Common Video Editing Mistakes

Video editing is no easy task. In fact, good veteran editors even make mistakes just as commonly as the newer video editors. Editing is about tricking the viewer into believing they are part of what’s going on in the scene. With that being said though, there are lots of common mistakes that occur during the editing process. Here Kaleidoscope Pictures explores some of the common mistakes so you can avoid them in your edit sessions.

Pacing

The most fundamental part of good editing is understanding pacing. Depending on what is happening in your scene, the pacing of the edits can change. If you are cutting a scene with a lot of action and movement, you’ll want the pacing to be quick. Once you’ve established that, you’ll normally stick with that pacing until the scene changes. To test this, cut a scene together, and then go back and watch it. Set an internal rhythm in your head and look for places where a shot goes too long or too short. Find ways to change the shot lengths that work with your narrative to create a good pace.

Jump Cuts

A jump cut is a cut where a portion of action gets chopped out and time “jumps” slightly ahead. They are generally edits you want to avoid in traditional video editing. Imagine you are watching a character driving a boat towards the shore. You cut to an alternate camera view and the character is sitting on the dock. We’ve lost the rest of the moments when the character docks and gets out. This is a jump cut, and it’s agitating to the viewer who is expecting a logical progression of time. To avoid jump cuts, try cutting on actions. If a character is reaching for a gun, cut to another angle of that same character reaching for the gun. If you don’t have enough footage to properly cover your shot, use a cutaway shot to fill the time needed to get from one action to another.

Flash Frames

Flash frames are a very common editing issue. They occur when you accidentally introduce a random frame into your edit. Maybe you have cut from one shot to another and then you replace the second shot but place it off by one frame, so the old second shot just flashes on for a brief moment, or maybe you introduce a frame of black by not perfectly aligning your edits in the timeline. With most video running at frame rates between 24 and 30 frames per second, we are only talking about a very brief glitch in the edit. Sometimes viewers and editors don’t even know what they are seeing. None the less, it makes the visuals feel like something is off.

Match Frames

Match frames are another common issue in editing that can be agitating to the viewer. This occurs when an editor cuts from one camera angle to another, but where the camera angles are very similar. Typically, when you make cuts, you want to change the angle dramatically enough that the viewer feels like they are getting a different point of view. Two shots back to back with similar composition and angle just give the sense that the earth has shifted slightly. Match frames can be avoided just like jump cuts by adding in a cutaway shot that will break up the two shots.

Ghost Frames

Ghost frames occur when you use a dissolve transition from one shot to another, but where the outgoing shot actually cuts to another shot before the dissolve is complete. What you end up with is a “ghosted” shot overlaid on the incoming footage. The simple solution is to make sure there is no other shot that can come up in between your transition. Trim the outgoing footage to where your shot ends, and make sure your transition completes by the time that shot finishes.

Audio Syncing

Audio syncing issues are one of the worst editing mistakes when it comes to throwing off the viewer. When moving clips around the timeline, it is possible to have things move in and out of sync. Generally, the software will let you know when this happens, but watch out for it and make sure to stay in sync. If you have an issue with frame rates or sample rates slipping out of sync in your timeline, locate the point at which you notice the issue, split the clip, and realign the audio so that the lips and audio move in sync.

Sound Design

In some edit situations, there will be a professional audio mixer to handle audio needs, but majority of the time this falls on the editor. If you have the best edit in the world, but fail to spend the time creating a proper audio mix, your viewer will be too busy focusing on the sound to enjoy the visuals. Don’t let the music interfere with dialogue or sound effects that need to be heard. Add in sound effects that make sense. Sounds like doors shutting and footsteps go a long way to adding realism to a scene. Sound design is very important but you need to be weary not to distract the viewer.

Using Graphics

Some movies and tv shows make graphics an important part of the edit. But be sure that you are using graphics when and where they are useful. More importantly, use graphics that add to the overall appeal of your edit instead of distracting. Design is a different discipline than editing, so if you aren’t a designer, find one who can create graphics to help your project along. If this isn’t an option, remember that less is more. Refine your graphics down to one or two fonts that work well together, limit your color palette, and make sure that your graphics are clean and easy to understand.

Color Matching

A very common issue and mistake when working with footage is mismatched colors. This often happens when lighting conditions change during shooting or when footage comes from multiple cameras that weren’t properly white balanced. The only way to avoid this is to color correct the offending footage. Find the shots that have the colors you want and correct the rest of the shots in the scene to match.

Becoming a great editor takes time and practice, but avoiding these common mistakes will help you get a long way towards creating quality content for your viewers. Here at Kaleidoscope Pictures we have several years of hard work and practice. If you are looking for quality content be sure to contact us today for a free estimate on your latest project.