Brief Summary
This video provides a comprehensive guide on how to learn video editing quickly and effectively. It outlines six key steps: mindset, choosing software, learning core concepts, continuous learning, working with others, and making yourself more valuable. The video emphasizes the importance of storytelling, understanding your audience, and developing a strong personal brand. It also recommends using Skillshare for learning video editing software and highlights the importance of communication and professionalism in the industry.
- Mindset: Focus on storytelling, think like your audience, and visualize your "why".
- Software: Choose a software that suits your needs and use Skillshare to learn it effectively.
- Core Concepts: Master composition, storytelling, sound design, and pacing.
- Continuous Learning: Never stop learning and seek opportunities to improve your skills.
- Working with Others: Find a job at an agency, get a mentor, join a community, and work with clients personally.
- Make Yourself More Valuable: Develop a strong personal brand, acquire complementary skills, and prioritize communication and professionalism.
This video outlines a six-step plan for learning video editing quickly and effectively. The speaker, Gavin Herman, shares his experience and insights gained over 10 years in the industry. He emphasizes the importance of a strong mindset, choosing the right software, mastering core concepts, continuous learning, working with others, and developing a personal brand to stand out in the competitive video editing landscape.
The first step in learning video editing is to develop the right mindset. Gavin stresses that rushing into editing without a clear understanding of the fundamentals is like trying to run before you can walk. He recommends focusing on three key mindset shifts:
- Story First, Tools Second: Instead of focusing solely on mastering software, prioritize storytelling. Recognize that your primary role is to be a storyteller who uses video editing as a tool to engage your audience.
- Think Like Your Audience: Remember that you are creating videos for others to watch. Consider your audience's preferences, interests, and expectations when making editing decisions.
- Visualize Your Why: Having a strong reason for pursuing video editing will help you stay motivated and committed. Identify your goals and passions, and use them as fuel to drive your learning journey.
This section delves deeper into the three mindset shifts discussed in the previous chapter. Gavin emphasizes the importance of prioritizing storytelling over technical skills, understanding your audience's preferences, and having a clear "why" to keep you motivated.
Gavin shares his personal experience of initially focusing on technical proficiency in software like Premiere Pro, only to realize later that he was missing the crucial element of storytelling. He emphasizes that mastering the tools is important, but it's secondary to understanding how to use them to tell compelling stories that resonate with your audience.
This section highlights the importance of considering your audience's preferences when making editing decisions. Gavin encourages viewers to ask themselves questions like: "Should I make this video energetic or laid-back?", "What music will resonate with my audience?", and "Should I use sophisticated or playful visuals?". He emphasizes that understanding your audience is key to creating engaging and impactful videos.
Gavin stresses the importance of having a clear "why" for pursuing video editing. He shares his own journey, starting with making soccer videos for friends, then moving on to funny gaming videos, and eventually combining his passions to create soccer gaming content. He emphasizes that having a strong "why" provides motivation and purpose, especially when facing challenges or setbacks.
The second step is choosing a video editing software. Gavin acknowledges that this is a common question for new editors. He emphasizes that the choice of software is less important than how you use it. He personally uses Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma), but also recommends DaVinci Resolve as a free and powerful alternative.
This section focuses on the challenge of learning how to use video editing software. Gavin acknowledges that while YouTube tutorials are helpful, they don't always provide a structured learning path. He recommends Skillshare as a platform that offers curated courses and learning paths designed to help users master specific software and skills. He highlights Skillshare's sponsorship of the video and offers a free trial to viewers.
Once you've chosen and learned your software, it's time to focus on core video editing concepts. Gavin emphasizes the importance of mastering these fundamentals to create high-quality videos.
Gavin shares a mistake he made early in his career: trying to learn everything at once. He advises against jumping between different software and tutorials, as it can be overwhelming and distract from your main goal of improving your video editing skills.
Gavin outlines the key fundamentals that he wishes he had focused on earlier in his career:
- Composition and Design: This involves understanding how to arrange elements on the screen to guide the viewer's eye. Key concepts include hierarchy, color, and balance.
- Storytelling: Every video should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Focus on creating an emotional impact and ensuring that every shot contributes to the overall story.
- Great Sound Design: Sound is crucial for creating an immersive and engaging experience. Ensure clear dialogue, use sound effects to emphasize visual motion, and choose music that sets the right mood.
- Pacing Your Videos: Pacing keeps your audience engaged throughout the video. Use fast cuts for action-packed moments, tighten up sections that drag, and slow down for emotional or dramatic parts.
This section focuses on the importance of storytelling in video editing. Gavin emphasizes that without a story, footage is just a collection of random clips. He encourages viewers to consider the emotions they want to evoke in their audience and use editing decisions to guide those feelings.
Gavin highlights the importance of sound design in video editing. He emphasizes that good sound can elevate the overall experience, while bad sound can detract from even the most stunning visuals. He recommends focusing on clear dialogue, subtle sound effects, and music that complements the mood of the video.
This section focuses on the concept of pacing in video editing. Gavin explains how pacing can keep your audience engaged throughout the video. He recommends using fast cuts for action-packed moments, tightening up sections that drag, and slowing down for emotional or dramatic parts.
The fourth step is to never stop learning. Gavin emphasizes that continuous learning is essential for growth and improvement in any field, including video editing. He encourages viewers to embrace a cycle of practice, reflection, and iteration to constantly refine their skills.
The fifth step is to work with others. Gavin acknowledges that video editing can be isolating, and working with others can provide valuable support, mentorship, and opportunities for growth. He recommends four main ways to work with others:
- Working at an Agency: Working at a content agency provides valuable experience, exposure to different projects, and opportunities to learn from colleagues.
- Find a Mentor: Having a mentor who can provide one-on-one coaching and guidance can accelerate your learning and skill development.
- Joining a Community of Like-minded People: Connecting with other video editors through online communities can provide valuable insights, support, and networking opportunities.
- Work With Clients Personally: Building strong relationships with clients and going beyond simply fulfilling their video editing needs can lead to greater fulfillment, learning opportunities, and referrals.
This section focuses on the benefits of working at a content agency for aspiring video editors. Gavin highlights the opportunities for consistent practice, learning from colleagues, and gaining exposure to the business side of the industry.
This section emphasizes the importance of finding a mentor in video editing. Gavin highlights the benefits of one-on-one coaching, learning valuable tricks, and potentially building a professional relationship.
This section emphasizes the importance of joining a community of video editors. Gavin shares his own experience of initially believing he could succeed on his own, but later realizing the value of learning from others and gaining different perspectives. He encourages viewers to join the community he has created, which is linked in the video description.
This section focuses on the benefits of building strong relationships with clients and going beyond simply fulfilling their video editing needs. Gavin emphasizes that this can lead to greater fulfillment, learning opportunities, and referrals.
The final step is to make yourself more valuable as a video editor. Gavin outlines three key areas to focus on:
- Personal Brand: Develop a strong personal brand by showcasing your work through a portfolio website, professional profiles on social media, and by sharing your personality and expertise online.
- Complementary Skills: Acquire complementary skills such as motion graphics, visual design, storytelling, business and negotiation, communication, and professionalism.
- What 90% of Editors Lack: Focus on communication and professionalism, as these are often overlooked but highly valued by clients.
This section focuses on building a personal brand as a video editor. Gavin emphasizes the importance of showcasing your work through a portfolio website and professional profiles on social media. He also encourages viewers to share their personality and expertise online to build a genuine connection with potential clients.
This section highlights the importance of acquiring complementary skills as a video editor. Gavin recommends skills such as motion graphics, visual design, storytelling, business and negotiation, communication, and professionalism. He emphasizes that these skills can make you more valuable and versatile in the industry.
This section focuses on the importance of communication and professionalism in video editing. Gavin emphasizes that while many editors have technical skills and a personal brand, they often lack strong communication and professionalism. He stresses that clients value reliability, clear communication, and a professional approach.
This section encourages viewers to surround themselves with other video editors who are on the same journey. Gavin recommends joining the video editor community he has created, which is linked in the video description. He emphasizes the value of support, resources, and shared passion within a community.
Transcript
YouTube Transcript Generator
0:00 video editing a skill that allows you to work from anywhere at any time you want and make great money doing it but starting out it can be overwhelming what software do I use what tutorials should I watch what projects should I work on if I could start over knowing what I know now here's exactly how I would learn video editing and learn it fast I'll break this video up into six key steps that if you follow and put the work in will quickly make you a great video editor step one your mindset I get it when I started I just wanted to dive into the tools and edit the best videos possible but rushing into editing without the right mindset is like trying to run before you've learned to walk the good news is mindset isn't something that takes extra time so let's break this down into three mindset shifts you should focus on to learn video editing faster and better number one story First Tool second when I was 17 I genuinely
0:47 thought I would be a great video editor because I was super fast at video editing in Premier Pro but my entire mindset shifted when I spoke with an expert motion designer who made me realize that I had learned everything backwards sure I could put together and edit super fast but I was missing one key thing storytelling the key is to recognize that your main purpose is to be a Storyteller who simply uses their skill in video editing software to tell their story in a way that keeps the audience engaged which leads me to number two think like your audience believe it or not it's easy to forget that when you're editing a video you're making it for other people to actually watch you need to ask certain questions with every editing decision you make like should I make this video super energetic or more laid-back what music will this audience relate to should I use sophisticated or playful visuals in
1:33 my animations but to put it simply it all comes down to one thing who am I making this four next up is three visualize your why let me tell you the brutally honest truth you will never stick with video editing if you don't have a strong underlying reason that you want to keep going when I was 10 I wanted to make soccer videos that would entertain my friends and show off my skills at 13 I made funny gaming videos to make me and my friends laugh and try to get famous and when I was was 15 I combined the two and made soccer gaming videos and then soccer Instagram videos to see if I could grow social media accounts the Common Thread through these years and now is that there was always a strong why whenever I lose sight of this why there is less conviction and less reason to keep going so keep that why on the top of your mind all the time but that's enough about
2:19 mindset now let's dive into step two choose a video editing software the first question every new editor faces which software should I use here's the deal tools are just that tools what matters is how you use them I personally use the Adobe Creative Suite Premier Pro for video editing after effects for Motion Graphics and sometimes Photoshop illustrator or figma for creating assets but if you're on a budget Da Vinci resolve is a great free editing software and it's even used professionally for its color grading features but once you choose your software there's an even bigger problem learning how to use it you can find tutorials on YouTube but it's still hard to put together a detailed lesson plan if you're trying to go from absolute zero to Proficiency in the software and that's where a platform like skillshare comes in who were actually kind enough to sponsor this
3:05 video and make it possible for me to make for you guys getting started learning any new tool can feel overwhelming not knowing where to begin and what to focus on skillshare allows you to select skills that you want to learn and provides a variety of related categories like design film and video or animation in 3D that's why I genuinely love using skillshare whenever I want to learn something new 10 years ago when I began using Premier Pro I opened the software and struggled for years to fully grasp the depth of its capabilities and if I use skillshare those years of trial and error would have been reduced to months and it's not just a collection of courses it's actually the largest online learning community for creatives with thousands of classes that are led by industry experts who break down skills in a way that's approachable and easy to follow one feature I found especially helpful
3:51 is called learning paths these are curated collections of classes that are designed to help you master specific skills so for example if you're diving into VCI resolve there's actually a learning path from the basics of the interface to Advanced color grading it's like having a personal road map to Mastery and it saves so much time if you're convinced and ready to give it a try the first 500 people to use my link in the description will get a free month trial of skillshare like I said it's the perfect way to start building your skills today no matter where you're starting from step three learn Core Concepts now it's time for the fun part after learning your video editing software we can dive into the fundamentals which are the backbone for great video editing but before we dive into those I want to share a m mistake I made early on one that you should avoid at all costs when I first started I tried to learn everything all at once I jumped between Photoshop tutorials After
4:38 Effects animations illustrator designs and it got overwhelming fast sure I learned bits and pieces here and there but it distracted me from my main goal which was making better videos what I didn't realize is that great video editing comes down to a few key fundamentals if I had focused on these sooner I would have improved so much faster so let me save you some time here are the fun fundamentals that I wish I started with one composition and design composition is all about how your video looks and how you arrange the elements on the screen to guide the viewer's eyes one of the most important Concepts here is hierarchy making sure that the most important element in your shot stands out you can do this by using size position or contrast to draw the viewers attention to where you want it another concept is color color isn't just about looking pretty it sets the tone and the
5:25 mood of your video so stick to a consistent color palette and use complimentary or contrasting colors to highlight key elements in your frame there's also balance a balanced frame feels natural and pleasing to the eye whereas an unbalanced one feels like this you don't want everything crammed on one side of the shot and there are so many other design principles to consider but these are some of the most important that I've found for video editing next is storytelling and honestly this is the heart of any great video without a story your footage is just a bunch of random Clips every video whether it's a feature film a vlog or even a tutorial should should have a clear beginning middle and end the goal is to just make your audience feel something ask yourself what emotion do I want to create here let that guide your Cuts if a shot doesn't add to the story then cut it
6:11 even if you think it's the best looking shot you've ever filmed next is sound which in my opinion is the hidden hero of video editing take my voice for example right now it sounds like this it sounds good but now it sounds like this and you might not want to watch this video as much if my voice doesn't sound as clear or as full you can have stunning visuals but if your audio is bad people will click away the dialogue should sound clear the sound effects should be subtly emphasizing visual motion and the music should set the mood and these three things should also be balanced so that the music isn't overpowering and you can actually hear what you're saying then we got pacing which is what keeps your audience hooked throughout the video for action-packed moments you might want to have Fast Cuts if a section feels too long or drags then tighten it up for emotional or dramatic Parts slow it down let the audience feel what is being spoken about
6:58 so that's it for the core concept the next step is a little more straightforward but I'm going to break it down into a mini road map that you can follow each time so step four never stop learning if you look at anyone who is a top performer at what they do it's because they are in a constant cycle of practicing reflecting and iterating they put the work in they reflect on what was good and what could be done better and then they make the changes that they need to to improve here's an easier way to think about this take someone who wants to get more muscular they start out going to the gym three times per week pretty good right but after a month they reflect on their growth and decide to change their routine and instead they go five times per week another month goes by and they notice a lot more growth then they read some articles that say taking creatine helps with muscle growth now it's been about 6 months and
7:44 they've noticed significant improvements but after thinking they have the key to building muscle 6 months later they realize they haven't grown in size funny enough this was actually a story about me once I felt I was sort of Untouchable in terms of growing at the gym I kind of put my routine on autopilot and a similar thing will happen to you if you stop learning as a video editor but what if you feel like you've learned everything you can or you're not sure where to look for next to keep learning well this leads me to step number five work with others now the life of a video editor is inherently isolating and that can be incredibly discouraging for a lot of people additionally if you aren't sure how to improve your skills it can feel like a hopeless dead end this is where working with others comes in and there are four main ways I would recommend going about this one find a job at a content agency I think working
8:30 at an agency is essential for beginner and intermediate video editors you need to spend time working consistently to build up the skills that go beyond just the technical expertise you also have free access to speak with your team members and learn from their experiences for me a huge takeaway from my time at an agency was also getting to understand a bit of the business side which is more client facing and Logistics focused number two find a mentor getting one-on-one coaching from someone who has more experience than you do is one of the biggest game changers for your technical skills as an editor they can teach you so many tricks that they've learned that you can usually only gather over time in my opinion it's a hack to learn anything like 10 times faster and this person might also become a friend or a professional reference for you down the road number three join a community
9:17 of like-minded people you might not believe this but I didn't used to believe in the power of community I thought I could do it all by myself and this is partially true but when you isolate yourself you miss out on the perspective and the learnings that others have which I have found to be one of the biggest ways I was able to become more successful for this very reason I started a community that I Linked In the description below that aims to help people with these very things so feel free to check that out if you're interested and four work with clients more personally instead of just being your client's video editor be more than that have scheduled video calls and figure out what other problems you can help them solve so that they get better results personally this is where I have found the most fulfillment as a video editor working with clients focusing on other ways you can help not only strengthens your professional relationship but it helps you learn more
10:04 skills in the process and it makes you and your services harder to replace you can also get referrals from Happy clients and even testimonials for your website or portfolio there's no bad option here but if you're interested my path was personal development for about 5 years agency and freelance work for about 2 to 3 years and for the past 1 to two years I've owned my own agency helping clients grow on YouTube and I have this channel as well but if you want to hear more about that you you can watch my other video that I will link at the end of this one so now you've mastered your mindset you've become proficient in editing software like Premier Pro you understand the core principles that make a great video editor you never stopped learning and you found ways to work with others but now you need a way to keep progressing in your video editing career which leads me to step number six make yourself more
10:51 valuable now there are just about 100 different ways that you could go about this but to keep it simple for you I broke it into three simple categories that will make the most impact for your career as a video editor one personal brand I'll break this up into two different categories the first is showcasing your work this looks like posting your work on a portfolio site creating professionall looking profiles on LinkedIn Twitter Etc the second is showing yourself and your work so this is everything I just mentioned but you're also showing a little bit of yourself this is a real personal brand this makes people feel like they know you already even when they've only seen you talking on a video this turns cold leads into warm leads that want to work with you not leads that want you to work for them after personal brand we have complimentary skills some of the most
11:36 important skills that I think you can have are Motion Graphics or motion design overall visual design skills storytelling business and negotiation or sales and then communication and professionalism and I would argue adding complimentary skills to your skill set is the most important factor in succeeding as a video editor in today's global economy and plenty of people also have complimentary skills and somewhat of a personal brand online but what 90% of people lack is the communication and professionalism it matters more than you might think people want someone they can rely on and they know will'll get the job done and if you can be that person then you can command a premium for your services another part of this is being clear with deliverables that allow you to run your business and not let your business run you you might even want to draft contracts that make your
12:21 relationship a little bit more established some other things you should do are being comfortable in the language of your Target customer so if English isn't your first Lang anguage but you want to work with English-speaking clients because maybe they have more money to work with then you should probably try and learn the language that would be a lot more important than you might think and I know it's not easy to learn language I mean I only speak English and maybe a little bit of Spanish but it can make a pretty big difference and just be genuinely caring like care about the work that you're doing because most people are just out there to get a little bit of pay which is fine it makes sense like you need to keep yourself alive but past that point you should think about how can I make this better for my client how can I make them want to work with me how can I get other clients interested in my work and get paid better overall and unless you have times where you're very invested in your work then you might not reach that
13:07 point now if you're serious about developing as a video editor why not surround yourself with others who are on the same Journey you can join the video editor Community like I mentioned before and the details for that are in the description below it's packed with resources support and people who are just as passionate about editing as you are and if you found this video helpful I think you'll like this video where I condense my 10 years of video editing knowledge into just 10 minutes
