Editing can often feel like a frustrating mess. The software is open, the footage is imported, and you’ve just gotten completely lost in the process of cutting and repositioning clips, or rethinking your previous decisions, again and again. This problem is often due not to the software, but to having no actual workflow.
A defined editing process gives structure to chaos, and removes much of the confusion that can come with trying to piece a timeline together.
Get organized before you get started
This one’s a no brainer, but jumping into editing by cutting together clips is a mistake many new editors make. If you don’t have an organizational system, the results will look random, and decision making will take much longer.
Before you edit, take the time to organize your footage into basic categories like “Keep, Good Stuff, or Secondary.” This gives you a solid reference point that ensures you spend more time editing and less searching through footage.
Edit yourself a rough cut first
A rough cut isn’t about perfection; it’s about structure. In this phase, you want your clips in their most logical order without worrying about anything else. Timing, effects, and coloring aren’t needed right now.
Consider it to be the skeleton of the video. If you have the structure there, the rest is simple, because you now have a place to go with your story. If you don’t edit yourself a rough cut first, you’re bound to spend a lot of time making adjustments down the line.
Now that the rough cut is complete, you can focus on timing
In this step, you’re now going to make decisions on how you’re going to pace the final video. You have a few choices; you can extend a clip to make it feel a little longer or shorten the clip to make it feel like it goes by faster.
Timing isn’t about rules, it’s about intent. Certain clips may need extra time to breathe, whereas others need to zip by. Timing is one of the most important factors in editing, but by refining your timing once the structure is complete, your decisions now have a purpose.
Sound design doesn’t have to be the last step
Sound editing is often the last thing editors think about, but you should actually consider sound from the very start.
A simple soundtrack can do wonders for making your timing decisions, and can also set the mood for your sequence. Sound can help you discover how much you might like your clip to be extended. If a clip feels like it needs to be longer, you might be able to tell once you layer in the right ambient sound, or vice versa. You might also notice when something feels a bit “off,” or like a certain cut feels too rushed or slow. When you start thinking about sound earlier, your editing decisions are more likely to fall into place.
Wait on color and effects, they come last
This is one of the biggest mistakes editors make: spending too much time on visuals. Effects and color work are best suited for the very end of the editing process once the structure and sound are both done. If you go in with effects first, you risk building style around a bad foundation. However, when the timing and sound are done, everything can become very simple.
Final thoughts:
A good editing workflow can go far in making your editing decisions more organized than a purely disorganized mess. By following a solid system, your editing will always be faster and more precise, while leaving more time for your creativity to shine through.