Learning to edit videos is a time-consuming process that takes lots of dedication and energy. And practice.
However, the rewards are well-worth it. Jaw-dropping videos brimming with your unique voice as a creator.
To help you on your journey, here are three mistakes to avoid as a rookie video editor.
Source? The experience of our own editors here at Tasty Edits, and the issues we see with countless hopefuls who apply to join our team.
Key Takeaways
- As a new video editor, you need to master the fundamentals that underlie great edits - especially pacing, storytelling and visual composition.
- A major mistake is to rely on plugins or templates instead of mastering these fundamentals. While a third-party plugin in Premiere Pro or a CapCut template will probably give you results faster, these ultimately stay generic.
- Avoid just trying to imitate the latest trends instead of developing your own style and rhythm. Keeping up to date with what’s happening is useful, but you need a solid foundation to work from.
Keep reading for the full scoop!
Skipping the Fundamentals
First up, one of the major mistakes that countless rookie editors make is skipping the fundamentals.
These days, simplistic video editing tools and AI video editors make it easy to churn out edits. Countless rookies spend a few days playing around with these tools, produce a couple of trial projects, and then call themselves video editors. (Worse, they offer their meagre skills on Upwork or Fiverr, to the frustration of clients left with mediocre edits.)
The major issue here is that using these tools and platforms means you’re running from the fundamentals.
To really master the art of video editing, you have to get down to the basics. Pacing. Storytelling. Composition. Fine-tuning color.
These are the fundamental skills you learn over time, through countless hours of editing, and by learning from editors you admire either through their tutorials or watching finished edits.
Time and practice lie at the heart of solid video editing skills. There’s no way of speedrunning this learning process.
Relying Excessively on Plugins and Templates
Second, another critical mistake is to over-rely on third-party plugins in Adobe Premiere Pro, or on templates in tools like CapCut.
Yes, there is a massive variety of these pre-fabricated solutions and many of them are genuinely helpful in achieving the effects that you want and speeding up your workflows.
But if you’re not careful, you’ll go down a rabbit hole of looking for the perfect template, or of comparing different plugins and their pricing, instead of figuring out how to achieve the effects you’re looking for with the native tools available in your editing software.
Plus, with templates in tools like CapCut, there’s also the fact that thousands of other people use them as well. White it’s possible to personalize, the underlying structure is the same and results in a bland, generic end result.
Following Trends Instead of Developing Style
Finally, a third common error that many aspiring editors make is to flit from trend to trend instead of developing a solid skillset and personal style.
While it’s important to keep an eye on the latest developments in your niche, you should focus on honing your own voice. If you edit your own videos, your audience will come to recognize that voice over time. It’s in the way you cut, the transitions you use, the pacing you choose.
Later, you can riff off that basis and add flavor by integrating trends and hot new effects. But it’s critical to build that basis to start with.
What you need to avoid is trying to imitate others without developing an identity for yourself in your editing style.
FAQs
What are the best ways of learning to edit videos?
Follow editors you admire and focus on mastering the fundamentals first – pacing, composition, and storytelling. There are countless tutorials on how to get started in professional video editing tools like Premiere Pro. Don’t try to rush the process or rely on templates or AI as a cop-out.
I’m a creator - how do I learn to edit my videos?
Learning to edit your videos takes time and practice. Don’t try to rush the process or rely on templates or AI as a cop-out. Follow editors you admire and focus on mastering the fundamentals first – pacing, composition, and storytelling. Add the frills later.
What are some rookie video editing mistakes?
Many aspiring video editors rely on templates and plugins instead of focussing on mastering the basics of video editing – such as pacing, storytelling, composition. Don’t try to imitate the latest trends but develop your own style and a solid editing basis first.
