So, you’ve shot your video content for YouTube, Instagram, or even Facebook and it doesn’t look as professional as some of the others you have seen online. What do you do now?
Learning how to edit your videos will save you tons in terms of money and time spent developing a video. But just like every other thing that yields gains, learning how to edit video requires patience, plenty of practice, and some post-production tools that will add that professional quality to videos.
Why you Should Edit Your Videos
A good video production process must follow the three steps of video-making; pre-production, production, and post-production.
Without a good camera and film-making equipment, your shots wouldn’t come out nice, but without a good editing job, you’ll have a poorly produced video that feels disorganized and lacks flow. Take the following into consideration:
Reviews
Editing allows you to review your video, add video special effects, and make changes where needed. With the right skills and video editing tools, you don’t have to spend as much time in your production stage when you can make the necessary edits in post-production.
Add Text and Sound
The post-production part of your video is where you add subtitles, and insert text and background sound if you wish. Adding text to videos helps the audience retain the information you are presenting better. You can also add music or background sound to help your video sound more appealing to viewers. Think about those commercial ads or YouTube videos with catchy jingles you can’t seem to get out of your head.
How to Edit Videos for Beginners
There is a wide range of video editing tools and software available, but if you don’t follow a strict step-by-step guide, you might find yourself in a quandary when it’s time to get your video together. You can still collaborate with some Oklahoma video production companies for the editing part but it’s still a good idea to learn the basics of video editing.
Choose the Right Software
The first step in mastering the art of video editing is choosing the right software that works for you, your computer, and your editing needs. All video editing software typically offers everything beginner video editors would need to master the craft, but you might have your preferences depending on features, digital interface, and your general editing style.
Some of the best video editing software for beginners include; Adobe Premiere Pro, FinalCut Pro, Sony Vegas, and Lightworks.
Choose a Computer with High Speed
Your computer should be fast and have enough storage capacity to contain large files. By investing in a faster computer with more memory and a larger hard drive, you can increase your computer’s operational capacity.
We wouldn’t pitch in in the Apple versus Windows war because we think everyone has their preferred brand which suits their needs, but we will say that making minor upgrades to a personal PC is easier for the average person than upgrading an Apple computer. Although you can always use your phone or tablet to edit your videos in the case of an emergency, it is much easier and faster to use an upgraded PC with all the recommended specs.
Invest in Editing Courses or Watch Video Editing Videos
Social media is full of free video editing tutorials, videos, guides, and other (free) useful information that will help you hone your skill. If you’re looking for tutorials that offer lessons on a very particular video editing skill, also look out for the software version of the program you are working with.
Create a Basic Timeline
Once you have your software down and you have conducted adequate research on what you want to do and how to do it, you can create a workable plan for editing your video. Your timeline is a visual representation of how you want your final video to be with the clips in the correct sequence. Your timeline is a rough sketch of what your final video will look like.
Start the Editing Process
With your timeline put in place and your basic knowledge of editing videos from your online tutorials, you will edit your videos until they take the shape you want. During video editing, keep in mind that you will most likely remove content that serves little purpose to the narrative you’re creating.
One of the easiest and most common video editing tools is the blade. This editing tool allows you to easily cut your video wherever you place the virtual tool on the clip. Blade makes it easy to maneuver through your video, trimming and splitting clips, but not all video editing software has the tool. If you’re comfortable using this tool for trimming your clips, make sure it is included in the editing software you choose.
Cut it Down
We already said earlier that video editing is a reduction process, so be ready to cut down on a large portion of your video. It might seem like you’re cutting down too much, but it’s quality over quantity when it comes to video editing.
Refine your story by adding clips of media to the appropriate places, lay the foundation of your story, and then snip away at any excess footage. The general rule is that if you can remove a part of the video without affecting the general message, cut it out.
Final Edits
During your final edit, you are preparing the video for the audience, and you must take into account the length, size, color, and other fine details.
Here, you also want to play through your edit several times to fine-tune your audio track. There are several editing programs such as Adobe Premiere Pro which also offer a range of audio editing tools to perfect your sound volume, clarity, and length.
The key to editing your video to perfection is the right idea of what you want, patience, and a lot of practice. Learn how to properly edit your videos, and give yourself a pat on the back every time you put out professional-level videos. In little to no time, you will be editing your videos like a pro.
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