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Editing: Desktop Editing FAQ

New technology introductions and revolutionary advances in the state-of-the-art sometimes seem to happen on a monthly or sometimes even a weekly basis. And for many of us, that means constantly challenging our ideas about the best techniques, strategies and gear to create our videos. Here are the answers to a few frequently asked questions that might help you make sense of this fast moving industry.

A. The obvious answer is that the most important features for any system are the ones you'll need to use most often to get your work done. This may seem obvious, but time after time, I've seen beginners debate the need for features that are miles beyond what they'll ever really use.

For example, let's say you're assembling a system to make simple training videos. The fact that the editing program in consideration can handle 99 tracks of audio is cool, but not particularly important. You can probably work for years making superb training videos and never need more than half a dozen discrete audio tracks.

On the other hand, if your vision for your video career includes working towards projects that require a great deal of audio scoring, such as feature films or music videos, you might want to place multiple audio track access higher on your list of must-have features. Never let the "feature wars" make you think that just because product A has a feature that product B lacks, that product A is better than B. For example, many of the features listed on the side of the box of professional editors are for HD broadcast television. If your producer has not already lined up the financing to produce HD television, don't worry about this feature.

Ask the real question: "What features do I need, considering the type of work I'm likely to be doing in the foreseeable future?" In truth, nearly all of today's popular editing packages have all the features you'll ever need.

A. Great question. In the not-so-distant past, the answer may have been to buy superior acquisition equipment. Today, with inexpensive digital camcorders that create excellent pictures, and a digital signal flow that preserves that quality over generation after generation of dubbing, it truly is the golden age of self-produced video picture quality.

Many editors place their hopes in the features and functions found in the latest and greatest editing applications. "If I only had better software, I'd make better video." While there's a lot to be said for using good tools, a hammer is only as good as the hand that swings it.

The best thing to invest in is yourself. Remember, your equipment doesn't make the video. You make the video. If you have some extra money and want to really improve your video editing skills, take a class at the local community college, a trade show or at a Videomaker Expo, Conference or Workshop. Investing in your knowledge is the very best thing you can do to insure your continued progression as a videographer.

Bottom line: Success with video is about what you know, not what you own.

A. In video editing, the term pacing usually refers to how much information is presented to the audience in a given period of time and how quickly new information replaces old. Whether you're editing a training video or a dramatic story, the pacing of the show needs to match the comfort level of your audience. Many beginning video editors who think they're producing a tightly edited piece, are surprised to discover that they have problems keeping their audience focused on the show.

Pacing a program just right is a delicate balance. The information must flow fast enough not to bore the quickest members of the audience while keeping the flow of information reasonable for those who aren't as quick, or who want to ponder something they've just seen before new material is introduced.

One factor that affects any program's pacing is the clarity of the elements of presentation. If the characters and their situations are understandable, if the actors are natural and convincing, if on-screen text and graphics are well designed and easy to read, the audience can take in the presented information more quickly and be ready to move on.

If, on the other hand, there are problems with the clarity of the presentation, the editor has to slow the flow of information to let the audience catch up. I got a reminder of just how good most audiences are at assimilating information when I recently bought my son a DVD package containing the first few seasons of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. As we sat down to watch this television classic, it struck me just how quickly it was paced. William Conrad, the show's narrator has a machine-gun quick delivery, as does virtually every other character in the program.

If all the kids and adults who grew up on this classic program could handle that rapid fire pace of delivery - I suspect that today's kids and adults can as well. Faster isn't always better. But too slow is almost always the kiss of death for a program.

Okay, I've saved the hardest and most frequently asked digital video question for last.