30 articles

Editing & post-production

Select the story, connect shots and balance sound and colour.

Footage is copied and verified, with a second copy kept on separate storage.

Ingesting footage before editing

Importing is not the same as backing up. Copy cards traceably, verify files and only then begin editing.

An example separates footage, audio, graphics, project files and exports into different folders.

Editing & post-production

Creating a clear project folder structure

A folder structure should distinguish originals, project files and exports. It needs to remain understandable on another computer.

Small proxy files ease editing; the final output uses the original media again.

Editing & post-production

Editing smoothly with proxy files

Proxies substitute lighter working copies for demanding originals during editing. Their unambiguous link to the source is essential.

Multiple picture and sound tracks on an editing timeline.

Editing & post-production

Building a first rough cut

A rough cut tests order and clarity. Polished transitions contribute little while essential information is still missing.

A marked central answer is selected in the context of the remaining interview notes.

Editing & post-production

Selecting interview sound bites

A useful interview selection preserves the answer’s meaning. Transcripts help locate passages but do not replace listening in context.

An action begins in the first shot and continues in the tighter second shot.

Editing & post-production

Cutting on action

A cut within an action can connect two views. Movement phase, direction and the information that must remain visible determine whether it works.

The sound of shot B starts before its picture, forming a J-cut.

Editing & post-production

Using J-cuts and L-cuts

In a split edit, picture and sound change at different times. This can anticipate a new scene or carry a thought across it.

A long speech pause is shortened without removing all breathing space between statements.

Editing & post-production

Trimming speech pauses without rushing

Pauses carry breathing, emphasis and meaning. Remove waiting without turning a considered answer into a rushed sentence.

An explanatory detail shot is placed over a continuous speech recording.

Editing & post-production

Giving B-roll a purpose in the edit

B-roll should show, explain or connect something spatially. An attractive image alone is not a reason to include it.

A cut between similar framings makes a changed body position visible as a jump.

Editing & post-production

Managing jump cuts in an interview

A visible jump can openly show an edit. Decide from the content and available images whether to keep it, cover it or cut differently.

Two aligned camera tracks are combined into an alternating selection of angles.

Editing & post-production

Organising a two-camera edit

Two cameras first need a shared timeline and a clear audio path. Only then should you switch between views.

Events aligned at the beginning move progressively apart toward the end, illustrating drift.

Editing & post-production

Diagnosing audio drift

Constant offset, gradual drift and sudden jumps are different faults. First measure how the discrepancy develops through the recording.

Colour wheels in a colour correction interface.

Editing & post-production

Correcting colour before creating a look

Basic correction establishes a coherent starting point. Exposure, white balance and colour management should be addressed before adding a look.

A reference shot guides matching brightness, white balance and contrast in an adjacent clip.

Editing & post-production

Matching brightness and colour between clips

Matching shots need a shared reference, not identical slider values. Compare faces, neutral areas and the moving transition.

A LUT or transform must match the colour space and gamma of its input footage.

Editing & post-production

Using LUTs with the right input signal

A LUT expects a defined input; check that before judging its result.

The waveform describes brightness across image width; the vectorscope shows hue and saturation.

Editing & post-production

Reading waveform and vectorscope displays

Scopes support comparisons without deciding how a scene ought to look.

The same schematic skin colour appears different against different surrounding colours.

Editing & post-production

Judging skin tones without rigid targets

Judge faces within their lighting and surroundings rather than forcing one numerical target.

A schematic edge loses its shape along with noise when smoothing is too strong.

Editing & post-production

Reducing video noise while keeping detail

Separate noise from useful texture before filtering changes the movement.

A stabilised inner frame needs edge room within a moving source shot.

Editing & post-production

Stabilising shaky clips in post

Stabilisation needs reliable motion analysis and spare framing; some shake remains unfixable.

A schematic speed ramp connects normal playback with a slower section.

Editing & post-production

Making clean speed changes

Treat capture rate, playback speed and generated frames as separate decisions.

Caption blocks follow two units of speech and preserve the gap between them.

Editing & post-production

Timing and formatting readable captions

Captions need accurate timing and space to coexist with the image.

A two-line lower third sits below and beside the face.

Editing & post-production

Designing clear lower thirds

Make a name and role easy to grasp without covering the interview.

Music level is lowered during dialogue and raised again afterward.

Editing & post-production

Balancing music beneath dialogue

Balance music against the quietest important words, not only the loudest sentence.

An illustrative EQ curve shows low-frequency reduction and targeted midrange changes without prescribing universal settings.

Editing & post-production

Improving speech clarity with EQ

EQ adjusts tonal regions; it cannot replace a clear recording or clear wording.

Above a threshold, output level rises more slowly than input level.

Editing & post-production

Controlling speech levels with compression

Prepare levels, apply restrained dynamics processing and compare at matched loudness.

Comparing original and processed sound helps balance noise reduction against damaged speech detail.

Editing & post-production

Removing noise without damaging speech

Reduce specific disturbances while protecting quiet parts of speech.

Two audio clips overlap briefly while one fades out and the other fades in.

Editing & post-production

Smoothing audio cuts with short fades

A short fade can smooth an edit, but cannot hide a mismatched phrase.

An identifiable review export includes a version and time reference for feedback.

Editing & post-production

Exporting a review copy for feedback

Prepare a review copy that directs feedback to one version and a defined set of questions.

Multiple sets of feedback are consolidated into one agreed change list.

Editing & post-production

Consolidating editing feedback

Turn comments into specific edits, clarification questions and unresolved conflicts.

A full watch-through covers the entire exported file, not just sections of the timeline.

Editing & post-production

Watching the finished film all the way through

Watch the exported file continuously instead of checking only recent edits.