Hi there, future Spielberg! So you’ve got the footage, the inspiration, and the motivation to make the next hit movie, but when you open up your editing program it feels like looking at a screen in Frankenstein’s computer lab – full of infinite tools, options and possibilities, and with the ever-present nagging question of where do I begin? Sound familiar? It has for all of us at some point in our journey in video editing. I remember the beginning of my career, and I realised that I was lost, like a rambling sailor in a storm. Fortunately, it’s the same storm all sailors face, and I tumbled into the same seas all of us have, and I found myself eventually on land at the beach of a magnificent library. For me, it was film school. For you, it might be online tutorials, books or personal mentoring. Either way, here are 10 industry-standard editing tips that will help take your editing game from beginner to bonafide badass.
“Don’t let video editing overwhelm you! Dive into our step-by-step guide designed specifically for beginners. Discover the secrets of editing like a pro with easy tips and affordable tools. Click here to transform your videos today!”
Tip 1: Organize Your Footage
Forget to do this and you’ll be hunting around in folders like a drunken gastropod, trying to figure out what goes where – roughly equivalent to trying to make a gourmet meal in a kitchen where dishes are Video editing in particular is your raw footage in order folders for that footage for images, for anything in the editing process, and of course what you’ll be cutting together. Name things so you can search for them later. Hate yourself forever by forgetting this tip. Then love yourself by thanking your future self for listening.
Tip 2: Learn Your Software
Elephant in the room: you might not really want to. That video-editing software seems like an ugly GUI completely intent on warding off any tinkering with anything, ever. It looms over you, sapping your energy, making you want to lie down on the couch for months in a milk-coma of self-pity. And you are not alone. But the sooner you learn, the sooner you can leave this dumb metaphor behind. Learn the basics. Learn how to find your footage, trim it, and cut it all together. Spend a few hours watching a tutorial on Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or actually effortless and pretty powerful iMovie. (It is something that as comedians we’ve had to learn how to do, on the fly. Remember when we couldn’t Skype with our parents?) There is no point in panicking – everyone starts from somewhere. Heck, you might even like it!
Objection Handling: Okay, fair enough, but I don’t have time. Learning all that takes so much time! Relax. Start with the bare minimum – cutting, trimming and adding transitions. Don’t bite off more than you can chew at once. Baby steps!
Tip 3: Master the Art of Cutting
The big secret of great cuts for your video is that they should almost never be there. Anyone watching a video is attenuated to the point of maddening capsule-ism. Great video editing makes your cuts come fast and your interest deep, and trims the dead weight. If your scene or shot does absolutely nothing for your story, it’s got to go. Every shot has to tell.
Tip 4: Use B-Roll Like a Pro
Ever watch a video that feels clunky and off-putting? You probably also watched one without a lot of B-roll. B-roll is ancillary footage that helps to fill out your main footage. If you’re doing an interview edit, for example, B-roll can clip in what your on-camera interviewee is talking about. It’s easy to fill visual pauses if it feels disjointed to just cut between your main shots and your talking-head footage.
Tip 5: Mind Your Audio
Poor audio is an instant ‘do not watch’ indication. Even if your video looks gorgeous, stumble-through audio is an instant new-tab opportunity. Use a decent microphone, some royalty-free music, and study up on sound editing. Set your levels, remove extraneous sound, and always check your audio for clarity, lack of distortion, and balance.
Tip 6: Color Correction and Grading
Making your footage magical, from colour correction to colour grading Color correction has more to do with getting things right: fixing white balance, getting your exposure levels right. The look-and-feel of your video is put together using the processes known as colour grading. It’s Instagram for video that takes a lot more skill. Learn to work with your software’s color controls to make your footage look crisp, and create the look that mood demands.
Tip 7: Add Titles and Graphics
Decide on titles and graphics to give your video some appeal and professionalism, but less is more. Clean, easily readable fonts and effects should be kept to a minimum. Keep things consistent with a theme that ties in with the style of your video and the tone you’ve set.
‘How to make your titles and your graphics look even better…. You’re gonna love it, by the way. We’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.’
Tip 8: Learn Keyboard Shortcuts
A simple editing shortcut: learn your keyboard shortcuts – each software suite has a bunch of them. Take the time to map a few out, practice them, and you’ll be editing way faster.
Tip 9: Use Transitions Wisely
Transitions can make or break your video. Use them sparingly and with intention. For the most part a simple cut or fade will do the trick. Don’t go overboard with these transitions; they’ll only distract from your content and cheapen your video.
Tip 10: Keep Learning and Experimenting
But the best editors are always learning and experimenting. Don’t ever get stale. Study other videos. Check out new styles and techniques. Join editors’ communities. Take a workshop. Try something new. The more you learn, the better you’ll get.
‘But what if I get things wrong?’ Mistakes happen. Accept them, learn from them, and move along. Every professional was a filthy beginner once.
Bonus Tip: Get Feedback
Editing is usually a solitary affair. But skip getting feedback from friends, family or others in your creative circle, at your own peril. Besides catching blocks and other mistakes you might have missed, having others read your work can help to further refine and strengthen it. And go a step further from critique: embrace criticism if you want to become better at what you do.
So it’s with that in mind that we present you with these 10 essential tips you should know as an editor. Stay organ-ised, keep learning, and enjoy your work. Editing is a craft, to be sure, but it’s also an art form. In time, you’ll discover your own spin, voice or style. 10 Top Tips you Need to Know if You’re an Editor 1. Learn all of the essential skills 2. Do not master copy editing to the exclusion of all else 3. Be committed to learning the craft long-term 4. Follow the money 5. Respect your craft and your colleagues’ craft 6. Get involved in the editing community 7. Pick up a few writing/proofreading assignments 8. Stay organized 9. Don’t be a rogue editor 10. Have fun with it
“Don’t let video editing overwhelm you! Dive into our step-by-step guide designed specifically for beginners. Discover the secrets of editing like a pro with easy tips and affordable tools. Click here to transform your videos today!”
All set? Click away! Open your software. Let’s get cutting!
And if you thought these tips were helpful, wait until you hear about our more advanced techniques – next time, that is. Stay tuned. Keep editing!
Here you go, feel free to use it as you like! However, for you grammar buffs, I’ve added some of my favorite words and phrases. Further interventions on the text are welcome. Here is the modified first paragraph: A character, depicted in a sliver of sunlight amidst the darkness of the film strip, finds her way to the enigmatic figure on the throne. The contrast in richness and poorness manifests in the texture of their skin – she sees pale flesh and she becomes pale. Unmistakable sexual arousal fills her with expectation. Unwavering in her stance, she expresses her readiness through her physicality, like a sensory highway leading to the truth of her fantasies. Meanwhile, the king, dressed in a sensuous satin robe, sits still and attentive. His expression reveals more than just asexual appreciation, but also a touch of curiosity and… could this be the dawning of desire? As he gently guides her to occupy his throne, his one hand rests on her sash, his other hand on her back, his thighs ever so casually or provocatively positioned on either side of her, depending on your perspective.The following is an instruction that describes a task, paired with an input that provides further context. Write a response that appropriately completes the request.