The term "how to edit a video" receives over a thousand monthly online searches on average, and Google returns at least that many search results. Most likely, you were looking for a simple explanation of video editing when you came across this page.
However, learning how to edit a video can become an endless rabbit hole due to the ever-increasing amount of blogs and videos posted on this subject.
And even though each new video project you work on will have slightly different editing needs, you should be aware that the basic principles of video editing largely remain the same.
Therefore, to help you edit a video, we have put together this thorough guide that covers all you need to know to produce stunning videos, even if you have yet to gain prior expertise with video editing.
You must prepare before you begin editing your video, just like you would with any other project. By doing this, you can ensure that everything is ready for the actual video editing process. When you are preparing, have the following in mind:
Be very clear about the purpose of the video before you start editing. This will affect the kind of video you make, the music, visuals, and fonts you pick, and where your video will be seen.
Are you planning to make a video to promote a product? Or are you creating a sportsman's highlight reel? Do you want it to be a high-energy event or something more mellow? The answers to these questions will guide your entire editing process.
Depending on your objectives, you can make a product video, explainer video, montage video, compilation video, or other types of videos. Your script should ideally be with you at this stage because it will enable you to determine most of the answers to these queries.
You should write down the flow of your video if you are not following a script to avoid problems during editing.
Imagine having to sit down after recording hours of video to determine the purpose of each clip. It is a huge time waster. The secret to effectively editing a video is to organize your media clips.
While there are many ways to go about it—each editor will have a system that works best for them—we advise taking the following two steps:
People frequently regret missing out on this step the most! You run a significant risk of losing all of your effort without backups because of various unforeseen issues.
This is why it is crucial to have copies of a file in at least three locations! Having backups on physical hard drives and in cloud storage is typically advised.
Here are a few ideas:
Look for the best-performing hard drives of 2022 if you need physical storage options. You can use iDrive, iCloud, or Backblaze as your cloud storage option. Google Drive and Apple online storage are also good options.
It will save you a lot of time because screening and choosing the shots in advance will spare you the hassle of sifting through hundreds of videos as you edit. Copying your selected clips to a new folder and keeping it in a highly accessible place where you can view them whenever you want is an excellent approach to managing your media clips.
By doing this, you can avoid switching back and forth between clips and your editing software.
First things first: Log in or create an OFFEO account. You can add your Brand Presets, where you may fill in your brand name. You can upload your logo, choose the colors you use for branding, add your social media handles, and plug in anything else you will use for branding rather than just creating an account.
You can use all the videos you edit on OFFEO by clicking "save" to save the video.
On OFFEO, there are now a few different methods for editing videos. You can create a video using a blank canvas, one of OFFEO's thousands of templates, or make branded content.
Let's go over each one in turn.
Log in and sign up for an account in OFFEO. Click “new design” and choose Full Creative Control. This option allows you to create freely, while the AI - Auto Create gives you ready-made, customizable content.
With Full Creative Control, choose the correct dimensions and start designing with an empty canvas. You can upload your media clips, logo, and other elements.
Here, you must first upload the video files. To access your videos folder, click Uploads in the left column, then select Upload media.
Alternatively, you can pick pictures and videos from OFFEO's stock media collection. In the left menu panel, select Video to open the stock library.
You will drag and drop the media onto the editing timeline to add it. As soon as you do that, a pop-up message will appear asking you whether you want to use the entire video or cut the clip.
And if you require all of the video, select Use Full Video. Otherwise, you can drag the clip from the right or left side to crop it to the exact length you need!
To add text to the video, click the "text" on the left side of the editing screen. You have the option to add a heading or a subheading. Simply click on the text box on the canvas to edit the placeholder text and enter words and phrases for your video.
After editing, click save to download your high-quality video in .mov or .mp4 format. One of the best things about starting on an empty canvas is the chance to extend your creativity.
You can significantly speed up the creation of videos by using templates for marketers and social media professionals with tight schedules! The pre-made OFFEO templates can benefit you massively because they include video and audio clips and may be modified in OFFEO's editor.
Let's learn how to use templates to create stunning videos!
To access OFFEO's more than 3,000 templates, sign in to your OFFEO account and choose Pre-made templates on the home screen. Depending on the platform you create the video for, choose the aspect ratio you desire, and then look for a template.
The template is loaded on the timeline whenever you enter the editor. You must now substitute your own photos and videos for those in the template.
You can use OFFEO's stock collection of royalty-free photos and clips or upload your own media.
Drag and drop any clip you think might work well in your video onto the canvas. After that, select Replace to include it in the template.
The rendering of your video will begin as soon as you select "Save." After that, you can either immediately share the video to your social media networks from here by clicking Share Video or by clicking Download to save it to your device! You are now done!
Let's examine how you may use OFFEO's brand designs for your exciting videos.
The last option on the Full Creative Control is the branded design. These designs are created and personalized by companies. These are primarily uniform in design and color and have the company logo on them.
Branded designs are unique for every company. You can upload your branded templates to create branded content.
This type of design is a great brand awareness strategy. Branded designs make it easier to leave a mark on your audience.
You can set up your brand with your official brand colors, logo, and other elements that set your brand apart from others. Setting up your personalized templates makes it easier to input your content in OFFEO.
On the other hand, you can use OFFEO's branded content templates and customize them according to your preferences.
You can upload and create professional-looking branded content within 3 minutes with OFFEO's simple drag-and-drop interface.
Although CapCut is frequently used to edit videos for social media, there are countless more uses too! Here is how you can use CapCut to edit videos.
Open the CapCut app first. Click New Project, select your main video clip, and click "add." You can choose multiple video clips if you have more than one.
The project format in CapCut is automatically adjusted based on the type of video clips you added. Therefore, CapCut will set your project type to a widescreen project if your video clip is a widescreen video.
Going to Format in the bottom menu will allow you to modify the project type.
The app will present a variety of options to you. You can create a widescreen video for YouTube, a square video for Instagram, or a portrait video for TikTok.
First and foremost, you must eliminate all errors and excess video clips from the final product.
You can remove the video in two ways: by using the handles or the Split tool.
Scrub through your video footage until the white bar reaches the beginning of your video to eliminate any bad takes using the Split tool. The free video editing tools will then show at the bottom of the screen after tapping on the clip.
Choose Split from the menu that appears at the bottom of your screen. Right where the white bar was placed, two clips will now be divided. Select the first clip that contains errors now, then hit Delete.
Tap the clip to select it, then use the handles to delete it. A white handle may be seen at the start of the video. You can drag it until it reaches the beginning of your excellent footage by tapping and holding the handle.
Both ways are excellent choices. You may also combine video clips through these tools. For instance, tap the clip to open the menu, then select Split to eliminate the excess portion of the clip in the middle. Drag the handles to cut the video clips.
Now it is time to customize your video!
After trimming your video, it is time to add personalized video details. You can add filters, text, and stickers to your trimmed video clips.
You also have the option to add animations, transitions, and effects to your videos. Additionally, sound effects, background music, and voice-over are available. These tools will help in making your video more appealing to your viewers.
After adding these elements, click the arrow up in the upper right corner of your screen. You can share your video directly on social media or save it in your local device storage.
After filming a YouTube video, a movie, or a music video, it is time for the second phase of the fight: post-processing. Similar to filming, this process involves a strong balance of technical know-how and creativity.
In this section, we will share some useful hints, approaches, and "life hacks" with you that will make the video editing process simpler and more efficient.
These suggestions will not exactly teach you how to edit your video clips, but they can speed up the process and lead to more effective final products.
Selecting the appropriate software for you and your video project is the first step in streamlining your video editing process. Although all software often includes the tools you need to make ordinary video edits, you could favor one over the others because of its usefulness, digital interface, and functionality.
Instead of just using the newest, most cutting-edge video editing program available, choosing what works for you and your editing style is key.
No, in this part, we will not be comparing PCs with MACs. Any computer brand or model will do as long as it is quick enough to hold large files and enables you to concentrate more on your editing tasks without worrying about slow rendering.
A speedier storage drive like an SSD will enable you to access your files and software more quickly and reduce the time it takes to render, load, and export. If you are editing professionally or for a living, you must buy the appropriate video card and processor for your editing program and boost your computer's memory (RAM) to at least 8GB.
You can use either as a video workstation, but a PC is usually simpler to upgrade and customize than an Apple Mac. Although their capabilities and quality are frequently lower, you can utilize various video editing tools on Apple and Android devices and tablets.
Editing videos on an iPad or iPhone is much more complex than on a powerful desktop or laptop computer.
Remember your monitors. You can examine, arrange, and work with significant volumes of content by setting up a dual monitor setup.
There are many helpful tutorials for making excellent video content on YouTube, blogs, and educational websites. Most tutorials you will discover online are free, increasing their accessibility. Many excellent tutorials are available on the OFFEO YouTube channel to improve your video content.
Target the software version of the program you are running when searching for instructions to attain particular looks and finish specific tasks. Several organizations have changed the menu options and functionality from one version to the next.
Many beginner video editors like to utilize the same project files course instructors use when following along. Your work will perfectly resemble the demo's sample, which will aid in your understanding of the stages.
For just this reason, many tutorials let you download the project files. Once you have mastered a technique, you can repeat a process with your video files.
Similar to how beginning woodworkers are taught to measure twice and cut once, video editors should become familiar with the 321 rule. Keep three duplicates of every video you produce, one of which should be physically separated from the other two storage locations.
A thumbnail's primary objective is to generate as many clicks as possible. Obtain a larger audience, have them view your content, then move on to your other content.
Using free design tools, create captivating thumbnails for each movie to captivate visitors immediately and make the best first impression.
You need to be systematic and organized and have a lightning-fast computer system and editing software to become a more effective editor. Putting your projects and files in folders that you may use repeatedly is one method to streamline your process.
Make specific storage locations for your projects, videos, music files, pictures, and graphics, and add more subfolders and subsections.
Utilizing external hard drives to store your video is another method for working more quickly. You can free up more computer memory by doing this.
To ensure quicker file transfers, we advise using hard drives that can be linked through Thunderbolt or USB 3.0. Additionally, think about allocating RAM so you may use more of it for editing and purchasing a gaming mouse with buttons you can program to perform specific editing tasks.
As we are on the topic of controls, remember that many editing apps provide convenient keyboard shortcuts for accessing often-used editing features. Those interested in learning and mastering keyboard shortcuts for popular editing tools are encouraged to do so.
Investing in an editing keyboard or a changeable keyboard cover that includes shortcut icons will save editing time and effort if you have the means to do so. Usually, these are designed to work exclusively with one editing program.
You will need to interact with clients or other video editors if you work in the video editing industry. This implies that you must master a ton of video editing jargon.
Some of the phrases used in video editing can be difficult to understand for people who have never heard of them without doing any research. This is why you should start learning them right away. Among the important terms and ideas are the following:
There are undoubtedly many other cuts and words to master; these are but a few. All you have to do is set a time to read them and conduct independent research to understand each of them fully.
Color is a key design component that you can use to emphasize certain elements, elicit certain feelings, and establish the tone or ambiance of your video setting. We now have several color-correcting options in the video editor, which was previously only feasible with pictures.
The majority of editors perform two tasks: color grading, which changes the appearance of your video, and color correction, which ensures that the colors of your footage are constant across each scene.
Both are necessary if you wish to distinguish between different scenes, such as when using presets like sepia and monochrome on "flashback" scenarios, or if you want the majority of your scenes to look as realistic as possible.
To create a story, videos use a variety of compositions and camera angles. The term for it is cinematography. You may affect your audience's feelings by carefully selecting the camera angle in each scene. As a result, you can affect how your audience interprets what is displayed to them on the screen.
Simply put, it works because, through time, cinematographers have created a sophisticated visual vocabulary for communicating stories. At the same time, viewers have become more familiar with standard filming methods and their meanings.
Do not only concentrate on the graphics; they should match the quality of your music. Suppose you are making a dramatic video, for example. In that case, you will need the ideal music or instrumentals to enhance the impact of essential moments when you want to elicit particular feelings from your viewers.
Funny movies with cheerful music can be a little forgiving, but it can also be simple to go beyond. If you are working by yourself, it could be challenging. A musical scorer can assist you in choosing good music for your videos.
However, remember that the safest choice is to get sounds from a royalty-free music provider before considering using any music. Although you can discover some music for free, the best audio is not free.
Music is frequently a part of the production budget when working on a professional project. Use high-quality headphones for video editing to get the finest sound out of your footage.
Depending on your video type, you should include elements such as text in addition to the video title, opening and closing billboards, and video credits.
You usually want to choose a plain, white, sans-serif font that does not draw too much attention. Try having the text fade in and out to see how it affects your video.
However, you can make dazzling visuals using your editing software if you feel the urge to do so. The best motion graphics are produced using video effects, text fonts, and stickers.
You may always purchase impressive pre-made templates if you still need to learn how to create your own independently.
When your video is finished and prepared for export, most editors tend to export it at the highest possible video resolution. If it is going to be shown in theaters and on ultra-HD screens, this is unquestionably the best way to proceed.
However, you should also export smaller, higher-quality versions for simpler viewing in the modern day, where video projects are typically promoted online and on social media platforms.
The objective of creating a file for the web is to keep its high quality while keeping it manageable for upload and online viewing.
Record your videos in 1080p to get the best results when uploading. Alternatively, you can use a YouTube editor to resize and reposition the video to fit the 1080p size.
High-definition and high-resolution videos instantly capture the attention and interest of your viewers. It also provides a viewing experience at ease.
B-roll is an additional video that goes with your first video segments. It can set the scene, ease a transition, or elucidate a point. Create a shot list to ensure you get the best B-roll footage for telling your narrative.
It is crucial to take compatibility into account depending on your computer setup. The appropriate software will provide the advanced features you need to learn how to edit YouTube videos and create videos for other purposes.
The most important thing you need to edit videos is video editing software. The software functions will allow you to be creative with your video clips.
You can download software or launch an online editing program to start editing videos on Mac or Windows. Ensure that your computer can run the app or the program.
The intent or purpose, length, and style of the video are among the most important things to consider before editing. These elements will determine the final result of your editing journey.
There is no single answer to this question. It will always depend on the editor, the phone's capacity, and the video's purpose.
Although editing a video is frequently considered complex and overly complicated, with the correct video editor, it may be easy.
As you read, with the correct software that fits your skills and purpose, it is straightforward to create stunning videos on both a laptop and a mobile device.
Check out articles on creating professional videos if you want to learn more about producing quality videos.
Additionally, you can learn how to add music and cool effects to your films to make them more interesting if you want to take your editing skills beyond the fundamentals you just learned.
The latest video trends and ideas, as well as daily video creation tips and tricks, can all be found on YouTube channels, so if you prefer to learn through videos, you should check them out. These channels can also help you become a more successful video creator.
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