Summary: If you are new to the video post-production process and want to polish your video editing skills, learn some common mistakes to avoid that many beginners make in video editing. Also, get the video editing tips to make your video project smooth and error-free.
Especially if you are a beginner, remember only having an advanced video editing tool is not enough. Post-production process should be the perfect mix of technical and creative aspects.
Here we bring 9 common post-production editing mistakes, which you should avoid to make the best videos.
Mistake 1: Not organizing your files before editing
Not organizing your files before post-production video editing can lead to mistakes and delay your work. Structure your media files properly to avoid chaos during the process.
Keep all the clips in one folder on your system. Rename the clips using sequence and scene names to make them easy to find during editing.
Work on a copy of the original files. Save the draft versions of editing work. This is helpful in case a file gets accidentally deleted or corrupt. You can always use the previous version, and with little change, you are good to go.
Add notes in the metadata of the clips, which will help you to find specific shots.
Post-production Tip: If you have accidentally deleted any video or audio clip during video post-production, install Stellar Photo Recovery on your Mac or Windows PC. The software can quickly recover the deleted or lost media files of any audio or video format.
Mistake 2: Unseemly video pacing
Pacing is a crucial aspect of post-production editing to get your audience hooked to the video. A good editor ensures the video, movie, or documentary is neither too fast nor too slow. Perfect pacing makes the video flow seamless without boring the audience.
In simple terms, pacing determines how long a visual in a shot is held on a screen. This depends on various factors such as the genre of the video, the emotion expressed in the scene, wide shot, close up, long angle, and so on.
Close-ups are held for a short time than a wide shot that contains more information. Fast cut pace determines excitement or speed, like in action sequences or upbeat music video.
Similarly, rushing through an educational documentary may not meet the viewer?s objective. A slow comedy or action drama will bore your audience. Make sure the shot length and transition is such that the audience understands the scene before the next shot.
Mistake 3: Tempted to include shots not required
Video or movie making is a creative task. During production, you might have spent time and effort to capture a scene, which turned out beautiful and maybe your favorite shot.
However, during post-production, you may find that the shot may not sync or gel with the scene or storytelling. Think with the target viewer?s point of view. Do not tempt to keep the shots that may jeopardize the flow of your documentary, movie, or a video clip.
Mistake 4: Misplaced or too many Jump Cuts
Jump cuts are used to show time forward in a video. They help to forward the otherwise slow visuals and eliminate the pauses. But an amateurish and illogical jump cut can disrupt and confuse your audience.
Although commonly used in YouTube vlogs for a quick view, you should avoid overdoing jump cuts in movies, dramas, documentaries, or interviews as it destroys the narration. Use it if you don?t have other shots to continue the narration or visual. But always make sure your jump cut doesn?t deviate from the logical progression of the story.
Mistake 5: Completely relying on an audio mixer
Sound is an important part of the post-production process. It should be well-created for the audience to immerse themselves in the video. Although professional audio mixers such as Adobe Audition, Premiere Pro CC, or Logic Pro X can manage the right audio mix, the video editors have a lot in hands to create the perfect combination of all the elements of audio in a movie.
A video project usually has 5 sound elements ? background sound, music, sound effects, dialogue, and foley. Strike the right balance so that one doesn?t supersede the other. Remove unnecessary noise that creates a distraction for the viewer.
For instance, the background music should not overpower the dialogues or the sound effects like water tipping or footsteps.
The sound in a video should enhance the visual. So spend time in audio mixing.
Mistake 6: Poor Transitions
Don?t get overwhelmed by transitions ending up messy usage. Transitions are meant to move from one shot to another, usually to combine the scenes. Different types of artistic transitions like wipe, dissolve, zoom, fade-in/out, etc., can convey a mood, time-lapse, a story viewpoint, and more.
The fundamental tip for transitions in video editing is choosing the right transition that serves the storyline. For example, fading to black usually indicates time flying, whereas fading to white suggests hope, death, or peace.
Plus, don?t use multiple types of transitions in a single movie, and also less is better.
Mistake 7: Out-of-sync audio
Audio lag, lip sync error, or a badly dubbed movie are some of the worst editing mistakes. Such out-of-sync audio and videos can easily put off the viewer.
Be careful when working with different frame rates and audio sample rates. Locate the point in the timeline where the audio lag begins, split the clip, and adjust each frame to sync the audio.
You can use a plugin like Plural Eyes for your video editing software. Simple tools like VLC Media Player can also sync audio in video post-production.
Mistake 8: Not keeping a video repair tool
A Video repair tool is a must-have to fix common video corruption issues. Stellar Repair for Video is one such software that repairs corruption in video frames, sound section, file header, movement of videos, and video slider. Video file corruption can occur at any stage of video production – during shooting, transfer of files, or the video post-production process.
With Stellar Repair for Video software, you can fix the flickering, missing sound, black screen, audio lag, and other issues in the video that may occur due to file corruption.
Mistake 9: Not taking a break
Video editors often sit to work for long hours on screens. This not only poses a threat to their health, but they may also tend to make some editing errors.
Besides, a fresh look, fresh mind, and a fresh viewpoint always help in creative judgment. So avoid working at a stretch on your project. This is the advice that most of the professional video editors give to avoid video editing errors.
Conclusion
There?s no fixed rule of video editing as it is an acquired skill that is developed with practice and experience. Nonetheless, the post-production process requires both technical and creative knowhow. To begin with, avoid these common video post-production mistakes that can harm your storytelling process.
