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Editing video involves several moving parts, so making sure these parts fit well together helps you make sure you have a successful project. Pay attention to these five editing tips for making your video project smooth, engaging, and eminently watchable. Show restraint when using transitions. A transition provides just that: a way to segue between two scenes of your video. Normally, you could just let one scene cut over to the next. But you’ll usually want something more professional. But just because you have options, doesn’t mean you should use all of them. For example, you wouldn’t use the Comic Sans font in hot pink for a bank’s business presentation. Many video editing programs include a plethora of transitions from diagonals, to dissolves, from funky patterns (like keyholes, stars, and pinwheels), to shatters, sweeps, and wipes. Most of them look downright cheesy, like something you’d see on a high-pressure TV ad for a local car dealer. Even if you’re using handheld footage and are trying for a realistic, low-budget look for your video, keep your transitions simple. Your best bet is to use a cross fade or a side-to-side wipe. Avoid shatters and patterns at all costs! Pare down extra frames and eliminate unnecessary shots. The best stories you tell with video are often the most concise. To pare down your scenes to their most essential, consider that each second of a scene contains a standard 24 frames (though this can vary). Find that exact moment where the best part of the scene starts and ends—right down to the frame—and the seconds you save will add up to minutes. Once you finish adding all the elements to your timeline, you probably have a rough cut that's longer than you want. Now, you need to start removing and trimming every word, every speaker’s pause, and every image that does not further the narrative. Maybe a scene features the CEO talking about programs other than the one you’re featuring in the video. Cut it out. Cover up cuts in interviews with b-roll. Part of being more efficient in editing is cutting down the interviews. Oftentimes, when someone speaks extemporaneously, their speech is filled with pauses and “ums.” When you trim those out, the speech may sound smoother, but the subject will appear to jump through each cut you’ve made. A simple editing trick is to “cover up” the edits by transitioning to b-roll footage or a still image of the subject your interviewee is discussing. Just insert the b-roll on top of the subject’s footage, starting at the first cut, and trim it at the point of the last cut. Add some simple transitions, and you’ll make even the most fumbling of speakers sound coherent. Review the “final cut” with fresh eyes and streamline for effective pacing. Have you ever noticed a glaring error long after you’ve finished a project? You’ve had time to step away from that paper, presentation, or video, so you see it with fresh eyes. Why not do that before you do your final cut? Even if you’re on a tight deadline, take a break, go outside, grab some lunch before running through it, again. This time, as you’re going through, bring in a co-worker who hasn’t been there staring at a screen for hours. Don’t stop the playback, just play it through and take notes. Pay particular attention to how the piece flows. Any minor tweaks you make here will ensure that viewers will watch the video more attentively. Adjust audio levels to dampen background noise and elevate speakers and music. Few things distract viewers more than watching an interview when noises—traffic sounds, people talking, airplanes flying over—and background music compete with the person who’s speaking. For b-roll footage, generally just remove or completely reduce all audio. Pay particular attention to audio levels for a string of scenes with speakers. Pick one speaker whose levels are best—or where you’ve adjusted them to the optimal level—and use that as a benchmark for your other speakers. While you may not eliminate all extraneous noise, you can adjust the levels so that your speaker can be heard. SkyTip Media is a creative design group that specializes in Video Marketing, Website Design, Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design, and Social Media Marketing. Our Goal is to help you fully utilize the power of your market for traditional and non-traditional marketing techniques that work. For additional information regarding the various services we offer please refer to our website http://skytipmedia.com/#/services/
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