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:
- watch all the footage – outside of Premiere Pro
- log your Ins & Outs (the timecodes of the clips you want to use) with a pen and paper
- write each clip, or even draw little thumbnails, on post-it notes
- 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 Full-Time Filmmaker‘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 you appreciate Parker’s approach, here’s his 8 Step Editing Process, from start to finish, in Premiere Pro:
- import and prep
- sift & select
- build the story
- colour correct
- colour grade
- sound design
- titles & extras
- 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: