7 Ways to speed up  video editing

Written by Lilian Schiffler
Video Creative at Netflix

London, UK, (11 May 2021)

Everyone knows time is precious. And let’s be honest, everyone wants more time. American author Stephen R. Covey is right in saying:

"Video editors know a thing or two about wasted time. Whilst many aspects of video editing are enjoyable and rewarding, some can be incredibly exhausting and time-consuming, with often double the time required to edit than filming the content."

It can take 5 hours to edit a 1-minute video, or for a 10-second video promo for digital or social media, an editor can spend more than 3 days and over £500. 90% of their time is often spent viewing the footage and looking for the right scenes. Surely there is a knack for speeding up this process?

So, I decided to put together a few tips below to speed up your video editing nightmares, and streamline this overall process for you.

1 - Use Keyboard Shortcuts.
It may seem obvious, but using keyboard shortcuts can be one of the simplest ways to speed up video editing, but is a tactic often overlooked. There are numerous articles online listing the different shortcuts for differing video editing software. Do your research and speed up that workflow!

2 - Organise Your Video Assets.
Develop a system that allows you to navigate through your files quickly. Label everything and have multiple versions of the edits in case of unexpected crashes. You’ll thank us later!

3 - Watch The Entire Footage Or Original Content Before Importing It To Your Video Editing Software — The Old-School Way!
You really don’t want to spend time importing something that won’t be used in the end. Make sure to view your content beforehand, and mark the important moments you need. Put some thought into everything you import!

3,5 - Use A Video Logging Tool - The Modern-Day, 2021 Way!
There are multiple software nowadays which can assist you with the viewing and finding process. One of them is Nova A.I. — a video search tool I have had the pleasure to help develop together with PromoMii. The software analyses your videos and footage so you can search the content in granular detail for specific scenes/moments and objects, words, activities, emotions and people. Or you can simply use it to build a searchable archive of existing footage. A bit of a game-changer for all of us content creators.

4 - Limit distractions.
Sounds obvious, but in a world full of distractions, turning off any device that is going to do just that is really going to help you concentrate and get in the zone. Disconnect the internet and switch off your phone. Believe it or not, it works.

5 - Plan.
One of the biggest time saviours video editors can make is planning everything before uploading your first piece of video content. Plan it out — thank yourself later.

6 - Take regular breaks.
Hours on end of video editing can leave you tired, brain-dead and irritable. Do yourself a favour and take a 10–15 minute break and some fresh air if you can. You’ll be surprised by how alert you will feel after, and how your productivity will increase.

7 - Get anti-blue light glasses.
Yes, those annoying headaches kick in due to the blue light radiating into your eyes all day long. Grab a pair, you won’t regret it!

I hope this helps to bring some structure and streamline the editing process.

Create videos the easy way!

Creating videos has never been more simple. Take advantage by using online video editing software to edit your video assets and improve your brand awareness. Create stunning videos and become recognisable across the web. So don’t wait, start editing videos using Nova A.I.