How to start practice editing video?

[ScarLet7]

I'm still newbie in editing video, and i already watched some video tutorials about the basic, but i want to learn to make video became interesting. so ,i don't where i have to start. So any idea guys

[johnmeyer]

It depends on what you are wanting to do. Simple "cuts-only" editing, where you want to simply remove parts you don't want, or re-arrange scenes, you may get what you want with VirtualDub.

If, however, you want a full-fledged NLE (Non-Linear Editor), then you should download and try the free trials that most companies provide. Pinnacle Studio and Magix Vegas (the low-end version) are good places to start. I've always thought that Pinnacle Studio was the easiest-to-learn editing program, but that is very much a personal preference, and you might not agree.

[ScarLet7]

It depends on what you are wanting to do. Simple "cuts-only" editing, where you want to simply remove parts you don't want, or re-arrange scenes, you may get what you want with VirtualDub.

If, however, you want a full-fledged NLE (Non-Linear Editor), then you should download and try the free trials that most companies provide. Pinnacle Studio and Magix Vegas (the low-end version) are good places to start. I've always thought that Pinnacle Studio was the easiest-to-learn editing program, but that is very much a personal preference, and you might not agree.

Can you choose which better software editing between adobe premiere and Sony Vegas. Also the Advantage and Disadvantage of both of them

[johnmeyer]

Can you choose which better software editing between adobe premiere and Sony Vegas. Also the Advantage and Disadvantage of both of them

You will find hundreds of comparisons if you just use Google. The comparisons you find using Google will be far more complete than what anyone can take the time to type out here in this forum.

I have found that Google is a really good tool for answering questions, and I don't have to wait more than 1-2 seconds to get my answers:

sony vegas compared Adobe premiere

[pepegot1]

Try Videostudio Pro X10 Ultimate. It's easy to use and powerful, not a large learning curve like Vegas. Also, a good forum to help you out at:.
http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewforum.php?f=1

[smrpix]

The biggest differences are user preference, not capability. Which feels more comfortable to use? Try them.

[Cornucopia]

Since they're non-destructive, no need to "practice", just get started doing it. What have you got to worry about?

Scott

[SameSelf]

I'm still newbie in editing video, and i already watched some video tutorials about the basic, but i want to learn to make video became interesting. so ,i don't where i have to start. So any idea guys

First of all, welcome to the forum. Second, this is a highly technical place (e.g. if you are having problems with software or video) and not the best place for advice on content creation. However, I will offer my two cents.

Video editing is not about the learning curve involved in using an NLE like Vegas or Premiere but rather about your artistic vision. If you are a professional editor who spends 12+ hours everyday cutting and editing, then your job performance can entirely depend on which NLE you use. Otherwise, all the best directors have a vision of what they want a shot to look like long before the footage ever makes it the hands of the editor. Assuming that you are working with your own video, it is better to think of yourself as the director, not an editor. Instead of watching tutorials (because cutting and editing is really quite simple in any capable NLE) spend time critically watching your favorite shows/films. Pay attention to cuts/transitions. Notice how shots are framed, zooms, pans, etc. Modern NLEs give you the ability to do just about anything these days. However, it takes time to develop taste, and that is exactly what you need if you are going to make your video interesting.

Happy directing!

[lomitus]

Well this is just my own $.02 worth as a novice myself, but in the short-short version, the best way to learn ANYTHING is simply by doing it! As a favorite Sci-Fi character of mine once said, "We learn by doing".

Now obviously, you need a few things to get started...software, some video footage, yadda, yadda, yadda. On the software end, as others have already said, what you use is mostly a matter of personal preference. I grew up with Adobe Photoshop, so learning/using Premiere felt pretty natural to me. If you have ANY Photoshop experience, I would suggest Premiere as a great place to start...while the interface is different, the "concepts" (such as layers, levels, color correction, etc..) are essentially the same. In my mind, it really is "Photoshop for video". Personally I've tried Vegas and didn't care for it (I liked the old Sound Forge software for audio editing, but I feel Sony REALLY screwed things up) and like most things mac related, I found Final Cut Pro to be incredibly annoying. That said, there's certainly other options out there...Movie Edit, Virtual Dub, etc.. I think at one point MicroSoft even offered some kind of basic video editing software with one of the versions of Windows (although I forget which).

Second, as someone else already alluded too, it helps if you have a "vision" of what you want to do. Before you even sit down at the computer, SEE IT IN YOUR HEAD! One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they start off with no direction in mind at all....they want to do SOMETHING creative, but don't really know what. A lot of newbie photographers make this exact same mistake...they get a new camera and want to shoot "something", but because they don't know where they're going with it, they usually end up frustrated with the results. In this case, I might suggest you do a little "story boarding". In this case you don't really need to be an artist or anything...scribbles and stick figures work really well when you're first starting out, but this gives you an idea of how and where to start, what kind of "flow" your looking for (especially if you work is intended to "tell a story") and where you're going with with your project. Perhaps think of it in terms of a "photo essay"...they say a picture can say a thousand words, but several pictures strung together can tell a story. Let's say you want a video of your kids playing. You could just shoot some video of your kids playing on the swing set...and you'll probably end up with some fairly cheesy "home movies" like Grandpa used to show on his old 8mm video projector! LOL!!! If you think a little beyond that however, you can "create" a fuller story...you can start such a project by showing the kids getting dressed and their excitement at going to the park, perhaps include a couple of snippets of the trip to the park and arriving at the park, THEN show the kids on the swings having fun. To finish off the video, you can show a little of the trip home...that stop at the ice cream shop and such, then end it with the kids content, peaceful and sound asleep after a fun day at the park. Hopefully you get the idea there...again think about what you want to do FIRST.

Now obviously not all video needs a "story" per say...music videos for example, don't really tell much of a story beyond the song itself. Even here though, your approach will depend on your own artistic vision and goals. For example, I happen to be a musician and have done a couple of videos of one band I was in. For the one video, I had 3 cameras setup on the floor...2 on the sides and one pretty much dead center...and I was able to use the footage from all 3 cameras to"cut" back and forth and make the video more interesting than it would have been with a single camera. The purpose of the video was essentially as a demo of the band and I could have done that with just one camera (and have), but the 3 camera approach made for a more entertaining video. Conversely, I'm also reminded of the video for Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More" that had a VERY "Alice in Wonderland" motif. Not sure it really had anything to do with the song per say, but it was a fun music vid to watch (not to mention a really good tune if your a Tom Petty fan, LOL). In this case, I can't say that video would really have stuck out in my mind had it of been shot like a live performance...there was a very artistic approach there that added a great deal to the music.

This is my philosophy with photography and I think it easily translates to video as well - ANYONE with a camera can take "a picture", BUT if you put a little thought into it before hand....look at your subject, think about the surrounding area, consider the lighting a bit, etc., you can quickly go from a "snap shot" (like most folks have boxes of) to something people will actually stop and look at. Again, have that vision of your final goal in mind before you really start...that alone will help you to shoot the footage you need and it will help you TREMENDOUSLY when you sit down to start editing that footage.

Once you've decided on software and have a vision in mind, the next step is go grab yourself some video! Break out your camcorder, use your ipad/tablet...however you plan to capture your video work and GO SHOOT SOMETHING! LOL!!! Don't let yourself get too wound up over the semantics and minutia of shooting, just pick a subject...the beach, your kids playing, your dog, a baseball game....whatever appeals to you, then go shoot it! Once you have the video shot (assuming you don't already), you'll import that into your software. Since you're just learning, DO back up ALL your files, both video and project files! I just can NOT say this enough....save, save, SAVE your work! There is little as disheartening as putting hours (or days or weeks or months) into a project, only to have your computer crash or something and end up loosing ALL that work...trust me here - it sucks! You're just learning and you WILL make mistakes....we ALL do...it's part of the process! Once you've got that video in your program of choice, my advice is just go at it! Poke around at things until you start to understand what the tools do. Some of it is pretty easy to understand...for example, with Premiere, if you look at the tool bar, you'll see a "Pointer" (you use that to move around the interface), a "razor" (you use that for cutting your video) and other tools and if you start thumbing thru the menus and such, you find options for video effects, transitions, color adjustments, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Now this is just my own personal opinion, but since you're just learning, I might suggest adding some music to your video as well...but do keep in mind that if you plan to post this ANYWHERE, there ARE copyright issues. If this is just something for "fun" or play back on your own computer, I wouldn't really sweat that too much, but if you post copyrighted material (including music) to Youtube, you can bet your butt someone is going to have issues...you could even get sued for infringement. Now that said, there ARE many royalty free resources out there, so again...don't get your socks in a bind over this. The singular point of this is that you want to keep it FUN! The nice thing about adding some music to your video is that it gives you a point of reference for doing those cuts and editing you want to learn. It's easy enough to just cut out the bits you don't like (like the camera going out of focus or something), but if you really want to amaze your friends, a few cuts timed to the beat of the music can make a HUGE difference.

BTW...I don't know if this really helps any, but personally I also watch A LOT of "DVD extras" and it's rather amazing how much I've learned about video work from them! LOL! For example, Michael Strazinski was speaking in a "Babylon 5" commentary about the push and zoom/focus technique he uses occasionally...something I believe he credits to the great Alfred Hitch****...a rather dramatic effect if used sparingly. This is also where I discovered the theory behind the length of cuts...I had NEVER realized or noticed this before, but if you watch tv or movies, your average cut is only between 3 and 7 seconds long. Yea, you have those exposition shots that can go up to a minute, but on average, camera cuts are in fact VERY short. You may see something like a wide shot to establish the scene, a tighter shot to establish what's going on in the scene, two characters talking to each other...maybe a close up on the one person talking, then a cut of the second person's response, then a cut back to the first person for a close up reaction shot...it's truly amazing how fast that really goes when you stop and really look at it.

Beyond that, it's all just a matter of practice, academics and experience. NO ONE learns to play a musical instrument or perform heart surgery or build skyscrapers over-night...beyond the artistic aspect of all this, video editing is a skill...just like everything else. The ONLY way to get really good at something is simply by doing it. As a musician for example, I spent years learning and practicing before I ever really joined my first band and to this day, I still may put in as much as 3 hours of practice a day if I have a really big gig coming up...and I've been playing guitar for well over 30 years now.

Alrighty, obviously there's A LOT to learn, but hopefully that, along with what others have already written (or add later) should give you a little push in the right direction! Now get to work and go have some fun!

[bendixG15]

Just "do it" (editing) and when you have a specific question, then come here and you'll get a bunch of answers (and some will be right )