Video Editing Skills: What You Need to Know (2024)

Do you know what unites YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok? The answer is simple – cool videos that glue people to the screens of their smartphone, tablet or laptop. It is now possible to find videos on almost any topic – from how to tie your shoelaces in a creative way, to how to launch a rocket.

Moreover, modern marketing campaigns for any product usually involve video creation. Video creation is a captivating but, at the same time, complicated process that requires numerous skills, knowledge, and experience.

A video editor is responsible for the production and/or post-production changes to a video. The video editor plays an important role in determining how the final image will look, even though they probably have not been involved in shooting the video footage.

No wonder then that to specialize in video production and produce really cool content and films, it’s of prime importance to develop a range of both soft and hard skills.

The Major Tasks of a Video Editor

Before describing essential skills, it’s a good idea to understand what exactly a video editor does. There is one crucial aspect to be highlighted about this job. Much of the success or failure of production lies in the hands of a video editor. Even if a camera operator provides A-rated video materials, without proper editing, it’s impossible to create a good product. In fact, 96% of marketers state that video is an “important part” of their marketing strategy, underscoring the significance of the video editor's role in crafting engaging and impactful content.

A video editor is responsible for numerous tasks. It’s a mistake to think that an expert editor only organizes the scenes in the right order and adds background animation, subtitles, or audio tracks. It’s important to follow the script, screenplay, or outline. It’s also necessary to collaborate with the director and other members of the team to support the integrity of the product and avoid mistakes. Moreover, video editors are able to decide which angles and points of view best able to illustrate every scene.

The Top 10 Skills a Video Editor Should Posses

Being a video editor is a rather challenging task. It is vital to understand how to trim the video clips, crop the frame size, apply special effects, add watermarks, and embed subtitles. It’s also necessary to be aware of the context, be able to find a common language with a wide range of people, and be ready to work under pressure.

No wonder there are lots of skills an individual should possess to be a successful video editor. The following list encompasses ten major skills that are a must:

1. Familiarity with editing software
2. SEO marketing
3. Learning skills
4. Attention to detail
5. Communication
6. Flexibility
7. Adaptability
8. Problem-solving
9. Multi-tasking
10. Management

This list combines both soft and hard skills and, if you wish to be a successful video editor, you should seek to improve and enhance each of these. This may take some time and effort, but we offer the following tips to help you to succeed in this task.

Soft Skills Enhancement: Useful Tips

Let’s clarify what the term ‘soft skills’ actually means. Soft skills go beyond technical, measurable abilities and include the interpersonal or social skills that you can transfer from one job or area of your life to another. There is lots of research that proves that the greater part of job success comes from having well-developed soft skills.

There are several steps anyone can take to sharpen their soft skills. The most effective of them are the following:

• Define the target goal.

  Try taking our Interpersonal Skills Self-Assessment to understand how well developed your interpersonal skills are and identify areas that you can practice and improve. However it’s difficult to do tackle several areas of self-improvement at the same time, so it’s a good idea to focus on just a few areas. Pick one or two of the most crucial soft skills to work on at a time as, if you aim to cover them all in one go, you are likely to fail.

• Leave your comfort zone.

  For most people, it’s easier and more convenient to stay within their comfort zone and avoid any challenges. Yet, it is only when you step outside of this zone that you are able to develop extra skills and find the ability and desire to do what you have never done before.

• Get feedback.

  It is a good idea to know what people think about your progress in developing soft skills. You can gather feedback and ask for pointers when you think you need another opinion.

Although it’s better to improve your soft skills in practice, there are some awesome extra courses you may find on Coursera, for instance. The platform gathers and accumulates lots of useful training activities that allow people to enhance their soft skills. There are solutions for both individual and business learners. Another excellent platform that is able to advance the career is edX. It offers 3000+ courses that are able to meet the needs of anyone.

Effective Ways to Sharpen Hard Skills

A video editor is one of the jobs where hard skills are extremely important. People can read hundreds of manuals and complete dozens of courses, but they still may not be able to edit videos. Technical skills connote mastery and expertise within the specialist to perform effective video editing to complete a job.

These days it’s possible to find lots of useful manuals and guidelines on the Internet. Yet, how can you choose the most effective and reliable ones? When it comes to video editing, it’s necessary to establish what platform you are going to work with as video editing software for Windows differs from that for Mac. It’s not obligatory to use extra expensive sets of video editing tools. There is video editing software for Mac that is able to meet the needs and expectations of both newbies and pros. The assortment of available tools for both Mac and Windows users is so huge that everyone is able to find the most appropriate variants.

Then, it’s high time to master the skills of working with such tools. It’s good if a beginner video editor has an experienced mentor who is able to explain how to work with the software. But even if there is no such mentor, it’s not the reason to give up. Thanks to such platforms as Udemy or Skillshare, users are able to boost their editing skills online. The services are simple and provide clear and useful information.

Conclusion

To sum up, there are lots of available resources for both professional and individual development. It’s a good idea not to miss the chances to grab extra information and become a super-efficient professional. Moreover, the greater part of these resources is online – you do not even need to leave your house to enhance your skills.