Table of Contents
1.Introduction
2.Essentials of Video Editing Principles
3.Picking The Best Video Editing Software
4. Editing Techniques For Beginners
5.Editing Tricks for Way Cooler (and Shorter) Videos
6.Music and Sound Effects
7.Final Cut Export and Share
8.Conclusion
1. Introduction
With a key focus on the communication of video content, which is otherwise known as life in 2017. No matter if you are creating YouTube content, posting to social media or making a video essay for fun – knowing how to edit videos like the pros can take your creations from amateur hour all the way up to professional quality. In this video editing tutorial, I will cover everything you need to know from the basics of how spec up your computer for editing 4k footage right down to advanced colour grading techniques that can make a bland image pop. When you finish, you can self-assuredly begin making professional work without anyone knowing that your practice has just begun.
2. Essentials of Video Editing Principles
But before you get into the software and techniques, it is very important to understand what are those basic principles in video editing. Simply put, video editing is the process of cutting and pasting together reel after reel to create a new product. It can involve cutting clips, changing colors, applying transitions and any audio syncing. Your aim is to create a compelling, unified story that appeals and speaks directly to your audience.
Key concepts include:
That is your timeline: it’s where all of the videos, audio, and effects are arranged.
What is cutting — the act of removing parts of your video. This to make it smoother, tighter and lose whatever crap you have filmed but isn’t needed?
Effects :These are the visual effects used to do a smooth transition from one scene to another.
Color Correction and Color Grading — Changing the colors of your video to make sure they look alike, while also setting a specific mood or style.
Syncing: Properly matching your video and audio to sound right during playback.
3. Picking The Best Video Editing Software
There are several software to choose from that affect your video editing journey. There are quite a few to choose from — just make sure you select one that is suitable for both your expertise and the pieces of content which you want to produce. Following are three of the most popular ones:
Adobe Express— formerly Adobe Spark, is a beginner-friendly tool with a simple interface for creating videos. Ideal for social media, it’s one of the best free online video editors, offering templates and features to produce high-quality content effortlessly
Adobe Premiere Pro — Professional level editor and with complex features but you will be able to perform things that most tools cannot.
Starting off with one of the best free online video editors, it offers plenty of features to create high-quality videos without spending any money. Online tools like WeVideo or Clipchamp have better features, making it easy for a beginner to create videos without the complexity of professional software.
4. Editing Techniques For Beginners
After reading all these, you will be able to select your software and go into the details of editing. In the following, please check out some primary methodologies that every beginner planner should have a maximum grip on.
When to Cut and Trim: Discover when you should cut out certain sections of your video so that the length isn’t too lengthy or off-topic
Transitioning Effectively: Transitions can make your video look fabulous, but with too many it becomes distracting. Simple transitions, such as fades or cuts would always be more professional.
Color Correction: This lets you correct the brightness, contrast and saturation in order to make your video look good. Circulation of this will help to replicate the same visual environment.
Meaning: Your audio should be balanced, contain no background noise and come across as clear in dialogue. Great audio is just as important as great visuals.
5. Editing Tricks for Way Cooler (and Shorter) Videos
Furthermore, once you start getting better with the basic video editing tools, explore some advanced techniques to make your videos more impressive. Some of these include:
Motion Graphics and Titles: To give your video style, you can add animated text-and-graphics.
Built-In Templates in Editing Software (or Create Your Own):
You will not be out of options here – animation software comes with its own templates which you can use.
Using Green Screen Effects — If you wish to put your subjects in different settings, opting for green screen effects can expand the horizons of creative options.
Multicam Editing: If you have footage from more than one camera, multicam editing can help give movement to your videos by switching between different angles on the fly.
Speed Ramping: By changing the speed at even intervals throughout your footage you can add drama to a sequence or call attention to specific aspects of what is on screen. This can be seen in action sequences or clever slow motion effects.
6. Music and Sound Effects
Sound is a significant aspect of video editing. The right mix of music and other sound effects can inject life to your video, sprucing it up allowing it to break through the noise overload so viewers can connect with what you wish. How to use sound in your videos correctly
Music: This is the background music to complement your video. Music can be a quick background track to your montage, or it could act as the reflection piece of any given scene with its somber tones.
It also has Sound Effects: Even the subtlest of sound effects can make your video more immersive. For example, overlaying the sound of footsteps during a detailed scene transition can create an even more immersive experience.
Audio Levels — Make sure your background music does not overpower what is being spoken. Keyframe audio levels so you can fade the music in and out where necessary.
7. Final Cut Export and Share
It is usually the final step. — You spend hours crafting your video and now it needs to be exported properly in a specific format and resolution. That your video will look great no matter how or where you view it (since most editing software offers presets for the popular outlets — think YouTube, Vimeo and Instagram).
Pay attention to Export like this:
Export at 1080p (or UHD/4K)
Format: MP4 is the most common and provides a good balance between quality & file size.
Quality: The higher the quality, so long as there are enough bits available for it. You adjust the video bitrate based on your encoding requirements and from where you will share it.
After you export it, share your video to your chosen platforms — being careful with the title, description and tagging of course.
8. Conclusion
You can edit like a pro, even if you are just starting. Whether you are a beginner or expert, your choice of software helps shape and animate videos that keep viewers engaged.
Practice, practice and more practice – every video you edit will teach you something new (I know that is cheesy but it’s actually true) so just keep working towards it.
If you are a beginner and need the video editor, there are fantastic applications (like Adobe Express) for new content producers that offer an excellent compromise between ease of use and powerful features.
