Editing Video
Once you've finished recording your video and have collected all of your other media assets (videos, music, sound effects, images, animations, etc.), it's time to start the post-production process of editing your video.
In order to edit your video, you will first need to select the video editing software that works best for your project. There are dozens of video editing programs on the market, so you might want to take some time to watch tutorials for the software that's available to you (see below). Some programs are more powerful - and complex - than others, but all video editing software is organized around a timeline, which is how you order your story into a linear sequence. This timeline includes various overlapping video and audio tracks (elements) that play together when your video is being viewed. The following is an example of how you might array and overlap these elements across a timeline in your video project.
No matter what software you choose, the art of video editing takes time and practice. Typically you should start your video project with your main sequence as the "backbone" of your video and then add your other assets as appropriate. From there, start to sequence your video components to enhance elements of the narration. Play around with your components to see the effect of putting different visuals with the same audio.
This page will help you:
Editing Software
There are many different software programs available that can help you edit your video, including the Apple iMovie and Adobe Premiere Pro. These software programs are available on the computers (Macs and PCs) in the Cline Library Studios as well as online from NAU's Remote Apps.
iMovie
iMovie is a video editing software application developed by Apple and is available on all Cline Library iMacs. iMove allows you to easily upload video clips from your camera, arrange your clips using a timeline, add special effects and transitions, add titles and credits, and perform simple sound editing.
Need to learn how to use iMovie? Click the image below to view a Udemy iMovie training course (available to NAU affiliates).
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is the industry standard video editing program and is available on all Cline Library computers or through the NAU remote apps at https://apps.nau.edu/. Premiere Pro is more complicated than iMovie but has advanced features to create professional-level videos.
Need to learn how to use Premiere Pro? Click the images below to view a Udemy Premiere Pro training course (available to NAU affiliates).
Chroma Keying
Chroma keying is a video editing process more commonly known as "green screening." The term "green screen" refers to the colored background used during video recording that is later removed from the shot and replaced with a different background. This is usually a single colored backdrop, which can be any color, but is usually bright green because it is the color furthest away from human skin tones (blue screens were frequently used in the early days with film, and might still be used in certain cases). Chroma keying is the actual technique of layering, or compositing, two videos based on color hues (i.e. green hues in the background) in post-production using video editing software. When the green screen background has been keyed, it will be fully transparent. Then you can fill in that transparent area with a different image or video.
Want to learn how to use green screens for chroma keying? Check out the Premiere Pro training video from Udemy (available to NAU affiliates).