Written by Original Source | Posted in Computers and Technology

Just only a few years back, it was the geeks and nerds that were editing video. I should know, I went to film school. Back then, it wasn’t easy. You basically had a 2-3 high end VCRs sitting there in an editing bay and you wasted a lot of time rolling through video tape. Not today though. It’s a million times easier and faster than it used to be because you can edit video right on your computer.

Just like when desktop publishing came out, just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should, right? You do need to still know a few things if you want to produce high end video. Most people aren’t aiming for that though. They simply want to be able to take some video they shot and edit it to put it on YouTube. That’s just fine and you don’t know to know all the finer points of video editing since it’s just for your friends and other people to see.

So where do you start? With shooting the video.

Lighting. Make sure you have good lighting. That’s key. You want more than one light source to light up a 3 dimensional object like someone’s face. Typically, you want to go with a 3 light system. One main light to light your subject, another one that’s not as bright at about a 30% angle and then a back light, which lights the area behind your subject and gives your video some depth. Taking time to get good lighting can really make your video look good. Video with not enough lighting often looks flat and unappealing.

If you’re outside, you may need some lighting or a reflector to help you properly light your subject. The best days to shoot outside are actually overcast days because you have nice, even lighting.

Audio. Get good audio. Sound is a huge part of a good video presentation. When you watch a video without sound, it’s just missing a lot. Sometimes the microphone built into the camera is good but what’s best is to get a handheld microphone that has a cardiod pick up pattern. This keeps other sounds out. Another good way to get good sound for your video is with a lavalier microphone, which is the kind you can clamp onto someone’s shirt. Just keep in mind that you will only be able to hear that person.

Editing. When you edit, you need a few things. First, you need a good computer with good video editing software. The free software (video editing freeware) you can find just often won’t do it. If you use a Mac, then some good video editing software comes with it already – iMovie and iVideo. On the upper end of things is Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Studio. Basically, you’re going to get what you pay for. I’ve used Vegas Video in the past and it works very well.

Find out even more about video editing software with this free guide.

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