Here's how you can enhance your video editing skills for creating captivating visual content.

• Master Key Concepts: Start with cutting, transitions, layering, and timing. Understanding these basics will give you a strong foundation for more complex edits. • Software Familiarity: Get comfortable with your editing software. Know where tools are and how to use them efficiently. • Practice Projects: Create simple projects to apply your knowledge. Repetition helps build confidence and skill. • Watch Tutorials: Online tutorials can offer insights and techniques that might not be in your software's manual. • Seek Feedback: Share your work with peers or online communities. Constructive criticism can help you improve. • Stay Updated: Editing software updates regularly. Keep up with new features and best practices to stay ahead.

A great tool that I use on my phone is the Splice app. It's really intuitive and there were demos I used that were super helpful when learning how to do video editing a few years back when it really started taking off more across socials. It helps build your skills immensely and I cannot recommend it enough. Capcut is also great to try since it's already a lot of pre saved templates.

• Color Grading Mastery: Adjust colors to set the mood and tone, transforming your visuals and making them more engaging. • Green Screen Magic: Use green screens to add special effects, enabling you to place subjects in any background. • Audio-Visual Sync: Ensure your audio aligns perfectly with visuals, creating a seamless and professional viewer experience. • Creative Cuts: Experiment with J-cuts and L-cuts to add sophistication and fluidity to your storytelling. • Style Exploration: Try different editing styles to discover what enhances your unique narrative. • Technical Precision: Focus on precise editing techniques to elevate the overall quality and impact of your content.

Honestly what helped teach me this was editing live in Tiktok. I'd dabbled in this in high school but with the features in the app, it was easy to learn, there's also bloggers out there who created easy to follow tutorials for editing.

"Once upon a time, there was a video editor, in a faraway land, who knew that the storytelling needs to be creative - to hold the 'forever-shortening-attention spans' of today's audiences!" Editing videos is about more than just adding clips, cuts, and transitions. It's about using all of this to tell a story. What are you trying to convey? Think of the end goal of the video. Try to add a hook in the beginning. Give them audience a glimpse of what they will receive if they continue to watch. Make them curious. Add value. You need to "sell" it to your audience, to get them to engage with your video, to have it stay with them, for them to share it. That is a value-add. That establishes trust. That will make them come back for more.

• Structure Your Story: Create a clear beginning, middle, and end to engage your audience. • Edit with Purpose: Use dramatic pauses, fast-paced sequences, and shot juxtaposition to reinforce your story. • Engage Emotionally: Make every edit serve the story and evoke emotions. • Highlight Key Moments: Emphasize critical parts with slow-motion or close-ups. • Balance Pacing: Ensure a smooth rhythm to keep viewers interested. • Use Sound Effectively: Enhance your story's mood with music and sound effects.

Don't forget the music here as well. If you're able to take creative liberties and use whatever music you want, I like to go against the grain and use music that's moreso me vs. what is "trending." Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to use a rap song over a reel of wildflowers.....

Feedback is key when it comes to video editing. There are two perspectives we can take into consideration: what the world (or the algorithm) wants to see, and what we want to see. Sometimes, our idea of a great video involves tons of editing, long thinking processes... only to then find out that it doesn't work the way we planned it. Our audience just doesn't interact with content like that. It's a bit unfortunate sometimes, because we can be so incredibly proud of our work. It's disappointing. But this doesn't have much to do with the content itself being bad. It's about how it fits. That's why taking feedback is so important. We can't understand our audience without making questions and being open to criticism from other sources.

I will often send the content I create to my team for work or to one of my blogger friends if it's for IG to get their opinions on if the speed is too fast or if a transition doesn't work, etc. Sometimes you don't see things yourself because you've been looking at it for so long that you miss things that are glaringly obvious to other people.

• Dedicate Weekly Time: Allocate specific hours each week for consistent video editing practice. • Work on Personal Projects: Experiment with different styles and techniques on personal projects. • Enhance Intuition: Regular practice makes the editing process more intuitive and efficient. • Stay Current: Keep up with the latest editing trends and tools through continuous practice. • Improve Speed: Frequent editing hones your speed and proficiency. • Build Confidence: Gain confidence to tackle more challenging projects through regular practice.

"Practice makes perfect." There are no two ways about it. The more time you spend on trying to edit videos - the faster, better, and more efficient you get. Try creating "mock projects" or "mock videos". Don't experiment with work that paying clients want. When you are commissioned to do a job - try to make sure you've practiced enough to hone your skills on a mock project, Keep trying, and watch more YT videos, tutorials, and e-learning content to get better at skills you lack. It's all about repetition.