Many people think that editing videos is an easy thing to do. A few clicks and you’re done. Well, it doesn’t work like that. No one says that it is the most complicated thing in the world, however, it is far from easy.
On the other hand, those who want to embark on this journey and start experimenting with those videos may find it a bit overwhelming at first. No one can blame you, especially if it’s something you haven’t done before.
In the beginning, there’s a lot to wrap your mind around, however, if you are willing to give it a try and put all your effort into it, you will quickly become proficient. If you’re not sure how or where to start, pay attention to these strategies that many bloggers implement.
Steps To Take To Become An Expert
Defining Your Expectations
You have probably set some goals when it comes to your video, but according to some bloggers, you first must choose a couple of useful tools before you continue with editing. They are going to help you accomplish what you want.
For instance, if you shoot in 4k you will surely make a video of top-notch quality, however, it might be at the expense of frame rate. If you choose this, you will put a huge demand on your editing hardware which will make the entire process much more complex all of a sudden.
In that case, you’d better have a computer that is going to be able to match your desires! Additionally, even if everything goes well, your client is not going to be happy with a 1080 p video.
A Project Directory
Many beginners think that it’s a great idea to put anything onto their Desktop as soon as they start editing their video. Unfortunately, many video experts disagree with this strategy. Namely, they think it would be smart to create a thing called a project directory.
How to do it? It’s quite simple actually. All you have to do is to create a project folder and then place a couple of folders inside titled Graphics, Raw Footage, Images, Sound, Music, etc. Then you should put all your materials in these folders based on their type.
It would be recommendable to label each of these files with a short description of what is currently going on. Furthermore, the project file can then be put in the directory as-is. You do not need to have any particular folder.
More Useful Guidelines Coming Your Way!
Know The Basics
No matter how good you may be at editing, if you create a bad video, no editing is going to make it look good. That’s why many bloggers think it’s necessary to have great footage. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to take any course related to cinematography, just try to learn as much as you can about filming. That involves holding a camera, using various angles, panning a camera, and knowing how to take different types of shots.
Different Cuts
Two of the most important cuts involve a standard cut and a jump cut. The first one is really the most basic one. It means putting two clips together by connecting the last frame of one and the start frame of the next.
This type of cut is the most common and it doesn’t require any feelings or meaning as it is the case with the others. Now, when it comes to jump cut, it pushes forward in time. You can do it within the same frame and frequently it is utilized within montages.
Add Some Music And SFX
If you want your video to have any depth and meaning, make sure to incorporate some good music as well as some interesting sound effects to make everything much more engaging. It’s important to add a melody that perfectly suits your visuals.
Just focus on the atmosphere. If it is a slow, emotional video then it would be smart to add a ballad or any other type of slow song. On the other hand, if your movie is dynamic then a faster melody would be a great choice! Just ensure to cut to the beat of the song.
321 Rule
Just think of all the effort you’ve put into making and editing your video and then something bad happens and suddenly you realize that you’ve forgotten to click the “save” button. Everything is lost!
In order to avoid that catastrophe, it’s important to always save your work. Now, sometimes your hard drive crashes, and everything that you’ve made is lost for good. That’s another thing you want to prevent.
That’s why a lot of bloggers turn to the 321 rule – which stands for three copies in at least two different places. One of them is usually off-site. Two of them should be placed on physical drives, while the third sample is supposed to end up on your backup location.
If you do all these things, you will make sure that everything is safe and sound. If you don’t know which online backup is the best, we suggest using Google Drive. It’s the one most people use to save data.
Choose A Good Program
One of the most important things when it comes to this is to choose a reliable program. Firstly, you need to decide whether you are going to create something plain and simple, that is going to enable you to just throw several clips together and then add some titles.
If that’s the case then Windows Movie Maker or the YouTube video editor by InVideo will get the job done. On the other hand, if you are planning on making something a bit more complicated, then you should utilize Adobe Creative Cloud’s Premiere Pro. If this one doesn’t seem right, you can always Google for some better alternatives.
Roll Up Your Sleeves And Go!
Video editing can sometimes be a bit frustrating and tiresome, but as you can see, it’s doable and doesn’t have to be all that difficult. It’s important to be very patient, especially if you’re an amateur, and remember not to give up as soon as you stumble over any obstacles. If that occurs, just take a deep breath and continue!