’s a challenging skill to pick up and even more so to perfect. The included resources are meant to alleviate some of the burden.
Editors, in the larger scheme of things, are the ones responsible for building the films you see. Their ability to cobble together a compelling story from seemingly disparate parts is a testament to their talent as filmmakers.
Putting together a video is a process of cutting and splicing together several clips. All types of video content, from movies and TV episodes to commercials and essays, rely on video editing to create a coherent and engaging final product.
The advent of consumer-grade video editing software for desktop and laptop computers has greatly expanded access to the process. Video editing may be time-consuming and challenging, thus many tools have been developed to simplify the process.
The goal of creating marker software for video editing was to provide users with a quicker and easier way to edit their videos.
Before beginning to slash and burn unfinished video, every aspiring editor should have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of post-production.
It would be good to grasp some of the terminology used by editors and to have an understanding of the many processes that editors have when completing a task.
It takes time and effort to become a skilled video editor, but with perseverance, you can master the craft. In order to make it as a professional video editor, you need to know a few things.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is It Hard Being a Video Editor?
Video editing can be an overwhelming subject to learn. It is, after all, a blend of both technical and artistic skills. In the beginning, Tony’s recommendation is to pick a video editing software and follow some tutorials to learn the basics.
Is Video Editing Easy to Learn?
Editing is a key skill in video production that can make or break the overall quality of a video. However, editing is a relatively simple process to understand. Once you have learned the basics you’ll be able to use your new skills to significantly raise the quality of your videos.
How Long Does Video Editing Take To Learn?
Video editing courses can be as short as a couple of hours. However, some take over 10 hours to complete. It all depends on the software used, the pace of the course, and the level of editing.
Why Is Video Editing So Hard?
Video editing is not as easy as video shooting. The process is not only exhaustive but also very time-consuming. Most of the video editors need more time to edit than what they would need to shoot. On average, they will need double the time they took to shoot.
Is Video Editing a Good Career?
In short, becoming a video editor is a great career. There are so many opportunities available and more innovative concepts are always on the horizon. The result is a career path that will support you for the foreseeable future.
Select Appropriate Computer Programs
Choosing an editor is a bit like selecting a vehicle. They will all get you from point A to point B, but the one you choose to take may rely on personal preference. Here is a summary of the best video editing programmes used by professionals throughout the globe.
Choosing the Appropriate Computer
You can still be a terrible video editor even if you have a state-of-the-art computer, but at least you’ll be able to spend less time waiting for your computer to render and more time thinking about the story you want to convey.
Though many people have strong ideas about which computer is better for editing, the truth is that it really really comes down to personal preference. Here are some suggestions for improving your video editing experience and selecting the best PC for your needs.
One of the most useful things you can buy for video editing is a fast storage drive. Why? A speedier hard drive means quicker access to your media and programmes, for starters. As a result, processing times for rendering, loading, and exporting will decrease. It’s true that an SSD will often cost twice as much as a regular hard disc, but it’s money well spent.
Improve Recall (RAM)
In most cases, more RAM means quicker editing times. For this reason, most up-to-date NLEs advise using 4GB of RAM or more; but, if you intend to edit videos seriously, you’ll need to have a lot more. Professional editors almost never use less than 8 GB of RAM. More RAM is always preferable.
Upgraded Graphics Cards
A video card does exactly what it seems like it does: it sends visual data to the displays on your computer. You may probably guess the importance of having a good graphics card for editing. Check the recommended graphics cards for your prefered NLE before making a purchase; most of the main video editing apps have them.
Processors
It’s a delicate balancing act, but obviously a quad core processor will mean faster render times.
Even if your computer’s processor is top-notch, if you compromise on other components like the hard drive, RAM, or graphics card, your system performance will suffer.
An i7 is a safe bet, but just like with video cards, your prefered NLE may have its own CPU recommendations.
Narrative Editing
If you take away this from this piece, let it be that you are indeed a storyteller as an editor. To edit a video, you need to do more than just chop clips together. It’s a chance to immerse the listener or reader in a new world. There’s more to the story, even if you’re editing a feature-length narrative film or a simple corporate video.
Every edit, transition, sound, and visual element must serve a larger narrative purpose. It’s important to evaluate the story’s progression with each scene you cut. Conflict is fascinating to audiences.
Locate the tension and draw attention to it through the use of tempo and sound. Whenever you sit to edit a video, the first thing you should do is choose a protagonist.
A corporate video’s protagonist could be a participant in an interview or the target demographic.
Involve your hero in an adventure and have them conquer challenges, no matter how insignificant they may seem, such as deciding which brand of toothpaste to buy. The quality of your videos will increase dramatically once you start using this method of editing.
You Can Trust Keyboard Shortcuts
The amount of time spent on the keyboard is one of the quickest methods to distinguish between such a professional and amateur video editor. Veteran editors know that saving a few seconds here and there can add up to significant gains over time.
Learning those keyboard shortcuts will save you countless hours (or even days) of work time in the long run. There are, thankfully, a plethora of excellent resources for learning keyboard shortcuts.
Reference Guides
If you’re just starting out with editing software, printing out a cheat sheet with keyboard shortcuts to have nearby is a great idea.
For many common tasks, such as playing and trimming, there is probably a short-cut key you can press on the keyboard. Before reaching for the mouse, check out one of the available keyboard shortcuts below.
- Premiere Pro: Free Keyboard Shortcuts for Premiere Pro Reference Guide
- Free Final Cut Pr Keypad Shortcuts for Final Cut Pro Quick Reference Guide
- Access Free Avid Media Designer Keyboard Keys in Media Composer Reference Guide
- The Freeware DaVinci Resolve Keyboard Keys Keyboard shortcuts for Adobe After Effects, available for free download.
It’s also worth noting that you can customise the shortcut keys in any of these programmes to your taste. You can customise the key combinations that a certain function employs if you find that doing so is more convenient.
Keyboard Editing
You should invest in an editing keyboard if at all possible. In essence, an editing keypad is merely a conventional one with the addition of icons for often used shortcuts. Editors Keys is a great site to get a keyboard for editing.
While their keyboard can be pricey, the durability is worth it given how often you’ll be using the J, K, or L keys.
While editing keyboards make it easy to memorise shortcuts, you can get by just fine with the keyboard you already have if you’re using Windows or Mac. A cover for your keyboard can be purchased with icons already printed on it.
If you utilise your keyboard for a variety of tasks, you’ll benefit greatly from these. It’s also much more cost-effective to change a laptop sleeve than a whole keyboard if you plan to learn new programs in the future. You may find many different types of keyboards and cases for use in video editing at B&H. Choose a key ring only if it can accommodate your keys.
Acquire The Language
Editing videos is a business in its own right, not merely a pastime or a career path. Of course, there is a substantial amount of jargon unique to the construction sector as well. Knowing every term on this list isn’t necessary to improve your video editing skills.
However, having at least a passing familiarity with the concepts might help you have more fruitful conversations with other video editing and clients. The following are some foundational ideas:
J&L Saw It Up
Connecting two scenes together is a breeze with the help of J and L Cuts. A J and L cut, in its simplest form, is an audio or visual overlap into the following scene. What they look like on your editing timeline is the inspiration for their names.
What you call a “J cut” is a transition in which the audio plays before the video does. J Cuts are used when one scene transitions directly into another, for as when you hear a railway horn and then see footage of a train.
Instead, in an L-Cut, the visuals come first, followed by the sound. Imagine a documentary where a man is discussing ice cream and then the scene cuts to a shot of anyone scooping ice cream when he’s still talking; this is an example of a L Cut.
You will most likely confuse J Cut with L Cut, but the important thing to keep in mind is the basic ideas behind each. Interesting visuals can be created with J and L cuts.
A Quick Cut
In editing, time can be shaved off of a film with the help of jump cuts. A jump cut is a great way to keep the action moving without bogging down the viewer with unnecessary filler.
Imagine a man dangling an egg above a building, followed by a scene of a shattered egg on the street. You may not have witnessed the actual egg dropping, but the events that transpired in between are nonetheless readily apparent.
Montage
Time can be represented in a montage via a series of shows. While the concept of a montage may be obvious to you, it’s vital to keep in mind that a well-executed montage may do wonders for your narrative.
The famous training montage in Rocky is Rocky sprinting up stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts as part of his preparation for the big fight. That moment served a dual purpose of keeping the audience entertained and advancing Rocky’s persona so that you might witness his inner growth.
Equally Detailed and Exciting
When editing, the term “match action” refers to the practice of splicing together sequences that are visually similar to one another. Creating a compelling sequence by splicing together two comparable shots requires some planning in advance, but if done well, it may be well worth the effort.
Since you are familiar with the basics of video editing, you can go on to discussing specific techniques. Learn how to make a reel that really heats things up.
Editing is often a trying process. Most of the editing process is making difficult choices, such as removing big chunks of content that the author or editor cares deeply about. Having to cut lines of dialogue you adore or even an entire scene you worked hard on for the sake of the project as a whole may be excruciating.
There is more to editing than removing unnecessary parts of a movie. It is the job of the editor to ensure that the transitions between scenes are seamless and appropriate for the film being made.
Reducing Activity
The use of cuts to the action helps create a more engaging and dynamic scenario. Cutting inside the middle of the an action is a basic concept that can make for a more visually appealing and less abrupt transition.
Basically every scene is the same. If you cut while the subject is in motion rather than after they have completed an activity, the scene will have a more natural feel. This sequence from The Matrix is an excellent illustration of a scene cut in the middle of the action.
Take note of how seldom the editor allows for things to finish up by themselves. If you waited for every action to finish, the scene would’ve been incredibly dull.
If you cut on a gesture in one shot while switching to the next, the viewer won’t even notice the transition. An action that starts in one frame and continues into the next shot across an edit is what the audience is watching.
When the gesture is finished, the change is hidden. This is a clip of the cut based on the speaker’s modest motion as he transitions from one concept to the next.
When Good Music Is Played, Things Shift.
How can you recognize the distinction between an independent film and a major studio release? Just shut your eyes and relax. It’s common for editors to put too much emphasis on aesthetics while neglecting the audio. Obviously, this is incorrect.
If you’re worried about shelling out cash for a song you might not end up using, you shouldn’t worry about doing so in the modern music licencing landscape.
You can get free watermark information audio previews from most sites (including PremiumBeat) and drop them into your project. This way, you won’t have to worry about wasting money on a subpar track.
Levelling
Since it seems that every movie maker has a different perspective on how loud your audio should be, these suggestions should not be taken as gospel. If you’re having difficulties getting the sound just right, though, try implementing these simple tips.
- Global Volume: 10dB to 14dB
- In the range of -12 dB to -15 dB for speech.
- From -18db to -22db for music.
- Noise levels range from -20dB to -10dB on average, with occasional peaks reaching -8dB.
Listen carefully and decide for yourself. Unfortunately, even if your audio strictly adheres to these guidelines, it could still be awful.
Learn to Edit Better
Whether you’re starting out or are already an established editor, you can always get better at your job.
Maintaining a productive workflow is also essential. It’s easy to let work consume you to the detriment of our physical and mental wellbeing.
The methods employed by video editors to shape the material reveal much about the processes by which individuals imbue the environment with significance.
As editors, you have an intimate familiarity with the ways in which people reason, feel, remember, and absorb information, and you utilise this expertise to craft narratives and experiences that resonate deeply with their audiences.
Empathy for the characters and the viewers is essential for making good editing choices. The first segment was unsettling to watch because the cuts were created without any rhyme or reason. An ode to the difficult-to-accomplish but ultimately rewarding process of making meaningful cuts to a video:
Set Up Your Office Space
The video editing process requires a dedicated workspace, even if you have access to a plethora of capable hardware and software at varying price points.
Find the Ideal Shot for Any Scenario.
The goal, as you review your footage, should be to strike a harmony between speaker’s purpose and the needs of an online audience. To choose the optimal camera view for reconstructing each moment, consider where the viewers would prefer to be looking if they were actually in the room.
By keeping this in mind, you’ll be able to select shots that allow the presenter to convey his or her ideas.
Use a Mix of Close-Ups, Mid-Shots, and Wide Shots.
To help the viewer visualise the room setting for the TED Talk, it is helpful to transition between multiple camera vantage points. After some background information is provided, however, medium and close-up photos become the most informative.
It’s fascinating to observe how people’s faces and gestures change as they speak, and a closer perspective makes this more apparent. Be observant of the speaker’s manner of speech and body language.
Bodies embody language. Observing a speaker’s body language can reveal their innermost thoughts, as well as the content of their words and the very air they breathe. In the meantime, everyone’s voice is different in terms of tempo and cadence. If you keep them in mind, your editing will have a natural rhythm, and the audience will feel similarly at ease.
Shorten the Wind
An edit may be less noticeable because of the way a word sounds, particularly if it begins with a harsh consonant. The word can be highlighted and made more memorable when it is something that is crucial to the speaker’s main point in the edited version of the speech. Let’s take listen to a word that’s been snipped out of a sentence.
Let’s Keep the Ball Rolling.
The attention span of the average web user is rather short. In contrast to staying still on a single camera angle for an extended period of time, switching between several camera angles to frame a speaker’s words adds movement and interest to the presentation.
Cut Apart Images
In many presentations, the slides used by the speaker remain visible for several minutes. Strive to divide the slide into parts to ensure that only the most important details are shown at the appropriate times during the presentation. Whether or not this aids your individual editing process is besides the point; what matters is that you approach focus with method.
Remove Any Inaccuracies
Technical and speaker errors are filtered out throughout the editing process. To hide these reductions, frequently speed up the action.
Break up Your Editing Process With Some Time Off
It’s possible to become numb to the content after repeatedly viewing the same edit. Thus, it is necessary to take a break. Taking a moment away from editing and coming back to it with fresh eyes might help you keep your audience in mind and produce better results overall.
Trying to get started with video editing but feeling lost? It’s not uncommon for people to feel overwhelmed when faced with the prospect of beginning the editing process on a large project. However, there are a lot of opportunities for error during this process, and even a single misstep can have a significant impact on the final quality of your film.
Premature Chopping
This offense is a terrible one for professional video editor. After a successful shot, the temptation to begin editing right away is understandable. You should be aware of your resources before committing to a major revision.
The first thing to do when you sit down to edit a project is watching over the raw video and soak it all in.
The next thing to do is re-watch the footage using the pancake timeline method. Split the film into two timeframes: one for the original footage and one for the final cuts. When you find a scene in my raw bin, drop it onto the main timeline.
Having done so, you will be comfortable with the film and ready to move forwards when the time comes to begin the real cutting process.
Employing Strict Measures
When editing dialogue, it’s simple to disrupt the natural flow of a discussion with a poorly placed cut. An editor has shown that the utilization of hard cuts is the most typical cause of amateurish editing.
When editing a scene with speech, a hard cut is used whenever the audio is cut abruptly just as the actor begins speaking. You shouldn’t be able to discern the break in the dialogue when editing. A “J” cut is a viable solution to this problem.
When the soundtrack begins before the picture, it is called a “J cut.” That way, the transition between shots is virtually undetectable. Adding a continuous ambient sound under all the songs is another solution to the cut problem.
The term for this is “room tone.” In this manner, the transition between shots in a sequence won’t sound as jarring thanks to the lingering suggestion of room tone that remains in the background during the edit.
Video editors are the unseen authors of every video’s plot. They are the unseen heroes responsible for setting the story’s tempo, mood, and emotional tenor. There’s more to editing than just splicing together clips; it’s also about communicating ideas visually. It’s an art form, and a challenging one at that; yet, with time and effort, you’ll improve.
Conclusion
Video editing hopefuls would do well to familiarise themselves with the post-production process. Listed below are some tips that should help you out when it comes to editing videos.
Quicker access to your files and programmes is a benefit of a fast hard drive. To edit videos professionally, 8 GB of RAM is the bare minimum.
The Intel Core i7 is a solid pick, although your favourite NLE may have other requirements, similar to the video card. If you’re going to be doing a lot of video editing, you should have a dedicated editing keyboard.
You may usually find a shortcut key on the keyboard for several frequently used functions, such as playing and trimming. The time you save by learning such shortcuts on the keyboard is substantial. If you’re using Windows or Mac, you can get by with the keyboard you already have. A keyboard cover with preprinted icons is available for purchase.
J Cut and L Cut are easily confused, however they have different essential principles. The use of jump cuts is a common technique in film editing that allows for the reduction of running time.
Your story may benefit greatly from a well-done montage. Rocky’s iconic training scene is him running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. When editing, it’s sometimes more aesthetically pleasing and less abrupt to cut in the middle of an action rather than at the beginning or end of it.
It’s easy to fool an audience into thinking that two separate shots were seamlessly edited together if you clip on a gesture in one shot before switching to the next. You may easily drag and drop audio previews with watermark information from most sites (including PremiumBeat) into your project.
Improvement is possible at any stage of your video editing career, whether you’re just starting out or have been working in the field for a while. Good editors have empathy for both the characters and the audience. Finding common ground between the speaker’s intent and the expectations of the online audience is the goal.
A word’s sound, especially if it starts with a strong consonant, could make an adjustment less obvious. A presentation increases energy and intrigue when the camera moves to different positions to frame a speaker’s comments from different perspectives.
Try to take breaks from editing every so often to help you keep your target audience in mind. Each and every video’s story is crafted by a team of editors, who are rarely seen by the audience. They establish the story’s rhythm, tone, and emotional tenor.
The editing process involves more than merely splicing together footage. A difficult art form, indeed.
Content Summary
- Now that there is affordable, professional-quality software available for use on personal computers, a much wider audience may benefit from the process of creating and editing videos.
- Since time is of the essence while editing videos, developers of video editing software added markers to aid in the process.
- Mastering the art of video editing requires time and practise, but it’s possible with dedication.
- There are a few things you need to know if you want to make a living as a professional video editor.
- A quick storage drive is one of the most helpful tools you can invest in for video editing.
- You probably don’t need me to tell you that a powerful graphics card is crucial for the editing process.
- There’s no point in having a powerful computer processor if you skimp on other parts like the hard drive, RAM, or graphics card.
- The first thing you should do while editing a video is pick a main character.
- Thankfully, there is a plethora of high-quality materials available for mastering shortcut keys.
- When first learning an editing programme, it can be helpful to print out a list of shortcut keys and keep it close at hand.
- Consider one of the shortcuts for using the keyboard instead of the mouse.
- If at all possible, you should purchase an editing keyboard.
- If you need an editing keyboard, Editors Keys is where you should go.
- You can get by just fine on Windows or Mac with whatever keyboard you already have, even though editing keyboards make it much simpler to learn shortcuts.
- A keyboard cover with preprinted icons is available for purchase.
- The video editing equipment from B&H includes a wide variety of keyboards and enclosures. Make sure your keys will fit in the key ring before buying it.
- Editing are a business in their own right, not just a hobby or a side gig.
- A working knowledge of only few of these terms will help you become a better video editor.
- While you don’t need to be an expert on video editing or even videography to have good talks with other editors or clients, a basic understanding of the subject matter certainly won’t hurt.
- J and L cuts allow for some really creative visual effects.
- The use of jump cuts is a common technique in film editing that allows for the reduction of running time.
- In a montage, time is represented through a sequence of performances.
- And while you may be familiar with the concept of a montage, it’s important to remember that a well-executed montage may greatly enhance your story.
- The phrase “match action” is used in the editing industry to describe the practise of combining similar-looking sequences.
- With that foundation laid, we may move on to more advanced topics related to video editing.
- A film’s editing process involves more than just cutting out filler.
- Action cuts make for a more dynamic and interesting story.
- Editors tend to focus too much on the visuals and not enough on the sound.
- Good editors have empathy for both the characters and the audience.
- If you want your audience to be able to picture themselves in the same room as you as you give your TED Talk, switching between different camera angles is a good way to do it.
- Pay attention to the speaker’s tone of voice and gestures.
- In the condensed form of the speech, the term might be emphasised to help the listener retain its significance to the speaker’s overall argument.
- Rather than keeping the camera on one fixed location for the duration of a presentation, utilising many camera positions to frame a speaker’s words creates visual variety and keeps the audience engaged.
- During the editing phase, both technical and speaker faults are eliminated.
- Taking a break from editing and returning to it with fresh eyes might help you focus on your target audience and improve the final product.
- Know what you have available before deciding to make significant changes.
- Separate the film’s raw footage into its own timeline and the edited footage into a separate timeline.
- The most common reason for sloppy editing, according to a professional editor, is the use of hard cuts.
- At the end of the editing process, the dialogue transition should be seamless.
