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Video 101: Post-Production: Video Editing

Video 101: Post-Production: Video Editing

Even before learning how to use editing software, the strategies of video editing can be confusing. Why do you edit a video? When do you edit a video?

Basic video editing strategies

Video editing doesn’t have to be complex; you can start with just the basics! This will allow you to refine the videos you’ve recorded without getting overwhelmed by the options. The video editing strategies most often used and needed in educational videos are:

  • trim the beginning of a recording
  • to remove excess time before you start talking
  • trim the end of a recording
  • to remove excess time after you’ve finished but before you reach the stop button
  • cut out bits of the center of a recording
  • perhaps you coughed or made a mistake, or lost your train of thought and had to start your sentence over again
  • Once you have mastered this editing technique, when you are recording and realize you have made a mistake, simply stop, pause for a few seconds, and start your sentence over again. Remember to edit out that first attempt at the sentence later!
  • adjust the volume of your recording
  • to increase the volume of your video so it is comfortable to listen to on a variety of different computers, phones, and sets of headphones
  • splice two clips together into one video
  • perhaps you needed a break in the middle of recording your lesson to erase your whiteboard, and ended up with two video files

To find editing software that will allow you to make these sorts of simple edits, see Software for Asynchronous Video.

The next step in slightly more advanced video editing strategies

If you’re interested in moving beyond the above list of simple edits, read on.

You can use editing to put together a logical progression of a story, or a lesson, that wasn’t necessarily filmed all in one take, or that incorporates examples from different places or times.

Next time you watch a TV show or a movie, pay attention to the edits that you see. When do you see footage of a scene shot from different angles? How does the story progress from one scene to the next through editing?

This article should help you get started with video editing strategy: Basic Editing Principles for Filmmakers

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