Editing your Video

Video editing software (There are many free video editing software suites available)

Filmora tops the list. It’s clean and basic layout is ideal for quick editing and includes everything beginner and advanced users need. Features include trimming, transitions, overlays, and effects. You’re also able to add up to 100 media layers, making it possible to create highly complex videos.

Lightworks is open source and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. While it comes with advanced features, it isn’t complex to navigate and use. Lightworks comes with a sizable library of royalty-free audio and video, trimming and editing functionality and audio and visual effects.

Shotcut also works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It’s regarded as a powerful video editing tool and supports 4K resolution. Like Lightworks, Shotcut is for more advanced video editors. Features include audio and visual effects, the ability to drag-and-drop files from your file manager, trim and edit frames, and more. http://write.flossmanuals.net/introduction-to-video-editing-with-shotcut/about-this-guide/

While video editing is a field on its own, you don’t need to be a pro video editor to make your videos look professional. Here are some tips for editing your videos:

Use your storyboard: Having recorded multiple takes for different course material can make it hard to figure out which footage goes where. This is where your storyboard comes to the rescue. It will help you order your video and also guide your editing. By sticking to your storyboard, you’ll be able to eliminate unnecessary footage to produce impactful videos.

Pair your narratives with visual elements: Pairing narratives with visual elements can make for engaging videos. While it may require a little more effort to piece them together, it’s worth exploring to give your audience a more rewarding experience. Your goal is to find opportunities to express your storyline visually.

Trim your videos to make them short and engaging: As you trim your videos, be sure to limit them to no longer than 6 minutes. This may be difficult, especially with a complex subject matter, but rest assured that you can always segment ideas into shorter videos.

Add transitions: Trim your video to identify the footage you’ll use before creating transitions. This approach will ensure that your video length is as short and polished as possible before adding to it. Often the simpler transitions such as ‘dip to black’ or ‘dip to white’ are best. For audio, try adding fades at the open and close of your video to introduce that natural sound (nat sound) to the audience in order to bring them into the story.

Add titles: Titles help learners quickly identify the subject matter. When editing your videos, include a title at the beginning of each video to serve as a mental marker or primer for what comes next.

Control lighting to enhance video: Lighting can be enhanced during the editing process, but be careful. Too much or too little light can make your video look unnatural and therefore unappealing.

Layer sound: If you’ve recorded sound separately, you’ll need to sync your audio with your video. Most editing suites are easy to work with and syncing video with audio involves pairing both formats using drag-and-drop functionality.

Using background music: Background music can be a nice touch but should be used sparingly. eLearning videos are meant to focus on course material first and music that lingers for too long can become distracting. If you use background music, limit it and ensure that you fade it out as your video progresses. Research has shown that adding music to an informational/educational video impedes learning, so while it is okay to use it at the beginning or end of a video, consider if the music will detract from the message you are trying to communicate. Use sparingly in transitions from one shot to the next throughout the production.

Natural sounds, however, recorded on location, often add interest and should be added as appropriate to the subject.

Establishing your video speed: It is possible to speed up or slow down your video during editing, but it may not always be necessary. Most eLearning video platforms offer students the ability to control the speed of videos.

Using intros and outros: Intros and outros are triggers. They tell viewers when a video beginning and when it has ended. Without both, your videos would have abrupt openings and endings and make for a poor viewing experience. As you plan your intro and outro, limit the length to no more than 8 seconds. This will be enough to prime your audience to receive new information.