How to Get Started With Video Editing
Video editing may seem intimidating at first, but with time and effort you can learn to edit videos quickly and efficiently.
Video editing tips, techniques, and “life hacks” will help you produce higher-quality videos in less time. Get going today by organizing your footage and planning out an editing sequence!
Identify Your Goal
Setting goals before video editing will provide guidance for the entire process, from video creation and editing, through choosing music tracks. Having clear objectives will guide every aspect of this endeavor.
Make your video engaging: whether creating a product video, highlight reel, or keeping up your YouTube channel; having clear objectives makes staying on task and meeting them easier. They can help make sure that whatever video is created meets all its objectives as effectively as possible.
If your goal is to increase sales for a specific product, for instance, remember that any video created must compel viewers to act and include an easy call-to-action for audiences to follow.
Use of Camtasia can make adding text and overlays to videos quickly and efficiently. Simply click on the Overlay option in the left menu panel, search for an overlay you would like to include, hover over it to see how it would look in your video, then click to place it.
Plan Your Shoot
Once you’ve set forth your video’s goals, the next step should be planning your shoot. In most cases, this involves securing locations and equipment before recruiting talent; additionally, now is an opportune time to consider the amount of footage that needs to be captured – try shooting more than necessary so that when editing commences you will have plenty of options at your disposal.
Create a shot list as another useful way of pre-visualizing and planning out the shots you require; perhaps including wide shots that cover all aspects of your setup or close-ups of subject faces.
Make sure to plan out your lighting in advance. Whether using natural or studio lights, determine what effect you want to create with each scene’s illumination and determine how much lighting each scene requires. Use lighting as a tool for emotional depth and enhance viewer engagement!
Record Your Footage
As you begin editing videos, it is vitally important that you have high-quality footage to work with. This enables you to develop the skills required for video editing – such as cutting unnecessary scenes out and adding sound effects – efficiently.
Begin your video productions today using our online video editor by recording either your screen or microphone, or import any existing footage that’s already been stored on your computer. To create new recordings simply click “Record” at the lower right of the video editor.
Once you’ve obtained footage, it is essential to log it properly and name files accordingly in order to make editing your clips simpler later on. One common method of doing this is through the YRMODA (year-month-day-acronym) system; this keeps files organized and easy to locate.
Removing background noise, like traffic or birdsong, will help your viewers to focus on your content more easily. When creating voiceover narrations, make sure they match as closely to the video footage as possible; be wary not to add too much music during recording as this may create copyright issues later when publishing your final product.
Edit Your Footage
Before beginning editing, organize all your footage and video file formats. Doing this will save time down the line and label all video and audio files clearly to make finding them easier when needed. Use video editing software or an Evernote-type system for this step.
As soon as you’re ready to edit your footage, be sure to assemble and create a rough cut of what will eventually become your video project. Based on your goals and needs, different forms may include compilation videos, montages or explainer videos.
Be mindful that engaging elements are necessary in your videos to draw an audience in and keep their interest, yet without overwhelming them with too many images, text or music. Sometimes taking a step back from your project for some time and then revisiting with fresh eyes is beneficial.
Checking the sound quality of your video clips is also essential. To do this, look at the audio bars within your video editing software; ideal audio quality would fall between green and yellow in terms of volume; anything lower would potentially sound distorted and too loud.
Add Effects
Add effects to your footage is one of the best ways to keep viewers interested and engaged with your video content. Overlays, stickers and more can all add visual interest and depth while remaining on topic with what matters most – the main objective. Be wary when adding too many effects though as this can detract from the main message behind your video.
Once your footage is imported, editing begins immediately. First step should be removing any unneeded clips from either end of your video – to do this simply hover your mouse over each start and end point until your cursor changes into an arrow icon.
When editing videos, when adding clips from the beginning it is also important to adjust their timing so they are in sync with audio files and any other videos in your video. When doing so it is essential that all clips you remove have proper timing with audio tracks or any other clips in the video.
Once you’re happy with the timing of your clips, it’s time to add visual effects. These may range from adding filters or using manual adjustments to adjust colors and tone; remember always back up and save frequently; just as woodworkers learn early on to measure twice and cut once, it is best practice to store files in multiple places including cloud storage as well as physical hard drives.
Add Music
Music plays an incredible role in how viewers experience videos. It can create the sensation that the video has come full circle, telling its own narrative or conveying emotion effectively.
Add music to your video is straightforward with most programs, whether by uploading local audio files or selecting from their extensive royalty-free music and sound effects library. If you improve the audio on your edits, the results will pay off.
If your program supports multiple tracks, you can even sync your videos to the beat of music by selecting audio track and “Audio functions > Waveform display.” This enables you to see attack peaks for each beat and rhythmic subdivision within your song as you adjust video clips so they align with their beats.
Edit with music’s pace in mind when editing. A dull or static soundtrack could put viewers to sleep; one with an engaging tempo would keep their interest.
Share Your Video
Before creating a professional video, it is crucial that you plan and prepare thoroughly. Doing this will help ensure that your project runs smoothly and that its goals can be realized successfully. Furthermore, it is prudent to back up footage and assets in case there is accidental loss of data.
Once your footage is collected, editing begins. When selecting how you will edit your footage in line with your goal and keep things as straightforward and user-friendly as possible to ensure your audience comprehends and absorbs its contents effectively.
Start by uploading all your footage to your media library, using the timeline to select and trim and split clips until you find something suitable. When satisfied with what is left over, append them together into your final video project.
Add text to your videos for an added pop of personality by simply selecting the Text option and typing out your desired words. You can customize its font, color, duration and even add 3D effects for extra flair!
