In today’s day and age, most people consume media content on the internet. These can range from social media posts, videos, and streaming movies on Netflix. Anyone can easily find something to watch online. With the demand for more content rising at a rapid rate, it’s no surprise that many people are starting to pursue video editing as a career. If that’s something you’re considering, then here are a couple of tips and tricks about video editing that will help you gain an edge over the competition.
Settings, Settings, Settings.
The first thing you should pay attention to before starting a new project is your settings. As simple as it sounds, we cannot stress enough how important it is to get it right from the beginning. Imagine how devastating it would be to find out that you started your project with the wrong settings after spending weeks editing and can’t export it correctly. It would be an utter nightmare for any video editor.
The setting you should get right from the beginning is your output settings. Try to ensure that your output resolution corresponds to the video resolution you want to edit so that when it’s time to export, everything will render in the correct scale. Additionally, you will want to also turn on background rendering. It will allow you to still work on a video project while another is rendering in the background.
So again, make sure you have your settings right down to a tee to prevent any costly mistakes. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is better than a cure.
The Effect of Effects
Adding effects to your videos, whether it’s a simple transition effect or a full-blown full-frame one, are sure to add more flair and wow-factor to your videos. But as a beginner, the idea of creating them yourself can feel like an overwhelming task.
If you’re not ready to take on the challenge of making effects yourself, you might want to consider using Final Cut Pro as your video editing program of choice. It’s because there are so many pre-made Final Cut Pro Effects to choose from and purchase that are easy to customize and add to your videos quickly. Adding a couple of effects to your video can turn your project from looking like a first-time indie film to a full-production movie in a flash.
There are many effects to choose from and incorporate in your next project. Here are a few examples of the essential ones you need to know:
- Color Effects — This can help enhance the emotions and vibe of scenes and make them more dramatic.
- Transition Effects — Abruptly cutting from one scene to the next can ruin the flow of a video. Make it smoother and more intentional with transition effects.
- Animated Effects — If you want to make your videos stand out and have a lasting impact on your audience, consider using animated effects that can emphasize actions or parts of a scene to make them more memorable.
Shortcuts, Never Short Handed!
Wouldn’t it be great if you had more of you to edit a video project? You can get multiple tasks done in the same amount of time it takes to finish one. Just like how a chef can’t keep up with the demands of a dinner service without a kitchen crew, a video editor can’t get a lot of work done without the help of shortcuts.
Shortcuts are the bread and butter of any video editor’s workflow, and if you haven’t found your way to get to know them, it’s never too late to start now. There’s no harm in utilizing default shortcuts, but there is so much more to be had if you made your own. In most, if not all, video editing programs have a setting where you can create new or customize default shortcuts.
Instead of pressing multiple keys and clicks to get a specific command to execute, they allow you to get it all done with just one. So make sure to make the most of your shortcuts so that you can work faster and save more time on a project.
Treat shortcuts as a set of extra hands that help you get things done much quicker. The earlier you get used to using them, the better and faster you can edit videos.
Take these tips and apply them to your current video editing workflow if you haven’t already. They’re sure to make improvements in the speed and quality of your video projects. Take note that these are only a few of the many ways you can get better at video editing. There are so much more techniques left to discover. So try exploring other settings and features in your video editing program, and you might find something that others haven’t yet that will make you a cut above the rest.
