6. editing
WHAT IS EDITING?
During the editing process you will be putting together all of your video clips (live action, screencasts, or animations) and images. This could involve:
- trimming clips
- joining clips together
- adding transitions
- adding music
- adding a voiceover
- adding titles and credits
- adding captions
The editing or post-production process can really make a difference to the overall quality of your video. However, it is very easy to go overboard. It is usually better to take a less-is-more approach and keep your use of graphics minimal and tasteful.
It is important to remember that whatever changes you make to your video clips in your editing software do not affect the original video file. If you are not happy with a special effect or if you have trimmed to much from the start or end of your clip, you can always go back to the original.
IMPORTANT: File Management
Before you begin editing you should think about managing your files. When you’re dealing with video projects, you’ll end up with multiple files in different formats: scripts, live footage, voiceovers, animations, screencasts, and credits.
If you’re working on the project on one computer, you might get away with having the files scattered across your hard drive, but if you are working in a group, switching between home or college computers, or if you want to revisit the project at a later date, you're going to need a really well-organized project folder.
TIPS:
- Start by creating your project folder and giving it a unique name.
- Copy all of your footage into the folder. Don’t start editing your footage while it is still on the camera or memory card, because once you remove it, you will have lost your footage.
- Create all new files in this project folder.
- Replace the generic names that camcorders give video files with more descriptive names.
- As you’re dealing with multiple files and file types, try to include the type of file or footage in the filename.
Saving your Video
After you have finished editing you will be exporting your movie in a video format for upload to a hosting platform such as YouTube. Typically you will save your file as an MP4, M4V, MOV, WMV or AVI, depending on what editing software you are using.
TIP: Don't export a final video file directly from the editing software to a USB jump drive. Save it locally on the computer first, then transfer it onto the drive.