16 tips to improve your video editing skills

Once you have filmed a video, the second step is now to post-process the video. This stage will only be successful if the editor possesses creativity and knowledge about the video being filmed. Therefore, it is essential to know the skills to put in place to become a master editor. The following 16 Tips to Improve Your Video Editing Skills should help you smoothly navigate the video editing process .

1. Pick your software of choice

Improving your video editing skills requires that you first have the right video editing software for the job. The software typically entails everything you need to perform standard video edit. However, an editor may prefer one edit over the other depending on which editor works best for their work. There are many useful tools on internet you can use to improve your video editing skills. Lightroom presets, video/photo luts and overlays are some useful tools that Ben Heine developed with FixThePhoto. You can view them here.

2. Choose the right computer

Choosing the first computer also has a role to play. The model, in this case, does not matter, provided the computer is fast enough to facilitate the storage of huge files. A fast computer will ensure that you focus more on your editing work and worry less about the speed. Increasing your computer’s (RAM) to at least 8GB for your professional or commercial work is also advisable.

3. Review video editing tutorials for insights

Watching video editing clips plays a significant role in the art video editing process. An editor can access these clips via YouTube, educational websites, and blogs. The best thing about watching these clips is that they are freely available provided you have mobile data or reliable WIFI. Also, watching clips makes it easier to understand editing and hence easily put it in to practice.

4. Equip yourself with project files and templates

Getting the project files will also help the editor learn the instructions in the tutorial video correctly. Project files help ensure the editor’s work is symmetrical to that of the instructor, thereby enabling them to grow their experience to the extent that it can be applied professionally. Hence, it is important to follow the tutorial video properly.

5. Follow the 321 rule

Obeying the 321 rule entails keeping three copies of your work, two copies in one place and the other one off-site. This practice aims at protecting your work in case of occurrence of an eventuality like fires and leakage.

6. Edit your story

Editing a story is one of the essential skills that an editor has to master. The editor should be able to tell the story differently and be careful not to distort the story’s actual meaning. In this case, he can use a paper help writing service to cope with the story polishing task. The editor should go beyond the usual by cutting away the excess footage and creating the order of the clips. The clips should be able to arouse the right emotions from the audience.

7. Maintain workflow efficiency

Maintaining an efficient workflow will also require that the editor organizes his work to enhance his efficiency. Managing your projects and files in folders is essential for a smooth workflow. It is also making use of external hard drives to store footage to save on computer storage. For faster file transfer, it is advisable to choose external hard drives connected via USB or thunderbolt. Moreover, allocating your RAM should be considered to be able to use it more for editing work.

8. Master keyboard shortcuts

Utilizing keyboard shortcuts to perform a range of editing functions makes the editing process very fast and precise. An editor need not worry about compatibility issues with their editing software. It is imperative that the editor masters the keyboard shorts for faster operability.

9. Learning essential terms

Learning essential terms also comes in handy in quality editing. To be an efficient editor, one should make it a habit interacting with fellow editors and clients. Some terms used in video editing space are callous to figure without research making it essential to understand them early. Such terms include; montage, jumpcuts, J cuts, and cutaways.

Thriving in the video editing industry requires that you are able to communicate with other video editors or clients, meaning you’ll have to learn many lingoes. To those who haven’t heard of them, some of the terms used in video editing can be impossible to figure out without any research, which is why you’ll want to learn them early on. Primary concepts include the following: Montage, L cut, J cut, and jump cuts.

10. Color-correct your footage

Color correction is an essential skill for any competent video editor. Applications such as Adobe Premiere Clip, Movavi Clips, and more will ensure you never go wrong with this skill. Your clip needs to use color to arouse different emotions while ensuring consistency throughout the footage. You also need to ensure no scene looks out of place. Working with the right tool will help you identify inconsistencies and ensure your work remains as realistic as possible.

11. Select appealing music

Selecting good music is critical for any video editing job. Choosing the suitable theme for your work will make it exciting and help set you in the right mood for work. The right music will help trigger the right emotions in your audience, making it attractive. However, before you select just any music, getting music from a royalty-free music provider will come in handy if you are doing a professional project. Best audio comes with a price. Remember that.

12. Enrich your content with text and graphics or stock footage

Also, adding texts and graphics or even stock footage to your work may come in handy depending on the film type. Some films may necessitate you to add more text aside from the title. However, the editor should try as much as possible to keep the text as simple as possible. Tools such as Adobe premiere elements and Final Cut Pro helps ensure your content is graphic-rich.

13. Export different web versions

Exporting web versions is also a technique that has to be mastered by editors. This technique will vary depending on where the clips are played. If the editor intends his work to be played in cinemas, they should export it in the most prominent video resolution possible. However, if the editor intends to play his videos on platforms like YouTube, he needs to export his videos in smaller, high-quality versions for easier playback. However, if the editor is unsure of the edit settings to apply, they should not worry. Since sites like YouTube typically recommend export settings that aid the user to resize videos.

14. Ramp your clip

Ramping videos up or down is another incredible technique that can be used to ensure the duration of your clips fit better together. Also, ramping can slow down the video if the gap is longer compared to your intended clip. A good editor should ensure that the clip looks real and as natural as possible.

15. Space out your clips, use nice transitions

Learning to space out your clips will make your video enjoyable by bringing about dramatic effects. Editors can achieve this by adding up footage to cover the cuts. This practice works to ensure that your video will flow effortlessly. This technique might also come in handy if the editor wishes to achieve the tension of drama, giving the viewer time to process what they have watched. Also use nice transitions.

16. Stabilize your clip

Also, learning to stabilize your clips as an editor is a skill that deserves mastery. However, one should not worry if one cannot master this art due to the availability of tools used to stabilize shaky footage.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would say video editing is a fun but technical job that requires effort, passion and commitment. Practicing these skills is important since it helps the editor know where they are making mistakes and improving them.

Article: © Ben Heine
Images: Pixabay