Please note that even though these examples are for Magix Movie Edit Pro (my favorite video editor), you can use the same principles in most video editing programs. I just like Magix coz it lets me import most formats (MP4, MKV, MOV, MTS - AVCHD, M2TS, VOB, etc.), it's easy to use and delivers professional results.
All this is based on my own editing experience so if you have any questions, drop a comment and I'll reply.
The basic workflow in Magix and the two most important key-shortcuts:
1. CTRL + Delete = deletes the scenes that you don't want and brings the clips together (deleting the gaps between the video segments - making jump cuts)
2. CTRL + Up/Down Arrow = zooms in/out on the timeline so you can do precision editing at a frame by frame level
- How To Edit Picture in Picture Videos - Find out how to overlay an object (video, picture, graphics) onto a video background. In YouTube you can make those areas clickable so you can promote your other videos as well.
- Split Screen Tutorial - Crop & mirror flip your video when editing vlogs, interviews or video chat videos.
- Video Transparency Manipulation with Keyframes - Use curves to easily andjust transparency/opacity keyframes in Magix Edit Pro Plus and Magix Video ProX.
- How To Clone Yourself in a Video - Create a ghost of yourself (duplicate of character) in your video.
- How To Do Slow Motion and Time Lapse Videos with Footage - You need a camera that shoots at 60 fps or higher in order to get smooth slo' mo'. With Magix, you simply adjust the playback speed factor and you either slow down or speed up your videos - it's very easy to do.
- How To Add and Animate Titles - Add titles to your videos, animate them using keyframes and add sound effects on each movement of the title.
- How To Edit with Chromakey (Green Screen) - Add any background to your videos or vlogs. Use a blue or green sheet and you're up there with the pros! :)
- How To Do a Travel Route Animation - Show off your vacation travel route on a map. You can choose different destinations from Google Maps, your preferred means of transportation (symbols: car, airplane, etc.) and the duration of the animation.
- How To Blur Faces in Video - Censor the faces or any other items in your clips. You need to understand how alpha masks work before you can do this. It can also be done with motion tracking (easier than keyframing). Check it out!
- How To Do Time Lapse Videos with Still Images (Timelapse Photography) - Same thing here - I took GoPro pictures as an example but you can follow the process for any time-lapse project. You need a camera that shoots a picture every x seconds. Then you combine all those photos and create a video that looks as when you fast forward a film.
- How To Edit Videos with Keyframes - Learn to play with the intensity of video effects within a video scene. It's a great way to improve your videos and take your creativity to the next level.
- How To Get the High Pitch (Chipmunk) Voice Effect - Talk like a funny chipmunk in your vlogs. You can also make your voice low pitch.
- How To Adjust Audio Levels with Keyframes - Audio fade ins and fade outs. You can do it. Easily. Start now. OMG this sounds like a commercial. But wait! There's more.
- How To Apply Video Effects with Alpha Masks - Add effects only in certain areas of the video/image: blur only half of your video or make just the upper third in black an white, etc.
- Color Correction - How To Change and Enhance The Colors of Your Video - You can alter any color in your video by using the eyedropper tool for selection. If you want, you can make the whole image black and white and keep just one color in normal saturation.
- How To Crop Your Videos - Cut the height of the video to get the film look (approx. 2:1 aspect ratio). It makes your video Hollywood style and it also allows you to get a better frame composition for each shot.
- How To Add a Vignette (Soft Edges) To Your Video for a Cinematic Look - Make your video cinematic by adding those soft black/gray margins. It draws the viewer into the picture and it gets you more views on YouTube. Plus, your video will look more professional.
- How To Do The Vertigo Effect (Dolly Zoom) - A cool trick you can do to make your videos more dramatic. You need a slider to do this properly.
- How To Capture Audio Separately and How To Synchronize Your Sound with Your Footage - When you want to get high quality sound. Useful for vlogging and interviews with a phone or a small compact camera. Capture the sound on an external voice recorder and sync it with your video in post production.
- Video Marketing: How To Easily Make Product Videos - A simple setup to shoot product videos: a basic aluminum tripod and a point and shoot camera that shoots HD video. Helpful if you sell stuff online through your own shop or on other platforms like Ebay or Amazon.
- Motion Tracking Tutorial - Wanna blur a face faster? Wanna have titles or other objects tied to subjects in the video? Wanna see some hot stuff? Click here!
- How To Make a Tilt Shift (Miniature) Video - Make your subject look like a miniature toy. Nice effect which you can apply to your timelapse videos.
- 3 Ways To Make Your Videos Look Better - Small yet essential details which can make the difference between a good video and a bad video. Are you implementing these?
- How To Vlog - 5 Quick Tips for Your Vlogging Career - Being YouTube famous as a vlogger requires some technical know how and a lot of psychology. In fact, everything you do that is targeted to an audience can use some psychology. Read this and let me know what you think.
- How To Split the Sound in Two Channels (Mono/Stereo) + Audio Cleaning - If you're recording your audio on an external device, you may wanna edit your sound before synchronizing it with your vid.
- How To Batch Convert MP4 to AVI - If for some reason you don't wanna work with MP4 files and wanna convert them to AVI format, follow this process using MPEG Streamclip.
- Multicam Video Editing - Perfect for events when you shoot with multiple cameras. Synch the footage across all cameras and edit like a live broadcaster - you have a main monitor and the source cameras, then you edit by simply clicking on the cam that has the right angle at the right time. Neat!
- How To Convert AVI to MP4 for Smaller File Size and Faster Online Upload - I recommend exporting in AVI for best quality when editing with Magix. But then you end up with a large file - that's why you should compress it with Leawo before uploading it to YouTube.
- How I Edit All My Videos with Magix - A Complete Workflow - Originally written as a workflow for editing GoPro HD videos, it's the process I use to edit all my videos; in any format, without converting the files (MP4, MOV, MTS, AVI, etc.). I still use Magix Edit Pro Plus for this.
- How To Edit GoPro MP4 Files Even with a Slow Laptop Computer - Follow this process if your computer is too slow for editing HD videos. It's a bit time consuming but you can get your HD video exported this way. Try it.
- How To Edit Videos for Facebook - 3 Simple Tips - Edit your videos specifically for Facebook in order to get most out of it: views, likes and shares. Helpful for product videos as well (for an eCommerce business).
That's about it for the moment.
Other tips for making cool videos
- Keep your scenes short. Each scene should not be longer than a few seconds.
- Make your video 5 minutes long or less. Actually the new 5 minutes is now 3. The shorter the video, the more views you'll get.
- Don't use transitions. A basic fade and some dissolves here and there will do but stick to simple cuts for the most part.
- If your computer is not that strong (maybe old), close all other applications when editing your videos and use a laptop cooler.
- Shoot creatively with a camera stabilizer. Mount your camera on a bike. Use a slider and a fluid head tripod. If you shoot from interesting angles, your viewers will find your videos more enjoyable.
- Do the elastic strap trick when moving the tripod head lever. Your shoots will look smoother as the jerks of your hand are absorbed by the gum-band.
Check out how I stopped a train while shooting a video for the rail fans community.
What do you think?
I hope you see you don't need the best video editing software to produce great videos. Any in the top 10 will do fine as long as you dedicate yourself to it.
Let me know what other problems you are facing when editing videos and I may write a tutorial on it. Leave a comment and we'll chat.
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Thanks, Constantin! These helped me a lot. Ashley
ReplyDeleteCheers, Ashley! Glad to help.
DeleteNice tutorials, they are really useful for newbie like me.
ReplyDelete:) No pb. Thanks!
DeleteCan you publish a link to download the software? I went to google to download it but it says, virus would also enter if you download. So, a safer link please?
ReplyDeleteHi! This should not be a problem. Once you get on their official site, you should be able to download the free trial (has some limitations though).
Delete