How to Edit a Video From Scratch
1. Getting Started
So you've captured some footage but need to figure out how to get it from your camera to the world? Welcome to your video editing crash course!
In this 5 part series, I'll walk you through how to organize your video and audio files, setting up your first project inside of Adobe Premiere Pro, editing basics and more. By the end of this series, you will have completely edited your own video, exported a final cut, and published it, leaving a lasting impact on viewers to come.
Today is all about getting started as we upload our footage and audio into our computer, organize our folders, and start our project inside of Premiere Pro.
No need for the camera today. Let's jump to the computer and get clicking!
2. Navigating Premiere Pro
Before we can begin the editing process, we need to figure out where everything is!
Here in step 2 of our editing series, I'm going to walk you through all the ins and outs so that you can expertly navigate Adobe Premiere Pro. We'll get a basic understanding of your editing window, and then I'll take you through the 4 workspaces that I use most often.
Beyond that, I'll share some of my favorite keyboard shortcuts as well as important menu items so you can begin operating Premiere like a pro.
If you can, I suggest following along to start locking everything to your memory. We've got a lot to cover here so buckle up!
3. Editing Basics
Now that we've taken the time to get familiar with Premiere Pro, it is finally time to experience the magic of video editing!
This step in our series is all about editing basics, and it's where you'll get to see your video come to life! That's right, not only are we going to synchronize and clean up our audio, but we'll make some basic color adjustments, cut up our footage, and even add in few extras.
By the end of our time together today, you will have a complete video from start to finish that, in theory, can be exported and published at any time, and don't worry, I'll keep it simple so you can follow along.
Grab your computer and launch your project. It's time to put this puzzle together!
4. Sweetening
At this point, you should have a solid video that could be shipped as-is, but there are a few more things we can add to really take things to the next level!
As we approach the finish line, we enter the sweetening phase. In this step, I'll unlock a handful of simple things you can add to your video that will up the level of professionalism and tie it all together.
More specifically, I'll show you how to add a music track in your video that perfectly aligns with your footage. I'll walk you through adding text layers in the form of a lower third, and finally, a graphical element at the end with some subtle animation.
Today you will get to view your video in its final and polished form! I hope you're excited to see all of your hard work pay off, now let's launch Premiere Pro and sweeten things up!
5. Export & Upload
Friend, you have reached the last leg of our video editing journey. Your video is finished, meaning there's just one more thing to do...
In this final step, we are going to export our video to get it out of Premiere Pro and save it to our computer. From there, we'll upload it to YouTube which will provide the links needed to share this masterpiece with the world!
While there may be a lot on the screen, I'll walk you through all of the menu items and selections that actually matter, and get you posting in no time.
Somebody cue the confetti, it's time to celebrate the sweet victory of video success!
