- There is no right or wrong way
to go about editing a project.
No one is ever going to see what happens on the timeline.
The only thing that really matters is your final video.
That said, there are some guidelines
that can help you create better projects
faster with less hassle.
I'm going to show you my basic workflow,
take away whatever works for you.
For me, creating a multimedia project
is like building a house.
I've never actually built a house
but I've observed the process many times.
Every house I've seen built starts with a foundation.
For a video project, this could be a voiceover,
a screen capture or even a slide deck.
For this project, my foundation is me on camera.
I want to make sure my foundation is solid.
I remove any excess material and smooth over any flaws.
It doesn't need to be perfect,
I'll still have opportunities to hide my cuts
and patch my holes, but I want to start
with a strong foundation to build on.
Once that's taken care of,
if my project is going to have a music track,
this is usually when I add it.
Now, really music can be added at any point in a project,
but I find a music track helps drive the timing
and tempo of the video.
I like to play the music track
along with my foundation and make adjustments to each
so they fit together.
For this project,
the music didn't really add anything so I cut it.
Next I add my supporting structure, my B-roll,
screen captures, video clips that help tell the story,
text and callouts, all that kind of stuff.
I work left to right on the timeline and bottom up.
All of my storytelling additions
go on top of my foundation track.
I do a lot of experimenting at this stage.
I try it out, see if it works, improve on it
or maybe just cut it.
Next come my utilities, transitions, animations, behaviors,
all that kind of stuff.
Once again, lots of playing around and experimentation.
I of course have my go-to moves,
but I like to discover
at least one new technique with every project.
So I'm always growing and learning.
This is also where grouping usually comes into play.
Things can start to get a bit cluttered on the timeline
and grouping helps to keep everything manageable
and the project flowing.
And finally, I finish everything off with a shiny paint job.
Audio processing, color correction,
maybe even some sound effects or a cool visual effect.
All the small changes
that add that extra bit of polish to a project.
All of this might take an hour, or it might take a week.
It really depends on the scope of the project, my audience,
and of course the available time.
Projects seem to expand to fill the available time.
So even if I don't have a structured timeline,
I usually give myself a deadline, lest I tweak indefinitely.
At some point, I just have to say, "I'm done."
And move on to the feedback stage of the project.
This is what works for me.
Like I said, the only thing that really matters
is the final video, so do what works for you.