The Six Skills Every Video Editor Needs to Have

May 22, 2020October 14, 2019 by Josh Short

Being a video editor is no easy task. It’s like trying to do a 1,000 piece puzzle with 10,000 pieces but without seeing the box so you don’t know what you’re supposed to be making. And 3,000 of the pieces actually work for 900 of the pieces you need but you have no pieces for the other 100 pieces so you have to cram them together to complete your puzzle. Then you get asked to change the border of one of the sides but you only have middle pieces left. But you figure it out anyway because that’s what you do. Then you start work on the next puzzle. Do you have the skills it takes to be a video editor?

This article will discuss the six skills every video editor needs to have in order to have a successful career, create powerful videos, and stay sane while doing it.

Please note: some links in this article are affiliate links. All that means is I receive a small commission if you were to buy something after clicking on the link at no extra expense to you. It’s a very standard internet practice for blogs and websites and helps to support Edit Video Faster. I never link to a product I haven’t used or would not recommend. Always happy to answer any questions you have about affiliate links in general or the products linked to below!

The Art of the Edit

Every video editor needs to know how editing actually works. An editor should know when to cut and when to let the shot linger. They need to know the rules and how to follow them. But at the same time they need to know when and how to break them.

“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
The Dalai Lama

How Video Editors Stay Productive

September 16, 2022February 7, 2019 by Josh Short

Let’s discuss how video editors can stay productive. For me, it’s Thursday at 6:24 PM.

There are four things I’ve blown off doing this afternoon/evening that were marked on my calendar. That’s a problem. A calendar should be a sacred thing. Something shouldn’t go on your calendar if it can move. Once you put it on your calendar you execute whatever it is no matter what.

It stems from me not doing my weekly review this past Sunday or the Sunday before then for that matter.

The first thing on my calendar for this afternoon was to do my weekly review, even though it’s not Sunday. I know that the weekly review is my way of getting organized mentally and digitally for the upcoming week. Without it…not much gets done. I’m lost. There are too many uncompleted tasks sitting in the tool I use to organize everything. My calendar is as strong as a wet paper towel.

Okay, so what’s a weekly review? Without going too far into the weeds, I roughly follow the “Getting Things Done” method of productivity/organization. And the tool I use to organize it all is called OmniFocus. I have both the desktop and mobile version because I’m a psycho.

Fighting Decision Fatigue as a Video Editor

June 23, 2020January 8, 2019 by Josh Short

This article discusses what decision fatigue is and how to fight it as a video editor.

Introducing the Problem of Decision Fatigue

Wayyy back when I wrote a post called something like, “Done is Better than Perfect”. The TL;DR of it was that most of the time getting a video project out the door and delivered is better than having a perfect video project. Getting your video over to your client, director, producer, or audience is more important than having the video be 100% flawless.

The perfect video project simply doesn’t exist (unless you count Interstellar which by all accounts is the greatest movie ever made 😉). There will always be adjustments you could make. There could always be shots that need more color correction. More audio that needs sweetening. Different pacing, shot selection, etc. The thing about videos is that we’re making a 1,000-piece puzzle with 10,000 pieces while not being able to see the box to see what we’re supposed to be creating.

The only thing you need to succeed in 2019

July 19, 2019January 2, 2019 by Josh Short

(Sorry for the clickbait-y title… I’m rusty at writing good, catchy titles)

It’s early in 2019. The confetti is still falling. Most of us are back to the office. Ready or not it’s time to begin another year in our careers. Another year of our lives.

Looking back at 2018 maybe there was something you didn’t do. Something you didn’t learn. Or something you didn’t accomplish. A project, a habit, a new NLE to master, a documentary to edit. So we look to 2019 as our saving grace. We have a whole fresh calendar for us to get X done. And that fills us with a glimmer of hope. That we can make that change this year. Heck, we have 12 whole months.

As the confetti is swept up and the hangovers from NYE are cured, we head back to the edit bay or cubical or home office. We got this in 2019. Then…we check our email.

#first7jobs

July 19, 2019August 6, 2016 by Josh Short

Today it’s seemed like everyone has tweeted their #first7jobs. I of course joined the party. Bus boy (@BWingFactory!)WaiterConstruction CD store (for 3 days…)Video equipment checkout roomAssistant editor Editor #first7jobs — Josh Short (@editvideofaster) August 6, 2016 One of my first seven jobs was at a CD store while I was in college. Yes kids, music … Read more

23 Posts about Video Production, Post Production, Avid and More

July 18, 2019July 1, 2015 by Josh Short

I’ve been writing for my friends over at ScreenLight for…well…a long time. It’s been over two years and in the Internet world that’s a really long time. Over that time I’ve been able to stockpile a bunch of writings that I want to share with you today. 23 of them to be exact.

The posts range from Media Composer tips to the Pomodoro Technique for time management to Apps for Editors and so much more. I’ve broken them up into a couple of categories. At the very top are a few of my favorites and ones I think you should definitely read.

My Favorite Posts

The Edit Bay – A Romanticized View of One Editor’s Relationship With Four Walls

Video Editor is Not a Synonym for Motion Graphics Artist

Editor: The Amateur vs. The Professional

How to Setup a Video Company on a Realistic Budget

Reflections and My Big Secret Project Announcement

July 17, 2019March 11, 2015 by Josh Short

For someone who loves to write about time management, I’ve sure had a heck of a time doing it well lately. I started writing this post at exactly 9:07 on Saturday night. I had been working on my big secret project since about 1:00 that afternoon. Let’s pick it up from there…

By the way, I finally announce my project so keep reading!

Finishing Strong to Start Stronger

July 17, 2019December 24, 2014 by Josh Short

There are 10,000 posts like “The Top-8 Ways to Tackle Your New Year’s Resolutions” streaming through your social media timelines and inboxes right now. This post is not one of them. This short post is to tell you that you can do whatever you want to do and give you a quick tip on succeeding in whatever goals you have whenever you have them.

The Power of Presets for Avid Media Composer Editors

May 10, 2022October 15, 2014 by Josh Short

Presets will make you a faster editor. This article discusses four areas where you can use presets in Avid Media Composer to save you time.

My week of focus – an experiment for video editors

July 17, 2019September 10, 2014 by Josh Short

Focus. Or else. Photo courtesy of Unsplash by Thomas Lefebvre — Focus. Or else.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash by Thomas Lefebvre

Last week I wrote about focusing and asked you to participate in an experiment with me. The experiment was simple – go one hour a day with complete focus on editing. No music. No Internet or email. No cell phone. Here’s what I learned from it.