Video content has taken branding and marketing by storm. It’s one of the pivotal ways to create a significant impact on your consumers or target audience and fast-forward your content marketing goals.
If you are a content creator who is venturing into video marketing and would like to edit your marketing videos, social media shorts or catchy vlogs, then you may need to know the basics of editing your videos meticulously for the desired results. The process of video editing requires more than just an understanding. You need to know and follow the various steps that take you through a systematic and unhindered workflow in video editing.
Let’s take a look at the practical process of video editing that will make a difference in the quality and presentation of your video content.
The 5 stages of video editing
Though the different phases of editing could differ as per one’s skill sets and the industry or platform for which the video is being made, the basic concept behind the stages remains the same.
Some of the processes that one needs to follow in feature films may not be required when it comes to professional videos or YouTube videos.
Before we go into the elaborate details of the 5 primary phases of video editing, here’s the concept in a capsule:
1. Filter & Organize: Filtering and organizing your media to get the rough footage.
2. Review and plan: Make notes and plan for the first edit from the filtered footage
3. The rough edit: Create a rough outline for the story
4. Refined Edit: A better and seamless edit, with changes as required.
5. The final edit: The final details, Checking one last time on all transitions, audio levels, graphics etc. Watch out for any bad edits, render test files etc.
Your Must-Have Video Content List for a Highly Successful Marketing Strategy
Now, let’s get into the detailed and more technical process of the above concepts:
1. Logging:
The first step includes logging the footage from the video source - that means filtering whatever content you require for editing and saving it in your specific storage space, like a local hard disk. Here all the required clips are selected, divided into groups or bins, and labelled accordingly for easy sorting and identification.
Logging is the first opportunity where you get to check how well the footage is cast on screen. The process of Logging happens simultaneously while filming or at the editing stage. Softwares like Adobe Prelude or Kyno can be used to log footage manually.
2. First Assembly:
At this step, all the logged footage is arranged according to the timeline consistent with the film’s storyboard. Here the scenes are arranged together by breaking each scene and sequencing and organising it accordingly. While logging gives you the initial glimpse into the video footage, the first assembly brings out the first look of the whole video in a linear structured format.
3. Rough Cut:
The previous two steps are the basic techniques of video editing while the Rough Cut is a crucial part. All the long shots are trimmed and saved as the first draft. This step involves going through the different versions of all the shots and choosing the best ones. This step also includes adding pauses, transitions, titles and dummy narration. Rough Cut incorporates everything that helps to apprehend and bring out the emotions and messages encapsulated in the narrative.
4. Fine Cut:
While the rough-cut focuses on filtering the whole video content or film, the fine cut focuses on filtering each frame of the selected scenes. Final touches like colour corrections, special effects, etc are fine-tuned in this step. Fine Cut helps to make the video content or the film flawless and is the last chance to rectify any imperfections in any frame.
5. Final Cut:
This final step of editing takes care of all the colour grading, audio mixing, special effects, etc to create a fabulous video experience. Music, graphics, sound effects, and other templates are added in the Final Cut. This part of editing can be a bit stressful, hectic and time-consuming as it is the final and hence the most crucial stage.
As mentioned before, the above stages can differ according to the industry that you cater to. For example, content creators needn’t worry about a first assembly as those who make stories with a storyboard and script, like in ad films or movies. Also, unlike in feature films, YouTube videos would not have a “picture lock,” while editing.
Let’s check some of the popular video editors
Other than video editing, factors like a high-quality video editor or video editing software, and social media marketing are equally important to create outstanding video content. A few from the list of the most popular video editing tools are iMovie, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
Video Editing Software or a video editor is a software that helps to edit digital video sequences on a non-linear editing system. It has replaced celluloid film and the traditional linear video editing processes. Video editing software addresses different purposes like general editing of video content, filmmaking, voice-over or narration.
Some of the popular video editing software for the current digital decade include Apple Photos, iMovie, CyberLink PowerDirector, Openshot, Finalcut Pro, Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Vegas Pro, and Lightworks.
Final Words
Video Editing requires proper planning to bring out outstanding video content. Each and every step is vital to making your video advertisement, tutorial, business presentation or vlog stand out from the rest.
To create impeccable video content, you may experiment with the above mentioned video editing software or seek the help of experts who can get it done for you more proficiently. If you have been thinking of coming up with engaging video content for your content marketing purposes, reach out to ThePendits at +91 8448040030.