A roundup of more advanced tips and tricks for video editing.

Paper Edit

No video resource for this one, just a tip that may seem counter-intuitive, but will almost always make the entire edit better:

1. watch all the footage – outside of Premiere Pro
2. log your Ins & Outs (the timecodes of the clips you want to use) with a pen and paper
3. write each clip, or even draw little thumbnails, on post-it notes
4. arrange everything in order. You’ve now already done most of your edit before even touching Premiere Pro

Ways to Edit Faster

While the first few of Parker Walbeck‘s tips for how to edit 10x Faster in Premiere Pro are gear-specific, the rest are more to do with managing resources – including your own workload and attention span – which can make up for not having the latest or “best” equipment for editing, in whatever software:

Side-note: Parker’s tutorial also demonstrates that good editing is good storytelling. There’s not a single wasted frame here: Parker crams an abundance of valuable information into a proportionately short runtime, by communicating thoughtfully and efficiently. I wish more YouTube “tutorials” optimized their content for their chosen medium as effectively, or even bothered with, you know, a script. Ok, end of rant.

Further Viewing

If, like me, you appreciate Parker’s approach (as, evidently, Adobe does), here’s his 8 Step Editing Process, from start to finish, in Premiere Pro:

1. import and prep
2. sift & select
3. build the story
4. colour correct
5. colour grade
6. sound design
7. titles & extras
8. export settings

Ultimately, the software is just a tool, and mastering how to edit is only half the story – learning to understand why to edit, what to look for, what you’re trying to achieve, and how to achieve it, gives meaning to both the process and the end product:

Film School: 10 Simple Editing Tips