Editing Videos: 6 Rookie Mistakes That You Really Want to Avoid

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When you’re editing videos for marketing or other purposes, you’re likely focused on making sure that everything turns out perfectly. Unfortunately, it’s easy to make mistakes. If you don’t know what to watch for, your editing actually could end up making your video worse.

While there are many mistakes that you could make when you’re editing videos, there are a few in particular that are extremely important to avoid.

 

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Using Jump Cuts Carelessly

Jump cuts are a jarring type of cut. What’s more, they can be distracting to viewers. In a jump cut you transition from a point in a clip to a point later in the same clip. This can cause the subject and other elements to suddenly appear to “jump” to different locations or positions.

Because of how jarring they can be, you should not use jump cuts carelessly. In fact, you should try to use jump cuts only when there is a specific reason for using them. For instance, you might use one to visually illustrate the passing of time.

 

Accidentally Slipping the Audio out of Sync

Have you ever watched a video where the audio is running a fraction of a second later or earlier than it should? It can be a disconcerting experience to say the least. This is one mistake that you should try to avoid when you’re editing videos.

Unfortunately, however, this is one of the more common mistakes of editing videos. Moreover, when you’re managing multiple audio and video tracks it is easy to accidentally move the audio slightly out of sync and not notice. The best way to avoid this is to check your audio periodically and make sure it is synchronized.

 

Not Catching Flash Frames

When you’re trying to quickly cut together a video, you might accidentally split a video a frame too late. This will result in what’s called a “flash frame.” Essentially, what this looks like for viewers is that one or more additional frames will flash into being for a split second in the final video. This can be disconcerting for viewers.

To ensure that no flash frames end up in your final video, zoom in on the timeline and carefully scrutinize the area around each cut. That way you should be able to detect a stray frame or two that might have made their way in. And when you find them, you can remove them.

 

Using Video Clips with Different Color Balances

If you’re using video footage that was shot on different cameras or at different times of the day in different lighting conditions, the color balance can vary between each clip. Then, when you combine the clips, the transition between them will be jarring.

Arguably, this is a relatively easy mistake to fix when you’re editing videos. Just make sure that you white balance all of the video clips that you want to use in your video before combining them. Afterward, you can opt to color grade the video evenly if you see fit. This will give your video a more professional appearance, as it will maintain a consistent look throughout.

 

Mixing Dialogue and Music Carelessly

Adding background music to a video is a great way to enhance its mood and pacing. However, if you’re mixing in background music to a video that has an existing audio track, especially dialogue, you need to do this carefully.

Notably, the music should not overpower the dialogue track. This is one of the more important mistakes that you need to check for when you’re editing videos. If you discover that the music is too loud, then lower the music levels appropriately during the dialogue.

 

Applying Too Many Visual Effects

Beginners often make the mistake of using too many visual effects when they’re editing videos.

While video effects can be fun to play with, more often than not they can leave your video looking like a real mess. That’s because too many effects will end up distracting viewers from the actual content.

As a rule, you should only use effects when you have a good reason to include them. That applies to all types of effects, including animated transitions, filters, slow-motion, and so on.

Nowadays there are lots of video editors that make it easier than ever before for beginners to get started with editing their videos. For example, you could try Movavi Video Editor or GoPro editing for beginners.

As a small business owner, naturally you want to learn how to do most of your marketing yourself, including editing videos for this purpose. However, to produce the most professional-looking videos, keep in mind the mistakes listed here, and make sure you don’t fall victim to any of them.

 

Editing Videos Is a Skill You Can Perfect with Practice

Even more experienced editors make mistakes when editing videos, including the mistakes described in this post. However, since you now know how to avoid them, it is important that you make it a point not to be careless when you’re editing videos. Instead, and go over each one with a fine-tooth comb when you’re finished. In this way, you can spot any mistakes before finalizing your alterations.

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