The Six Skills Every Video Editor Needs to Have

Being a video editor is no easy task. It’s like trying to do a 1,000 piece puzzle with 10,000 pieces but without seeing the box so you don’t know what you’re supposed to be making. And 3,000 of the pieces actually work for 900 of the pieces you need but you have no pieces for the other 100 pieces so you have to cram them together to complete your puzzle. Then you get asked to change the border of one of the sides but you only have middle pieces left. But you figure it out anyway because that’s what you do. Then you start work on the next puzzle. Do you have the skills it takes to be a video editor?

This article will discuss the six skills every video editor needs to have in order to have a successful career, create powerful videos, and stay sane while doing it.

Please note: some links in this article are affiliate links. All that means is I receive a small commission if you were to buy something after clicking on the link at no extra expense to you. It’s a very standard internet practice for blogs and websites and helps to support Edit Video Faster. I never link to a product I haven’t used or would not recommend. Always happy to answer any questions you have about affiliate links in general or the products linked to below!

The Art of the Edit

Every video editor needs to know how editing actually works. An editor should know when to cut and when to let the shot linger. They need to know the rules and how to follow them. But at the same time they need to know when and how to break them.

“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”

The Dalai Lama

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The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #46

Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest! In this edition we cover the Avid / Chrome SIP issue, music visualizer in AE & more.

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The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #45

Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest! In this edition we cover post production at Netflix, a new feature in Premiere, 2D vs. 3D animation & more.

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The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #44

Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest! In this edition we cover blend modes in Avid Media Composer, a giant free room tones library, finding freelance clients & more.

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The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #43

Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest! In this edition we cover Hollywood’s favorite NLE, the freelancer’s triangle, The Mandalorian, animated textures in AE & more.

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The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #42

Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest! In this edition we cover creating GIFs in Premiere, how many producers should be on a project, YouTube Content ID policy changes & more.

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The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #41

Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest! In this edition we cover 4K workflow in Avid, Resolve’s Boring Detector, camera humor & more.

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Networking for Video Editors

Networking for video editors is literally the most important thing you can do for your career.

Let me say that one more time for those in the back.

📣 NETWORKING FOR VIDEO EDITORS IS LITERALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR. 📣

We all have different career paths. Two editors can be working at the same post house at the same seniority level making the same amount and they both got there in dramatically different ways.

One editor got their job through Indeed and 1,000 online applications. The other editor got their job over a beer with someone from their network. I know plenty of editors who are the former. They apply to everything on Glassdoor and eventually land a gig. Me, I’m the other editor.

For me, every single job I’ve ever had or gig I’ve landed is because of networking. It was because I knew someone else who was in need of my skills. Those people knew I had those skills and was looking for work. I wasn’t annoying about it (at least in my opinion I wasn’t). And it was because I never stopped networking.

If you take anything away from this post I hope it’s the following:

  1. The most important thing you can do for your career is to network
  2. You have to tell people about your skills, what you can do, and what you want to do
  3. The people you tell about your skills must know you’re looking for work or are interested in doing work in the future
  4. Don’t be annoying to these people you’re networking with
  5. Never stop networking, even when you have more than enough work

The rest of this post will focus on the why’s and how’s behind these networking fundamentals for video editors.

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The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #40

Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest! In this edition we cover a free audio syncing tool, Stranger Things FX in AE, artsy movie trailers, & more.

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The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #39

Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest!

In case you’re new around here, in the Video Editor’s Digest you get the lowdown on some cool happenings from around the internet on things related to video editing, video production, or just being a creative professional. It also gives me a chance to update you about new pieces on the EVF website and YouTube channel and tell you any freelance, work, or life stories I may have.

If you have a resource of your own or one you stumble across that you want to share in a future Video Editor’s Digest, you can submit it here.

Alright, let’s get into it!

Quick Tip!

Always fiddling with the settings in Adobe Media Encoder? Create your own presets by clicking the button that’s circled in the picture. After you save your preset it’ll appear at the top of the Preset dropdown list for that format. I have 10 or so presets saved for what it’s worth.

Adobe Media Encoder Export Settings with Save Preset button circled

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