If you want to produce video content, whether for social media, a blog or any other reason, you’re going to need to be able to edit the footage you record. Video editing is crucial as it allows you to cut out unnecessary parts, making your footage easier to understand. It’s also useful for adding effects and adding different scenes together to create something that viewers are going to enjoy.
As with filming, being able to edit and put together your footage into something useable takes skill and creativity. It also takes a lot of practice to know what works and what doesn’t. However, even if you’re a complete beginner, you can still achieve some good results with the right knowledge. In this post, we’ll show you how to make video editing a lot easier and more efficient by giving you a few useful ideas, strategies and tips.
Table of Contents
Choose the Right Software
One of the most important steps in editing is making sure you use the right software, as this will have a big impact on which techniques you can use and the kind of limitations you’ll face. There are loads of excellent video
Use a Computer with the Right Specs
The specifications of your computer will also make a big difference in your video editing capabilities. Editing videos, especially ones with a large amount of footage, takes a lot of computer processing power. Whether you prefer Mac or PC, it doesn’t make a huge amount of difference. You can customize and upgrade a PC more easily than an Apple machine, but either can be used as a video workstation. On Android and Apple mobile devices and tablets, you can utilize some video editing tools, although they’re usually limited in breadth and quality. It’s also far more difficult to edit videos on an iPad or iPhone than it is on a powerful desktop or laptop computer.
Whatever type of computer you choose to use, you’ll need to consider the RAM, video card, processor and disk space. Making sure your computer has an SSD (Solid State Drive) is also important, as this allows it to store and read files much quicker.
Watch Editing Tutorials
Tutorials for making amazing video content can be found on YouTube, blogs, and educational websites. The majority of the tutorials you’ll find are free, making them even more accessible. Target tutorials that are focused on the specific video editing software you’re using for the best results. As well as free content and resources, you can find a lot of specialist video editing courses to help you take your videos to the next level.
Follow the 321 Rule
When editing, you have to be very careful to keep your files secure in order to avoid losing or destroying your work by mistake. The 321 rule is so-called because it tells you that you should keep three copies of your work at all times, with one copy kept in a separate location from the other two. This way, you can avoid mishaps or mistakes that could cost you hours of work and precious footage.
Edit to Tell a Story
Your creative goal when editing should always be to tell a compelling story that hooks viewers and leaves them wanting more. Take the opportunity to make your film aesthetically pleasing and dramatically compelling in order to evoke the right emotions and effectively convey your intended message. Go beyond simply cutting away unneeded footage and take the opportunity to make your film aesthetically pleasing and exciting as possible. Instead of just adding a bunch of effects to dazzle your viewers, use your practical and technical skills to accomplish this.
