Have you decided to start editing video, but don’t know where to begin? The Videomaker Basic Editing Webinar is aimed at answering your hardware and software questions, as well as providing information on how to use pacing, transitions, motivated edits, and more in order to start editing great videos. By learning the techniques and information taught in our Basic Editing Webinar, you’ll be well on your way to creating the videos you want to make.

Following the webinar, all registrants will receive a copy of our special report “Time Control.” In addition to valuable information and a free special report, our Basic Editing Webinar will also include a live Q&A segment; our team answering your questions. Videomaker’s Basic Editing Webinar starts at 11:00 AM (PST) on Wednesday, January 12th, so be sure to sign up soon!

Not interested in an introduction to editing? Videomaker’s weekly Webinar Training Series is taught by our experts and features a wide variety of video production and post production topics including Advanced Editing, Green Screen and Special Effects, Advanced Shooting, Lighting for Video, and much more.

There is something about the raw emotion of fear that people find thrilling. So much so, that millions are spent every year at the box office in pursuit of heart-stopping, adrenaline-pumping, jump-out-of-your-seat entertainment. What makes horror flicks so effective at making us scream is the use of suspense.

Editing for suspense is a simple technique. It’s about understanding what the audience wants to see, and then not giving it to them right away. If you were editing a movie in which a group of friends decide to spend the night in a haunted mansion, you wouldn’t show the ghosts right away, you would build up to the moment of reveal.

For example, say Victim #1 gets separated from his group of friends. He anxiously walks down the corridors looking for a familiar face. He hears an eerie noise behind him and quickly turns to look. At this point, you could show the horrifying ghost that made the noise, but the lack of suspense will have the audience booing your movie before the next scene can start.

Instead of showing the ghost, cut to a shot of the vacant corridor behind him. Another eerie noise comes from off screen and Victim #1 snaps his head around the other direction to see what caused it. Again, there is nothing there. He shakes his head and laughs it off, which gives the audience a moment to let down their guard. Victim #1 then turns to walk back the way he came, and BAM! He’s face-to-face with a ghastly ghost will ill-intentions. The audience lets out a shriek, never knowing that they, themselves, fell victim to suspenseful editing.

Horror movies are built on suspense. Of all the movie genres, horror may be the one most reliant on successful post-production. The edits, the sound effects and chilling music, the special effects and the highly stylized treatment of the footage by altering the color and contrast are all crucial elements of horror, and can be achieved entirely within your editing suite.

If you own Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 or Final Cut Studio 2, you have all the tools you need to get professional level post-production results, but do you know how to utilize them to their greatest potential? Videomaker’s Complete Training for Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Videomaker’s Basic Training for Final Cut Pro Studio 2 DVD-ROMs are designed to advance you quickly and easily from beginner to master editor.

Interested in more tips on Video Editing? Sign up for Videomaker’s free Video Editing Course. This free tip series is designed to help you improve your video production skills, fast. Learn More.

There are many transitions you can use when editing, such as a cut, dissolve, or fade. But how do you edit in a way that adds intrigue to your story? By using a split edit.

A split edit, also known as a J-cut or an L-cut, is a transition in which the audio and video of a clip are introduced at different times. For example, you may hear several seconds of a person being interviewed before you actually see the person who is speaking. This technique is used to add a dramatic effect to the scene and is relatively easy to accomplish. After selecting a clip, unlink the audio and video tracks. Once you’ve done that, you’re able to shorten or lengthen either track, depending on the desired effect.

Split edits are a great way to add spice to your everyday transitions while keeping the audience engaged in what’s happening on-screen. Whether you’re trying to add intrigue, maintain continuity, or just break from your normal editing choices, using a split edit can help.

To find out more about using split edits and the effect it can have your story, check out Tricks for J and L Cuts.

Interested in more tips on Editing? Sign up for Videomaker’s free Video Editing Course. This free tip series is designed to help you improve your video production skills, fast. Learn More.