Top 10 Tips to Speed up Video Editing Workflow

Video editing is undoubtedly one of the most integral phases of video production, helping content creators attain the best quality outcome. However, the process can also be immensely time-consuming owing to the various technicalities involved.

Especially if tons of footage is there to shave down, find the exact part, and turn it into a linear narrative, it can slow down the post-production no matter how advanced the editing software is. This article is an ideal handbook for those aspiring video editors looking for ways to speed up their editing process and keep the quality intact.

Keep scrolling, and by the end of the blog, you shall get the answers to your queries about organizing video footage and speeding up your video editing workflow. Stick on!

Why does video editing take so long?

Sorting the clips, trimming and patching them, syncing the background score, implementing the transitions, and adding special effects – all take a significant amount of time and effort on the editor’s part. In a nutshell, editing a video demands high technical skills and a lot of time and dedication that stretch the hours.

Furthermore, in cases when the footage shot is not enough, extra clips are required to be added, which is an even more time-consuming task. The advanced tools leveraged for editing also have a steep learning curve that only experts can grasp.

Lastly, there’s another reason for the process taking so long, technical issues. Wires can break, the software can crash, the computer can slow down, configurations might not be up-to-date, and so on. In short, there can be a number of reasons why video post-processing can be lengthy.

Nonetheless, a professional agency is always braced with the best infrastructure, cutting-edge software, and technologies and is backed by a fleet of experts who can bring down the editing time to a great extent.

Tips to make your video editing workflow faster

Who doesn’t want to work fast and deliver the projects on time? But as mentioned, there can be several reasons that slow down the speed of a video retoucher. Thus, it is always a great idea to keep some tips handy.

The following tips will empower any aspiring professionals to increase their video editing speed by simplifying certain parts of the workflow, no matter the editing software used. Along with video editing checklist to a functional and fast post-production process.

1. Plan your editing sequence before beginning

   Before sitting for the editing work, think of the order or sequence of the edits that you would do. If you need to transcode a few clips, do the ones you would need the most and start organizing them. You may keep the transcoding process for the rest of the clips turned on.

   Similarly, if any graphics need to be created, try doing that in a different program while rendering the clips. This will save a lot of time and get both the works done. Another tip is to edit and upload the first clip while the uploading process works on the rest. This will condense the editing time a lot.

2. Organize all the files and footage in respective folders

   The key to great editing is organizing everything beforehand. The more organized you are, the cleaner the editing. Instead of labelling and creating multiple sub-clips, give the maximum time and effort in an effective organization. Set everything in a way so you find everything in no time.

   Still images, background music files, stock footage, descriptions, everything must be in place and saved on your desktop as well as in the editing program.

3. Use more than one screen space

   Working on multiple screens truly helps distribute the work equally and thus saves time. The editor is able to check the works on more than one screen and make video editing faster. Even if it is an old monitor or an iPad that you no longer use, it can be of help.

   You may make the edits on the desktop or your workstation and use the extra screen for either file management or playback. The more screen space you have, the better.

4. Know your hotkeys to edit way faster/Keyboard Shortcuts

   Clicking the mouse every time you need to make an edit is old-school. Think smart and learn a few keyword hacks that can speed up your editing process. No matter which software you use, Premier Pro, Lumen 5, or Final Cut Pro, memorize these time-saving keyboard hacks for a faster editing process.

5. Use stock footage if required

   Sometimes you might need a specific clip to make the video more nuanced and engaging. However, the clip might not be present in the shot footage. In that case, keep a stock video footage library at your disposal, wherefrom you can get some really good and authentic video clips and utilize the same within the video.

   Several such stock footage libraries available online that one can use and increase the video editing speed.

6. Placeholders to mark places for shots to be added later

   Use placeholders wherever necessary and mark the spots for later editing. Especially if you are working on a full-feature film that requires several VFX and the required shot is still not there, you may easily put a placeholder instead of breaking your editing flow and later on add that particular shot in the final stage.

7. Use markers in your edit

   Slightly different from the placeholders (discussed above), markers can be used to denote time for doing music edits and sync, audio mixing, etc., manually.

   Furthermore, markers are ideal for highlighting key moments, keeping things organized, and indicating where certain elements would fit within the video timeline. These are extremely handy for faster editing and ensure timely delivery.

8. Stay focused and edit in sequential stages

   This helps a lot. Instead of overburdening yourself with all the editing tasks at once, think about a linear sequence and edit them individually. This not only saves time but also helps the editing professional to stay focused.

   You may start with color correction and color grading, then the A-roll and B-Roll edits, adding sound effects like background score, and foley sound. Then move on to inserting the graphics, fixing the exposure issues, and finally reviewing everything and exporting. And as mentioned above, you can also use markers to return to that timestamp later on without getting sidetracked.

9. Upload and review instantly

   This is a tip that helps you save time and prevent any after-work. Most professional video editing agencies and experts recommend uploading the work done and then watching it right away to spot any issues. It is a waste of time to do the complete work, upload the file and then notice something is amiss.

   Hence, check the uploaded work immediately, and if possible, by a second pair of eyes; if any discrepancies are found, sort it out then and there.

10. Do the audio editing and mixing last

    Audio mixing is one of the toughest and most time-taking works in the entire post-production phase because if the audio is mismatched, the entire editing goes in vain.

    Thus, professional editors opine to do the audio mixing and editing during the last stage, preferably only after the clients approve.

Benefits of a fast turnaround

The faster the turnaround, the higher the demand for the individual or the agency. A fast turnaround is always the prime choice for customers. Timely project delivery also helps in attracting new leads and closing more projects. Clients prefer getting the video before the excitement ends, especially for events like engagements, weddings, or baby showers.

Probably the biggest benefit a videographer or an editor can enjoy from a faster project delivery is more opportunities and time to take on other projects. If a project takes less time to finish, the editor will have extra time in hand to either to take up a new job, or upgrade their own skill sets.

So whether you are a professional videographer working for post-production in wedding videos, real estate videos, corporate films, or any other project, ensure your turnaround time is faster. And it goes without saying the only way to attain such speed is to make the editing workflow faster.

Whether you take up the editing work yourself, or outsource to a third-party agency, follow the above tips. These proven tips and tricks can improve editing and retouching speed by 10x.

Why video post-processing gives faster TAT?

Teaming up with an external post-processing agency has several perks,; mainly because it guarantees high speed and utmost quality.

Professional agencies that offer top-grade video post-production services leverage cutting-edge technologies with upgraded software versions, and have a huge team of experts with extensive domain knowledge. Finally, they possess vast expertise across all industries.

Over to you now!

There you go. Complete details on why video editing takes so long, how to edit videos faster, and how outsourcing helps in a faster editing process. If you are an aspiring editor or a pro, hope you have got a fair idea of how you can bring speed to your editing process, the best practices, as well as the benefits of outsourcing or offshoring the technicalities to a third-party agency.

Also, by analyzing these best practices, one can figure out the common mistakes to avoid in video editing that tend to slow down the editing speed.

So, next, when you sit for an editing project, keep these tips handy. The time you can save by implementing these best practices within your workflow can be used for generating more leads and upgrading your skill sets. Good luck!