Whether you’re a newbie video editor or an expert, there are a few basic video editing secrets that will help make your edits much more smooth and efficient. Using these tips can save you time in the long run, and ensure that your edits look professional and well-organized.
1. Pre-Plan your Project
Before you shoot your videos, try to map out the entire video storyline. This will make it easier for you to cut and re-arrange your footage during the editing phase. It also allows you to get a better idea of how the scenes will flow together.
2. Create a Standard Process
Once you’ve mapped out your video storyboard, it’s important to follow the same format when it comes to editing. This will help you to avoid getting lost and wasting precious editing time.
3. Know your Audience
Your audience’s expectations will play a big role in how they interact with your video, so it’s important to keep them in mind when you’re planning the edits. Knowing what your target audience wants to see will help you to structure the shots and transitions within the video so that it appeals to them in a meaningful way.
4. Use B-roll to Improve Your Edits
Stock footage websites like Videvo offer a huge range of royalty-free stock clips that can help you to add a bit more production value to your edits. Depending on your needs, these can be used as intro or outro bumpers or to overlay on other scenes in the video for special effects or branding purposes.
5. Use Keyboard Shortcuts
One of the easiest ways to speed up your video editing is by using keyboard shortcuts. These are easy to learn and can help you save a lot of time. You can find them on YouTube, or if you’re more advanced, you can even purchase an editing keyboard to use with your favourite video editing software.
6. Match Cuts to the Pace of Your Music
At the heart of compelling video is pacing, or the way in which cuts come in and out of the camera. The ideal rhythm is one that isn’t too fast or too slow, but rather one that is measured and calculated.
7. Remove Anything That Doesn’t Add to Your Story
When it comes to video editing, a good rule of thumb is to make sure that every shot you include helps to advance the storyline in some way. It’s worth taking a hard look at your final edits to check for any shots or lines that don’t add much to the story, and eliminating them will always help your video to flow more smoothly.
8. Don’t Put Your Personal Information in Front of Your Audience
This is especially true if you’re using screen recordings for customer success or other business-related videos, and it’s easy to accidentally capture private data without realizing it. To keep your customers’ personal information from showing up in your videos, you can use a tool in your software to blur specific areas of your screen recording.