The time required for video editing can vary significantly, especially when considering the diverse range of video styles available. In this blog, we will talk about the editing process, focusing primarily on the 'Talking Head style' and break it down into three levels:
• Basic
• Mid-level and
• High-level editing.
Basic Editing:
This is the simplest type of editing for Talking Head videos. It involves two main tasks:
- Removing mistakes or unnecessary parts.
- Adjusting the zoom if needed.
For this basic editing, it usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes to edit 10 minutes of raw footage. Keep in mind that this estimate assumes an experienced video editor working under normal conditions.
You might be wondering why we're not providing an estimate for beginners.
Think of it like this: If you ask, "How long it takes to drive from Dallas to Texas in a car?"
The answer assumes you know how to drive and your car is in good condition. If you don't know how to drive, that's a different situation.
Similarly, if you're just starting to learn video editing with no prior experience, that's a completely different scenario.
What factors would affect the editing time?
If you mess up a lot when recording a video, the editing process will naturally take more time. Furthermore, when the person editing your video must sift through hours of raw footage, the process becomes even more time-intensive and costly. This is especially true if they need to improve poor audio and video quality.
However, having top-notch video quality doesn't necessarily speed things up. If you use a high-quality camera, your video files will be larger, making it take much longer to transfer and work with them.
Do you want to save your money and time on video editing? Check out these tips to shoot your videos effectively so that you can save both time and money on the video editing process.
Okay, that’s for the basic editing, what if you want to make your videos a bit more engaging and appealing? You can go for Mid-level editing.
Mid-level Editing:
This involves several tasks to make your videos more engaging:
- Fixing mistakes and gaps.
- Adding extra visuals like B-rolls, text, transitions, and zoom effects.
- Improving the sound with effects and music.
Here's the time breakdown for mid-level editing (for 10 minutes of raw footage):
- Fixing: 15 to 25 minutes
- Adding visuals: 1.5 to 2.5 hours
- Enhancing sound: 30 to 60 minutes
In total, mid-level editing usually takes about 2 to 4 hours.
Does this mean if you send a video and you'd get back within 4 hrs? No.
These estimations are for actual editing time not for the turnaround time.
Editing time and Turnaround time are different.
Editing time is how long the editor works on the video. Turnaround time is affected by other things like editor availability, file transfer time, and quality checks. It's the time from the initial request and the delivery of the finished video.
Next we can look at High-level editing.
High-level Editing:
Here, the editor carefully looks for the best match and makes everything look just right. They focus on getting different things, like B-rolls, text, transitions, sounds, music, and extra animations, to fit together perfectly.
Unlike mid-level, where the editor might use B-rolls from online or given by the client, now they work closely with the client. They suggest ideas and ask for specific B-rolls to make everything match even better.
When they add text, they have to decide what words to use, how it should look on the screen, what font to use and when it should show up. They try different ways, like
putting it on the whole screen,
Splitting the screen,
using it as a caption,
or using different styles to make it look good. They often experiment with different styles until they find an excellent fit.
For transitions, the editor carefully adds them at the right times and for the right lengths.
When it comes to sounds, the editor searches for and adds sounds that make things sound real, like for B-rolls, Transitions, and when text appears.
For music, they decide when it starts, stops, and changes. They also add effects and adjust the volume, among other things.
This level comes with Animation (Think of icons, stickers, illustrations, and infographics). This helps to explain ideas or stories clearly.
For High-level editing, the time estimates (for 10 minutes of raw footage) are as follows:
- Trimming: 15 to 25 minutes
- Overlay excellence: 4 to 10 hours
- Animation: 8 to 20 hours
In total, High-level editing can consume approximately 12 to 30 hours.
In summary, how long it takes to edit a YouTube video depends on how fancy you want it to be.
• Simple edits are fast and easy.
• Making it a bit fancier takes more time but makes your video more interesting.
• If you want it to be super fancy and professional, it'll take even longer.
Think about what you want, how much you can spend, and what you have to work with before deciding how fancy to make your videos. But remember, putting effort into editing can help you get more views and grow your channel.
How much time would you take to edit your videos? Let us know in the comments or mail us at contact@videogic.com
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