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How to succeed in your video editing

Comment réussir votre montage vidéo

Explained simply, the video editing is to select, modify, process, and assemble multiple video clips to make a coherent and continuous, called film or video.

The video editing is one of the essential stages of post-production ; and even if it is not a video editor professional, you can still shoot and edit videos of very good qualities, thanks to the existence of devices and software for video editing very well.

What are the preliminary steps to a video editing successful ? What is the video editing itself ? What are the different formats of export once the video montage ended ?

All of these questions here are answers professional.

 

The preliminary steps in video editing

Before any video editing, it will be necessary to perform some operations :

1age step : create and save a project of video editing

Some of the software you propose to create a project for video editing. If this is not the case of yours, create a specific folder for your project and save it immediately. In this folder you will put all the files necessary to the carrying out of the project.

Also pay attention to the format chosen. It must match the one of the rushes to edit. Here is a table of the major image formats, video :

2ndstep : make the digital acquisition or scanning

Here, you will import the rushes, that is to say that you are going to import, in your computer or in your software of video montage, videos and sounds rough as they were recorded during the shooting.

This you make sure that the import settings chosen correspond to the format of those rushes.

You can import footage from :

  • Memory cards (the most common and there are many models of card)
  • Hard drives from camcorders,
  • Of MiniDV Tapes from camcorders,
  • DVDS from camcorders (more rare),
  • Other video sources. Video-sharing website, for example.

Note that all of the files from the camera can be dérushés during the acquisition. As for the others, it is necessary to have completed the import before the trimming.

But it is during this phase of import that can pose many technical problems. To prevent this, simply follow each time the technical process to be adequate.

On the other hand, if the rushes (to import) are not compatible with the software of video editing, you will need to convert them. A good software to do this is MPEG Streamclip. It allows you to convert different codecs, it works on PC and MAC, and it is for free download !

Preferably, avoid convert. Because the conversion before editing is destructive. The best solution is to choose a software video editing tailored to your footage, and not seek to adapt your footage to your software of video editing.

In all cases, you should always make a backup copy of your acquisitions. Thus, in case of hard blow, you will be able to find this base of work.

3thstep : make the log

To trim, you are going to watch all of the dailies that you have made the acquisition. Then, you are going to select the shots you want to use when video editing.

A log is accomplished in several ways :

  • Logging done at the same time as the acquisition of videos : here, you note, on a sheet of log paper or digital, taken that you wish to keep for the video editing.
  • Logging performed after the acquisition : here too, you decide which shots to keep, and note on a sheet of log paper or on your computer. The only difference is that to do that, you wait until the end of the acquisition.
  • Logging directly performed on the software of video editing: while viewing your rushes, you assign tags to colors. For example, a tag of blue color for the rushes are not selected, tag color red to the dailies, selected, etc

Now, if you need templates sheets dérushages, here is a (very simple) which you can use to create yours :

If you want, you can download by clicking on the following links :

Sheet model log 1

Sheet model of log 3

Leaf pattern log 2

4th step : organize the work space

Before you touch the imported video, organize your project. This has several advantages :

  • During the work of video editing, you will find each file with ease, and save a lot of time ! This is even more necessary when it is delivered directly to the log on a software of video editing. It is so easy to get lost and not know what was the right decision
  • Find an item that you want to edit in a video editing completed months ago.

The secret of a good organization of the project is to create a bin (bin). The bin is a folder in which one arranges and categorizes the rushes.

If I have a suggestion to you to do at this level, it is to create different bins to organize the material by theme or stage, depending on the type of project. You can do the same for the audio : a bin for the see-off, another for sounds, etc

Then, be sure to rename all of these bins and files. It is as well that you will find it easily. For example, if you want to keep the dailies in a certain order, you just need to add a number in front of each name of rush.

5thstep : establish a plan for video editing

Here, if your movie already had a scenario, you will need to establish a timeline specific to each scene. Because the plan of video editing is already contained in the narrative of your scenario.

If he had not, and that you have filmed the plans without any real narrative, you will definitely need to establish a plan of video editing. To do that, you have 2 possibilities :

1era opportunity : design a comprehensive plan by asking yourself :

“That is what I want to express through my editing ? “

    . The answer to this question will help you determine the order of the sequences, the graphics, etc of your video.

2ndpossibility : build a more detailed plan. It should contain plans to assemble accurate information on the transition effects, etc

 

The video editing itself

1. Start your video editing

Use your software for video editing to paste end-to-end the selected passages in the log

2. Add transitions

There are many transitions. But in general, we only use 3 :

  • The crossfade : it suggests the dream. It can also be used in scenes of high emotional intensity.
  • The transition is straightforward : in fact, here, we move from one plane to another without any transition effect. The transition franche suggest a continuity in time and space.
  • Fade to black : it evokes an ellipse temporal, to the spatial boundary. it is often used between the two scenes.

3. Take care of the soundscape

There is in the sound of the noises which you would like to get rid of ? If yes, use plug-ins to remove noise. If you just filter type, band pass type, high-pass or low-pass to cut out the undesirable element, the result will be less good.

And if you want to add your own sound effects, you can download for free on many web sites such as or Universal-SoundBank or Sound-fishing.net . But be careful, know how to blend in with the sound track.

One other thing : if you have recorded a voice-over, make sure it is clear and has a volume high enough without being saturated.

Finally, normalize the sounds. In other words, make sure they are more or less the same volume throughout your film. This will avoid full screening of the film, having to constantly raise or lower the volume, and the best here is to do it by hand rather than using plugins.

Have a tip for succeed in this part, it is to close your eyes and listen to all your movie. If you keep your eyes open, you might be distracted by the images. By closing the eyes, you will focus on the sound ; this will allow you to identify the errors, if any.

You will also see to it that the music is not too strong. Otherwise, it is going to cover the voice-over.

4. Add music

In a film, we can use music to impact the viewer in a certain way. The same images will not have the same effect on him that they are accompanied by music, soft music, music for suspense or that they are without music.

The music chosen must play with the images. Proceed as follows :

  • Assemble first the various plans. Don’t worry about the music at that time,
  • Then insert the music to align the term with that of the stage.

For example, if the music lasts longer than the scene, for example, you can take the thirty seconds of the start of the music, and thirty seconds from the end. But make sure that the cutoff falls at the beginning of a measure and thus goes unnoticed.

If you don’t, rework your video so that it lasts as long as the music. To do this, lie the plans that you had cut, or add-in.

A warning to complete this section : please be aware that it is illegal to serve you in all your movies, music under copyright, unless they are intended for a private use or personal use.

The best thing is to compose yourself, to appeal to a composer, or to use royalty-free music, fallen in the public domain, or under Creative Commons license.

5. Add titles and credits

The length of your credits must be proportional to that of the film. You can’t make a film of 17 minutes, and have a generic 5 minutes. But be aware that a good gag reel of the film can get the audience to follow your credits until the end.

As for the caption, stay sober. To do this, use the libraries of animated titles offered by some versions of After Effects. If you are not familiar with this software, go to sites such as Ayatoweb and Video Copilot. There you will find tutorials that will teach you to make titles and logos animated truly professional. Finally, you can find fonts free on websites dafont for and Font Squirrel

6. The calibration

To calibrate a video, it is apply filters to it in order to improve the visual rendering. This helps to create moods and makes your images more aesthetic.

For a better understanding of what it is, find a making-of. Then, observe the difference between the images of the shooting and those of the final movie.

For a successful calibration, follow the following tips :

  • Do not place your film in black and white that if it is really useful,
  • If you have filmed with digital camcorders, increase a little the brightness and contrast of your images. Otherwise, they will be dull and grayish. But to harmonize the appearance of the plans, you will need to adjust this effect, plan by plan.
  • Play on the effects and filters found in the software of video editing. Test to find the ones that work the best,
  • Using plug-ins (Magic Bullet Looks and Magic Bullet Colorista for example) to change the calibration. Be sure to adapt your settings if you want to get a satisfactory result.

7. Working on the special effects

There are special effects 2D and 3D effects, we can do a lot of things with it : create clones of the same person, alter the landscape in the background of a video, make animations, etc

At the level of special effects in 2D, you will need to use the databases made available by professionals, or master After Effects. You can achieve this thanks to the tutorials on the Video Copilot website.

As for the 3D effects, you will need to download the 3D models very realistic provided by some sites, animate them, and then merge them into your video. Or then, you will have to take the time to master the animation software ; this is not a small matter !

 

Video editing : the different exports

After you have assembled your video, you must finalize it, achieve it ; and for this, you need to export it. You can export to :

  • The AVI Format. But in fact, AVI is a file container and not a video format. So you can only export to AVI. You can instead export it to a format (codec) that will be encapsulated in an AVI file. For example, you can choose to export in MPEG4 in AVI.
  • The format is DV-AVI : if you have mounted from a digital camcorder to cassette tapes to DV format (DV-AVI), keep this format in export.
  • Formats FLV and F4V (Flash Video) : these are containers using a variant of H264 or codecs VP6 of On2. These formats are used to broadcast on the Internet ; and only certain types of players (VLC, Flash Player, etc) can read them.
  • MPEG-Video : MPEG2, a format that it is necessary to choose if we want to burn a DVD, or if the source file is also MPEG2
  • The HDV format is : in fact, it is a MPEG2 with resolution 1080i has a resolution real 1440*1080. You will use this if the source file is HDV,
  • Format MAGIX Video : this format is specific to MAGIX. Therefore, it can only be read by other readers,
  • In WMV format : this format belongs to Microsoft. It is accepted by the majority of the web portals and by Windows applications,
  • Format QuickTime Movie (MOV) : export .mov will be useful for dissemination on the Internet, or an Apple application.
  • Format Motion-JPEG : some devices do not accept this format. It is the only interest that he a.
  • MPEG4 format : it is a format that can be complex and requires a good setting for a export of good quality.
  • In uncompressed form : it is the ideal solution for video editing. Unfortunately, in order to have an uncompressed video, you must unpack the source file ; this may damage the quality of the image.
  • As a series of snapshots : here, the export is done by creating a sequence of still images in Bitmap format.

This is the essence of what you need to know for a successful video editing. But what software for video editing use ? Be aware that there are a many of paid and free : Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Premiere Elements, Sony Movie Studio, iMovie, Final Cut Pro, etc., We will talk about this in detail in a future article.

In the meantime, tell us if you’ve ever tried to make a video montage in the past ? What difficulties have you encountered ? You in are you out ? If yes, how ? Share your experience with us in the comments below.

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