Learning how to edit videos can be very instrumental in different areas of life. Creating your own videos can be a great way to bring your own personal stories to different audiences. The techniques you learn can help you in various areas of life.
It might seem like something only suited to professionals, but these days software is available that can bring the world of video editing to everyone. Regardless of your professional or personal interests, there is surely an editing program that will suit you. In the sections below, we will take a closer look at techniques that you can use to edit and create your own videos.
Trimming raw footage
The first thing you should learn about editing is how to get rid of unwanted material. When you shoot videos, you won’t necessarily know when interesting shots will come up, so you will likely shoot for a long time. This will result in both desirable footage and undesirable footage. So you will need to learn how to get rid of the parts that you don’t want.
Many software programs make this quite easy. In fact, you can use a free video cutter and get it done in a snap. All you need to do is select the undesirable parts – some programs will even let you draw a line around them, or drag and drop – and delete them. With AI-driven programs, deleting text can automatically delete video footage that goes along with the text.
Creating a smooth production with a good rhythm
Learning how to “pace” a video is also an important part of any production. All videos will speed up and slow down, to some extent, but you need to find a pace that will be comfortable for people to watch.
Videos that are too frenetic in pace changes can frustrate viewers. Slower-paced clips should be longer than faster-paced ones. Your clips should also be in keeping with the message that each of them is trying to relay and should have an appropriate rhythm.
Adjusting audio
Video productions are about much more than just visuals, of course. Audio also plays a major role in any given production. If you create a video that is great to look at but has broken or inaudible sound, it will be disappointing to your viewers.
There are a couple major audio-related points to keep in mind when filming:
- You should try to capture quality audio while you are filming, as much as possible. If you are filming people talking, be sure that they aren’t getting drowned out by background noise.
- Try to get similar sound levels from all of your clips so that your final production doesn’t fluctuate too much. With editing software, you can do things like eliminate unwanted background noise.
Adding captions
Even if your audio is clear, it can be helpful to your viewers to add captions to your videos. You might have viewers that can’t hear well or whose native language is something other than English, for example. In fact, it is estimated that more than 50% of Americans keep subtitles on some or all of the time. This applies to both TV and video watching.
Many software programs will automatically add captions for you using speech-to-text technology. You can choose to have the option of turning them on if viewers wish.
Adjusting color
Different kinds of videos call for different coloring techniques. You might want to vary your saturation levels, for example, to portray different moods in your videos. Also, basic color correction is something that can make your videos better quality. Learning color correcting techniques can help give your videos a more “real world” appearance.
Varying your clips
Another thing that you should keep in mind when assembling video clips is that you should vary them in terms of pace, angles, etc. This is a good way to keep your viewers engaged and entertained.
Useful tools for work and life
Learning how to edit videos can be useful not only for professional-level video production. You will be able to share your stories with whatever audiences you like, whether they be YouTube followers or even just friends and family. You will also create memories that you can keep with you for life.
