TGJ2O

Editing

Initial editing means trimming the raw clips down to extract just the moments you need to tell your story. Editing is the process to arrange your clips, get them to the right length and sequence them such that the story is told in the most efficient manner possible.

Generally the steps to editing are 

1) have storyboard and get the corresponding shots needed. Rename them to make sense (instead of dsc_00103 rename to shot1) 

2) doubleclick the video clip of interest and mark the set-in and set-out points

3) drag the clip to the timeline

There are several methods to shorten your clip to the desired length:

1) Editing clips to length

Method #1: Trimming the clip in the preview window

Setting In and Out points does not delete frames from the hard drive. Instead, it isolates the portion you want included in the movie. In and Out points act like a window over the clip, showing only the frames from the In point to the Out point. You can move In and Out points as needed to regain any frames you might have trimmed.

Once trimmed you can move your footage down to the timeline.

If you intend on using this clip again, but have a different set In/Out point, you duplicate the clip in the media browser first then adjust the clip to the new set In/Out points.

Premiere Elements Mark In (i) / Mark Out (o)

Premiere Pro Mark In (i) /Mark Out (o)

Method #2: Trimming in the timeline (see the image below)

Position the pointer over the left edge, or right edge of a clip that you want to trim IN THE TIMELINE until the correct icon appears. Click and drag the trim to hide/reveal more or less of your footage. Note this only works if you've got footage already masked.

Method #3: Cutting the clip

The clip will automatically be segmented into 2 parts at the playhead position when you click on the scissors icon (or press CTRL+K)

The clip will automatically be segmented into 2 parts at the playhead position

Premiere Elements

No prompts are visible in Premier Pro. CTRL+K simply cuts the footage at that point.

Generally in Premiere Method #1 is the preferred approach to getting your clip to the right size before assembling clips on the timeline. Method #2 will result in what is known as a RIPPLE EDIT. That means that as you shorten the clip, you automatically delete the gap it creates between clips and cuts into the footage on the other side of the clip. 

In Premiere Elements a trimming of our clip will result in an automatic RIPPLE EDIT which simply means that the clip will shorten, and all subsequent footage will move over and close the gap created.

If you want to retain the gap in the sequence in doing a cut (Method #3) you hold down SHIFT

In Premiere Pro trimming using the trim tool does NOT automatically ripple edit.

You can select the edit point of an empty gap between clips and use timeline trimming commands.

A. Regular Edit cursor (left edge of clip)

B. Regular Edit cursor (right edge of clip)

C. Ripple Edit cursor (CTRL+SHIFT on left edge)

D. Ripple Edit Cursor (CTRL+SHIFT on the right edge)

E. Rolling Edit Cursor (CTRL between clips)

Common contextual menu selections

Often in editing we'll cut/copy/paste clips, but beyond that, what do we know about the contextual (right click) menu in Premiere Elements?

1) Delete Audio or Video- if we only wanted, say, audio or video from a track we could right click the clip, then choose the appropriate selection leaving behind what we wanted (for example, perhaps we ONLY wanted the audio, so we right click the clip, then choose delete video.

2) Enable - is used when we want to "see through" or ignore the video/audio track. This lets us focus on other things going on at that time. This is especially prevalent in video editing when we have multiple clips stacked on top of each other and only the top one (highest number) is visible by default. After unchecking ENABLE, you can re-enable it by applying the checkbox again when you're done ignore it.

3) Unlink Audio/Video - should you want to move the video separately from the audio, this is what you'd choose.

4) Group/Ungroup - useful for moving blocks of assets together if they're in multiple clips. This ensures you don't accidentally timeshift one clip relative to another.

5) Time Stretch - for those slow-mo or super-speed moments

6) Edit Original - lets you get back to the original state of the clip and re-edit it and replace it in your timeline at that point 

J cuts vs. L cuts:

Sometimes you don't want "ping-pong" cutting, or switching back and forth between clips. It can lead to disorientation. In this case you can have your audio lead in before the video is shown, or the video shown before the audio occurs. If your audio cuts from the first clip to the second clip, but the video from the first clip continues, it forms an J shape in the timeline. However, If the video from the second clip comes in before the audio for that clip does, this forms a L shape in the timeline. In ancient times, before "timelines" or digital editing even existed, these cuts were known as "video advance" and "audio advance."

Assignment # 12 - Sequence Editing: 

Using the clips provided in the handout folder, you are to generate a short exactly 38 seconds long (+/- 1 second). You must use a minimum of 10 clips to tell your story, but you can use any amount of footage from those clips in generating the short. Again, the only post-production I want in this work is the use of typical transitions (fades, cross-fades, cut). Titles may NOT be used


In this assignment, watch ALL the clips to get an idea what kind of story you want to tell. While a storyboard isn't completely necessary since the footage is already there, it is a good idea to write something down ahead of time along with clip numbers, timecodes and shot lengths to keep your story idea alive. Once the editing is done, you will scrub sound and put in a creative commons soundtrack from one of the free sites we used in Assignment #10.

Remember to EXPORT (File>Export>Media) your finished product as a H.264 MP4 and we will showcase it in the class during a rough screening. You will be evaluated as follows: 

Post-Production Editing

Lower thirds 

Used in all forms of video, lower thirds appear in everything from broadcast news reports to the scores of different games scrolling by on a sports channel. In the simplest form, a lower third is a text title or graphic overlay placed in the lower region of the screen. In television production terms, lower thirds are placed in the “title-safe area,” the part of the screen in which you can safely place graphics without them getting cropped by different resolutions.

Example of a lower third

The "lower third" is often a graphic, but might also itself be a video/animated element. Fancier lower thirds are often created in separate graphic design programs, then imported as an asset into premiere. Animated thirds are often overlaid into an edit in After Effects.

It’s important to understand the impact a lower third has on the composition of your frame. Watch out for clashing colors, crowded type, or unnecessary information that can clutter your video. Audience consideration is another factor that can help you determine the best way to design your graphic. A personal video might feature a modern lower third with more latitude for creative exploration, while corporate lower thirds typically stick to the essential information displayed in the brand’s colors. Premiere, After Effects, Illustrator and Photoshop are all valid ways to generate thirds for your content.

Assignment #13 - Lower Thirds

The goal of this assignment is to tastefully and creatively add lower thirds to your production.

The footage you will use is kindly thanks to a Lynda.com tutorial and you can download it here. Based on class instruction, the goal is to use any combination of Photoshop and/or Illustrator and/or After Effects and/or Premiere to tastefully insert a minimum of:

Find a tasteful soundtrack, or sets of soundtracks from a CC source like Purple Planet and include them in the final sequence. Edit your final sequence down to the kernel of your story that makes sense and includes the 3+ titles/graphics and surrounding footage.

Remember to EXPORT your finished product as a H.264 MP4 and we will showcase it in the class during a rough screening. You will be evaluated as follows: