How did you learn your most important video editing skills?

Software should be an afterthought. I simultaneously learned both the art of editing and directing when I filmed weddings at the beginning of my career. It’s a simple day but it had a beginning, middle and an end. Cutting it together and thinking about clip placement and timing in a story format helped me learn the process of storytelling, which is what editing is. The same principles still stand in the largest projects I’ve directed and edited since. Whether it’s big budget tv ads or short documentaries, you’re ultimately conveying a feeling or emotion through stitching a story together.

I'm not sure the first step in learning video editing is to choose the software that suits your needs. It is an important step for sure, and it has to fit with how you work. I think it starts with the need to be telling a story audio- visually. Once that is pieced together, then one software might have a set of tools that best fit the way the story is told. But we have, as a video editor, a story to share in our head. And so, how do we tell it?

Software is to a kitchen as an editor is to a chef. Good chefs can cook in any kitchen, they might just not know where the knives are kept. Just pick one. The concepts translate across the board.

Neglects to mention Avid Media Composer which is still one of the biggest players in the industry. But it's not the software that makes a great editor...so the answer is get started on whatever software you have access to. The principles of editing remain the same no matter what you're asked to use.

Practice makes perfect! Test and trial different techniques to build on your skills. There are a lot of different editing software out there, some better than others, but use one that works for you.

For more creative editing I would recommend "ThisGuyEdits" on YouTube along with "Every Frame a Painting" and "Cinema Cartography" For more technical tutorials, you can watch "Learn Video Online" and "chinfat" on YouTube or jump into some Lynda Courses For Premiere Pro, I would insist you go through all of the basic training available directly in the software as they do an excellent job of setting healthy best practices.

As someone who has produced many training courses for LinkedIn Learning about video editing, I know how beneficial tutorials are. I, myself, became a better editor from them. Tutorials and courses found on any respected site or YouTube channel are full of great ideas and solutions for future projects whether those are yours or a client’s. But ideas will just be ideas if they’re not put into practice. Once new skills are in use, they’ll become so reliable and dependable that you can then use them to set yourself apart.

The best YouTube channels to learn video editing from: HillierSmith (his “editing mistakes YouTubers make” videos are a MUST), Film Booth, Learn Video Online.

Yes, I teach this in-person, online and in group classes. Video language has a grammar and is simple to do when you understand how shots are used like words in a sentence and sentences like chapters in books. It can be extremely helpful to first edit your own work. This starts you on the path. That is why I focus on mobile storytelling. You have all the tech you need in your hand. You are missing the language that unlocks it.

Use YouTube to pick up the basics, but be warned. Teaching yourself can lead to bad habits that slow you down without you knowing. Try to find a mentor who can show you the most efficient way to do things. The problem with video editing courses is that they teach you how to edit 1 film. That's like a chef who's only able to cook one dish. You need constant feedback on how to get better from a mentor or someone more experienced. You can't get that from cutting 1 film.

Start with a small project, maybe that promo on social media for a local business or friend, 30 seconds or less! Keep that documentary project for later, or segment it in chapters so the task isn't so daunting.

The secret to become better is simple: practice. Watching tutorial is not enough. You have to put it into practice. The more you practice, the more you are good at it. You can practice with short videos in your galleries or edit videos for your family and friends. Remember the popular saying that: Practice makes perfect!!!??

Learning to edit is like picking up any other skill. The best way to learn is to work with a mentor / editor as an assistant. Then start working your way through projects starting with low pressure work. Get all the feedback you can at this stage from everybody. This is the easy bit. Next you need to start challenging yourself and take on harder and harder work. This is the sharp end and it should be difficult, but if you're getting a kick from it and doing decent work then keep going. And going and going ... It's one of those jobs where you never stop learning and are constantly challenged. It can be great fun and utterly maddening all in the same day. Good luck.

Ever been told that if you want to get better at editing all you need to do is practice? This is outdated and wrong. Just because you cook three meals a day doesn't make you a great chef. Just because you drive a car every day doesn't make you a great racing driver. It's the same with editing. Just like pro chefs and racing drivers, editors need a guide and a network to help you understand how you can improve on every edit. Otherwise you will develop bad habits, you'll find your editing skill plateus, and after 6 months you'll realise that your career hasn't progressed. I call this the Perpetual Practice Loop.

Practice alone is NOT the best way to get better at video editing. If practice was all you needed to be good, then cooking 3 meals a day would make us all Gordon Ramsey! What did Gordon have that made him such a great chef? He had some of the best mentors in the business. If you want to get better at video editing you need feedback on how you are doing, and how you can improve. But the quality of the feedback determines the speed of your improvement. If you ask your Mom what she thinks of your edit she'll tell you it's lovely, and you won't learn a thing. You need advice from an expert who has been through it all and can mentor you. Look for an online video editing mentorship service like Unsplice Pro to get expert feedback on your editing.

Getting feedback is the only way to grow. Beware of asking friends and people you know, they will not give you an honest answer. Ask the advice of other professionals who know what makes a good edit. Find yourself a community of video editors.

Online communities of beginner or experienced video editors are amazing for those who seek feedback. Fellow editors know what you are going through and will not criticise you but provide constructive feedback with tips for improvement.

Ter feedbacks é a melhor maneira de evoluir, mas eu prefiro que sejam de profissionais, que ter?o um olhar mais técnico para a edi??o e as dicas ser?o mais precisas! Abertura para ouvir a crítica é superimportante! Ouvir e colocá-las em prática, claro se elas forem construtivas e realmente fizerem sentido! Fa?a contatos com editores mais experientes, entrem em comunidades da área, isso vai ajudar muito no aprendizado! Depois que aprenderem, sejam generosos também com quem está come?ando, compartilhem o conhecimento, se aprende muito ensinando!

Don't be afraid to ask for feedback. Joining communities and groups is the best way to get feedback from hundreds of people. Sometimes, we like the effect or transition but we don't know where and when to use it, we will only get to know from working in a company or communities

Feedback is important! Ask for Feedback from experienced editors by posting it online or in communities. Seek for honest Feedback.

Even though video editing is important, keep in mind that content always comes first. Video editing should complement it and not outshine the content part :)

It is important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and styles. But, there is a time and place for everything. If you're making a YouTube or TikTok with the sole goal of grabbing as much attention as possible, then you can be a little more flashy. But, if you're making a documentary or learning content too much flash might take away from the subject. If you're making narrative media you probably need very little flash to tell an effective story. Always edit with the audience in mind, and use the tools and techniques that will reinforce you're key messages and themes.

Definitely stay up to date but don't overindulge yourself in constantly consuming media. There's a high risk of you losing yourself as well as your style by trying to copy someone else's. 'Content is king' - that's for marketers. If you are invested in becoming serious about video production, then learn the craft and although it might sound outdated - start with film theory, editing and composition. Anyone can easily call themselves a video producer & content creator nowadays and drag & drop some funky transitions in Capcut or LUTs in Lightroom but that certainly does not make them experts. Understanding your craft is what makes you stand out.

Look on YouTube for Video Editing Breakdowns and you can see what makes some of the best trailers and music videos so good. I try to record one live every week. By reverse engineering what makes a great edit you can use the techniques in your own editing.

It isn't just about FOLLOWING trends. You need to know what's being done, what HAS been done, and WHY in order to truly innovate. How else you can find a unique edge to exploit.

Here's a tip on expanding your abilities in storytelling: find the shooting script for a film you know well, play the film while following along in the script. If you have seen the movie many times before you should be able to follow along quite easily. Analyze and contemplate the decisions made in the edit that differs from the script. Why was a scene cut? What would have happened if it was left in? How would you have done things differently? Bring these questions with you into your own editing in order to enhance your own storytelling.

When I was an intern and a PA, I used to sit with craft editors and just watch them work. Over time, I'd pick up little tricks here and there. Maybe I could have learned those same things in a YouTube tutorial, but watching them live, executed elegantly by a professional really opened my eyes. I learned alternative ways of making the same exact cut. I learned shortcuts worth taking, and shortcuts to NEVER take. I learned how to troubleshoot and think through problems. I was very lucky to be able to sit down and soak in experience from people I saw as "masters" of the craft. If this is something you're interested in, and you have an opportunity to watch an editor at work, take it. A lot of video editors really enjoy respectful company.

Video editing relies on these many disciplines. Organisations: Organise your media, clearly labelling the clips, marking the best takes and colour coding the type of media. Organise your bins, make everything easy to find, use list views rather than thumbnails. Organise your timeline, labels the tracks and don’t mix up the media, track lay to eliminate stakes of tracks. Structure: Give your project a basic three act structure of beginning , middle and end. See Syd Field’s paradigm to know when to add hooks. Order the clips in the structure so movement or tonality flows. Speed: Lean keyboard short cuts to increase your speed. A fast editor is always sort after.

Watch content that you like and breakdown their editing processes for you to emulate and practice. It is always good to take a cue from great works in your disposal both online and offline. Plus going through tutorials inspired by those works will totally upscale your skills in editing your videos regardless of the magnitude of your projects.

This is simple but powerful. Go and watch some of the biggest creators on the internet, with your EDITING hat on. For example, watch a Mr Beast video, but don't absorb the content. Look at it from an editor's point of view. ----- Why did he make that specific cut? How has the editing style on the intro helped him establish scale? What software did he use to create that motion graphic and how can I do the same? ----- You have access to EXACTLY the same software these creators do, and you can learn pretty much everything you need to know either for free or pretty cheaply online. All it needs is patience and constant implementation!