Editing is typically the final procedure that happens earlier a video gets to y'all for final viewing. If you've had to make a video yourself, you'll also know information technology tin can exist a fourth dimension-consuming process.

If yous're just getting into the editing game, y'all may exist confused as to what to exercise with the many millions of clips you take—well, nosotros're hither to help. Here are several things worth remembering to help heighten your editing chops.

1. Maintain a Projection Directory

Files and Folders

When editing a big project for the first time ever, it's easy to just throw everything onto your desktop and promise for the best. Well, to say it just, don't do that. Every single fourth dimension yous start an editing project, you demand to make a project directory.

Create a project folder, and within that folder, take a few more folders with labels like Raw Footage, Audio, Music, Photos, Graphics, and and so on. Identify all of the materials in these folders co-ordinate to their type. Information technology's as well a good idea to label each individual file with a brief clarification of its contents.

The project file itself (whether that be 1 for iMovie or Premiere) can be placed in the directory as-is—no special folders needed.

Organizing the projection this way volition keep things hands accessible and result in a speedy workflow.

ii. Two Is the Magic Number

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

Hard drives and retentiveness cards tin can fail you when you lot least expect it, so it's safer to keep a copy of your project directory in a dissever location. Deject storage will suffice, only you might be limited past the upload speed and storage space. Information technology's always best to keep the copy on your computer and on an external hard drive.

If you want to go along an archive of everything in one case the project has come to an end, transfer the files onto a second external bulldoze and delete them from your figurer. This way, you'll free up space on your computer while still possessing two copies of the project.

3. Cull Your Weapon Wisely

Editing Software on Mac

When choosing a video editor, information technology'due south all most control. Exercise you need something unproblematic that merely allows you to throw a few clips together and then add together some titles? iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or the YouTube video editor volition be only fine.

Still, if yous need something more complex that allows y'all to layer videos like Photoshop and apply keyboard shortcuts, then Adobe Premiere Pro is a skillful pick.

Bear in mind that at that place's a learning curve to the more advanced editors. Sometimes it'southward good to go started with an introductory prosumer editor, like Adobe Premiere Elements, Final Cut Pro X, or Vegas Pro.

4. Trim the Fat

Assorted Scissors

Trimming is by far the most important editing tool you'll employ—and yous'll use it a lot.

Once you've cut your footage into carve up clips, trim their beginnings and endings. This will proceed the footage free from unwanted frames where nothing of importance seems to happen, and will highlight the of import events that y'all desire to showcase.

5. Avoid Jumpcuts

Person Filing Video

Filming interviews where the interviewee says "um" and "uh" every other breath is a hassle. If you but trim off the "ums" and "uhs," the flow of the footage will look choppy.

The proficient news is that you can layer extra video clips of shots pertaining to the content (chosen b-roll or cutaways) over these awkward moments. If you exercise this carefully, it will expect like they spoke without a hitch, and the flow will make information technology easier for viewers to follow along.

Bear in mind that you'll demand a more advanced, non-linear, editing system for this such as Adobe Premiere or Terminal Cut. Prosumer editors let for video layering, but iMovie will non.

6. Vary Your Shots

Projects on Editing Software

You lot need to keep your content visually interesting. Rather than merely using the same shot for the entire video, try switching things upwardly with more than interesting angles. This can be something as uncomplicated equally recording your interview with two cameras and switching between them (another way to hide bad-mannered "uhs" and "ums").

Use these cuts sparingly, nevertheless. Don't exercise it every other second. A nice rule is to make cuts based on the vanquish of the music or at pauses when people speak.

Camera Recording Scene

Cipher screams unprofessional similar depression-quality footage (low resolution and low frame rate). If you lot want a high-quality result, you need to starting time off with high-quality footage in editing.

Film the scenes in the highest quality your camera allows and transfer the file footage direct to your computer.

During editing, you're bound to lose some quality, and there isn't much you can exercise to avert it. To minimize the quality lost, attempt to tweak equally footling every bit realistically possible in the editing process, and avoid splitting and merging a clip more than once. This is why getting the perfect shot while filming is essential, so at that place isn't much that needs fixing.

Go along in mind that some editing software will require yous to edit at a low resolution and frame rate to avert lag during playback. So recollect to set up the resolution and frame rate settings equally loftier as the editor allows when you export the projection.

8. Don't Forget Coloring

Rainbow Umbrella

Coloring consists of two components: color correction and color-grading. They're of import editing steps that you don't want to skip, no matter how high-quality or well-edited your footage is otherwise.

Colour correction is the process of adjusting the standard editing tools such as brightness, dissimilarity, and saturation, to achieve the aforementioned coloring across all the clips. And then using those tools again to ensure everything has a natural coloring—as the human being eye would perceive information technology. This editing footstep is crucial for visual consistency.

Color grading uses the same tools as color correction, typically in addition to filters and effects, to create a specific mood for your story. At that place are no rules, as this is a creative process that will vary from editor to editor. If you lot're not aiming for a detail aesthetic and want to keep things natural, you can get abroad with skipping color-grading.

9. Use a 2nd Source for Sound

Sound Engineer Editing

You're e'er going to get clearer audio with something other than the onboard camera microphone. If possible, record your audio with a better microphone and separate recording organisation.

If you take access to a alive audio engineer, ask them to tape things separately and sync the sound in post-production (you'll need a not-linear editor for this). You tin exercise this by visually matching the waveforms, or using software similar PluralEyes, which does information technology for you. Adobe Premiere CC offers a similar synchronization function, and then information technology's already built-in.

Unfortunately, low-end editors can't exercise this. In that case, try to get your hands on a microphone that tin can plug directly into the camera, like a lavalier. To up your sound game, have a expect at the best shotgun mics.

10. Tell a Story

Story Book

Always tell a story when you're editing and recall the basics of storytelling: beginning, middle, end.

Editors, as a profession, are some of the all-time storytellers out there. Without them, you would have a collection of random shots with nothing to tie them together. They provide the structure for the finished video, and the best ones are some of the highest-paid workers in the film industry.

Learn How to Edit Your Videos Similar a Pro

If you've read to the stop of this article, chances are you're a novice editor looking for advice on how to edit videos amend, or perhaps y'all just wanted a few video editing tips. Well, the ones we've listed hither should become you by in the meantime. Keep them in heed the next time yous commence on your newest editing projection.

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