As a YouTuber, you’ll need to edit your videos before uploading them onto the platform. The editing quality of your videos is almost as important as the content itself.
No matter how great your content is or whether you use the best microphone for YouTube videos, your channel won’t be successful if your editing isn’t up to scratch.
A poorly edited video won’t capture or maintain your audience’s attention for very long. And since the YouTube algorithm takes watch time into account, keeping people’s attention is vital to your channel’s success.
Making Editing Easy #Considerations to Keep in Mind
There are lots of different video editing styles that you can try and it might take you a while to figure out what works best for your content. Over time, you’ll figure out what editing style your YouTube audience enjoys the most based on which videos do well on the platform.
But if you’re new to YouTube, there’s no need to get into the complicated world of editing styles. Initially, it’s best to stick with the basics so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
Here are ten easy ways to edit your YouTube videos.
Use Video Editing Software
There are lots of incredible video editing software to choose from. Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut Pro, and iMovie are some of the most popular choices.
For beginners, iMovie is the best option. It’s free for Apple Mac owners and it’s easy to use. However, its editing tools are very basic and there’s a limit to how extravagant you can make your YouTube videos with this software.
You need to pay for Adobe Premier Pro and Final Cut Pro but they have an extensive range of editing tools that are suitable for intermediate to advanced editors. If you really want to make your YouTube videos stand out, it’s worth paying for Adobe or Premier Pro and learning how to use all of their features.
Use Online Video Editing Tools
Whether you want to merge two recordings together and combine a video online with another video or you want to crop the start and end of your recordings, you can do so using a variety of editing websites.
Although online tools won’t have as extensive editing features as software, they’re a great option for basic YouTube video editing.
Use Video Editing Apps
If you don’t want to use video editing software, you can use apps instead. Video editing apps make it easy for you to edit YouTube videos using your smartphone.
Because apps are made for mobile, they tend not to have as many tools and features as desktop software or websites. However, if you’re a beginner, video editing apps are a good place to start.
Popular video editing apps include iMovie (for iPhone users), InShot, GoPro Quik, KineMaster, and Splice. Most of them are free so it’s worth downloading a couple of different apps and seeing which one is your favorite.
Merge Multiple Videos Together
If you have lots of small video recordings that you want to merge into one longer video, you can do so using a video editing software or website.
This is a great way to edit your YouTube videos if you want to create a vlog or a video that’s a compilation of different clips.
Trim the Start and End of Your Videos
If you want to remove the beginning or end of your YouTube videos, you can do so by trimming your videos. Trimming is a basic but essential editing tool.
It’s often the case that when you record yourself, you’ll start recording before you’re ready or you’ll continue recording after you’ve finished talking.
Trimming your videos will help you to remove any dead space at the beginning or end of your recordings.
Add an Intro and Outro
An intro is the first few seconds of your YouTube video and an outro is the last few seconds. Adding an intro and outro to your videos is a great way to make them look more professional.
You can use video editing software or an app to create a simple intro and outro for your YouTube videos. If you want to get really creative, you could even hire a graphic designer to create an animated intro for you.
Add B-Roll
B-roll is extra footage that you can add to your YouTube videos to make them more interesting. For example, if you’re filming a vlog, you might want to add some B-roll of the location that you’re visiting.
B-roll can be recorded at the same time as your main footage or you can use footage that you’ve recorded at a different time.
Add Music
Adding music to your YouTube videos is a great way to make them more engaging. Music can help to set the tone of your videos and it can also make them more exciting.
There are lots of different places that you can find royalty-free music for your YouTube videos. If you want to avoid copyright issues, make sure that you only use music that you have permission to use.
Add Effects
Video editing software and apps usually come with a range of different effects that you can add to your videos.
Adding effects is a great way to make your YouTube videos more visually appealing. But be careful not to overdo it. Too many effects will make your videos look tacky.
Export and Upload Your Videos
Once you’ve finished editing your YouTube videos, it’s time to export them and upload them onto the platform.
Exporting your videos will give you the opportunity to change the format, quality, and size of your videos. It’s important to choose the right settings so that your videos look good on YouTube.
When you’re happy with your video settings, you can upload your videos onto YouTube and start sharing them with the world.
Concluding Thoughts
Editing your YouTube videos doesn’t have to be complicated. It is often viewed as a daunting task, but it has actually been made so much easier by technology in recent years.
If you’re new to YouTube, start by using basic video editing software, websites, or apps. Once you’ve got to grips with the basics, you can start experimenting with different editing styles.