Video Editing Tips

Have a clear idea of what you want

Before you start shooting a video, you should have a mental image of what you want the end product to look like. Any project that that begins without a goal or objective is doomed to fail from the start. Having a good idea of what you’re aiming for will help you determine many important factors in the production of your video. You will know how much money you will need to create the video, and provide you with a way to estimate how long creating the video will take. It can also help you decide whether or not to shoot the video yourself. If you don’t want a super-professional high quality video, you can probably put on your director’s cap and do it yourself; if you have very high standards, though, think about hiring a professional director and crew.

Pay attention to the quality of your audio

What your audience hears is just as important as what they see. Many home cameras are not capable of capturing decent audio, and they can catch a lot of unwanted background noise. While you can try to remove as much of this noise as possible in the editing stage, it’s much easier to record good audio from the start. Invest in a high-quality microphone. There are many low-priced wireless lapel microphones available on the market; the sound you will get from these is much better than the sound you’ll record using your camcorder’s built-in sound recording.

Start with good footage

There is only so much that editing can do; if your raw footage is bad, your final video is bound to be equally shoddy. There are countless resources on the internet that can teach you basic filmmaking skills, like holding a camera, lighting, camera angles, panning a camera, etc. If you are hiring professionals to shoot the video for you, make sure you pick the right people. Ask to see samples of previous work before hiring anyone. You don’t want to be stuck with low-quality footage that you can’t use and have already paid for.

Don’t overuse effects and transitions

Utilizing too many transitions, even the most basic ones, can make your video look like a tacky YouTube slideshow tribute that was made by a child. Keep most of your transitions basic, and employ flashy effects and transitions sparingly. Stick to crossfades, fading to white, or fading to black. Be uniform in your use of transitions; if you use too many types of transition in one video, the resulting video may be tacky and unprofessional.

Use quality video marketing software

Programs like Content Samurai can really help you bring out the best in your footage. Even the best footage is incomplete without some editing; you need to take the best bits and pieces of your footage, and use it to create a great video that will turn viewers into clients. Content Samurai can help you generate new leads and create new clients with powerful and convincing web marketing videos.