Video Editing Software Basics: Watch this Free Tutorial
Video editing software has a fairly high learning curve, but if you master one program, you will probably find others easier to learn since most edit programs have similar layouts.
Just like cars all have the same basic features: a steering wheel, brakes and an accelerator; video editing programs also have similar features and layouts.
In this free video editing tutorial, I demonstrate the similarities between three programs: Sony Vegas, Camtasia Studio, and Windows Movie Maker. Although turned around a bit, all three programs have essentially the same basic user interface.
The video below demonstrates editing on Finial Cut Express and as you can see, the layout is similar with that too.
The user interface with any video editing program consists of multiple windows that all function independently yet work together. No other genre of software has so much going on in so many windows at once. That alone confuses a lot of people.
Why are there so many windows?
One way you can think of it is to remember that before computers, it took at least five to fifteen different components to edit video. Once computers came along, all those different machines were duplicated inside the editing software, but each one required its own window. You can see what I mean in the two pictures below. One is an old analogue edit system and the other is WMM with four separate windows open.
This is an analogue video editing system I bought in 1986. This was actually a very small system that could not do a whole lot. A larger system would have had twice this many components.
Windows Movie Maker 4-Window Interface
Once you learn what all the windows do, how they function apart yet together, video editing will make a lot more sense. If you do not understand this basic concept, then video editing will befuddle you to no end.
No matter what video editing software you wish to use, this free editing tutorial from Video Production Tips will help you learn how to use the program.
Here is another tutorial demonstrating Final Cut Express and you can see how the layout is similar with this program too.
Thanks for reading Video Production Tips
Lorraine Grula
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7 Comment(s)
By Don Davis on | Reply
Wow! Eureka! I hope you can really help me. I am visually impaired, but I think I have what it takes to do video editing in some form, and I am very interested in learning more about this subject. I believe there is a need for a website like this one and I hope that many others will get the help that they need from this website. I certainly plan on learning more here and sharing the good news about how others can do the same.
By Internet Video Gal on | Reply
Hi Don.
Of course you can learn to do video editing! I have all the faith in the world that you can. If you have the desire, then you can absolutely overcome some physical limitations. You could use things like large monitors or other tricks to make it work for you. Adaptive equipment rules!
In my days of shooting video for tv news, I saw every kind of heart-warming example of human courage imaginable. So I believe in grabbing for the stars honey. And if at first you don’t succeed… I bet you know the rest of that one!
Good luck and I am thrilled if my blog can help you achieve your goals.
Thanks
Lorraine
By Clair Bui on | Reply
I am glad you took the time and wrote this post!!!
Benjamin
By Dipankar Mech on | Reply
Very nice tutorial… And u provide a very simple learning technique… Thnx 4 ur ideas.
By Internet Video Gal on | Reply
Hi Dipankar,
You’re so welcome, I am always glad to assist people learn how to make videos. Thanks for visiting the Video Production Tips Blog and leaving a comment.
Lorraine
By George Santelices on | Reply
Hello Lorraine.
First let me congratulate you for this great site of yours and I’m very happy I’m in it.
I have a question and hope I’m in the right place.
In movie maker after finishing my video and saved it to my computer in avi format (recomend it) if I make a dvd can be watch in most dvd players but not in my case I’ve try different players and nothing I can only play back on the computer.
Can you help me what am I doing wrong, I’ve try a couple of other format…same problem.
Thanks so much and my very best for you,
-George
By Internet Video Gal on | Reply
Hi George.
Thanks for your nice comment, I am always glad to hear when my blog helps people. AVI is a very common format for computers but does not work in a standard DVD machine. MPEG2 is what works in a standard DVD player, the kind that has been around for a while. Now they also have Blu Ray, which is an HD format for DVD players. If your version of Windows Movie Maker does not convert to MPEG2, download some free software called MPEG Streamclip made by a group called Squared 5. Slip your AVI into that and put it in MPEG2 and you’ll be good to go!
Lorraine