In the United States, there are 34,200 video editors.
If you’re interested in becoming a video editor, you’ll have a lot of competition so you need to make sure your videos stand out. But how do you do that?
Keep reading to find some of the best video editing tips for beginners to help your videos stand out from all the rest!
1. Find a Good Software
First, you should make sure that you research all the different video-editing software out there. You want to choose one that works just for you because this is where you’ll be spending most of your time.
You might want to look for one that has a great interface, is easy to use, and has all kinds of extra features. Play around with a few of the different ones so that you can figure out what works best for you and your style of editing.
Some of the common ones out there include Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, and Avid Media Composer. There are also some free ones out there that may fit all of your needs as well.
2. Be Realistic
When you’re editing, you need to be realistic about what you want the final product to look like. You’ll have to take into account how many resources and time you have.
For example, if you can, it’d be great to shoot in 4K, high-quality videos. But you might have a lower resolution and a higher frame rate when you go to edit it, which can be really frustrating.
So when you’re filming, you need to think about the whole process. Every decision you make will affect your video editing.
3. Find Good Angles
When you’re recording, you need to try and find the best angles possible. The camera can do a lot of work and can be great footage for when you’re editing.
If you have a script, you’ll need to think about what the angles say about each of your characters. Even if it’s subconscious, the angles can help tell a story as well, so you need to figure out what type of story you’re going to say.
4. Stay Organized
One of the best tips to keep in mind when you’re wondering how to start as a video editor is to make sure that you stay as organized as possible.
You’re likely going to have a lot of clips to work with, and you may even snip them to make smaller ones. You’ll have to stitch them all together, and they can easily get lost if you’re not organized.
So make sure you try and name all of your files before you import them. If you just have random names, you’ll have to search through hundreds of clips to find the one that you really need. Even when you drop them into folders, you should make sure that you have an organized folder system.
This will ensure you can spend your time editing and not searching around.
5. Have the Right Computer
Depending on the software you choose for your video editing, you’ll likely need a good computer to run that software. It doesn’t matter as much whether you choose a Mac or a PC, but what matters more is the specs of the computer.
You want to find a computer that has an SDD, which is a faster storage drive. It’ll allow you to store, organize, and find your files a lot faster than with an HDD.
You should also buy a computer that has at least 8GB of RAM. The RAM is what helps the larger programs on your computer run, and your video-editing software will likely need more as well.
Lastly, make sure you find a good graphics card. This will help to make sure that you see your videos in the best quality possible.
6. Use B-Roll
One thing that can really help your final video be coherent and put-together is to use B-roll.
Whether it’s figuring out how to download YouTube videos on Mac or taking extra footage while you’re at a scene, make sure that you have some extra footage to work with.
This is what will help your video seem more real and interesting. You’ll have a lot more wiggle room to work with when you’re editing as well. For example, if you need to cut away from the main scene for some reason that happened during filming, you can use that B-roll footage to help fill in the gaps.
7. Use Keyboard Shortcuts
Lastly, once you choose a good software to use, make sure that you learn all of the keyboard shortcuts possible.
This will really speed up all of your work, and you’ll be able to do all kinds of common features with just a few keyboard strokes. If you have some extra money to spend, you might also be able to find keyboards that were made specifically for video editing.
They come with all the necessary keys and shortcuts embedded in them to really help your workflow.
Learn More Video Editing Tips for Beginners
These are only a few of the best video editing tips for beginners, but there are many more of them out there!
We know that it can be overwhelming and stressful trying to figure out the world of video editing, but we’re here to help you.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure that you explore our website to find more articles just like this one.
