What Do Video Editors Actually Do?

When any video project has finished filming, the initial result is hours upon hours of raw footage. Who connects these pieces to create one cohesive video? An editor, of course! These professionals combine their technical skills and precise eye for detail with a creative understanding of the storytelling process.

Here, we’ll explore some of the most vital tools and skills that video editing requires, as well as what a video editor can expect their daily life to look like. 

Skills Needed for Video Editing

It’s no surprise that a successful video editor requires extensive knowledge of several different software programs. Being a successful video editor also calls for other abilities that are more subjective and harder to teach. If you’re interested in a video editing career, here are a handful of skills you’ll want to focus on before entering the job market.

Hard Skills

• Adobe Premiere Pro: Often considered the “gold standard” of video editing programs, this software can do all kinds of exciting things. It can combine footage from multiple sources without compromising quality and is designed to seamlessly integrate with other Adobe programs. This means that a project edited with Premiere Pro can be transferred to another program without changing the file type.
• Adobe After Effects: This program helps editors add eye-catching animations and motion graphics to their work. With After Effects, you can composite several effects into one scene and use motion tracking on performers. The program also has rotoscoping tools, which allow you to trace the live actions of performers to make your animations appear more lifelike.
• Audition: This Adobe software is specifically designed to edit audio tracks. After all, editing isn’t just about creating a visual narrative. The sounds and dialogue in any video project need to be just as captivating. Not only does this program allow you to combine multiple audio tracks, but it also can create unique sound effects and convert text into realistic speech patterns. Audition also has tools to restore and clean up audio files that are older or have been damaged in some way. 

Soft Skills

• Self-motivation: While there are aspects of a video editor’s job that involve working within a larger team, much of their time is spent working independently. If you’re a person who requires external motivation from coworkers or supervisors, video editing may not be a career you’d enjoy. Self-motivation also includes aspects of self-care. In a more solitary job, you’ll need to pay attention to internal signals of stress and burnoutso that you can take care of yourself and address these before your work starts to suffer.
• Time management: Video editors frequently work on several smaller projects at once, so you will likely need to juggle multiple deadlines from various clients. Editing is a time-consuming process. You’ll want to make sure that you allow yourself enough time to produce quality work while also making sure you’re giving yourself breaks and time to rest. If you’d like to learn how to improve your time management skills, the first step is identifying why you struggle. Do you tend to procrastinate? Or do you find yourself saying “yes” to new assignments even though you’re already overworked? Identifying the root of your struggle will help you find new methods to combat these difficulties. 
  

Daily Life of a Video Editor

In addition to utilizing the skills listed above, a video editor can expect to encounter certain responsibilities in their daily life. Although every day will be different, certain elements will likely be the same. It’s standard for video editors to attend frequent storyboarding meetings to learn more about what the production team envisions for the final product. They will also develop a close partnership with the director of the project since this is primarily whose vision needs to be captured. Additionally, video editors are expected to regularly show edited drafts to the rest of the creative team to ensure the video appropriately captures the message of the brand.

A video editor’s day-to-day tasks can vary widely depending on the types of projects they work on and whether they freelance or work for a specific company. For instance, some freelance video editors work for numerous social media influencers to help boost the quality of their content. This ensures that subscribers are engaged by the videos and the influencer can attend to other important aspects of growing their platform. Some video editors edit footage that has been produced by others, but some enjoy filming as well. They consider this to be a welcome break from the editing process, which can sometimes get tedious. Many famous movies start the editing process as hundreds of hours of footage before they’re whittled down to a cohesive two-hour film.

The Future of Video Editing Careers

A video editing career in film or television probably sounds most exciting, but many other industries hire professionals with these kinds of skills. Video editors are often hired to help create recruiting videos or training videos for companies in many sectors. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that a video editor can make an average annual salary of $61,900. Careers in video editing are also projected to grow at a rate of 29% over the next decade, which is much faster than the growth rate of other careers. This is partly because online platforms and video streaming services are expected to increase the content they produce. Therefore, learning some video editing skills can lead to a lucrative career that is likely to remain in demand for many years.

Learn Video Editing with Career Centers

If you’re ready to get started on your video editing career, Noble Desktop (a partner program of Career Centers) offers a range of video editing courses to kickstart your journey. These classes can be taken remotely or in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus. Noble also generously includes the option to retake the course at no cost as long as you schedule within one calendar year of your original class.

If you want to start small and focus on one software program at a time, Noble Desktop offers several courses in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. If you’d prefer a more intensive certification program, check out the Motion Graphics Certificate and the Video Editing Certificate. Both can be completed on a full-time or part-time schedule depending on your preferences and offer career support services, including help with building a demo reel. You can also take a look at the Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate if you’re interested in both programs. This class covers both curriculums at a reduced rate.