There is a lot that goes into video editing and I am going to do my best to touch on everything from the very basics; like what programs you need to start, all the way up to more advanced topics like color correction. While this article will be very long it will not be as comprehensive as I would like. In order to make it easier to understand and follow I will be dividing up video editing into simple categories.
Video editing is done on a video editing program, which you will need to download before you can do anything. If you are looking for something free then I suggest checking out one of the following options:
Option 1
Windows Movie Maker: Microsofts video editor is free but only works with windows, it’s easy to use and allows for video editing on your desktop.
Option 2
iMovie: Apple’s video editor is also free but can only be used by apple products, it is very simple to use but the advanced features are slightly more complicated than windows movie maker.
Option 3
If neither of these options work for you I suggest checking out this website for video editing programs.
Video formats can get complicated so I’m going to break it down for you real quick:
MPEG4
This video format is most commonly used in video editing and is the easiest video codec to edit with because of its size and quality however video editing programs like windows movie maker and iMovie cannot read video files with the .mp4 extension.
AVI
This video format can be used in video editing but is not as commonly used because of its large file size and the fact that video editors like windows movie maker and iMovie can’t open it (Note: There are some video editing programs that can work with video files with the .avi extension).
MP4
This video format is similar to MPEG4 but is slightly more compressed and has less artifacts. This video codec however cannot be used in certain video editors like windows movie maker.
There are two basic video editing styles, video montage and video editing suite. Both styles can be used to achieve basically the same results but video montage is more commonly used because it does not require as much video processing power and video editing suites are generally made for pros.
Color correction is done by adjusting the levels of your video footage, to do this you need to adjust your video footage in a video editing suite. Please keep in mind that video editing suites are a lot more complicated than video montage methods and video editing can be done on both programs.
A video color filter is a video editing effect that you can add to video footage in video editing suites or video editors with built-in video effects. To use video color filters, look for video filter effects in your video editing suite and apply them to the video footage you want to change.
Video editors like Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Final Cut Pro are video editing suites that have more advanced video processing power than video montage programs. This makes video editing suites better for video color correction because the extra video processing power allows for smoother video editing that does not sacrifice quality.
Once you have video footage and a video editing program, you can now start the video editing process! If video editing is something you wish to do more seriously then I suggest taking the time to learn video editing theory and acting accordingly because not only will it make video editing easier but it might even help you get a job in the industry.
Title graphics usually appear at the beginning of a video. They can be used to convey video information or a video style. Title graphics can be added to your video by using video editing suites, if you are going for something simple, I suggest looking into video editors that have templates you can use or download free video effects from websites like videohelp.com. If you want something more complicated then video editing suites are the way to go.
There are many video effects that can be used when video editing. Some of them are video transitions. Video transitions are video effects that transition between video clips in your video footage. You can use video editing suites to add video effects like dissolves to make video transitions smoother (due to video editing suites using video effects, video editors with built-in video effects cannot make video transitions smoother).
Video splits are video effects that split your video into two or more parts. Video split screens let you place video footage next to each other, but it’s not always available in different video editing software suites. If video split-screen effect are available in your video editing program then you can apply video split-screen to your video footage. However, video split-screen is less common than the video scrolling effect and video waves effect. If you want to do it the hard way then you can download these types of video motion effects from videohelp.com.
Video special effects include things like the picture in picture video, video blur effects, and video time-lapse effects. To use these video effects, simply look for the video effect you want to use in the video editing program you are using and apply it to your video footage where desired.
Once you have edited your video the way you want it simply export it as a video file (video formats like .mp4 or .avi) video stabilization video effect cannot be achieved by video editing programs.
Video voiceovers can be added to video footage by video editing programs, video clips with sound effects and video clips with music are common types of video footage that have voiceovers. Like video effects, to add a video voice over you simply look for your video effect in the video editing program you are using and apply it to video footage where desired.
Video speed is a video editing technique used to slow down or speed up video footage. This video effect cannot be achieved by video editing programs. For video speed, you can use video editing suites that have built-in video effects, which would require video editing software like windows movie maker or iMovie. You could also download video speed video effects from videohelp.com if you want to do it the harder way. Paid video editing suites like Adobe Premier Pro CC 2015, Sony Vegas Pro 14, and Avid Media Composer 8.5 will also work well.
Changing the video aspect ratio is something done in video editing suites. It is a video editing technique where the video frame gets cropped and/or stretched to fit a video resolution. Video editors with built-in video effects cannot change the video aspect ratio of your video footage. With video aspect ratio you can change video footage from, for example, widescreen video footage to standard definition video footage or vice versa. Widescreen video footage is video footage that has a video aspect ratio of 16:9, standard video footage has a video aspect ratio of 4:3. Many video editing suites come with video templates for both widescreen and standard definition video. To change the video aspect ratio in your video editing software you simply import your original video to the template.
A video motion effect is a video effect that simulates motion, like video scrolling effects and video waves effects. Video motion effects aren’t always available in different video editors, if that’s the case you will have to download video motion effects from videohelp.com.
A video loop effect is a video editing technique for when you want to add video footage that plays over and over again in a video. You can add the video loop effect with video editing suites like Adobe Premier Pro CC 2015, Sony Vegas Pro 14, and Avid Media Composer 8.5.
A video fade effect is a video editing technique where you change the level of transparency between two video footage. There are many kinds of video fade effects, which makes it easy to add fades effects to your video footage.
A video glow effect is a video editing technique for adding video glows to your video footage under certain video transitions like video cross fade, video dissolve, and more. Video glows effects are great for creating dreamy or ethereal style videos.
Changing video contrast and video saturation is a video editing effect that can be done in video editing suites, video editors with built in video effects cannot change video contrast or video saturation of your footage. If you’re still using a video suite you can download a free version of the effect from websites like videohelp.com.
In this blog post, we’ve given you the basics of what it takes to be a video editing wizard. We hope that these tips have been helpful and that they will help you create videos with less frustration in the future. But if for some reason there is still something on your mind or a question about our advice, feel free to reach out! We want all photographers and videographers alike to enjoy their work without worrying too much about how they can do better.