Video as a type of media has taken the world of marketing and communication to a new level. It’s the best way to communicate with your audience and develop your brand. Before the video reaches your profile, it goes through two main stages – filming and post-processing. Creating the footage is just a part of the deal, yet making it work for the public is a whole other story. Video editing empowers you with all the necessary tools to tweak the video to the form you consider perfect.
Efficient video editing is based on creativity and technical knowledge as you need to understand the functional range of all the tools.
Pre-editing stage
- Choose the software
Before you get down to video editing, choose the right software. The choice of software is the key to reaching a desirable effect. The majority of the online tools are quite similar, yet you may prefer one over the other due to the interface, layout, free options, beneficial offers, etc. However, the decisive options will be:
- functionality – if you can perform video and photo editing with the help of one program, use this chance to save time;
- music library, like in VistaCreate, which is a very practical option for editing video;
- versatility of options – number of templates for social media content, facebook reels creator, Instagram posts, animated graphics, YouTube Thumbnails, etc. The better the choice, the more freedom for creativity you have.
- Watch the tutorials
It’s a weird fact, but those who create videos for the audience, aren’t willing to watch ones, however, they contain tons of useful information. Tutorials will help to learn the basic and advanced editing functions, understand the nitty-gritty of all the tools, and bring the video to perfection.
- 3-2-1 backup rule
3-2-1 is a rule of thumb for those who get involved in editing experience: There should be 3 copies of data, on 2 different media, with 1 copy being off-site. Such redundancy may seem unnecessary, yet it’s a safety net in case something goes wrong.
- B-roll preparation
The importance of a B-roll can’t be overestimated, as it refers to any supplemental footage you make, along with the main one. It is used to fill the gaps in the main video, make a smooth transition between the scenes, or just replace some cuts. Typically it includes landscapes, sceneries, backgrounds – anything that is not part of a main plot and idea.
Editing Stage
- Jump cut and all the cutting
Cutting is one of the basic functions to use when editing a video, as all the footage is slowly turned into the video you wanted. A jump cut is one of the common mistakes made while editing a video. It is the interrupted flow of the story when the scenes are cut, but don’t match together when joined. Such a break of continuity is visible to the audience and quite annoying. Typically it happens when we concentrate more on the main subject, letting out of the view the background elements.
- Color Correction
Colors and their brightness matter don’t just make the vibrancy of the picture, they bring the focus on the particular subject or element. They aim to evoke the right emotion and feelings and to set the proper mood of the video ambiance.
When working with colors, mainly two edits can be made:
- color correction, to make sure the color looks exactly like in real life;
- color grading – to create a visual tone and mood of the picture, and stimulate the audience to react to your work because colors affect our perception.
- Music
Visuals are important, however, carefully and properly selected pieces of music make the whole video complete, as they highlight important moments or trigger certain emotions. Choosing the right soundtrack will complement the video pieces and bring the viewer’s experience to a new level.
However, it’s important to remember royalties, as it’s not always possible to use any song you like. Use special libraries which are offered by the editing software, to make sure you are on the safe side or the royalty-free music providers.
- Add Text and Filters
Episodical text comments or graphics can complement the video, but keep them simple, as you don’t want to distract the viewer from the main message.
Filters help to create a necessary atmosphere in the video if there’s a lack of skills or technical requirements in the camera. Select the ones that are fittings the idea and use the same style throughout the video.
- Sharing
When the video editing has reached perfection, it’s time to share your creation with the audience. Add the right hashtags and locations, which will help to reach the audience.
Summing Up
Video editing opens up new possibilities for adding aesthetics to the video, it helps to embellish and improve the picture and make it perfect for your overall style. Editing may seem difficult at the beginning and cumbersome, yet practice makes it perfect. With every new tool you learn, your proficiency will reach a new stage, attracting more interest from the audience.