Video editing is the process of manipulating and altering video files to transform raw footage into a final product ready for publication. Video editing is the final creative stage that a video project goes through before it is complete, and it is one of the most essential processes in filmmaking.An important aspect of receiving professional Video Editing training to set yourself up for a career change is learning what kinds of fields and industries that training will help you find work in. Each industry will have different requirements and expectations for prospective employees, and you should consider these expectations when you start your training. This is true for students who have an idea of what kind of work they want to do and those who aren’t yet sure what path to take after learning Video Editing skills.

What is Video Editing?

Video editing is the art of taking multiple different film clips and manipulating them to create a single finished video composition. Video Editors cut together clips, add, remove, and mix sound, digitally alter and remove elements of the film, and add special effects in post-production. Taking cues from the arts of cinematography and photography, video editing is a necessary component of producing video content. It is also a hidden art, as Video Editors strive to make their presence invisible, creating a seamless edit that washes over audiences.

Video Editors use tools like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X to create finished video projects by blending different video and sound files. Video Editors are responsible for synching audio and visual elements of the film, ensuring continuity between individual frames and scenes, and cleaning up elements of the film, such as correctly handling green screens or removing ambient sound and replacing it with desired music. Video Editors will work with directors, cinematographers, and producers to dictate a video's pace and movements, and even though their work isn’t always lauded, they represent an essential part of making professional quality video productions. 

Read more about what video editing is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Video Editing Skills?

Video editing lets creatives make both subtle and significant alterations to video files. They can make minor but meaningful edits to combine multiple clips, alter audio volume, speed up and slow down footage, or correct color and lighting. They can also make significant changes, such as altering backgrounds using a green screen and chroma key software, adding in special effects or music, or removing background obstructions. These kinds of edits will come together to help creatives produce professional quality videos, and learning these skills will open the door to a high-paying and in-demand career field.

Learning video editing skills is also useful for creatives hoping to break into the world of content creation themselves. Rather than editing videos for other people, you’ll be able to create and edit your own content, giving your online presence a professional quality that can set your work apart from the competition. Whether you are making YouTube tutorials, scripted content, Lets Plays, or you want to stream on Twitch or YouTube, learning the basics of video editing can help take your content to the next level.

Common Industries That Use Video Editing

Video editing skills are utilized in virtually every industry that produces and utilizes video content. Whether you are producing long narrative films, short advertisements, or micro vlogs meant to build a brand identity, these videos will require the work of an editor to ensure that they are professionally crafted and finely polished. Video Editors will work on projects big and small, either as parts of teams or on their own as a freelance editor.

Film and Television

Since the techniques and practices of modern video editing originated in the early days of cinema in the late-1800s, it follows that film and television is the industry most closely associated with video editing. All film and television studios employ editors to work on their productions, and, in many cases, the role of the editor is among the most important roles in production. All of the major industry awards single out excellence in editing as something worthy of praise. Film studios recognize the role that editors play in ensuring that a film resonates with audiences. If you want to work in a field where excellence in editing is rewarded and acknowledged, looking for work in film and television is an ideal path forward.

Working as an editor in the film or television industry will mean working closely with directors, producers, actors, and writers to keep the project as collaborative as possible. These are projects that often cost hundreds of millions of dollars, so teams of editors will be working on massive projects that comprise weeks or even months of full-time shooting at multiple locations across the globe. Owing to these two facts, being an editor for film or television is a difficult and exclusive job, but the work is rewarding and challenging.

Film and television editors will likely move from project to project relatively frequently. They often develop their own coherent editing style and become sought after for that style (since editing a superhero movie requires different skills and techniques than editing a romantic comedy), and they will be able to find consistent work in the industry as a result. Early career editors may find themselves working on fairly basic editing jobs with minimal to no creative control, but they will gain valuable experience.

Advertising

Another major industry in which Video Editors find work is the advertising industry. Traditional and digital commercials need to be tightly edited to fit the maximum amount of content into a six to thirty-second spot. The difference between a successful and unsuccessful commercial can amount to millions of dollars in revenue. This means that advertising firms and companies are willing to pay a premium for talented editors who can ensure that the commercials they associate with their brand are as polished as possible.

While Video Editors working in advertising will be slightly less specialized than their film and television counterparts, they will still need to know how different editing techniques communicate meaning and guide audiences to feel certain ways about the product or service they just saw an ad for. Video Editors working in this industry will have far less creative control than the highest-ranking film and television editors.

Working at an advertising studio as a Video Editor usually means working as part of a team of editors specializing in creating advertisements in a specific field, medium, or industry. These Video Editors will work closely with their clients in order to ensure that the finished product meets their specifications and presents their product in the desired light. This means that commercial Video Editors will need to be more responsive to feedback from people who aren’t trained filmmakers. 

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is a growing aspect of the advertising industry, and given the amount of video content being produced, Video Editors play an important role in these projects. Short-form videos for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram all need to be tightly edited in order to look professional and catch the attention of social media users. These editors will need to be attentive to the kinds of content that appeal to users of any given platform, and they will need to know how a video that succeeds on one platform needs to be modified to work on a different platform.

Video editors working in social media marketing are far more likely to be working independently since these projects are smaller and involve less raw footage. This doesn’t mean that the job is less detail-oriented since having less footage can make the editing process more constraining, which some editors find lets them be more creative than they otherwise could elsewhere. These Video Editors are also likely to work directly with clients at every stage of the process, particularly when they are working with very small companies (or even individuals) looking to make their presence in the online market known.

Social media marketing is also frequently changing as new trends, and platforms emerge and fall from the spotlight. While editors today need to consider platforms like TikTok and Instagram, those websites either didn’t exist or weren’t particularly popular a decade ago. No one can predict what will be meaningful in this industry even five years from now. This makes the field an exciting place for editors who enjoy the rapidly changing digital environment and the creative opportunities that come with working in it.

Online Content Creation

One of the most exciting developments in the last few years in terms of online video production is the rise of small content creators using platforms like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, or Instagram to build a following and a lucrative brand. From comedians to influencers, online platforms have opened the door to many professional content creators who would otherwise have been shut out of the industry. This has been a tremendous boon for creatives looking to hit it big and build their media brand.

However, the online content creation industry, by virtue of being so open to new creatives, has also become incredibly crowded, making it hard to break through. As a result, many aspiring content creators either learn how to edit their own content or hire an editor to ensure that their content looks professional and can stand out from the crowd. Anyone hired to work as an editor in this field will be working directly alongside content creators, often as the only two creatives involved in the process. This offers editors a large degree of creative freedom over the work that they do, allowing their voice to come through in the edit as they assist their employer in producing content.

Professional online content editors are most likely to work as freelancers, building relationships with clients and networking with similar content creators to find editing jobs. Some of these editors work with only a handful (or even one content creator), while others may have stables of clients they work with regularly. This means that they will have greater control over the kinds of work they pick up, but they will also need to handle the administrative side of the process, aiding labor beyond editing videos.

Learn Video Editing Skills with Noble Desktop

If you are looking to learn video editing skills, Noble has hands-on training classes to fit your needs. Whether you want to learn in person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or online from the comfort of your home, Noble has you covered. Noble’s courses are taught by experienced instructors, meaning that students can receive feedback and assistance on their edits regardless of whether they are taking the course in person or online. In addition, Noble makes sure to keep class sizes small so students don’t have to worry about fighting for their instructor’s attention. Plus, each course comes with a free retake option, giving students the chance to get even more hands-on experience to complement their initial training.

For students looking to learn the basics of video editing software, Noble’s Premiere Pro Bootcamp offers students a chance to receive hands-on experience editing video clips, adding sound effects, and mixing dialogue. Students will also learn advanced editing techniques, such as how to alter the speed of a clip, how to edit multi-camera shots, and how to work with chroma key replacement and green screens. This course is an ideal choice for students who want to learn how to edit film but aren’t entirely sure that they plan to make a career out of video editing. This makes the course perfect for anyone looking to make their own video productions look as professional as possible.

For students who are looking to learn new career skills to become Video Editors, Noble’s career-focused Video Editing Certificate will give students all the tools that they need to start editing film professionally. This course will teach students how to edit using Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Audition. Students will get hands-on experience working through editing exercises that mirror the real-world work they will be doing in an editing bay, such as manipulating film clips, creating animated assets for title sequences, and clearing up and mixing audio tracks using Audition, among other skills. Students will also receive one-on-one career mentorship and professional development, and by the end of the course, they will have built a practical demo reel that they can take onto the job market.

Students interested in learning more about their options for video editing classes and bootcamps should check out the options available to them through Noble Desktop.

Key Takeaways

• Video Editors can work in virtually every industry that involves the production of video content. However, most will find work at firms and studios that specialize in specific kinds of video content production.
• Film and television is the industry most commonly associated with video editing skills. Professional film and television editors can find creative work, and the industry recognizes their important role in the creative process.
• Video Editors can also find work in advertising (traditional and online). These editors will work more directly with clients and may find the limited space they have to work with more creatively empowering.
• Emerging online content creators will often hire freelance Video Editors to help them produce professional content that can catch viewers’ attention in the crowded online marketplace.
• No matter what career path you are hoping to pursue, Noble Desktop can help you get started down the right path with professional video editing training courses, available in person and live online.