Member of the Month

je_t.aime_canard
January, 2025

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Tips for edits

profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179

Before "Media and Arts n00b," I just want to say that as soon as this gets a little publicity mods can do whatever they want with this thread, move it there, or keep it here.

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of edits that are poorly put together and don't really entice me to watch them. Here's a list I've compiled of things that you should do/look out for whilst making your edit.

1. Be original with your song. Go look around for one. To me, even if I don't really like the song, it's a lot better to watch an edit with something that I haven't heard or have heard very little. (i/e NOT Coastin' by Zion I)

2. Choose a song before you edit. To a lot of people, having flow in your edit is a great thing to keep them watching, and when you just throw in a song after, IT IS NOTICABLE.

3. You don't have to make an edit every time you go up to the mountain/hill. With "One hour with..." and "A day at..." edits, I've noticed that there are a lot of shit shots and not that many good ones. Keep the bangers as saved clips or start and edit with the stuff you got, you don't need to edit it that day.

4. Creativity is a must. ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS I LOOK FOR IN EDITS. Having a shot that comes out from behind a tree or some object for some reason pleases me. Basically anything that is pleasing to the eye, funny, etc., will make your edit a heck of a lot better. (If you're filming with a tripod, this doesn't really apply.)

5. Balance what's in your edit. The stuff that is the most fun for me to watch when there are multiple elements in an edit. Having pow (if available), jumps, and rails almost gets an A+ from me everytime.

6. Keep it under two - three minutes. I absolutely hate those edits that are 4-5 minutes long, and have nothing good in them. I end up thinking "Maybe there will be something better later on..." and 80% of the time there isn't, and it pisses me off.

Feel free to add to my list, change stuff, etc. This is just my opinion. Happy editing!

Jan 10 2011 6:32PM
0 0
profile picture
cwillygood
Posts: 6831 - Karma: 1,829
i really agree....its always comes out better when you pick out your song first....and another note: I SKI with kids who are trying to make an edit for every weekend and its horrible! they put in only the bare minimum shots to make it longer! and always putting something funny and interesting is a great thing to! good thread +K for you
Jan 10 2011 6:36PM
0 0
profile picture
Schlop
Posts: 3640 - Karma: 24
try to match clips with the soundwaves. when there's a part of the song with shots, match all of them visually, etc.


MY TWO CENTS FOR NEW EDITERS
Jan 10 2011 6:44PM
0 0
profile picture
Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
Please be careful with this. If i see one more edit thats 90% focus pulls from a tree branch to the skier to be "artsy" im gonna scream. Creative should be just that, "creativity" not the same stuff 7500000 other people have done. New and DIFFERENT angles and techniques are creative. Annoying "artsy" (but really not) shots arent.
Jan 10 2011 6:44PM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
I agree 100%. I should have put "to a certain, limited extent" in there, but just forgot. my bad.
Jan 10 2011 7:11PM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
bump. this needs to be seen a bit.
Jan 11 2011 4:16PM
0 0
profile picture
Crehm
Posts: 951 - Karma: 842
Thank you for putting this up I really love a well done edit and hate the crappy ones, my friend just got a go pro and we are most likely going to be making one this year so thanks alot for the awesome tips.
Jan 11 2011 4:23PM
0 0
profile picture
klayer_9
Posts: 2037 - Karma: 188
all valid and important tips for making edits.

I agree with the no "a day at..." edits especially. save the bangers.
Jan 11 2011 4:58PM
0 0
profile picture
Gknow
Posts: 627 - Karma: 358
Flow with the music, it's annoying when there's a big buildup in a song and then nothing changes editing wise
Jan 11 2011 6:59PM
0 0
profile picture
family_vacation
Posts: 6200 - Karma: 7,840
this is the worst actually, those shots are ALWAYS identical as stated above.
Jan 11 2011 7:03PM
0 0
profile picture
jakobk
Posts: 308 - Karma: 11
threads because i want to make a good edit this year
Jan 11 2011 7:20PM
0 0
profile picture
eheath
Posts: 61780 - Karma: 124,904
7. post in video section, not in the forums.
Jan 11 2011 7:23PM
0 0
profile picture
cooper.fry
Posts: 2229 - Karma: 34
threads
Jan 11 2011 7:33PM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
Cross out the third sentence then.
Jan 11 2011 11:36PM
0 0
profile picture
Andi_G
Posts: 3088 - Karma: 15,125
threads bro
Jan 11 2011 11:44PM
0 0
profile picture
Piste.Off
Posts: 11586 - Karma: 1,860
When I make edits its for mine and my friends entertainment. Really I don't care if you hate my song or you think my camera angles are boring or whatever it is. I'm not trying to be that guy but I don't give a shit if my edit is not good enough for you.
Jan 11 2011 11:48PM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
Relax, I'm not critisizing anyone. I'm just giving a couple tips that I feel could help people out.
Jan 11 2011 11:50PM
0 0
profile picture
RAWLAN
Posts: 1209 - Karma: 50
you really seem to think this is a big deal dont you?
Jan 11 2011 11:55PM
0 0
profile picture
Piste.Off
Posts: 11586 - Karma: 1,860
I know I know. Its just that NS expects such a high standard of video, and lots of kids don't really care. I'll stop cluttering up your thread now.
Jan 11 2011 11:55PM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
I actually agree with him. Only the occasional video is needed to be posted in the forums, not every single one. Plenty of people go into the videos section.
Jan 11 2011 11:57PM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
And if you think I expect every video to be amazing, I don't. I enjoy the rails section more than top rated just to see what other people are doing other than the pros. Yes, there will be the occasional shit edit, but for the most part, even with meh skiing in them, I'll still watch.
Jan 12 2011 12:00AM
0 0
profile picture
array.
Posts: 2439 - Karma: 202
my friend just got the go pro for christmas, but can't ski for shit.  We'll go up to the mountain, and he turns on the thing, and when I look at the footage at home and try to do stuff with it I can't.  The only good parts are when he films my brother, me or (and this sums it up) my stepdad do a trick off somethin'
Jan 12 2011 12:07AM
0 0
profile picture
LjayCinema
Posts: 368 - Karma: 1,645
.
Jan 12 2011 12:10AM
0 0
profile picture
freestyle_kyle
Posts: 2620 - Karma: 183
This is all new to me, just got an iMac and Go Pro HD hero. This is the first edit I've ever made, first time using iMovie as well. Open to feedback. Its fairly lengthy but I think its pretty fun. Check it out
Jan 12 2011 4:14AM
0 0
profile picture
I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
don't overdo your transitions or intros, 1min. mentioning your sponsors and thanking mum and dad isn't really necessary in a 3min edit ...

point 2 unless you've put together a really awesome edit with lots of variation keep the duration under 3min... (even super awesome edits of pure park become boring after about 2 minutes, unless they have variation, intermezzos, funny moments, banger song, extraordinary concept (ie.super slowmo), etc...

don't be afraid of editing the way YOU ski !

not everyone can produce banger park segments with dub corks and stuff ...
however everyone can produce an amusing/interesting edit showing how they have fun on the mountain ...
^^however don't interpret this wrong, nobody want to see a 14y old bingedrinking or making fun of gapers...

watch other edits and keep in mind what you liked/disliked and apply that to your own edit...



Jan 12 2011 5:59AM
0 0
profile picture
nolongerinuse
Posts: 18 - Karma: 10
i think i would very much like to see that.
Jan 12 2011 9:18AM
0 0
profile picture
LjayCinema
Posts: 368 - Karma: 1,645
Music is key.
Your song is like the outline to a paper. Edit your video to the beat, and keep it interesting and fun to watch.
If you can, incorporate humor or fun-ness, it helps connecting the audience
Jan 12 2011 10:13AM
0 0
profile picture
sagaRIP
Posts: 287 - Karma: 12
Let's get some technical stuff down. Learn how to match the levels in all your clips, learn how to do some color correction to give it a signature feel and lastly learn how to export it at really good quality!
Jan 12 2011 10:48AM
0 0
profile picture
Elmo.
Posts: 4317 - Karma: 662
i liek this list im probably gunna use it when i go edit in the future
Jan 12 2011 10:55AM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
bump.
Jan 17 2011 11:01PM
0 0
profile picture
jca
Posts: 4172 - Karma: 6,310
it's a fairly big deal. Posting mediocre videos in the forums is blatant spam, clogs up ski gabber, and encourages less people to use the video section which is slowly dieing.
Jan 17 2011 11:39PM
0 0
profile picture
starsky_hucks
Posts: 394 - Karma: 62
finally, good post
Jan 18 2011 1:58AM
0 0
profile picture
jon@wh2o
Posts: 314 - Karma: 158
mmmm threads
Jan 19 2011 10:30PM
0 0
profile picture
eheath
Posts: 61780 - Karma: 124,904
8. dont use dubstep
Jan 19 2011 10:42PM
0 0
profile picture
SkiThe603
Posts: 5376 - Karma: 498
making one soon, i keep this stuff in mind
Jan 19 2011 10:42PM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
lol this.
Jan 19 2011 11:03PM
0 0
profile picture
MiniMeDanny
Posts: 1737 - Karma: 2,312
9. USE THIS SONG:


Jan 19 2011 11:07PM
0 0
profile picture
MiniMeDanny
Posts: 1737 - Karma: 2,312
Jan 19 2011 11:07PM
0 0
profile picture
MiniMeDanny
Posts: 1737 - Karma: 2,312
gayyyy. video embed shit dont finna work

Jan 19 2011 11:09PM
0 0
profile picture
kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
way to ruin a resourceful thread. Cool.
Jan 19 2011 11:12PM
0 0
profile picture
MiniMeDanny
Posts: 1737 - Karma: 2,312
aight sry.. heres some legit tips, some should be pretty basic

dont reuse music, it can be hard, but way too many songs get overused and butchered
color correction can be good. turning up the whites/ blacks can make shit look way better if the clip wasn't filmed with the best light
cross fades are dank and make songs transition smoother
editing to the beat or flow of the music can be good
dont get too preocupied with the individual effects/ transitions of a shot. i waste way too much time second-guessing myself and fucking with little shit that doesnt matter
slow-mo can be amazing but it's usually done in excess or not rendered well. try exporting a slow-mo'd clip and see if it looks good or is just the same clip freeze framed every few seconds (this happens a lot and looks real bad/ ruins the clip entirely).
don't slow-mo everything, msp movies usually do this for all their shots and it gets old after a while and i lose sense of what the tricks would look like at real time. i think its best to slow-mo certain parts of a clip without going overboard. i dont have this feature but if you can slowly ease a clip into slow-mo and then back out of it.. its fucking sick

for example the last clip in LJ's KOS entry



keep it flowy. the best editing involves cutting/ matching clips so that they transition well and flow together without any added 'cross fades' or film burns.

sry bout the worthless triple post. ill add some more shit to this thread as i think of it


Jan 19 2011 11:33PM
0 0
profile picture
jibbinc.
Posts: 3355 - Karma: 2,497
...
Jan 19 2011 11:43PM
0 0
profile picture
Bi-ShredinalGuy
Posts: 1075 - Karma: 321
deffinitely some good tips in there.. im working on my first edit right now
Jan 20 2011 8:55AM
0 0
profile picture
Rager
Posts: 225 - Karma: 11
 
Jan 20 2011 9:00AM
0 0
profile picture
Meases_Pieces
Posts: 1292 - Karma: 246
i would say the best edits are between 1 and 2 minutes. entire segmets in real ski movies arent even that long and you think someone deserves 5 minutes for a weekend?
Jan 20 2011 12:21PM
0 0
profile picture
Gstrong
Posts: 4776 - Karma: 519
somewhat off topic but, what's a good editing program to edit mp4 with?
i have a pc
Jan 20 2011 12:48PM
0 0
profile picture
Dr.D-Sag
Posts: 212 - Karma: 374
throw some nice nature shots in there and like playing around with the focus on your camera during a shot or two, def sick things to add
Jan 20 2011 3:49PM
0 0
profile picture
Simenaa
Posts: 13 - Karma: 40
Really nice tips here.

I think that just one small lifestyle shot could make some edits out there a lot better, and I enjoy watching those edits that are well made with nice filming,skiiing and other clips to make it funnier to watch
Jan 20 2011 4:07PM
0 0
profile picture
StReEtPIRATES
Posts: 1378 - Karma: 138
This, if i see a bunch of gapers skiing to glitch mob or any other "epic" music, i'll cry.
Jan 31 2011 1:03AM
0 0
profile picture
bethechange94
Posts: 69 - Karma: 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4De8qQiK68
Hey guys check out my first edit with my GoPro!!!!!!!! feedback would be sweet!!!!!!!!
Jan 31 2011 1:23AM
0 0
profile picture
49566738265
Posts: 0 - Karma: 7,705
This is harsh, but someone has to be real:

-Boring as hell. My run from the top of Colorado Superchair to Freeway is more interesting than the footage you put on there, and that's a groomer.

-Edit? You didn't cut much of anything at all. You just smashed 3 minutes of video together and I think it was 3-4 runs. You even left in the part where you grab the camera with your hand and readjust it.

-Mounting. You have JJ's. Awesome, it would be sweet if the camera pointed at anything but your JJ's. Practice with mounts at home, and if the footage doesn't come out well on the mountain then hit the delete button and try again I say.

This is basic stuff, I'm not good at making movies but that edit was a lazy attempt.
Jan 31 2011 1:37AM
0 0
All times are Eastern (-5)