International Cinema Festival of India

You do not have to be a freelance video editor or a freelance picture editor to make your home videos as exciting and professional as the type of thing you see on TV. These days there are software suites packed with functionality which can be used to augment your bog standard shots in ways that will make those precious memories even more enjoyable when you look back. If you are looking for ideas on how to turn a boring video into something extra special then read on for some hints and tips.

You will inevitably start with either one continuous stream of video or a series of little clips. You will need to first organise these in an appropriate manner and cut out any superfluous bits so that the finished effect is of a honed, well edited piece of footage. It is easy to top and tail overly long segments or remove entire pieces using even the most basic software so this should be the first way to improve a video.

The next consideration is transitions, which is where things really get exciting. Transitions allow you to switch between two clips in a way that feels fluid and can be exciting. You can find an array of wipes, irises, fades, blends and other techniques which allow you to join a pair of clips just like they do in the movies. Fading out at the end of your video will also give it seamless finality rather than an abrupt end which might otherwise be present.

Modern editing software means that you will be able to use several different types of media to make your videos interesting. You can intersperse your clips with digital photographs, for example, with many programs letting you bring still shots to the screen using dazzling effects to help them spin, whirl and engage the viewer.

No film is complete without a soundtrack and no home video will feel finished until you have added music. This can be used to comic effect or it might just be your partner’s favourite song placed at a poignant moment in a video which you are making as a present.

Giving viewers an idea of the location at which the footage originated and the date on which it was shot is possible using the basic onscreen displays of cameras, although it is much more professional-looking to add this later using the text features of editing software. You can do this simply and adding captions can be done for a whole range of reasons, so let your imagination run wild.

At the end of every film you will see the credits roll and to finalise any home video you can also add your own list of thank-yous and honourable mentions, perhaps giving yourself a little pat on the back as director, producer, freelance video editor and freelance picture editor if you are feeling cheeky.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas to get started, but there is much more to discover if you start playing around with even the most basic editing software and you can become your own freelance video editor or a freelance picture editor.

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