Editing your video might be the last, but not the easiest step on your way to your own home video. There are several typical mistakes you should avoid. Learn more about the seven sins of video editing!
Sin n° 1: Inconsistent Audio
Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of your video. What do you hear? A crisp clear voice and some background sounds? Or is the voice swallowed by video sounds? Imbalanced audio layers are a typical problem of home-made videos. The most important elements are the voices of the narrator, then recorded sounds. Music should be calm and blend in with the rest of the sounds – like a carpet. Tone it down if need be!
Sin n° 2: Jump Cuts
Almost every video is the essence of a much longer real-life process. Many little steps have been taken out in the process of cutting. But cutting is an art – and requires more than simple jumps within the same perspective. Indeed, certain social media videos use these jump cuts as a stylistic element within a very constraint setting. However, in order to tell a story, do not use these jump cuts: Cut between finished actions and continue from another angle.
Sin n° 3: Inconsistent Graphics
While graphics can help the viewer to better understand the context of your video, be careful when using them. First, they may distract the viewer from the main action if they are too bold. Second, as the video goes on, the graphic component may lose its contrast against the changing background. Third, most text elements will be difficult to read in any case. So better ask yourself: Do I really need graphics in my video?
Sin n° 4: Sensitive Information
You may have recorded sensitive information: a license plate, passwords from a screencast, faces of people who did not grant their permission. Don’t leave it like that – blur the concerned parts of your video. Most modern video editing software solutions provide easy and efficient functions in order to hide delicate parts of your recording.
Sin n° 5: Match Frames
Look at your theme, at your protagonists or your main objects: Where are they within the frame of your video? Given you used a high definition or even 4k resolution camera, you may consider cropping your video. In order to focus on what is important: Otherwise, your protagonist may seem too small, get lost in the scene or may not make the impression you intended in this particular shot. At the same time, be careful not to zoom too much into your material and make it blurry.
Sin n° 6: Bad Transitions
Transitions are en vogue, especially with home video artists. There is a “yes”, and there is also a “but”: Do not use transitions excessively. Use them only between different scenes, not as a separator between cuts of the same scene. Golden rule: the transition should always be shorter than the clip – otherwise your transition will drop somewhere in the process.
Sin n° 7: Inconsistent Color Matching
You may have recorded the same scene over and over again with a setting of changing light. You might have used two cameras in order to have the same scene from different perspectives. Now all you need is to cut and paste the material together … or is it really that simple? Careful: adjust color, contrast, and light. Luckily, a good video editing suite will provide a white balance adjustment.
Thanks
Comment faire une transition ( Blend) des couleurs de différentes prises de 2 caméras ?
It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve edited videos (non-pro). Glad that Vegas is bigger than ever. Looking forward to getting back in the groove!!
great info but i need questions answered about your products.i want to buy but find lots of “stuff” but not answers that i need to know to purchase. do you have a chat room or person to talk to?
Sin 8: Using a video editor that crashes every 5 minutes when using more than 1 thread and 0 mb memory for selective pre-render. This will cause you to pull your hair out in frustration.
thank YOU FOR YOURS ADVISES I’m conscientious a few of them but I haven’t other second camera and frequently any support for camera Some times I must cut in no god place for different reasons or problems using fade out (audio and video and same times or i less background music) or smooth cross fade. I’m a professional musician and composer(classic) I have any problem editing correctly audio file or background audio files I never cut a musical or oral phrase or narration Si necessary I put photo moving if necessary (I take many on the same scene) or image from the same video file Often in my home videos (or from my concerts ) i’m using my compositions if they completed images or make a good contrast I like
“Sin n° 4: Sensitive Information”
If a movie makes license plates blank, or blurs faces, this will pull you right out of the film! I’m sorry, but you just cannot do this in a professional movie! Maybe in an amature YouTube video, but certainly not in a movie!
What type of stuff do you think we’re editing here? You think this all a bunch of jokes that we edit? We want to make real actual professional content!
Editing video programming for a closed-circuit condominium channel presents added difficulties resulting from a wide variety of consumer television sets; ranging from old tube-type color sets to Smart-TV sets. Because local distribution systems are not always up to commercial network NTSC standards, check your programs’ appearance on at least a smattering of your consumers’ TV sets – frequently. Make a minimum of editing adjustments to achieve the ‘best for the most consumers.’ My editing along these lines is usually limited to Brightness (a little more), Saturation (a little less), and a few minor audio corrections. If you have an inherently limited bandwidth to work with, avoid editing processes that tend to increase broadcast bandwidth such as Sharpening or Color Shifting.
I like the suggestion to listen to the video with your eyes closed. Great idea, because I struggle with getting the audio balanced right. Thanks.
Hi.
Thanks for sharing these. I am not pro but when doing videos, I try improve a little every round. Could you share a tip how to adjust video mic record level properly?
As a retired Instructional Designer, who spent most of my career researching, writing, shooting and editing the final video, I take issue with you comments about the use of graphics. When contemplating the use, think it through and make sure you use short phrases or even a single word. Back in the sixties and seventies, The American Society for Training and Development spent several years researching how adults learn, or comprehend what they are being told. On the BASE level, hearing only,they return “X”. The next level involves hearing AND SEEING (graphic for example, the return “XX”
The 7 sins are all to fimiliar ANY amateur, want to be Hollywood video producer. Thanks for great advice. I have the Vegas 16 Movie Maker and love all features involved. My only suggestion. Add spell check. Ido need to put your suggestions into future homemade efforts. Thanks.