How to Edit Videos for Beginners – The growing demand for video content has made video editing one of the most lucrative skills to hone. Today, most businesses leverage digital channels to reach customers and sell their offerings. As a result, they need different types of videos to advertise and educate the target audience. Since videos are highly engaging in nature, it gives the best marketing ROI.
Most consumers watch videos to learn more about a product or service offered. The low attention span of the online audience calls for an effective marketing strategy to keep them hooked. Video marketing can help to bridge this gap easily. Creating compelling video content using the best online video editor can work wonders for your marketing endeavors. Read on to learn more about video editing for beginners.
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What does video editing entail?
Video editing is the process of structuring a video and arranging the shots as per the needs of the project. It can be explained as arranging shots, music, and effects in a particular order to produce the desired output. Editing a video can help to refine the output and produce the best version of the clips. Video recording helps you gather raw footage. Most of the time, the footage can’t be directly used and requires some adjustments. The changes are facilitated through the post-production process of video editing.
Practical video editing tips for beginners
Video editing is a vital skill to possess in today’s digital era. However, those new to video editing can develop the skill with regular practice and determination. Here are a few practical video editing tips that can accelerate your growth as a novice video editor.
Learn the important lingos
If you are new to the video editing space, learning the new terminologies associated with the video editing process is crucial. It will help you easily communicate with fellow editors, clients, and other stakeholders. Not knowing the lingos can be counterproductive to your efforts. Let’s take a quick look at some popular terms and what they mean.
J Cut: When the audio precedes the video, it’s called the J Cut.
L Cut: When the video precedes the audio, it’s called the L Cut.
Match Cut: When two similar shots/scenes are cut together, it’s known as the match cut.
Montage: It simply refers to a sequence of video clips used to depict a passage of time.
Jump Cuts: Jump Cuts allow you to skip boring details and jump to the exciting part.
Organize your workflow
Creating the correct work order when taking up a video editing project is vital. A systematic way to organize and keep documents on your computer can be highly productive. The best way to do it is by creating a separate folder related to the projects and then storing data in relevant subsections with proper titles. It will be easier to find the required file and trace things. Having an external hard disk to store all project-related folders is highly recommended. You can easily create a backup on the same. A backup device comes in handy if the files stored on your computer are accidentally deleted.
Choose the right video editing tool
Choosing the right tool to edit your videos like a professional is essential. And to make such a selection might be a challenging task, especially for beginners. Many factors might affect your choice: your computer specifications, specific tool features, budget, level of expertise, and many more. Selecting the right video editing tool requires an assessment of your skills, the project requirements, and the features offered. For beginners, it is highly recommended to use a simple video editor that can help you to understand the basics of editing easily.
Invest time in reading expert articles and reviews on different video editing tools to choose which one is perfect for you. As a result, it will help you save time in the later stages of your video editing process.
Learn from video editing tutorials
Video editing tutorials can be an excellent source for learning the video editing process. You can easily access many video editing tutorials for various software and tools. It will allow you to explore the features and functionality of video editing software. You can leverage the learnings when editing your videos. There are countless free resources on platforms like YouTube to learn video editing. Learning the basics from these tutorials can drastically reduce the TAT for your video editing projects.
It’s all about the story
One of the most important things to be mindful of before starting any video editing project is that it’s all about the story. You have to put in your efforts to create a story from the raw footage and audio clips. The audience finds it easier to connect with stories than other things. Therefore, telling a great story that your target audience can resonate with is highly important. All your video editing efforts should be guided to create a tale that can evoke the desired emotions from the audience. It should compel them to take the desired action.
Leverage keyboard shortcuts
Video editing professionals can save a lot of time because they are familiar with all the keyboard shortcuts. Learning keyboard shortcuts in video editing can be a game-changer for your projects. You can watch tutorial videos to learn about keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts can vary based on the computer device you are using. Therefore, you must check the keyboard shortcuts for the device you will use to edit videos.
Learn about the color schemes
Choosing the right color composition is vital to produce the desired video output. A slight change in the color scheme can have a profound impact on the quality of the video. Manipulating the color scheme can help you set the right mood and highlight critical elements. It can also help invoke the desired emotions from the audience. The best video editing tools offer color correction and grading features to ensure consistency in the color scheme. It can also help you differentiate between scenes easily.
Select the right audio
Choosing the right audio clip is a must when you want to create an engaging video. Audio plays a crucial role in setting the tone and mood for the audience. It can help to change the entire narrative and context. Using the right music is just as important as choosing the set of video clips. The importance of audio can never be overestimated. You must be mindful of using only royalty-free music. There are several royalty-free music platforms to source audio clips. Not using royalty-free music can land you in trouble for copyright infringement.
The quality and format
It is crucial to export to final output in the right quality and format. Many new video editors export files of the highest quality. Although it’s a good practice, it may not be the best choice in all cases. For example, marketing videos on social media platforms require small-sized videos. Therefore, export should be done based on the requirements of the project.
Final words
Video editing is among the most in-demand skills in the contemporary period. Although it’s easy to learn, you must follow the best practices to avoid errors. Choosing the right video editing tool can ease the learning process. The tips mentioned above can be followed to learn the art of video editing easily.
