WHAT IS VIDEO EDITING?

Video editing is the process of manipulating and rearranging video shots to create a new work. Editing is usually considered to be one part of the post production process other post-production tasks include titling, colour correction, sound mixing, etc.Many people use the term editing to describe all their post-production work, especially in non-professional situations. Motion picture film editing is a predecessor to video editing and, in several ways, video editing simulates motion picture film editing, in theory and the use of linear video editing and video editing software on non-linear editing systems (NLE). Using video, a director can communicate nonfictional and fictional events. The goals of editing is to manipulate these events to bring the communication closer to the original goal or target. It is a visual art. Early video tape recorders (VTR) were so expensive, and the quality degradation caused by copying was so great, that 2 inch Quadruplex videotape was edited by visualizing the recorded track with ferrofluid and cutting with a razor blade or guillotine cutter and splicing with video tape. The two pieces of tape to be joined were painted with a solution of extremely fine iron filings suspended in carbon tetrachloride, a toxic and carcinogenic compound. This "developed" the magnetic tracks, making them visible when viewed through a microscope so that they could be aligned in a splicer designed for this task. Improvements in quality and economy, and the invention of the flying erase-head, allowed new video and audio material to be recorded over the material already recorded on an existing magnetic tape and was introduced into the linear editing technique. If a scene closer to the beginning of the video tape needed to be changed in length, all later scenes would need to be recorded onto the video tape again in sequence. In addition, sources could be played back simultaneously through a vision mixer (video switcher) to create more complex transitions between scenes.

GOALS OF VIDEO EDITING

There are many reasons to edit a video and your editing approach will depend on the desired outcome. Before you begin you must clearly define your editing goals, which could include any of the following: Remove unwanted footage:

This is the simplest and most common task in editing. Many videos can be dramatically improved by simply getting rid of the flawed or unwanted bits. Choose the best footage: It is common to shoot far more footage than you actually need and choose only the best material for the final edit. Often you will shoot several versions (takes) of a shot and choose the best one when editing. Create a flow: Most videos serve a purpose such as telling a story or providing information. Editing is a crucial step in making sure the video flows in a way which achieves this goal. Add effects, graphics, music, etc

Alter the style, pace or mood of the video A good editor will be able to create subtle mood prompts in a video. Techniques such as mood music and visual effects can influence how the audience will react. Give the video a particular "angle" Video can be tailored to support a particular viewpoint, impart a message or serve an agenda.

TYPES OF VIDEO EDITING:

There are several different ways to edit video and each method has its pros and cons. However, video editing is basically of two types-Linear Video Editing and Non-linear video editing. Linear Video editing is done on video tapes; whereas Non-linear Video Editing are done using video editing softwares. Although most editors opt for digital non-linear editing for most projects, it makes sense to have an understanding of how each method works.

Film Splicing:

Technically this isn't video editing, it's film editing. But it is worth a mention as it was the first way to edit moving pictures and conceptually it forms the basis of all video editing. Traditionally, film is edited by cutting sections of the film and rearranging or discarding them. The process is very straightforward and mechanical. In theory a film could be edited with a pair of scissors and some splicing tape, although in reality a splicing machine is the only practical solution. A splicing machine allows film footage to be lined up and held in place while it is cut or spliced together. Tape to Tape (Linear): Linear editing was the original method of editing electronic video tapes, before editing computers became available in the 1990s. Although it is no longer the preferred option for most serious work, it still has a place and remains the better option in some cases. It is likely that linear editing will be a useful skill for a long time to come. In linear editing, video is selectively copied from one tape to another. It requires at least two video machines connected together one acts as the source and the other is the recorder. The basic procedure is quite simple: Place the video to be edited in the source machine and a blank tape in the recorder. Press play on the source machine and record on the recorder. The idea is to record only those parts of the source tape you want to keep. In this way desired footage is copied in the correct order from the original tape to a new tape. The new tape becomes the edited version. This method of editing is called "linear" because it must be done in a linear fashion; that is, starting with the first shot and working through to the last shot. If the editor changes their mind or notices a mistake, it is almost impossible to go back and re-edit an earlier part of the video. However, with a little practice, linear editing is relatively simple and trouble-free. Digital/Computer (Non-linear): In this method, video footage is recorded (captured) onto a computer hard drive and then edited using specialized software. Once the editing is complete, the finished product is recorded back to tape or optical disk.

Non-linear editing has many significant advantages over linear editing. Most notably, it is a very flexible method which allows you to make changes to any part of the video at any time. This is why it's called "nonlinear" because you don't have to edit in a linear fashion. One of the most difficult aspects of non-linear digital video is the array of hardware and software options available. There are also several common video standards which are incompatible with each other, and setting up a robust editing system can be a challenge. The effort is worth it. Although non-linear editing is more difficult to learn than linear, once you have mastered the basics you will be able to do much more, much faster. Live Editing: In some situations multiple cameras and other video sources are routed through a central mixing console and edited in real time. Live television coverage is an example of live editing. Live editing is a fairly specialist topic and won't concern most people.

TOOLS FOR VIDEO EDITING:

There was a transitional analog period using multiple source videocassette recorder (VCR)s with the EditDroid using LaserDisc players, but modern NLE systems edit video digitally captured onto a hard drive from an analog video or digital video source. Content is ingested and recorded natively with the appropriate codec which will be used by video editing software such as Sony Vegas, CyberLinkPowerDirector, Avid Technology's Media Composer and Xpress Pro, Apple's Final Cut Pro (FCP), Adobe Systems'sPremiere, and EditShare'sLightworks to manipulate the captured footage. High-definition video is becoming more popular and can be readily edited using the same video editing software along with related motion graphics programs. Video clips are arranged on a timeline, music tracks, titles, digital on-screen graphics are added, special effects can be created, and the finished program is "rendered" into a finished video. The video may then be distributed in a variety of ways including DVD, web streaming, QuickTime Movies, iPod, CD-ROM, or video tape. Like many other technologies, the cost of video editing has declined by an order of magnitude or more. The 2" Quadraplex system cost so much that
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many television production facilities could only afford a single unit and editing was a highly involved process requiring special training. In contrast, nearly any home computer sold since the year 2000 has the speed and storage capacity to digitize and edit standard-definition television (SDTV). The two major retail operating systems include basic video editing software - Apple'siMovie and Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker. There are also more advanced commercial products such as AVS Video Editor, CyberLink Power Director, Adobe Premiere Elements, AVID Express DV, CyberLinkPowerDirector, Final Cut X, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle Studio, UleadVideoStudio, Roxio Easy Media Creator, muveeautoProducer, and Videopad. Additionally, there are free, opensource video-editing programs. These include Avidemux, Kdenlive, PiTiVi, Kino, Openshot and Cinelerra.

GLOSSARY
Capture Device: A hardware or firmware device used to convert analogue video into digital video. Compressors & Codecs: Software or firmware used to compress and decompress digital video. Compression makes the file size smaller. Editing: The process of rearranging, adding and/or removing sections of video clips.Also, creating transitions between clips. Editing is part of post-production. Encoding: The process of converting digital video into a particular format, for example, saving a video project in MGEG-2 format for DVD distribution. Layering: Adding multiple layers of superimposed video. Linear Editing: Also known as tape to tape editing. A method of editing in which footage is copied from one tape to another in the required order
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Non Linear Editing: An editing method which uses computer software to edit the footage. Transition: The way one shot changes to the next. Post Production: Everything that happens to the video and audio after production, i.e. after the footage has been shot. Post production includes video editing, audio editing, titling, colour correction, effects, etc.