Becoming a Video Editor or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Premiere

We live in an era where not having some sort of digital skill set is simply not an option. With the internet at our fingertips (literally), there are far too many inexpensive resources within reach to justify not taking the time to pick up some sort of digital skill, be it coding, blogging, video editing or any of the myriad ways to interact with and create content online.

I, like many other people, always avoided taking up any of these skills out of fear of the perceived mountain of a learning curve. When it came to learning how to edit video, I was always afraid that I lacked the patience and logic it took to learn my way around Adobe Premiere. What I found was that after getting acclimated with how the software functions, I was able to see the infinite possibilities and strange power Premiere offered.

Where, oh where, to begin…

The first major hurdle to overcome when setting out to edit is gaining access to Premiere itself. Adobe offers access to Premiere and all of its updates for around $20 a month with a seven-day free trial to get you started. It may seem like a heavy cost to pay over and over again, but when you consider the incredible amount of depth and convenience packaged within the software, Premiere definitely justifies its price tag.

After getting your hands on Premiere it can be a bit daunting to navigate the mass of windows and drop-down menus. Luckily, there are plenty of free or inexpensive resources to help get you started.

A simple YouTube search for editing tutorials can be an easy and free way to learn the ins and outs of your magical new editing friend. But if you’re willing to look a little further and maybe spend a little money, you can find in-depth tutorials that will put you on the path to editing mastery.

Personally, I was lucky enough to have access to the tutorial site Lynda.com. Lynda, like similar tutorial sites that have blossomed in recent years, provides tutorials on an impressive list of today’s most marketable skills for someone looking to start a creative career or even hobby.

There and Back Again.

When beginning the long and winding journey to become an editor, maybe the most difficult step is actually sitting down and seeing a project through from start to finish. Even with a knowledge of the software and a handful of tutorials under your belt, editing as a practice can easily slip into a hair pulling, keyboard smashing level of frustration.

Patience, as always, is a virtue, and with time your random assortment of footage will begin to take shape. For me, that is one of the joys I take in the work. I know that if I can persevere through the frustration and spend ample time with whatever footage I’m working with, I’ll be able to mold that mismatched footage into something to be proud of.

The key to picking up video editing, like any other digital skill, is getting started. The longer you wait to pick up Photoshop, HTML or Premiere, the more you will want to kick yourself after discovering that you enjoy the work you were so afraid of.