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- There is no right or wrong way

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to go about editing a project.

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No one is ever going to see what happens on the timeline.

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The only thing that really matters is your final video.

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That said, there are some guidelines

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that can help you create better projects

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faster with less hassle.

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I'm going to show you my basic workflow,

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take away whatever works for you.

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For me, creating a multimedia project

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is like building a house.

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I've never actually built a house

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but I've observed the process many times.

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Every house I've seen built starts with a foundation.

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For a video project, this could be a voiceover,

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a screen capture or even a slide deck.

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For this project, my foundation is me on camera.

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I want to make sure my foundation is solid.

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I remove any excess material and smooth over any flaws.

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It doesn't need to be perfect,

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I'll still have opportunities to hide my cuts

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and patch my holes, but I want to start

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with a strong foundation to build on.

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Once that's taken care of,

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if my project is going to have a music track,

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this is usually when I add it.

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Now, really music can be added at any point in a project,

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but I find a music track helps drive the timing

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and tempo of the video.

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I like to play the music track

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along with my foundation and make adjustments to each

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so they fit together.

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For this project,

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the music didn't really add anything so I cut it.

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Next I add my supporting structure, my B-roll,

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screen captures, video clips that help tell the story,

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text and callouts, all that kind of stuff.

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I work left to right on the timeline and bottom up.

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All of my storytelling additions

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go on top of my foundation track.

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I do a lot of experimenting at this stage.

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I try it out, see if it works, improve on it

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or maybe just cut it.

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Next come my utilities, transitions, animations, behaviors,

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all that kind of stuff.

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Once again, lots of playing around and experimentation.

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I of course have my go-to moves,

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but I like to discover

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at least one new technique with every project.

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So I'm always growing and learning.

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This is also where grouping usually comes into play.

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Things can start to get a bit cluttered on the timeline

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and grouping helps to keep everything manageable

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and the project flowing.

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And finally, I finish everything off with a shiny paint job.

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Audio processing, color correction,

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maybe even some sound effects or a cool visual effect.

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All the small changes

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that add that extra bit of polish to a project.

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All of this might take an hour, or it might take a week.

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It really depends on the scope of the project, my audience,

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and of course the available time.

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Projects seem to expand to fill the available time.

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So even if I don't have a structured timeline,

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I usually give myself a deadline, lest I tweak indefinitely.

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At some point, I just have to say, "I'm done."

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And move on to the feedback stage of the project.

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This is what works for me.

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Like I said, the only thing that really matters

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is the final video, so do what works for you.