Video Editing is HARD. (but doesn't have to be!) 

Got a bit of a different one for you this week, wanted to really start to tackle the real problems I see creators having, and look to solve them in a real way. Back next week with another episode of nerd plays sonic and talks philosophy

As a professional editor I can tell you: 90% of editing is just the simple straight cut.

giving the video the edits it NEEDS not the edits you CAN DO is such a good take away and philosphy

I really really dislike those high speed high energy videos. Those that cut away natural pauses in vocals etc. I never manage tp watch them. It triggers my anger and makes me close it asap.

I've seen alot of people who don't edit their videos at all and just state their opinion or do something. It's interesting to watch even if there's no intro or cuts. I'd love to watch someone draw art for an hour even if it's not edited.

I realized that the best way to make a good video is to basically video edit less. Meaning, just get straight to the point, make it appealing enough for the audience, and have fun. Especially have fun because when you have fun, the energy is there in the editing process and the video becomes better.

As one of the 255K views on the big video, I remember listening to most of it while getting a project done - it was what you were saying (and the way you cut out the dead space) that kept me hooked. The gameplay was a nice human touch that made it feel like a friend was just chatting/ranting/encouraging me while playing video games. I think I cheered when you said “F that - art IS society.” Was one of the pivot points to get me to actually start posting again and sending things to my friends and family. So thank you! (Oh - and as a Premiere user who switched to Resolve last summer (and now uses both depending on the project) I totally second your Resolve recommendation. Especially since it’s free. Very free. Thanks for putting together that cheatsheet too!)

With my very limited video making experience, i always thought i was "taking shortcuts" by just trimming and adding BG music- And i tried to improve by adding all these bells and whistles and flashy visuals- And now i know that editing isn't about a meta. Your video "You should Be a RU-vidr" completely changed my view on creative projects, and gave me a burst of motivation, or more so courage to create, i hadn't felt for years. Thanks alot, Neat.

i never get bored just exhausted. all my worst videos are the ones where i was just obsessed with getting it done in one day. i had a 60 second trailer take me about 5 hours to fully edit one day and thought, yeah im never doing this in one day again no matter how motivated i am. once i did that i started sitting on projects for a couple days and going back and i notice all sorts of stuff i didnt before. never underestimate the fact that actually making decisions and thinking burns energy just like exercising does; its only natural that you have a finite amount of useful bandwidth per day. once you get to that point, sometimes even walking away for a bit isnt enough. put it down, think of something else, wind down for the day, then take a fresh look tomorrow. also, learn as many hotkeys as possible and try not to use a mouse too much. using hotkeys will make you feel more efficient if nothing else but it also WILL make you faster. setup the custom keyboard to what you think is comfortable i have no idea what BMD was thinking when they made some of these key combos so make your own keyboard layout! lastly, practice doesnt make perfect, perfect practice does. this means that if you wanna learn lets say the pEmitter node, dont throw that into an existing project and try to figure it out. no, make a practice composition so you can mess it up all day and it wont matter. my dashboard is FULL of mostly practice projects and i title them as such so i can easily go back and practice when i inevitably forget how to do something.

Dude, I found this channel and I freaking love it! Thank you for the liability and integrity!

This is the type of video that I'll be revisiting when I burnt out in video editing. Thank you so much for creating this video Neat, it felt like therapy session for us Video Editors. p.s. I love your hand gestures while you articulate your thoughts.

I think my biggest issue with reaching "flow" in editing is that I'm constantly leaving the editing software to go find assets/clips/sfx to throw into the video at any given time. I don't mean importing from my files, I mean I leave the software entirely and go to youtube or google to find what I need. If I didn't do this for every single video I edit, I wouldn't feel unmotivated when thinking about editing

the sonic branding really catched me actually

sometimes I make an edit that just sends me straight into the floor laughing, that's what's keeping me going rn

What really helps me with editing is to look at it as a puzzle. Chose a simple easy to use free editor and have an image of what the video might look like. Then you try to work with what you have and trying to achieve your image. If it doesn't look how good you thought it would look, no problem! Now you gained experience of what works and what doesn't. The key is to not be overly ambitious in your thinking of what your content should or might look like. Something that could help out with not getting burned out is by having friends or just people you can share what you create with. Just the positive reaction from one person drove me to try to make more. It really does help. Enjoy the process!

Hey, you're that guy that made that video with the Sonic footage. It's funny that this video popped up in the list, because I'm currently struggling with a massive video editing project. I thought it would take a week. It took two weeks just to get ~25% done. It looks like the video is going to be around four hours long. 🙀

speaking as a long-time dungeon master the whole "it doesn't matter how complicated or how much work goes into a think only what the audience sees" is soooooooooo true

You're quickly turning into one of my favorite channels. I can tell this is all from the heart because I too am challenged by this stuff (More of a Switch/PS5 guy than a Steam guy though) Hopefully I'll be able to make something of myself in due time!

This is a really insightful video and I appreciate you making it. I'd definitely fallen into the trap of trying to overedit my videos, trying to cram every other second with some sort of new visual or joke, always trying to keep the audience engaged. Now, don't get me wrong, I do ENJOY editing like this! It's fun for me to do and a lot of the time, just cutting clips together is so boring. But it does catch up to you eventually... so I'm trying to cut back and find a good balance. Keeping enough interesting edits in there to satisfy myself while not overworking myself to hell and back. We'll see how it goes!

I think the weirdest thing I do when editing is listen to RU-vid videos in the background. But I also switch between drawing and editing while I'm in the sketch stage, so it's harder for me to get bored of either one and I can see what my final product might look like. I'm usually just too lazy to pause the video when I switch over, especially since I've heard the audio so many times by that point that I can recall it perfectly from memory. Editing like that is less like trudging through the same well-worn path and more like putting together a moving puzzle. I also take a few shortcuts, though they probably won't help anyone that isn't making animations. A good chunk of my editing is already done before I even start drawing. When I'm planning a video, I make a "timed script" that's just descriptions using the text generator. It blocks out where I want sections to begin and end so that I don't have to figure it out later... which helps when I'm too lazy to pause the video I was listening to while I was drawing. XD As a current Vegas user, I was surprised by the mention. I got it back when it was much cheaper but at some point MAGIX discontinued the affordable tiers (which were technically considered a separate product? apparently?) to encourage people to buy MAGIX Movie Studio instead. Up until they removed those, it was totally worth it because I used version 15 from 2018 to late 2023 without trouble. You definitely don't need the latest software to edit videos, but that doesn't save you from bad corporate decisions. Unfortunately, I'm locked in because I need a very specific set of features to make videos the way I do. :')

Omg, I was looking for this EXACT video but YT kept giving me garbage and I was ready to give up... glad the algorithm finally delivered! This is what I needed to hear.

At the moment I am stuck in a brutal state of burnout. I have several clients that are depending on my skillset, but man is it intense. Thanks for helping putting things into perspective, admittedly distractions and my PS5 are both my de-stressors all while adding guilt and more stress. I think I'm gonna relocate my game system and try to get this flow state going. great video!

Excellent video! So glad to see you getting more attention ever since the first popoff!

Loved this video! First time I saw your channel. I am on this path, this video helped. Much appreciated.

Man thanks for this I get overwhelmed easily with putting too much pressure on myself to be great at things that I am a novice at video editing has been my most recent and fun passion. Editing is a wonderful creative outlet and I even found someone I can work for and get paid, so I’m extremely motivated to do well and this gives me a lot of perspective

Loved the analysis. Loved your explanation for burnout. For sure.

Many good points. I especially like the discussion of sacrifice vs. reward.

Real, grounded, constructive ideas here. After two years I know the pitfalls of aiming for higher views, and the joy and success that comes from just making the content I really am inspired to make. Still way below 1000 subs, but seriously, who cares about a number, its all about the comments and the process.

thanks, man I needed this you are really inspiring

Great video! Sometimes, we all need to remember "less = more" when it comes to editing, especially when you've gone through a phase of throwing in every trick in the book to keep the imaginary "target audience" engaged. Also, can we just take a minute to appreciate the work that went into the cheat sheets, guidebook, AND plugins? 😵 Keep it up Neat, and thank you!

Here you are, keeping me doing my crap! Thanks bro!!!

very very helpful and sound advice. thank you for making this. i've been dealing with the inability to edit the things i want to make for myself, not even the endgoal of garnering an audience, yet every time i open the project and do about two things and come upon the inevitable "idk how to do exactly what im seeing in my head" i get struck by so many feelings of inadequacy and sadness that i close it and go indulge myself in something else like games or videos. but the few times i have sat down and been able to do things just to DO things, i've never felt better. it truly is just about DOING IT. just sit down and do it, and if you cant do what you want, do something that fits there anyway and move on because how are you ever going to make progress otherwise? thank you again. i actually saw this video after coming to open youtube right after i expericned this editing burnout so im going to go back to it now. saving your recommended for later.

Another Neat Video sir! Thank you as always and see you next time!

As an editor for other RU-vidrs and an editor for myself, I can agree sometimes less is good. We don't need to make quick flashy edits. I also spent hours on my gaming videos trying to be flashy (sometimes not even being that good of an edit) and get less views but literally just a simple cut of highlights would rack a greater amount than I would have expected. Great video and great takes. I came from the "Do youtube now" video and I am absolutely hooked on your vids.

Now this is a lit video🎉🎉 i love the idea of editing so sometimes i go above and beyond, nothing crazy but it is alot💯 Amazing Video

Been making videos for a while now, and as cliche as it may sound bigger is not always better. Overediting with Retention edits won’t work for everyone especially if you can’t match that energy. Not everyone needs to be a MrBeast clone in terms of editing. Some people just enjoy the chill person, who’s making the videos. And that’s you ;)

Spot on. My channel is in a rather unfortunate situation where the minimum required editing is higher than most channels, and I don't even do anything super fancy (I don't bother with Fusion). Like you said, it depends on what you need to get your point across. I instead have to cut down on the scripts themselves, which is what I'm doing now. So fingers crossed!

Please continue to make videos on these topics… it came to me at the right time!

I just started taking RU-vid seriously and editing has been really fun for me and I usually listen to music during it, music helps me do anything easier

I struggle with everything 🙈 The script, the voiceover, the painting (actual content) and the editing. But somehow I still want to do it, it's meaningful and interesting.

1:46 Earned you my sub. Well done! I've always hated the monotonous advice to do "flashy" overstimulating editing so everything changes ever 8 seconds. I can't even stand watch videos that are like that and I have ADHD. I've been wanting to learn how to edit better and not have to resort to that. So glad RU-vid recommended this video. Also, I'm one of the ones that watched video C.😂

This video is incredidible! It talks about everything im going through Using davinci, time management with adhd, editing slog, and my motovation! Completing games!!!! :D

When I first started my channel I was so bad at editing but I feel like you can only learn from making actual videos not just watching tutorials and never actually loading up vids in your software to make

Kinda wish I saw this 8 months ago when I immediately got overwhelmed and burnt out as a Freelance Editor especially the section about over-editing to try to prove one's self as an editor, as I'm definitely stuck in that hole at the moment. Thank you for this advice it is wonderful.

I'm glad I clicked this video. Why? Because everything you said here is very inspirational. Thank you ❤

This is the concept I try to implement into my channel too because if you build an audience out of flashy edits, they are only going to watch for the flashy edits and not for you. I try to keep my editing simple and as effective as possible to actually build somewhat of a connection with the viewer. I feel like it’s somewhat working considering I barely have any videos and getting way more views than subs.

Love this

All about the flow state. I love video editing as it is very fast to get into the flow state. I often get it with audio and music. But yeah. Freaking love editing and would love to do it more. I use davinci resolve studio.

mans hustle grinding in the good way

That part of changing the perspective of what a reward is for the creator hit me hard. Was pretty short though, I would love u make a video going even deeper about rewards and stress as you said

I don’t get that bc editing is my FAV PART!!❤

MASSIVE TIP TO ALL EDITORS!!! Act like you are making a tutorial on everything you are doing, it helps me reach flow insanely fast!

Very good video , i am also struggling with DRS but advancing slowly..

Someone's been learning from Dr. K ;) As an undiagnosed ADHD person until last year at almost 29 years old, I relate to this a lot. And going too hard on the fancy edits after realising how much potential you have? Yup, that's me too. Though, the fancy editing phase also helped me learn what was possible and how to splash in some cool tricks whenever I feel like being stylish, so it ain't all bad, either! One very underrated factor though, is definitely the mental side of things. Maybe even the MOST important. No matter how much I tried to learn or got good at editing/content creation, I was basically paralyzed until not only diagnosing the ADHD, but understanding MYSSELF better. That stuff is so crucial to anything in life, including making videos. Also, as some "feedback" to potentially be of help - I almost clicked off the video when you began talking about DaVinci Resolve. Not in a rude way - I just thought the entire video may have been about an editor I don't even use, but I'm glad I stuck around for the rest of it! Just something I wanted to share incase that info can be helpful to you in some way. Love your content! You're telling people a lot of things they really need to hear, which is great!

Great video! Up-and-comer myself here and it's nice to hear others' considerations when it comes to time management in the edit :D

really what takes most of my time Is planning and replanning the shots actually implementing them dont take me too much

Something that keeps me from starting is fear that my equipment isn’t good enough. I have a regular laptop that I don’t believe can handle editing gaming footage

thanks

Shoutout to Vyvanse!

My videos aren't even edited, but I'm still proud of my channel. They may just be me talking during a slide show, but I'm fine with that.

I love the bit about finding your own motivation for doing what you're doing. Great video, Neat! But if I can make one suggestion? Please, start adding closed captioning. It's an important accessibility feature that's totally transparent to those who don't need it, and really helpful for people who are deaf or have auditory processing issues. (I personally take in info better when I can read and hear it at the same time.)

Your videos are so much better than anything think media has made

I swear it's like you know. I'm really struggling right now with not getting discouraged with my latest video that took me weeks getting no views. This is what I need. Work smarter, not harder. Thank you

the script the main idea is the most important part of a video

I really enjoy watching your editing ideas. I can't tell a story, I can't stay on topic, I can't eat rice pudding......but I love the study of editing. ( I skip the get more views videos....I just want to make better edits on my videos ) Sony Vegas Pro 15 here....

As someone using Davinci and editing for 4 years now, editing doesn’t matter too much until you get people to click on your video.

I love editing so much! after making 3 Videos invested in a better PC because it surely would be more fun if it´s not lagging and crashing all the time xD My biggest problem is starting with editing. Once i started i can´t even stop. (ironically it´s 01:13AM right now and im working on a Thumbnail, wich i also love to do!)

Thank you for making this man. I can fackin do this!!!

you literally save me

I have abandoned over 4 youtube channels because I felt like i was wasting my time. As you said, it's a lot of time with little to no reward. A positive takeaway for me is that i learned what i dont like doing because if i did, the views would not bother me to that extent. Plus, i learned how to use Davince resolve and edit videos. So i try to look at the positive. But yeah, its very difficult to get views. I feel like i have tackled the problem at every single angle, and nothing seems to change...at least so far. Im not giving up. At this point, im trying to figure out what i like doing instead of what could get views. Because at least then, i won't abandon the channel.

how do you make videos look really well on youtube ive been having so much trouble. like exporting videos look crappy juss tryna have clearer gaming content like the big yt yfm!

You know what makes editing hard? When one corrupted timeline crashes your software and stops you from opening the project again.

Yeah.

I use capcut

Da Vinci Resolve is the 🐐

Awesome video dude, that's good motivational content right there. I also have one video with 220k views with almost no editing and it took only 14 years to get there, haha.

It's funny to me that almost all of these tips apply to mixing audio or really anything

What do you use to create thumbnails?

Can some or all of the tools provided in your cheat sheet be applied to premiere pro?

That sounds just like me

Cool

To editing I just do simple edits, nothing too extreme as all honesty over doing it can be a issue

this video deserve more view !!!!!!! !! no body do it anymore

clicked cause of sonic

Thanks for your video! Liked and Subscribed! 9:33 So True 11:14

You do know that Vegas Pro isn't owned by Sony since version 14, right? Anyway, I still use Vegas Pro because it responds faster to ripple editing than Resolve ever did.

gonna put my own little tid bit here i like to seperate "editing" and "motion graphics" most people call motion graphics editing but that's just not true imo editing is the art of cutting up footage and splicing it back together in a way that makes the story told more engaging and enjoyable to watch. motion graphics is all the fancy stuff. the moving images and whatnot. you should be able to make an excellent video using ONLY cutting, without relying on motion graphics to keep someone engaged. anyways good video. solid advice here

Matt Wattson.

What do the timeline have to do with the RU-vid views? It does not make any sense. The RU-vid views are based in many factors but the timeline... Nice video idea though

its not really the editing for me, its more the recording process, as you cant fully use your potential when you have bad footage. I know that the point of editting is making a video better, so this contridicts itself, but you should know what i mean.

I mean, for me, I just use capcut, its free, fast, and simple

huh is my comment under review?? it just got deleted or sth

Hello I'm his 1k like

I don't get views. If I was after the views....I would be toast long ago. No real goals here, I just like to put up videos....I'm happy when I don't lose subs and get to watch my own videos.

I've had more problems with rendering than editing.

Determining the view of the video solely from the amount editing it took and not the content itself is not reasonanble.

The video idea/content is 80% of the whole thing No amount of editing would save a terrible video idea

But will you take $10 for this cheat sheet?

Lol editing is easy af, You literally only have to use one hand, it is However, time consuming.

You didn't really tell us how video editing doesn't have to be hard. I don't care if you want to sell a product, however, what I look for when I watch a video is value, which this video doesn't hold much for me. "Quit trying to improve just so you can get more views, you'll probably burn out and end up quitting, but here: Buy my product!" It could be the greatest product in the world, but if you don't have the money it doesn't matter much how good it is. (And technically 25 bucks isn't even that much, that I couldn't actually come up with that, but I have priorities with what little money I do have, and I'm unemployed right now, so this is going to go to food or rent or whatever).