Are you ready to transform your film footage into a magnificent vlog? Vlogs are one of the most popular kinds of entertainment these days. Around 45 percent of internet users view vlogs at least once a month. They are simple to consume and even simpler to edit.
You’ve recorded a film or a video clip, and now it’s ready for the second half of the battle: the post-production stage. This process, like filming, necessitates a solid blend of creativity and technical competence.
Learning how to edit films can be extremely rewarding, whether you’re doing it for YouTube, personal interest, or for work. Editing is a necessary step in the filmmaking process. The editor can add as much to the pacing and rhythm of a video as the filmmaker. However, there are rules to observe and rules to transgress in any creative role.
There is no ‘proper’ or ‘wrong’ way to edit your visual masterwork, but indeed, certain tips and tricks can help to get you started.
Whether you’re filming a documentary, an advertisement, a light entertainment reel, or a YouTube special, these video editing recommendations for beginners are all about getting started right. Organize and familiarize yourself with the online video editor or tools you’ll need and everything necessary to produce a fantastic end product, regardless of your skill level.
In this post, we hope to make the video editing process smoother and more efficient for you by sharing a few helpful ideas, strategies, and “life hacks” below.
These insights can help you slash your editing time in half while also delivering superior results.
The Right Editing Tool
The initial step in making your video editorial process simple and easy is to select the appropriate software or an online video editor for you and your work. They usually include all the features you may require to make the classic video modifications. However, you may choose one over another because of its usefulness, interface, and functions. The idea here is to select the best that works for you rather than choosing the most professional video editing software available.
InVideo, After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve, which provides a free and complete Lite edition, are among the most popular video editor or software for novices. If you’re seeking less-popular but equally capable options, consider Lightworks, Autodesk Smoke, and Sony Vegas. There are some free online video editors, such as Apple iMovie, InVideo. Still, they are frequently less robust than premium ones, support only a few file formats, or have restricted capabilities.
Use a Fast Computer
Don’t get worried about buying an expensive system. You can use any computer brand or model you like, as long as it’s powerful and quick enough to save large files and enables you to concentrate on your editing job without worrying about poor rendering.
It is undoubtedly beneficial to invest in a faster storage drive (SSD), which will allow you to access your data and applications more quickly, as well as accelerate your rendering, loading, and export times. Other measures you can do to reduce editing times drastically include –
- Increasing your computer’s memory (RAM) to at least 8GB if you are doing professional work, and
- Purchasing the required video card and processors for your video editors to make the process smooth and easy
Get Organized For Efficient Workflow
This tip will help you stay organized and not freak out during the process: if you’re stitching together a video made up of many small pieces, rummaging through a single bucket full of haphazardly named files, then this will surely drive you insane. Before you even consider editing, go through the video and correctly name all files to represent the scene and the shot, then store them in folders segregated by topic and arrange them so you can access them fast when you need them.
Another helpful suggestion is to create folders for your sounds, soundtrack, and graphics, and then place your project file in the root of the main folder that contains everything. It may go against many creatives’ impulses, but we recommend you don’t throw anything out either. You rarely know when that messed-up take may come in very handy.
Follow the 321 Rule
Just as carpenters are taught from the beginning to check the measurements twice and then cut once, video producers and editors should follow the 321 rule. Keep three copies of anything you produce in at least two distinct locations, one of which should be physically separated from the others. Back-up experts swear by this rule, so should you.
Go for a Story
Keep your creative goal in mind: to create a fantastic narrative. Instead of just putting a bunch of effects to dazzle your visitors, use your practical and technical skills to accomplish this. Go beyond the basics of removing unnecessary footage and rearranging your clips; make use of the chance to make your movie aesthetically beautiful and emotionally captivating to elicit the appropriate emotions and effectively convey your desired message.
Make Use of Keyboard Shortcuts
When it comes to buttons, consider that most editing tools enable you to perform various in-app editing through keyboard shortcuts. Feel free to go through, learn, and customize the many shortcuts for software packages such as InVideo, Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Media Composer, and DaVinci Resolve.
If you have some spare cash to spend, the simpler solution is to buy a special keyboard with exquisite keys to simplify your editing process.
Learn Important Terms
You will be required to communicate with the other video editors or clientele in the video editing profession, which implies you will need to master a lot of jargon. Some of the phrases used in video editing can be difficult to understand for individuals who might not have heard of them, which is why you’ll want to learn them early on. Some of these include- Jump Cuts, J Cut, L Cut, Montage, etc.
Correct the Color of Your Clips
Color is a vital feature that can attract attention to certain subjects, provoke a wide range of emotions, and define a scene’s feel or vibe. Fortunately, today’s video editors provide us with many color editing possibilities that were previously only available with pictures.
Most editors do two things: color correction (to ensure that your footage’s colors are consistent throughout all sequences) and color grading (to give your movie a special aesthetic). Both are required if you want most of your scenes to look as authentic as possible.
Choose Good Music
Don’t only concentrate on the graphics; they should be equally as excellent as the audio or music. For example, suppose you’re doing a dramatic video. In that case, you’ll require just the appropriate song or music to boost the essential aspects (where you want to elicit specific feelings from your viewers). Cheerful comedies can be forgiving, but it’s also easy to go overboard with upbeat music. So make sure to add these carefully.
Add Text and Graphics
Depending on the type of movie, you may want to use additional text and the titles, opening/closing signs, and film credit. It’s always suggested to keep it simple, with a clean, white sans-serif typeface that doesn’t draw too much attention. Allow them to dissolve in and see how it impacts the video.
However, if you desire to incorporate any flashy graphics, you can always try using your video editor. Adobe After Effects is a renowned tool for producing impressive motion graphics.
Hence, video requires a significant amount of work. There are many components to combine, from filming an impeccable video, decent quality audio, and putting everything together to finally deciding the right platforms for the distribution.
Luckily, for anyone interested in creating and then editing the videos, there are more tools out there, making it much easier and simpler than ever to get started.
