Produce your Videos and Try Video Editing as a Hobby

Video editing is known as putting together video clips, visuals, and sounds to make a movie.   

Much of the jargon used in video editing has been carried over from the days of film cutting. Bins, for example, are the file organizing systems in a digital editor. Video post-production is another term for video editing. Pre-production, production, and post-production are the three stages of film production. The script is written, the crew is assembled, and the shots are arranged during the pre-production period. The video is shot during production. Finally, video editing, sound editing, and special effects occur in post-production.

Video Editing Details

Read More About This Hobby
Category: Art, Music, Technology Time: 1-2 hrs Skill: Lots
Initial Cost: $$$ (101-500) Space: little People: alone
Long-Term Cost: Medium Makes Money: Can, but not always Location: indoor

History of video editing

Film editor working on a movie

It is necessary to delve further into the history of cinema to understand how the art of montage and film editing came to be.

The earliest moving picture device we are familiar with was the kinetograph, created in 1890. The term kinetic comes from the Greek word kinetic, which implies movement, and the graph comes from the verb to write. As a result, the gadget frequently expresses its ability to record motion or, to put it another way, to write movement. Kinetogrpah was used to project frames rapidly, creating the appearance of movement through the flickering effect. Thomas Edison and William Dickson were the first to use the gadget.

Later, the kinetograph served as a foundation for developing the first film camera, the cinematograph. The cinematograph was a light apparatus invented by Lumiere Brothers, the first filmmakers in history to record high-quality still images. Later, the footage’s frames were processed and combined on a kinetograph.

Editing mainly consisted of cutting the film rolls early in cinema history. The filmmaker was positioned in front of the kinetograph, and the pictures were sliced and rearranged on their scope by the filmmaker. This editing method was referred to as “cutting and sticking” and was the first to become popular in the film business.

Why should you pursue this hobby?

a woman holding a camera

Learning to edit films is a terrific talent in today’s digital society and social media presence.

You may be wondering what you need and how to get started, whether you are doing it as a pastime or a job, such as launching a simple YouTube channel.

The best advice for getting into video editing as a hobby is to start. Begin creating video material, then submit it to a free video editor and edit it as soon as possible. You will be acquiring video editing abilities at this point.

With practice, these abilities will transfer into higher-quality videos. You have undoubtedly developed a broad notion of the sort of video you want to shoot and edit through all of the YouTube and Facebook videos. To edit and produce this kind of film, use your imagination. YouTube is a great place to go for assistance if you are stuck.

Choosing the Best Video Editing Equipment

editing

After capturing your film, the post-production stage may help you turn it into a compelling presentation. To acquire the results you desire, you need the correct video editing equipment. Otherwise, the editing process will be frustrating, and you will be unsatisfied with the end product. There are various options for locating the right equipment for your needs.

Here’s a list of video editing suite equipment to assist you in locating what you are searching for and some tips on choosing your gear.

What to Look for When Purchasing Video Editing Equipment

There are various factors to consider while looking for professional video editing equipment to deliver excellent results. Video editing software that is both powerful and feature-rich is essential, but you should also examine the hardware and peripherals that might aid in the editing process. As you arrange your video editing setup, here are some critical pieces of equipment to look for.

A Computer for Editing

You will want to be sure you have a computer capable of handling potentially demanding editing chores when editing your movies. You should also make sure that your computer can handle the film you are working with. If you are working with digital video or other media devices, make sure your computer and software can handle it. A laptop with plenty of hard drive space and processing capability can make the editing process smoother.

Editing Software for Videos

You will also require video editing software in addition to sufficient hardware. Non-linear video editing technology, which has replaced chiefly the antiquated analog approach of linear editing, is now perfect for editing. A decent non-linear video editor will offer you complete control over the editing process, allowing you to change your material in any way you choose. A comprehensive editor can enable you to use several timelines, crop and trim video clips, rotate and resize footage, apply transitions and other effects, add titles or subtitles, clean up your film, and much more, depending on what you need for your movies. It would help if you also looked for editing software with a media encoder. 

Editing-Friendly Monitors

Your computer display should ideally be large enough to provide you with a complete view of your editing station. Many editors use up to three monitors to optimize their virtual workplace, although a dual setup is usually sufficient. With two monitors, you may dedicate one to editing while the other displays a replay, which can assist with color correction. Depending on your arrangement, mounts may be required to hold your monitors and keep them appropriately oriented.

Mixing Headphones and Speakers

While video editing is primarily visual, correct sound mixing is essential. You should invest in a nice set of headphones and monitor speakers that allow you to hear the sounds. This video editing equipment may also simulate various scenarios to optimize audio settings.

Consider the cost of video editing equipment.

Whatever video editing equipment you purchase, be sure it fits within your financial constraints. Start with what you need to attain the outcomes you desire, but keep in mind that if your budget grows, you can continually improve. If you are new to the procedure, starting with a simple setup might also help you familiarize yourself with it. It may be worthwhile to invest in more complex editing software and gear as your abilities progress.

How to kick off this hobby

blond woman with headphones

Select the appropriate program.

The first advice for video editors is to choose which non-linear editing NLE software to use. Because there are so many alternatives available, this might be one of the initial difficulties for many newbies. We will go through a couple of our choices below.

Adobe Premiere Pro is a video editing program.

Avid Media Composer  It is pricey, but with good cause. For decades, it has been an industry-standard technique utilized by the best in the business on everything from YouTube videos to advertising, short films, broadcast TV, and feature films. It is not worth having what it lacks.

DaVinci Resolve Studio by Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve is quick, light on your PC, and features the most excellent color-grading choices of any all-purpose NLE on the market, in our opinion.

iMovie (Apple)

Do you have a Mac? Well, you are in luck. Apple iMovie is perhaps the most excellent free editing software available, and it is already installed on your computer.

Apple’s ubiquitous entry-level NLE comes with a slew of fantastic premium features to satisfy even the most ardent enthusiasts and amateurs.

Tips and tricks

film editor

1. Selecting the Right Software for you

Choosing the suitable software for you and your job is the first step in optimizing your video editing process. They usually come with everything you need to perform standard video edits, but you could choose one over the others because of its simplicity of use, digital interface, and capability. Rather than opting for the most up-to-date, most capable video editing software, the goal is to determine which is best for you and your editing style.

2. Utilize a Powerful Computer

You may use whatever computer brand or model you wish as long as it is fast enough to hold large files and allows you to concentrate on editing rather than worrying about delayed rendering.

Investing in a speedier storage drive (SSD) will allow you to access your data and applications more quickly and reduce its time to render, load, and export. If you are going to be performing professional or commercial work, you need also upgrade your computer’s memory (RAM) to at least 8GB and purchase the required video card and CPU for your editing program.

Also, do not forget about your displays. Setting up a dual monitor will make viewing, organizing, and working with significant volumes of the film much more manageable.

3. Tutorials

Tutorials for making unique video content may be found on YouTube, blogs, and educational websites. Most of the tutorials you will discover are free, making them even more accessible. Video Copilot, Skillshare, and Red Giant Courses, for example, provide a wealth of precise tutorials to assist you better your video content. Target the software version of the application you are running while looking for lessons to attain appearances and finish specific tasks.

4. Download the Project Files

Many video editors like to utilize the duplicate project files as the instructors in a lesson while following along. Because your work will seem precisely like the example from the demo, you will be able to learn the processes accurately. For this reason, many tutorials offer you to download their project files. You may repeat the procedure with your video clips once you have gained more skill with a method.

5. For a Story, Edit

Remember your creative goal: to tell a fantastic tale, as one of the most significant lessons from this post. Take the opportunity to make your film aesthetically pleasing and dramatically compelling to evoke the right emotions and effectively convey your intended message. Go beyond the basics—cutting away extraneous footage and correcting the order of your clips—and take the opportunity to make your film aesthetically pleasing and dramatically compelling to evoke the right emotions and effectively convey your intended message. Instead of merely adding many effects to dazzle your visitors, use your practical and technical skills to accomplish this.

6. Important Terms to Know

You will have to acquire a lot of language in the video editing field to connect with other video editors or clients. Some of the languages used in video editing can be difficult to figure out without studying for individuals who have not heard of them, so you will want to understand them early on. The following are some fundamental ideas.

Jump Cuts:  Cutting off chunks of a scene to avoid dull or predictable scenes while maintaining visual appeal.

J Cut: The audio comes before the video.

L Cut: The video comes first, followed by the audio.

Montage: A collection of clips that depict time’s passage, generally to portray a transition or character development.

Cutting on Action: To create a more exciting and fluid scene, cut while the subject moves rather than after each movement.

Cutaways: Adding transition pieces that do not feature the primary topic or action to build the mood, give meaning to the scene, or increase dramatic tension by showing the surrounding landscape.

Cutting together two visually similar pictures or scenes is known as a match cut or match action.

7. Choose Good Music

Do not only concentrate on the images; they should only be as excellent as your chosen music. Suppose you are doing a drama film, for example. In that case, you will need just the appropriate theme or instrumentals to enhance important moments when you want your viewers to feel specific emotions. Upbeat tunes can be overdone in happy comedies, but they can also be overdone. It might be tricky if you are doing it yourself, so having a musical scorer can assist take the guessing out of it.

8. Text and graphics should be added.

Aside from the title, opening and closing billboards, and film credits, you may need to include other text depending on the film. You will want to keep it basic with a clean, white sans-serif font that does not stand out too much. Allow them to fade in and out to watch how it affects your film.

Benefits Video Editing

Young man editing video

Enterprise Video Editing Software Has Three Major Advantages

Video editing has seen a transformation in recent years.

Not long ago, editing videos needed high-end technology and software, skilled specialists, and countless work hours. Yes, even the most elaborately made videos need the use of professional equipment and skill.

However, as people’s hunger for video grows, businesses are forced to produce more videos. Fortunately, advances in technology have made video editing more straightforward and more accessible.

  • Helps you save time

Sometimes, you need to make a few minor changes to your films. For example, your social media team may need to cut a video to fit the standards of a social media platform.

  • It boosts productivity. 

Another advantage of choosing a video platform with editing capabilities is that your firm will be able to produce more films more quickly. This is accomplished by expanding the number of individuals who can edit movies.

You will still need producers and talented individuals to edit much of your video material. However, as previously said, not all videos require such modification.

With enterprise video editing software integrated into your video management platform, video editing is democratized across your firm. This benefit boosts productivity by allowing your teams to create video content with fewer individuals engaged.

  • Simple to use

The objective of the finest business video editing software is that it is simple to use. When most people cannot utilize a video editing program, its usefulness is diminished.

That is why you need software that does not require a lot of technical knowledge or expertise. It should also be available to a broader range of people, including those not part of your video team.

Giving your video editor access does not imply that everyone in your organization has access to edit and use your enterprise video collection. With the right video platform, you can decide who gets access to which movies and when.

Cost of video editing

Young man editing video

For those just getting started, the abundance of options might be overwhelming. One of the most important things you’ll need if you’re going to produce videos is video editing software. These programs will help you create attractive, organized films from a random collection of recordings. There are several editing software programs to select from, each with its own set of capabilities and, of course, pricing.

The cost of video production varies depending on the arrangement, but it typically starts at $15,000 and goes higher depending on the equipment you choose.

Conclusion

editing video

Video editing is vital since it allows many to merge visuals and sounds to make them feel emotionally linked to the video they are viewing. Video editing is, without a doubt, one of the most significant tasks in the movie industry.

Video editing is all about telling a story. It’s not a matter of knowing how to use the controls. While a degree isn’t required, studying cinema history, literature, and creative writing will help you comprehend different storytelling styles and set you on the path to discovering your own. A film editing training might also be beneficial.

As a result, begin telling your tales. To start, shoot using your devices and edit. It is best to keep it simple: cuts and dissolves. Begin your journey.