The Secrets of Professional Video Editing

Professional video editing can make the difference between a cheesy home movie and an emotional family film. But what exactly is professional video editing?

Professional video editing is hard to define because usually, it's something that you hardly notice. It's only when things go bad that you'll notice a lack of professional video editing. Of course, you don't need to hire a professional video production company to get professional video editing. Instead, you just need to follow this guide.

Before we delve a little bit deeper, let's look at some basic ideas:

• Learn the basics. There are some simple rules of video editing that you should learn and follow (and even break sometimes).
• Easy on the effects. iMovie and Movie Maker each offer an array of special effects and transitions. You should avoid most of these if you want a professional video editing look.
• Start with good video footage. Professional video editing is easy if you have good footage, to begin with. Good audio recording also makes a big difference in professional video editing.​
• Practice, practice, practice. Whether you're using a simple, free program like iMovie or Movie Maker, or a complex program like Final Cut or Adobe Premiere, you need practice with your editing system. Professional video editing requires you to take the time to learn the ins and outs of your editing software so that you can make the most of it.

Much of this will sound like common sense, and it is, for the most part. There are many ways to learn, master and then pass on video editing knowledge, but the most important secret is this: your editing rules are the most important. Check out the rules of video editing, learn the Rule of Thirds, check out what shooting at Golden Hour or Magic Hour looks like, and then decide for yourself what the best option is for your shoot.

Want to shoot at high noon? Let 'er rip. The sun might play havoc with shadows on your subject, but there's nothing wrong with choosing to shoot at that time.

Learn about FCPX from Stefanie Mullen, or Final Cut Stef, as she's known online. While much of the production world balked at Apple's revision to their beloved Final Cut 7, Stefanie embraced the new platform and put her teaching background to use in educating those looking to make the switch to this extremely powerful and unique editing platform.

Learn how to make your own movies with Ryan Connolly's Film Riot channel on YouTube. Ryan uses comedy and common sense to help teach budding Spielbergs the way and the truth when it comes to visual effects, editing and more.

There are so many other sites out there with information that we could refer to as the secrets of professional editing, but these are a few highlights. Get online and get looking for the best the world of editing has to offer. There are plenty of options out there, and your only limitation is your imagination.