Video Transcription
In this video you will learn how to edit your videos in 5 easy to follow steps. From choosing the right software to exporting your final project, I will break down the editing process into bite-size steps to help you get started!
High end professional editing is a skill that can take years to hone. But once you know the basic steps which will be covered in this video, there’s no reason why you can’t start editing your own videos to a good standard and then overtime, further develop your skill set.
Hi, I’m Kev, before we begin, make sure you subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so that you get notified when we upload new videos to help you with your video marketing.
This video editing tutorial is intended for beginners. While you won’t be a pro right away, we’ll be covering the basics to get you started on your way to editing greatness.
Without further ado, let’s get started with step one!
Step 1: Choose the right software
The first step you need to take is to choose the video editing software that’s right for you. There are many options available for this, but three of the more common ones that are used by beginners and professionals alike are: iMovie, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro.
If you’re using a Mac and have a tight budget, then iMovie is a good bet as it’s really easy to learn and comes as part of Apples own pre installed software. While you might start out using this option, there is a chance you’ll grow out of it, as it doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles that our two other recommendations do.
Final Cut Pro is a more complex and in depth option compared to iMovie and was widely used and loved by professionals, but they made a lot of changes over the years and have fallen out of vogue with their audience.
These days many people who edit videos opt to go with Adobe Premiere Pro, and that’s our personal recommendation and it’s also what we use here at Spiel Creative to create awesome videos, just like the one you’re currently watching.
Because we recommend Premiere Pro, for the remainder of this tutorial, we’re going to use this as our example software, but if you’re editing videos with another software package, the process and steps are still the same.
Step 2: Transfer your footage and organise your project
Once you’ve chosen your preferred software, it’s time to import your footage and organise your project.
When it comes to transferring your footage, your first goal is to get it off your device —typically a memory card or maybe directly from your mobile. It’s best to make a new folder on your computer for each new video project and store all of your files inside of it. It’s worth noting that video projects take up a lot of digital space, so if you’re going to be creating a lot of them, you might want to consider cloud storage or an additional external hard drive, and always create additional back ups in case anything goes wrong.
Once your footage is in a project folder on your computer or external hard drive, you then need to import it and organise in to folders or ‘bins’, so it can easily be located while you are editing. In Premiere Pro, you can import files by using the Media Browser or the Import command.
Once your footage is imported and organised, it’s time to start editing.
Step 3: Assemble a sequence
A sequence is the actual project you are creating. It is the curated selection of the best of your work that will be exported out and shared with your audience. To create your sequence, you’ll want to choose the best takes from your footage and drag and drop them onto your timeline.
Once they are on your timeline, you’ll want to trim and edit the beginning and end of each clip to give your project a more natural pace. You can do this by selecting “in” and “out” points or you can simply use the trim tool directly on your clip on the timeline.
When your base sequence is set up, you’ll want to add transitions, title cards and any other effects that make your video project more polished. How you do this varies by the software you’re using, but in Premiere Pro, this is done in the Effects Panel where you’ll find some great options.
If at any point you get stuck or require some inspiration for how to create cool transition, or style that you’ve seen elsewhere, then just use Google to find out how to do it. Even the best of the best editing pros get stumped once in a while and there are some excellent forums out there that can help answer all of your editing questions.
Step 4: Add b-roll footage and choose music
No video project is complete without using B-roll footage and adding music.
B-roll footage, are any clips and shots that are overlaid on top of the main story on your timeline and it can be used to segway between a change in scene or location, or it can add more visual depth to your project. For example if you have a person being interviewed about climbing mountains, then while they are speaking, you would over lay some B-roll of climbers in action and dramatic mountain GV’s or “General Views” to highlight the words that are being spoken underneath. B-roll can be footage that you either shot yourself, or you can use stock clips that you licence from another source.
You’ll also want to add some music that can compliment your project. The best way to find the perfect music track is to simply test out a few alongside your footage and pick the one that feels best. To add music, you simply drag-and-drop a track onto the sound channel, and from there you can change the levels and make any cuts you need to.
One thing to consider when selecting music, is ‘ownership’, as you can’t use a piece of music without the owners permission or paying them a royalty fee, which is why it’s common to select or buy a ‘royalty free track’.
If you’re unsure how to find the best soundtrack for your project, or want some more advice on ‘Royalty Free Music’, I recommend checking out our video on how to find the best music for your video, available on our channel.
Step 5: Export your project
The final step is exporting your project. Exporting your project is essential as it allows your project to be playable outside of your editing software. Without this step you will not be able to share your video with friends, family or your audience!
Once you’re happy with the way your video looks and sounds, you’re ready to export.
How you export your video depends on the software you’ve decided to use, but if like us you’re using Premier Pro, you first need to ensure that your sequence is selected by selecting your program window, your timeline window or the file of your sequence in the project panel. Once it’s selected, you go to file—export—media or use the shortcut Control+M on a Mac.
The most important part of exporting your video is to ensure that you’re exporting with the right settings, regardless of the software you’re using. The standard for videos that are going to be used on the web, for example uploading to YouTube or Vimeo, is H.264 video, so we recommend setting your format to that.
Then, ensure in Settings that both Export Audio and Export Video are selected or you might end up with a project that only has pictures and no sound or vice versa.
With those options selected, you click ‘export’, and then wait for your video file to be created. And that’s it, you’ve now edited and exported your video project, and it’s time to share it with your audience.
One additional step that we recommend, especially if you’re new to creating video projects is to send your final edit to a friend or colleague first and get their feedback before you share it with your wider audience. That way it’s easy to go back and make changes if they noticed something that needs a tweak or slight change, that you might have missed.
I hope you’ve found this video to be useful. If you did—please make sure you subscribe to our channel so you’re updated every time we post one of these videos to help with your video marketing.
If you need any further help, you can always get in touch with our agency here at Spiel, by visiting www.spielcreative.com.
Thanks for Watching!
