5 tips to boost your edits, according to top creators
In this blog post, online creators Sorelle Amore and Shameless Maya are sharing their best editing hacks – in collaboration with Epidemic Sound and Adobe Stock.
In this blog post, online creators Sorelle Amore and Shameless Maya are sharing their best editing hacks – in collaboration with Epidemic Sound and Adobe Stock.
Have you got a bunch of disparate footage that you need to tie together seamlessly? Lifestyle vlogger and Epidemic Sound ambassador, Shameless Maya, has got some greats tips for you.
Maya, what does your editing process look like? Can you share some of your tips with us?
When it comes to vlog videos, I don’t plan my shots. For the most part, I reach for my phone because it’s easy, it’s accessible, and I’m already posting on social media. It allows the viewer to get a sense of how I felt in the moment. And when I know I’m going somewhere beautiful; I pack my vlog camera.
I’m currently editing a video from when I bought my first home in Sweden. I have footage all over the place: my hard drives, my camera, my phone… The first step is to organize everything into folders. And that’s where the fun begins!
Tip #1: Mix up raw footage with produced shots
My first tip is to open with footage from my phone; it’s raw, it’s organic, it’s in the moment… It’s not produced. The next step is to go from the non produced, organic shot to something a bit more structured. That’s where the camera footage come into the picture. I play around in slow motion and I film in 1:20… That combination gives me a balance of “here’s what I felt in the moment” and “now here’s the setup.”
Tip #2: Spend time finding the perfect transitioning soundtrack
Find the ‘spot on’ music to transition between music footage and drone footage. Music massively impacts how the viewer gets to experience the story. Now, when it comes to the edit and footage – sometimes it can just be so boring. Sometimes not a whole lot happens. But the music can and will bring the energy from low to high. And that’s what I try to look for: energy, movement, inspiration. So I generally look for more upbeat music or music that truly brings the scene to life. Because in the end, isn’t that what we all want?
Now, let’s hear some of our next top creator’s editing hacks. Do you also look at music as the most important part in your content? Online creator, entrepreneur, and Epidemic Sound ambassador, Sorelle Amore, shares some of the highlights from her editing process.
Sorelle, what are some of your secrets to make an edit come to life?
I get bored very easily, and I like to get entertained visually as well as with the storyline and sounds. My edits are fast-paced and quirky because I know there are other people out there who get bored very fast very quickly. Visually, everything has to be beautiful to me, so it’s important I make the right calls when editing.
Tip #1: Pick your music first
The first thing that I do once I’ve uploaded my footage is to separate the best bits from the rest. That means I’m left with the gold. And from there: the storyline can be created. It’s like a little puzzle for me. But to arrange the puzzle: I need to have the music first, to help pace the edit. I choose my music using either “mood” or “genre.”
Tip #2: Stand out & evoke emotion
When it comes to sounds… Interestingly enough, whatever is popular on YouTube, I almost try to do the polar opposite of that, because I just don’t like trends very much. That means that when it comes to my YouTube videos, the music there tends to be kind of strange. It includes country music, classical music, funk music, and reggae music. The main purpose of music is to install some kind of feeling. Take your favorite artist, for example, their music makes you feel something. Connected, relatable, sad, happy… There are so many emotions that we can create using music. That’s why it’s so important to get it right in your videos. If you don’t, the whole video is… screwed, more or less!
Tip #3: Make the right cuts
When I’m editing, I often zoom in on the music to see where the major beat happens, so that I can make necessary cuts in those places. However, I also do break those rules sometimes to make it less predictable. You don’t want the viewer to know exactly what’s coming up. Skip one beat every now and then or put it in between beats, which throws people off but sometimes it works really, really well. Slowly but surely my edit is starting to come together.
Want more from these savvy creators? We thought so! Check out Maya’s YouTube channel and Sorelle’s YouTube channel for more tips and tricks.
Sorelle Amore is a YouTuber and photographer seeking art, freedom and purpose in her everyday life and work. She uses photography, filmmaking, writing and public speaking to recharge the world and the beings within it.
Maya Washington, popularly known online as Shameless Maya, is a multifaceted creative producer, artist and social media sensation. “What would happen if I shamelessly promoted myself for 365 days?” was the question and social media experiment marking the start of Maya’s online self-discovery in 2012. Maya has since amassed over 80 million views and over 1 million subscribers on YouTube alone.
Are you a video editor or filmmaker? Whether you’re an absolute master or just a beginner, discover what Epidemic Sound has to offer on our Epidemic Sound for Filmmaking page. Oh, and if you’re looking for some background music for your videos, we got you covered.
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