Post-production, or bringing your footage and other materials together in the editing room, is just as important as production – capturing high-quality footage with excellent lighting, camera, and sound procedures.
While pre-production provides you with a plan and production provides you with the material, it is in the post-production – editing – stage that you truly create your film.
If you want to make a quality video, you’ll need a good technical background, but today’s editors can rely on excellent digital software tools and newer editing approaches like non-linear editing.
We’ll look at various video editing approaches, as well as new software editing possibilities and when and how to apply them, in this blog.
Master these 13 types of creative video editing
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Use J-cuts
J-cuts (together with our following method, L-cuts) are part of the split edits category of editing techniques. These entail cutting a clip’s audio and video at separate moments. In the case of J-cuts, this entails bringing in the audio from the next clip before finishing the first. On a timeline, this generates the shape of a “J,” hence the name.
J-cuts also serve to maintain forward momentum and reinforce cause and effect in storytelling. The J-cut here emphasizes the link between our character reading the timetable and then arriving at the correct station as her train comes.
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Apply Jump Cuts
Jump cuts are possibly the most divisive of all the techniques on this list. Jump cuts imply the passage of time by moving forward to different positions within the same sequential shot. When you see it, you’ll know what kind of alteration it is.
Jump cuts may express emotion to an audience in these situations, and that’s exactly what a video editor is for. Just keep in mind that adopting this technique may cause your audience to detect the editing, which may affect their suspension of disbelief.
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Add Inserts and Cutaways
Although cutaways and inserts are technically two different techniques, they are frequently used interchangeably, so it makes sense to discuss them together. Any shot that shows you something outside the area of the primary coverage is referred to as a cutaway.
Cut-ins (also known as inserts) are shots that show you something that is inside the purview of the main broadcast but in greater depth.
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Use Parallel Video Editing
When you cut between two different scenes that are taking place at the same time in two different locations, you are doing this form of editing. It’s a terrific way to increase the level of tension in a scene (heist films borrow a bunch of parallel editing, like indicating someone smashing into a safe while a security guard strolls toward their location).
The film Inception is the definitive cross-cut example these days, with four levels of (un)consciousness occurring simultaneously, but the parallel sequence from Lord of the Rings is also a fantastic illustration.
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Cut to Match
A match cut is an edit that offers a scene structure and continuity while also pushing it in a specific direction without losing the viewer’s attention. You can use it to travel between scenes or around an area while maintaining continuity. Shooting someone opening a door from behind and accordingly slashing to the difficult side as they stroll through it is a simple version.
Match cuts form 2001: A Space Odyssey and Lawrence of Arabia (when he blows out a match) are the most renowned, but the eternity scene in Tree of Life also incorporates match cuts (and many other sorts listed above).
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Cut Smash
You’d use the smash cut if you had a loud scenario that quickly transitions to a quiet one or vice versa. When you need to make an abrupt transition between two completely distinct scenes, emotions, or narratives, you’ll want to employ it.
This is frequently used when individuals awaken from nightmares, and it’s also frequently used in comedy – it’s also known as a “Gilligan cut.” It’s when a character strongly opposes or is adamant about their position, and then you cut to them doing the exact opposite.
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Start Cutting on Action
This does exactly what the name says. Because that’s what our eyes and brains instinctively expect, you cut at the point of action. We expect to witness a change in angle when someone kicks open a door, not after it has swung open and swayed for a few moments.
Pulp Fiction‘s toilet scene is an example of almost every clip being on the action (other than the cutaways, but more on that next).
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Transitions
In videos, transitions are very crucial. Transitions are handy when you need to connect multiple video segments or switch from one condition to another. There are also pre-made transitions that you may utilize without any difficulty. You can, however, make your own transitions like a pro.
When content creators shift from one state to another in a video, you may have noticed them placing their hands in between. Different sorts of transitions, such as jump transitions, slow-mo transitions, clothing transitions, and zoom transitions, can also be created. Your audience will be drawn to you if you are creative.
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Video Speed Can Be Controlled
Controlling the speed of a movie is simple, and you can do it in any simple video editor, but using it correctly can transform your videos into captivating works of art. You’ve probably seen videos with slow-motion and fast-forward effects. All of these conjure up a separate image in the viewer’s mind. Slow-motion pieces provide the viewer with additional information and have a captivating effect.
You can divide your video into sections and apply different speeds to each one. You may adjust the speed of your video. The speed varies between 0.1X and 16X.
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Use Text in a Stylish Way
Adding text to your videos is a wonderful way to make them more engaging. The text should be used if you wish to interact with the readers and audience. It also describes and expands on numerous aspects of your videos.
If you’ve prepared a slideshow of your tour, for example, you can include the names of the locations on each slide. You can also use the films to ask questions and provide thought-provoking captions.
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Colors Should Be Used Sparingly
You might believe that adding color to your video will make it more innovative. This, however, does not appear to be the case. Your choice of hue reflects your individuality. The video is more appealing and eye-catching because of the amazing color and theme mix.
To make your movies look professional, choose the proper color combination and create everything according to contrast. If your video’s colors have major flaws, you should consider color correcting.
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Sound Effects and Music
The video can be made more entertaining by adding appropriate music and sound effects. Depending on the situation, you can use different sound effects on the timeline. Laughter, a bell sound, a terrifying voice, or anything else that helps to deliver the information more clearly can be used.
Mixing sounds is only possible if the timeline contains numerous tracks. Then, you may add music and sound effects all at once.
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Obtain Eye-Catching Animations
Animations are quite effective at capturing the attention of spectators. Text animations, animated slideshows, motion graphics, and 2D and 3D animations are all possible.
Advanced tools can be used to create stunning animations. If you’re a beginner, though, you may make films with preset layouts and animations.
Conclusion
Modern technology has produced the most up-to-date video editing tools as well as sound and image digitalization. Although the amount of labor required as an editor has decreased, the level of expertise required remains high. A professional editor can help a tale flow at a good speed that fits the narrative while also establishing a proper level of engagement with the audience.
We hope that this blog will assist you in improving your creative video editing skills, which you will require as a great
