Assessment 2 & 3 – Video Editing

Stuart Matthews
Assessment 2 & 3 – Video Editing
Video editing is the process of arranging and modifying clips of video to form another video. The main goal of video editing is to remove unwanted footage, adding sound to video and creating a new piece of video. The term video editing can refer to linear video editing and non-linear video editing. Linear editing is mainly used for analogue editing and is the process of manually cutting and slicing pieces of video together to create a new video. Non-linear editing is mainly used for digital video editing and is the process of creating videos using computer software. The video editing software displays thumbnails representing clips of footage which can be dragged to a timeline allowing the user to change the arrangement of video.
Digital editing uses a timeline to arrange video making it easy to add effects and change the look of the video without changing the original or losing quality the more times it is cut and pasted. The software typically display a video window with play buttons, a time line showing video clips and a directory of available clips to add to timeline. Effects available include monochrome which gives the video the look of having been filmed with a coloured lens. Intensity and colour can be adjusted to change the look of the effects. Colour enhancement can be used to improve the quality of the video and allows the user to adjust brightness, colour and noise and add effects like blur. Transitions are used to merge clips together to make a more smooth transition rather than jumping from one clip to another. There are many different transition effects available and are easily applied to video clips using software. Transition effect are usually just dragged onto a timeline to apply the effect to the clips.
Video editing software also allows the user to edit the sound on the video. Sound is video is usually split over two layers to allow the use of a backing or sound effect track and a main track. Sound is video is usually record as stereo.
When the user is finished editing software it can then be exported to a suitable file format. The most popular file types include .wmv, .swf and .mp4. Export options allow the user the change the size quality to optimize the final file size of the video. Non-linear (digital) editing allows the user to easily package the the finished movie as CD, DVD, videotape or for publishing on the web. Codec for the video file will also be required for playback.
Hardware required for digital video editing includes a video capture device such as a camcorder, digital camera and even mobile phones can be used to capture video and a microphone. Another way to import video is by using a video capture card Video capture and video editing software will also be needed on the editing computer. The computer should have a large hard disk for large file sizes involved with video editing and a good amount of memory. Other useful hardware for video editing would be a dual monitor setup to allow more desktop space, handy for running multiple programs. Lan-C connections allow the user to control a camcorder from a computer keyboard.