1 1 00:00:00,189 --> 00:00:03,250 (upbeat music) 2 2 00:00:03,250 --> 00:00:06,780 Here are my three most favorite tips. 3 3 00:00:06,780 --> 00:00:10,980 Tip number one, cut, cut, cut. 4 4 00:00:10,980 --> 00:00:14,850 The number one rule of editing is a quote that I love, 5 5 00:00:14,850 --> 00:00:17,617 and I forget who said it but, 6 6 00:00:17,617 --> 00:00:22,080 "good editing is not asking yourself 'what can be added', 7 7 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:24,760 but 'what can be removed'". 8 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,980 So that's something easy to remember, 9 9 00:00:26,980 --> 00:00:29,530 and it's going to help you, guarantee it. 10 10 00:00:29,530 --> 00:00:32,780 Now, this doesn't mean you can't add things to your videos 11 11 00:00:32,780 --> 00:00:36,240 in post production, because obviously that can do wonders 12 12 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,300 for your video quality as well. 13 13 00:00:38,300 --> 00:00:41,650 But your very first, and most important job 14 14 00:00:41,650 --> 00:00:43,960 is cut, cut, cut. 15 15 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,179 Don't get too emotionally attached to your footage. 16 16 00:00:47,179 --> 00:00:50,120 Just because you said it, just because you shot it, 17 17 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,930 it doesn't mean it should be a part of your video. 18 18 00:00:52,930 --> 00:00:57,540 And I think this an issue for YouTubers especially, okay. 19 19 00:00:57,540 --> 00:01:01,149 Because almost all YouTubers edit their own videos, 20 20 00:01:01,149 --> 00:01:02,920 at least at the beginning. 21 21 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,260 So they are a little bit too involved in a way, 22 22 00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:11,200 so try to remove yourself from your project 23 23 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:12,130 when you're editing. 24 24 00:01:12,130 --> 00:01:15,280 And watch your footage as if you're a stranger, 25 25 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,280 you should not be caring how long it took to get that shot, 26 26 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:22,520 or about the funny inside joke 27 27 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:25,277 that only you and three other people get. 28 28 00:01:25,277 --> 00:01:27,980 If you want to have a big channel, 29 29 00:01:27,980 --> 00:01:30,760 then it's 100% about the end product 30 30 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,290 and entertaining people who don't even know you. 31 31 00:01:34,290 --> 00:01:37,610 Remember that, and don't waste the viewer's time. 32 32 00:01:37,610 --> 00:01:40,021 So if you have footage of yourself talking, 33 33 00:01:40,021 --> 00:01:44,710 and want to show some other footage to demonstrate or show 34 34 00:01:44,710 --> 00:01:47,715 what you're talking about, then ask yourself 35 35 00:01:47,715 --> 00:01:51,320 if it's possible to overlap the clips 36 36 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,880 so that the audio from the first clip is heard 37 37 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,540 while we watch the video of the demonstration. 38 38 00:01:58,540 --> 00:02:01,610 If that works, then do that, 39 39 00:02:01,610 --> 00:02:04,263 don't make me watch your clip for 20 seconds 40 40 00:02:04,263 --> 00:02:08,483 when you could've done the same thing in 10 seconds. 41 41 00:02:09,430 --> 00:02:11,797 This is the difference between a good video, 42 42 00:02:11,797 --> 00:02:13,650 and a bad video. 43 43 00:02:13,650 --> 00:02:16,250 Watch time is important on YouTube, 44 44 00:02:16,250 --> 00:02:18,570 so we want that longer content. 45 45 00:02:18,570 --> 00:02:22,140 But this is not the way to increase watch time, 46 46 00:02:22,140 --> 00:02:25,563 you need to keep it tight, okay, so they say. 47 47 00:02:26,450 --> 00:02:29,010 My second favorite tip for editing, 48 48 00:02:29,010 --> 00:02:31,260 it's the four second rule. 49 49 00:02:31,260 --> 00:02:34,368 Now, this is not a rule that is set in stone. 50 50 00:02:34,368 --> 00:02:37,458 But go ahead and check out every YouTuber 51 51 00:02:37,458 --> 00:02:39,000 that's on the rise. 52 52 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:44,000 Most of them have some sort of cut, or change of scenes, 53 53 00:02:45,740 --> 00:02:48,540 or put some text or image on the screen, 54 54 00:02:48,540 --> 00:02:52,086 or add an audio effect, or something happens, 55 55 00:02:52,086 --> 00:02:54,978 every four seconds. 56 56 00:02:54,978 --> 00:02:58,480 This may not be essential for all audiences, 57 57 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,978 but younger audiences in particular definitely have 58 58 00:03:01,978 --> 00:03:04,510 a shorter attention span. 59 59 00:03:04,510 --> 00:03:07,420 So this technique works really well. 60 60 00:03:07,420 --> 00:03:10,580 It helps to have some variety in terms of 61 61 00:03:10,580 --> 00:03:12,900 background and location. 62 62 00:03:12,900 --> 00:03:16,130 But even if you're just sitting in one place during a video, 63 63 00:03:16,130 --> 00:03:18,270 you can still have some inserts 64 64 00:03:18,270 --> 00:03:20,882 where you show an image on the screen. 65 65 00:03:20,882 --> 00:03:25,882 Jumpcuts, where you remove unnecessary parts of your speech. 66 66 00:03:25,920 --> 00:03:30,100 You know, like, "um, ah, ah", and then you talk again. 67 67 00:03:30,100 --> 00:03:32,313 Yeah, "um, ah," cut. 68 68 00:03:33,340 --> 00:03:36,940 You can zoom in, and zoom out, 69 69 00:03:36,940 --> 00:03:39,580 and that could be something you add. 70 70 00:03:39,580 --> 00:03:42,712 You can add text on the screen, sound effects, 71 71 00:03:42,712 --> 00:03:44,610 any video effects really. 72 72 00:03:44,610 --> 00:03:47,580 Like you could make a short part black and white, 73 73 00:03:47,580 --> 00:03:49,290 and then go back to color. 74 74 00:03:49,290 --> 00:03:52,730 You could take a freeze-frame, or screenshot of your video 75 75 00:03:52,730 --> 00:03:54,890 to make it look like your video is paused, 76 76 00:03:54,890 --> 00:03:58,780 and do a voiceover, or funny narration over it. 77 77 00:03:58,780 --> 00:04:01,420 There are a number of creative things you can do. 78 78 00:04:01,420 --> 00:04:03,430 It's easy to go overboard here, 79 79 00:04:03,430 --> 00:04:07,950 so just remember not all audiences 80 80 00:04:07,950 --> 00:04:11,550 need this much stuff going on in the video. 81 81 00:04:11,550 --> 00:04:14,520 So depending on how your audience reacts, 82 82 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,775 you could do a little less, or maybe not at all. 83 83 00:04:18,775 --> 00:04:21,890 I personally keep this rule in mind, 84 84 00:04:21,890 --> 00:04:24,700 and I try to incorporate it into my videos 85 85 00:04:24,700 --> 00:04:29,247 without being too obvious, and without going too overboard. 86 86 00:04:29,247 --> 00:04:32,220 And I'm not strict about the four seconds, 87 87 00:04:32,220 --> 00:04:34,530 so in the middle of my video, 88 88 00:04:34,530 --> 00:04:38,700 I might go 20 seconds without a cut, or a change of scene. 89 89 00:04:38,700 --> 00:04:42,010 But I still think it's one of the best pieces of advice 90 90 00:04:42,010 --> 00:04:45,313 for YouTube editing, especially for beginners. 91 91 00:04:46,750 --> 00:04:51,480 Tip number three, don't overuse transitions. 92 92 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,870 Something I notice with new video editors 93 93 00:04:54,870 --> 00:04:58,370 is they get a beginners editing software, 94 94 00:04:58,370 --> 00:05:02,990 and make sure they use every single transition available. 95 95 00:05:02,990 --> 00:05:07,760 So transitions between clips, in my opinion, 96 96 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:09,890 should be kept simple. 97 97 00:05:09,890 --> 00:05:13,440 In general, you don't want people to be able to tell 98 98 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,840 that you edit with iMovie or whatever it is. 99 99 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:20,810 Most of the time, people don't need a transition at all. 100 100 00:05:20,810 --> 00:05:24,900 And if you do need one, then don't feel you need to use 101 101 00:05:24,900 --> 00:05:26,694 a different one every time. 102 102 00:05:26,694 --> 00:05:30,650 You want your transitions to be appropriate and seamless, 103 103 00:05:30,650 --> 00:05:33,100 and not distracting. 104 104 00:05:33,100 --> 00:05:37,360 So, I can't see any reason why a professional YouTuber 105 105 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:41,910 should be using a transition where the end of their clip 106 106 00:05:41,910 --> 00:05:45,973 turns into a flying Frisbee and spins off the screen. 107 107 00:05:46,860 --> 00:05:48,440 You know? 108 108 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:50,810 Because if you want to succeed on YouTube, 109 109 00:05:50,810 --> 00:05:52,880 you don't want to be editing videos 110 110 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,126 like a dad editing his Handycam footage 111 111 00:05:56,126 --> 00:05:59,763 of the family vacation up in Maine last summer. 112 112 00:06:01,170 --> 00:06:03,620 That's the vibe that I get from some of these 113 113 00:06:03,620 --> 00:06:05,860 crazy, over-the-top transitions. 114 114 00:06:05,860 --> 00:06:08,270 Because we love you, but we don't love you 115 115 00:06:08,270 --> 00:06:11,883 as much as your family, so don't expect us to watch that.