Essentials of video editing

What is video editing?

Whether you’re producing a big-budget Hollywood movie or recording a vlog for YouTube, there are several editing, or “post-production,” stages almost all projects go through:

• Get organized: Locate your content quickly when you need it.
• Review your material: Get to know your content.
• Create a sequence: Build a rough draft of the story.
• Adjust the timing: Fine-tune the flow of your story.
• Add visual effects: Transform your content with effects, including color adjustments.
• Add graphics: Tell the story clearly with graphic highlights.
• Create a soundtrack: Clean up, tune up, and mix your audio.
• Output your project: Deliver your finished project in multiple formats for the world to see.

The time you spend on each stage will vary from project to project. For example, sometimes you’ll only pause for a moment to think about whether you need graphics.

Working with a sequence

In Adobe Premiere Pro, you use the Timeline panel to assemble your video clips in a sequence. There’s no single way to assemble a sequence. What matters most is that your audience can follow the story you are telling.

In addition to making sure the facts get across to your audience, ensure your edits flow together well. Edits have a rhythm, just like the music, actors’ performances, characters’ movements, and even camera moves do. If you can identify and incorporate it into your editing decisions, you will help your audience connect with the story.

Tell a story through editing

There are several ways to enhance your project with Premiere Pro:

• Make color adjustments to correct lighting and add atmosphere.
• Clean up and mix your audio, and use effects to add impact to your soundtrack.
• Change video playback speed for fast and slow motion.
• Add visual transition effects to connect clips.

Professional tools: invest the time

Switching to a professional nonlinear editing tool like Premiere Pro can feel like a major step, with so many additional features and editing techniques suddenly available. It’s worth taking the time to learn them — each feature is like a power-up for your editing skills.

Every technique you learn can be applied many times over to achieve professional results and add impact for your audience. If you are starting out, you don’t need to learn about all of the features at once. Begin with what you already know and add to your skills over time.