5 Pro Tips on How to Edit Your Own Wedding Video

Shooting a wedding video gets only a part of the job done.

You’ll now have to learn how to edit your own wedding video in a way that comes as close to original expectations as possible.

Many videographers, whether professional or amateur, struggle with the post-production process.

It requires a very distinct set of skills that can be difficult, costly or time-consuming to acquire.

If you’re not that confident in your post-production abilities, the following guide will come in handy.

We have five pro tips that will help you learn how to edit your own wedding video without spending a ton of time on learning new things and without ending up with an amateurish outcome.

Btw: We do wedding video editing if you’d like to save time – Check our rates.  

 

1. It’s All About the Right Tool

 

The quality of the video edits, the smoothness of transitions and effects all depend on the video editing software you pick.

You’ll easily find both free and paid options recognized for their excellent characteristics.

Some of the top choices to consider when doing wedding video editing include:

 

• Adobe Premiere: While this product is paid, it gives you the whole shebang.Anyone who is serious about video editing may want to consider an investment in such a solution – it will pay itself off in the long run.

  And if you’re interested in the power of AI capabilities, consider Adobe Premiere Elements.

  This one definitely simplifies even the most complex post-production tasks. A free trial is available, simplifying the process of making sure it’s a good fit.

 

• DaVinci Resolve: Completely free, DaVinci Resolve has some truly impressive capabilities.

  You can use it to do color correction and integrate various effects. AI-based face recognition and grading tools are also available.

 

• HitFilm Express: Another product you can test out during a free trial, HitFilm Express gives you access to animated textures, easy color correction, grading and an extensive audio-visual library.

  The learning curve here is great because HitFilm Express delivers very intuitive controls.

 

• Lightworks: available with both free and paid versions, Lightworks gives you access to multi-format editing capabilities, effortless effect addition and an array of export formats.

  We always recommend testing a demo version before paying for the whole thing.A post-production tool that gets a ton of online praise may be counter-intuitive and too challenging for you to utilize comfortably for creative work on wedding videos.

 

2. Know What to Keep and What to Discard

 

The most confusing aspect of learning how to edit your own wedding video is deciding what to keep and what to discard.

You’ll end up with a ton of raw footage.

The most important post-production task is going to be deciding what to include in the final version and what to cut out without impacting quality negatively.

Since you’ve shot everything, however, letting go of certain moments and clips will be difficult.

Due to the creative attachment, you may find it impossible to discard some of your favorites.

To get the job done, consult a list of the essential shots and moments that have to be included in the final video.

Everything else can go. Fine, you can feature a few cute moments that are outside the script but make sure that the end result is not long and tedious.

A good length for a wedding video would be anything between 10 minutes and one hour.

A highlights video should be about 10 minutes or less. Documentary-style videos can be longer – spanning 30 minutes to an hour.

The cinematic approach towards wedding video creation warrants the same length.

Use these general guidelines to figure out what footage to cut.

Having the content properly organized will make all other editing and post-production tasks much easier.

 

3. Always Feature a Variety of Shots in the Finalized Video

 

One type of shot will make the best wedding video super monotonous and tedious.

So, apart from thinking about all of the moments to portray in the end product, you should also focus on the inclusion of various shots.

Use different angles, perspectives and zooms.

Close-ups are great to draw attention to beautiful details.

Wide shots paint a comprehensive picture, building the mood and showing the ambiance in its entirety.

A couple of whimsical, experimentative or more artistic shots can also be included to give the video a few focal points and highlights.

Don’t overdo it with such special shots, however.

Too much of an unorthodox thing can quickly become as boring and repetitive as a regular pan.

 

4. Pay Attention to Audio Quality When Learning How to Edit Your Own Wedding Video

 

A very common mistake that amateurs make during post-production is putting excessive focus on the visual while ignoring audio.

Poor audio, uneven levels and too much background noise will all easily ruin the impeccable end effect you’re going for.

A big part of the job involves capturing audio correctly, using external microphones and making sure there are no sources of annoying background noise.

During post-production, you can do some additional audio clean-up.

Make sure the audio levels are even throughout – something you will need to double check when cutting and trimming different parts of the clip together.

If you are adding music and audio effects, you’ll have to adhere to the same rules. Everything should be seamless, even and cohesive.

You may also want to preview the audio separately from the video while doing post-production.

Exploring in this way will give you a distraction-free chance to spot issues, mistakes and anything else that may need to be corrected.

Finally, make sure that audio and video are in sync when you finalize the work.

You don’t want speech that lags behind or jumps ahead of the picture.

 

5. Keep Effect Use Minimal

 

The most obvious sign of amateurish post-production is the over-use of special effects, texts and animation.

While employing these tools can be cool and fun, you don’t want to overdo it.

Special effects can take away from the essence of the video if they grab too much attention.

A special effect for the opening of a chapter or to highlight a very meaningful moment can be a good idea. The key to making such tools work is minimal use.

Ask yourself whether a special effect improves video quality or enhances its message.

If the answer is negative, there’s really no reason to put an effect inside the clip just because it’s going to look cool.

Bonus Tip: Consider Post-Production Outsourcing
Learning how to edit your own wedding video will take time and effort in equal measures.

If you don’t feel that you have the capacity to master the process, consider some professional assistance.

Outsourcing wedding video editing to a team like the Taspin editors makes a ton of sense, whether you’re a professional videographer or a friend of the couple who agreed to get the job done for free.

Post-production outsourcing is cost-effective, quick and professional.

You’ll get a video that looks polished, cohesive and well put together. Y

ou’ll also be free to dedicate your time to some other important activity while we are handling post-production on your behalf.

The work that needs to be done after a wedding video is shot can make or break the end result.

That’s why you need both knowledge and technical resources to do a good job.

Free post-production software does exist and it has wonderful capabilities.

As long as you’re willing to think strategically, put the time in and be meticulous in the editing approach, you will have an end result that possesses the Wow factor.