Think Media - How I would learn video editing (If I had to start over)
The speaker shares a decade of editing experience, offering a structured approach to learning video editing. Beginners are advised to start with basic tools like iMovie to grasp fundamental skills such as trimming and timing. As proficiency grows, transitioning to advanced software like Da Vinci Resolve is recommended due to its powerful free version and affordable upgrade. Emphasis is placed on mastering basic editing tools, organization, and creating simple, clean edits before exploring advanced effects. Efficiency is highlighted through learning keyboard shortcuts and building an asset library. The speaker also stresses the importance of seeking feedback, studying other creators, and being consistent in practice. Advanced skills and specialization in a preferred niche are encouraged for professional growth. The secret to mastering editing is continuous observation and learning from various media.
Key Points:
- Start with basic editing tools to learn fundamentals before moving to advanced software.
- Organize projects meticulously to improve workflow and collaboration.
- Focus on simple, clean edits before adding complex effects.
- Use keyboard shortcuts and asset libraries to speed up editing.
- Seek feedback and study other creators to improve skills.
Details:
1. 🎬 Embarking on Your Editing Journey
- Learning to edit can be overwhelming due to the abundance of tools and tutorials available, making it difficult to know where to start.
- With a decade of editing experience, the speaker has developed an effective process for learning editing.
- The video provides a detailed roadmap for those learning editing today, applicable to various types of editing such as YouTube, commercials, and music videos.
- The speaker promises to share a secret skill by the end of the video that can significantly enhance editing mastery.
2. 🛠️ Essential Tools & Techniques
- Begin your editing journey using basic tools like iMovie to learn essential skills such as trimming and timing.
- Transition to advanced programs like Final Cut Pro, Premiere, or Da Vinci Resolve as your proficiency grows.
- Da Vinci Resolve is recommended for beginners due to its powerful free version and the full Studio upgrade available for a one-time fee of $300, avoiding ongoing subscription costs.
- Da Vinci Resolve offers features like color correction and multi-user collaboration, making it a versatile choice for advancing editors.
3. 📚 Mastering Basic Tools & Organization
- Mastering basic editing tools such as cut, trim, and ripple delete is essential for improving video editing skills.
- Familiarity with the blade tool is crucial as it accounts for 90% of editing tasks, emphasizing the need to become comfortable with its use.
- Building a strong foundation with these tools enhances future editing capabilities and efficiency in the overall workflow.
- Incorporating additional tools like transitions and effects can further enhance video quality and viewer engagement.
- Understanding the integration of these tools into the broader editing process is vital for seamless and professional edits.
4. 📂 Systematic Organization for Success
- Assign distinct and referable names to new projects, potentially including dates for easy reference. This practice helps in quickly locating and managing projects.
- Categorize project components such as sound effects, music, and project files separately. This categorization enhances organization and aids in efficient workflow management.
- Well-organized projects facilitate easier collaboration, especially with clients or other editors, saving both time and effort. This organization is crucial in professional settings.
- Disorganized projects can lead to scenarios where re-editing from scratch becomes necessary, underscoring the importance of maintaining order from the start.
- Being organized enhances your value as an editor to clients and helps in managing your previous work efficiently, showcasing professionalism.
- Efficient organization acts as a significant timesaver when revisiting old projects, reducing the time spent searching for files and information.
5. ✂️ Crafting Clean and Effective Edits
- Focus on creating simple, clean edits before using fancy transitions and effects to ensure a linear story.
- Ensure audio is smooth and at an appropriate level, with music not overpowering the dialogue.
- Mastering the basics of editing makes any video entertaining and pleasing, applicable to YouTube, commercial films, and music videos.
- Clear, legible text on screen is crucial. Use appropriate colors, fonts, positions, and add drop shadows when necessary.
- Learn basic graphic design skills such as using lower thirds and markers to enhance video presentation.
- A comprehensive video tutorial is available for detailed guidance on editing in Da Vinci Resolve, with step-by-step instructions.
6. ⏩ Accelerating Your Editing Workflow
6.1. Keyboard Shortcuts
6.2. Asset Library
6.3. Automation Tools
7. 🔍 Expanding Your Editing Skillset
- Working on diverse projects such as YouTube videos, commercials, and music videos develops transferable editing skills.
- Condensing a 30-minute interview into a 15-second TV ad improves the ability to distill content effectively across different media.
- Reducing a 20-minute video to 8 minutes of concise content highlights the importance of brevity and clarity.
- Building an initial portfolio with any available content can lead to paid editing opportunities.
- A versatile skillset enhances an editor's value and expands job prospects.
8. 🗣️ Constructive Feedback & Learning from Others
- Constructive criticism is crucial for identifying and fixing editing errors, improving skills, and producing better content efficiently.
- Having someone review your work can drastically help identify issues, making you aware of mistakes you might overlook on your own.
- Involving others in the review process allows you to analyze your work differently, revealing areas that may need improvement, such as pacing or humor.
- Showing your work to others and being open to feedback will help improve your editing skills significantly.
- Maintaining humility and openness to feedback can prevent pride from hindering your growth as an editor.
- Understanding that audiences are perceptive to editing flaws even if they can't articulate them emphasizes the importance of external feedback.
- Learning to adapt based on feedback can help you refine your editing to better meet audience expectations.
9. 🎯 Specializing in Advanced Editing Techniques
- Study other creators' editing styles by watching their videos without sound to analyze editing speed and transitions.
- Observe successful creators like MKBHD, who uses digital zooms during talking head segments to emphasize points.
- Apply observed editing techniques, such as emphasizing important points with digital zooms, to your own videos.
- Expand inspiration sources beyond your niche by observing storytelling in movies and TV shows, especially when dealing with lower quality footage.
- These observational skills can help transition from intermediary to professional editing levels.
10. 🏆 Consistency: The Key to Mastery
- To develop advanced skills and specialize in a niche, focus on what you truly love, such as YouTube videos, commercials, or music videos.
- If aiming to become a Netflix editor, concentrate on storytelling techniques, proper pacing, and learning from professional movie editors' tutorials on YouTube.
- For aspiring editors, learning emotion pacing and color grading techniques can enhance skills and make you more well-rounded.
- For YouTube, focus on storytelling, pacing, clarity, and motion graphics skills to improve visual content.
- The book 'Edit Better' by Jeff Bartsch is recommended for deeper understanding of editing, storytelling, and maintaining a viewer-centric mindset.