With the current digital culture and social media presence, learning to edit videos is a fantastic skill to have.
Whether you are getting into it as a hobby, such as starting a simple YouTube channel or as a career, you may be wondering what you need and how to get started.
So, How Can You Get into Video Editing as A Hobby?
The best advice on how to get into video editing as a hobby is just to get started. Begin to produce video content, upload it in a free video editor, and edit right away. At this stage, you will be learning video editing skills.
Over time, these skills will translate into higher-quality videos with time. By now, you probably have a general idea of the type of video you want to capture and edit through all the YouTube and Facebook videos you have watched. Use your creative mind to edit and create these kinds of videos. If you get stuck, YouTube provides a convenient resource to help you out.
Obviously, this is easier said than done. Read on for more tips on getting into video editing as a hobby.
Things To Consider Before Starting Video Editing
Video editing is a relatively wide concept, and it is important to establish the type of videos you will be editing.
If you seek to edit videos of your tour or just do it as a hobby, you won’t need to get the top high-quality video editing software.
Because your video will probably be a straightforward edit, it will most likely be not so demanding on your laptop or computer.
You can hence get away with not having a powerful computer setup.
However, if you are getting into professional video editing, you will need to be more systematic in your approach. Let’s look at several considerations for getting into video editing as a hobby.
1. The Type Of Videos You Will Be Creating
If you want different videos shot in several locations, you will need to take a seat and plan the pre-production segment.
Make an outline of the video footage you will require to shoot and the filming location.
One of the video shooting tips to consider is keeping the camera rolling for longer than you think.
Having surplus footage is always better than finding out you don’t have sufficient footage when editing the video.
2. The Features You Need From Your Video Editing Software
You probably seek simple video editing features from the software for a simple drag and drop option for video editing as a hobby. In this case, you can consider free software options such as iMovie.
However, if you want to be a professional video editor, you should go for more premium options such as Adobe Premiere Pro (for windows) or Final Cut Pro (for macOS).
3. Design An Organized System
Professional video editors recommend having a decent ‘Filing system’ for your video editing process.
Organize your video editing process in folders.
Create a folder for video footage that you will use for upcoming video edit, a folder for your archived video edits, and another for video footage you don’t want to use for the specific edit.
Thanks to your organized system, you will easily upload various files during the editing process.
4. Ensure Your System Can Conveniently Handle The Workload
The workload depends on the type of video editing you have in your mind.
First, you should establish the video effects you feel are right and determine if your laptop or computer can handle your video edit workload.
When you begin exploring different video editing software, you will see that video editing occurs in layers.
Every effect you add to your video needs more performance from your laptop or computer.
When deciding the best hardware for video editing between Mac or Windows, both can work just fine.
5. Software Is Everything
Software may seem obvious, but the most important aspect of video editing is the ability to edit the videos to the level you desire.
Select a video editing software that is easy to learn, compatible with your computer and camera, and is within your budget.
For beginners, the market can be overwhelming, and you don’t want to waste your cash on a complex and costly program if you are not 100% committed to doing video editing or just doing it as a hobby.
Fortunately, there are lots of cheaper decent quality and simple editing software.
We recommend starting with the best free versions and upgrading to a premium version if you require a program with more features.
Some of the best beginner software to get into video editing as a hobby include:
Adobe Premiere Elements
You have probably come across Adobe Premiere Pro but not Adobe Premiere Elements.
Generally, Adobe Premiere Elements is a lower version of Adobe Premiere Pro and easier to use, which is why it’s seen as one of the best software for beginners.
The software is compatible with macOS, PC, and Windows, so you can use it with any system you own currently.
Adobe Premiere Elements has a 30-day free trial which allows you to learn and understand it before subscribing to a premium version.
Although it’s a simple video editing software, there is an available professional version.
Therefore, you can use Adobe Premiere Elements as a learning platform and upgrade later.
Adobe Premiere Pro
After gaining skills on Adobe Premiere Elements, you can upgrade to Adobe Premiere Pro.
This is one of the top editing software available with many features to make high-quality and professional videos.
While the app has a large learning curve, your ability to produce high-quality video is a lot higher.
iMovie
If you own a Mac device, you can try out iMovie, free editing software that comes with it.
While the software is simple, it has all the basic video editing features.
If you are just testing out the waters of video editing as a hobby, this software is great to use. iMovie is also available on iPhone to use a mobile or computer format.
Other software options
There are many software choices available, and the decision is ultimately yours to make based on your budget, skills level, and preference.
Other video editing software to check out include;
- DaVinci Resolve
- Vegas Pro
- LumaFusion (iPad / iPhone)
- Final Cut Pro X (macOS)
6. Laptop or Computer Setup
Similar to software, having a laptop or computer that can handle long editing hours is of great significance to video editing.
If your computer has no performance to handle the editing software and process, it won’t matter how good the editor is.
For maximum performance, the CPU should have a minimum of 4 cores, and 8GB RAM, a high-quality Graphics card, and high storage.
There is no competition between the two hardware.
It is you to decide the editing software you want to use and the option that works perfectly for you.
Bottom Line
Whether you are getting into video editing as a hobby on a beginner level or you hope to become a professional video editor, we hope these tips on how you can get into video editing are useful.
You don’t need to have the best laptop/computer or expensive software to create incredible videos.
You just need to get started with what you have.
Your fifteenth video will be better than the first video.
Happy video editing!
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References
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