If you’re just starting with video editing, you may not know how and where to start. Here are some top tips you need to know!
Editing is usually the final process that takes place before you receive the video for viewing. It can be a time-consuming process. While it’s important to understand how to edit a video with the help of video lighting kits, it’s also important to make sure that you’re editing the video for the final product that your users are interested in.
If you’re just starting in the editing game, you may not know what to do with the hundreds of clips you have. Here are a few things to keep in mind to improve your editing capabilities during post-production.
1. Manage your project’s directories, files, and folders
Every time you start a video editing project, you need to create a project directory. Create a few more folders with names such as sounds, music, photos, and graphics. Place all the sorted materials in these folders. It’s also a good idea to label individual files with a brief description of their contents.
The second is using an HDD (hard disk drive). Hard drives and memory cards can fail unexpectedly, so it is safer to keep a copy of your project directory in a different location.
Cloud storage is sufficient, but it may be limited by upload speed and storage capacity. It’s always best to save a copy to your computer and external hard drive. If you want to archive everything after the project is complete, transfer the file to a second external drive and delete it from your computer. This frees up disk space on your computer, leaving two copies of your project.
2. Choose the right hardware and software to edit wisely
When it comes to making an eye-catching video for YouTube channels it is important to edit those videos precisely. For that, you have to select a powerful editing tool that a beginner like you can easily use. If you select the right tool to edit your videos, you can tell stories frame by frame.
Non-professional footage like low quality (low resolution, low frame rate) footage says nothing. If you want high-quality results, you should start editing with high-quality footage. Capture the scene with the highest quality camera that allows and transfers the footage directly to your computer.
Inevitably the quality deteriorates while editing, and there’s not much you can do to avoid it. To minimize quality degradation, minimize optimizations in the editing process and avoid splitting and merging clips multiple times. For this reason, it is important to take the perfect shot at the time of shooting.
Some editing programs require editing at low resolution and frame rate to avoid playback delays. Therefore, when exporting your project, remember to set the resolution and frame rate settings as high as the editor allows.
Trim the beginning and end. This frees footage from unwanted frames where nothing important seems to be happening and highlights the important events you want to introduce.
3. Use appropriate editing techniques
- Avoid jump cuts – Just cutting out verbal nods makes the footage flow look classy. The good news is that you can overlay additional video clips of content-related takes (called B-rolls or cutaways) at these moments. If you do this carefully, they will appear to speak smoothly, and the flow will be easier for your viewers to follow. Remember that you will need a more advanced non-linear editing system to do this.
- Change the shot – You must try changing things from a more interesting angle. However, use these styles with caution. Don’t do it every second. A good rule is to make a cut based on the beat of the music or a pause when people are talking.
- Color correction is adjusting the brightness, contrast, and saturation to achieve the same colour for all clips. Use this feature to make sure everything is in natural colours. This editing procedure is very important for visual consistency.
- Use the second sound source – Audio engineer editing. You can always get clearer audio by using something other than the built-in camera mic. If possible, record your audio using a better microphone and another recording system. If you have access to a live audio engineer, record things individually and ask them to sync the audio in post-production (you’ll need a non-linear editor for that). To do this, either visually match the waveforms or use an effective software that is already integrated to provide similar synchronization capabilities.
- As you edit, always tell the story and remember the basics of storytelling (start, middle, end).
- Create attractive thumbnails for every video. Thumbnails are the first thing viewers will see before watching a video, so they are the first chance to get attention and attract viewers. Thumbnails can be screenshots of a particular moment in a video or text-based title, but they should be attractive and interesting to the viewer.
4. Use attractive elements in all videos
Attractive elements include images, text, shapes, animations, music, and fun transitions. You don’t want to get out of focus with high-quality content, so choose elements that make sense and compliment your video.
Create a basic video editing style. One of the best ways to streamline the editing process and keep your audience interested is to develop a basic editing style to use and apply to each video. This means a consistent way to edit videos, thumbnail styles, transitions, music, and other additional elements you use all the time.
Each time you sit down and edit, you spend less time finding new elements, and your viewers will recognize your consistent style.
5. Keep it simple
You may want to do everything you can to attract your audience, but it’s also important to keep it simple and not overwhelm your audience. If you have too many unwanted transitions, images, loud music, and text can get in the way of your video content and have the opposite effect. Try to find a careful balance between the original video content and the supplementary elements.
Conclusion
Whether you use YouTube’s native tools or third-party software, editing your videos should be fun. Create a consistent video editing strategy, and watch your views roll in. Learn how to edit your video better by incorporating the above-mentioned video editing tips!
