Video editing is a task that requires editing software skills and basic knowledge of camera equipment. Once you’ve acquired the relevant knowledge and skills, you need to practice on real-life projects. In this article, you’ll learn about some of the best video editing projects that will allow you to practice your skills and help you build your professional portfolio.
Whether you’re editing together a collection of historical person interviews about a moment in history for a classroom video, creating a university promotion video, or creating a book trailer to promote fellow artists, working on video editing projects is a great way to build mastery.
5 Skills That Video Editing Projects Can Help You Practice
Listed below are five of the primary skills you’ll practice through video editing projects. Developing these skills will allow you to master the art of video editing and equip you with the necessary tools to produce work that is portfolio-worthy.
- Video Editing Tools. There is an extensive amount of video editing tools available in various video editing software. While you don’t need to learn or use all of them, there are certain tools that you’ll need to master the use of for clean and smooth results.
- Graphic Design. Despite their obvious differences, graphic design and video editing share many similarities. Having graphic design skills allows for easier use of typography, color editing, and combining of different media files throughout the video editing process.
- Audio Editing. Nearly half of the video editing process is audio editing. Within video editing, you’ll need to sync, edit, and adjust sound effects, music, speech, and many other sound elements.
- Video Camera Knowledge. As a video editor, you need to have a working understanding of how video cameras work. You need to know how to handle the camera, connect it to your computer, and download the footage. In addition, you’ll need to be aware of camera settings as they affect the editing process.
- Audio and Visual Effects. Depending on the nature of your project, you might be required to add or edit audio and visual effects. You can practice using software such as Adobe After Effects, Apple Motion, or Blackmagic Fusion in some of your video projects if you’re aiming for high-quality results.
Best Video Editing Project Ideas for Beginners
Listed below are some of the best video editing projects for beginners. These projects will allow you to become familiar with the editing process, develop the relevant skills, and build your portfolio. Mastering the skills involved in these video project ideas are key steps toward becoming a professional editor.
A Ghost Effect
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Video editing tools, audio and visual effects
In this project, your goal is to add visual and audio ghost effects to a video. You can choose or shoot a short clip to work with. It should be long enough to appreciate the effect, but realistically under 30 seconds. You’ll need to use the trim, translucent overlay, and audio tools in your software. Make sure the timing of the audio effect aligns with the visual effect.
Mixed Footage
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Video editing tools, video camera knowledge
This project requires you to work with mixed footage. Mixed footage is a combination of raw materials that have different formats and resolutions. You’ll combine them in a sequence, which means you need to adjust the frame rates, sizes, and resolution of clips that don’t match your master sequence.
Video Transitions
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Visual effects
In this project, you’ll be adding transitions in between video clips. Most video editing software will easily be able to do this. However, you can download DaVinci Resolve for free if your current software doesn’t offer this tool. You’ll need to time your transition so that you don’t cut the end of the transitioning clip or the beginning of the clip you’re transitioning to.
Split-Screen Video Clips
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Video editing tools
In this project, you’ll need to use a split-screen technique on movie clips. The split-screen technique allows you to simultaneously play two clips in one frame. You’ll need to remove the audio from both clips, as editing simultaneous audio is slightly more advanced.
Music in Video
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Video editing techniques, audio effects, audio editing
For this project, you’ll need to add music to a video clip. You’ll start by uploading the video clip you want to use. You should be able to easily upload an mp3 audio file and apply it to your video. Your goal is to adjust the mp3 volume and video audio so that they complement one another. Remember, your background music shouldn’t overpower the audio in your original video file.
Best Intermediate Video Editing Project Ideas
Once you’ve mastered the beginner projects, you’re ready for more intermediate projects. The video editing projects below cover creative techniques that will further develop your editing style and abilities. They’re also excellent pieces to add to your professional portfolio and video resume.
Video Transitions
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Visual effects, video editing tools
In this project, you’ll be creating your own transitions in between video clips. You’ll need to upload at least four video clips to create three transitions. Depending on the number of transitions you want to create, you can upload more or fewer clips. Some popular transition styles include zooming in, panning, fading, blurring, cutting, and dissolving.
Cinemagraph
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Visual effects, video editing tools
In this project, you’ll be creating a cinemagraph. First, you’ll need to upload a video clip showing continuous action. You might want to start with a waterfall or fountain clip. You’ll then create a copy of the clip and add it to the timeline. Once they’re layered, you’ll use a mask and erase the layer where you want the video to appear.
Motion Titles
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Visual effects, graphic design
Motion titles are a layered transition technique video engineers use that will improve the current version of your video project. In Adobe After Effects or Photoshop, when you upload two video clips, there will be a quick moment of transition between the clips that can look quite choppy.
Using the motion tiles tool, you can add a transition layer, typically starting from one second before the first clip ends and ending one second after the second clip begins. The result will be a more fluid finished project.
Animated Overlays
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Video editing tools
Animated overlays are a layer of moving parts in a still frame or video clip and can make for some fun videos. You’ll begin by downloading the overlay that you want to use. You’ll then upload the content that you want to add an animated overlay to.
Finally, you’ll upload your animated overlay and drag the overlay file onto your media file to overlap the two. Fellow editors often use this technique with clay animation footage and other story-telling videos to make the viewing experience more entertaining, as no one likes to look at a blank screen background.
Blend Mode Technique
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Video editing tools, graphic design
Blend modes alter a set of clips’ interactions. You take two video clips and blend them together so that aspects of one clip act as the background, while aspects of the other become the foreground.
You’ll need to use a cross-dissolving tool in blend mode so that the foreground continues once the cross-dissolve ends. You can easily practice this basic video editing technique using archival footage or junk footage found on the Internet if you want to hone your skills.
Advanced Video Editing Project Ideas
Once you’ve mastered a wide range of video editing skills, you’re reading to take on more challenging projects. The advanced projects listed below will help you further develop your skills and provide you with excellent portfolio pieces.
Ultra HD Background
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Graphic design
Ultra HD backgrounds allow you to customize your videos and make them look professionally done. This project is best paired with Corel Videostudio X7 for editing the raw footage and Paintshop Pro for resizing the HD image. You’ll need to resample and resize each image before turning it into an Ultra HD background.
Keyframing For Better Editing Control
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Visual effects
In this project, you’ll use keyframes to have greater control over your video elements using Pinnacle Studio. You will need to set precise parameters on moving objects while sizing and positioning them. Lastly, you’ll add visual effects by manipulating opacity, borders, corner curves, and dissolve effects.
Advanced Title Effects
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Video editing tools, visual effects
This project requires you to create unique, customized, and advanced video titles using Pinnacle Studio. You’ll work with text layering, shapes, special effects, animated overlays, and creative transitions. Title effects are often used in YouTube videos, TV shows, and a variety of other video media.
Creating a Video Cinematic
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Video effects
This project involves designing and developing a cinematic effect using Shotcut video editing software. You’ll experiment with the saturation, highlights, shadows, contrast, and hues until you attain your desired look and a final version ready for people to see. Editors often use cinematic effects to add a dramatic edge, which is often seen in movies, professional travel vlogs, and wedding videos.
Editing a Music Video
- Video Editing Skills Practiced: Audio and visual effects, video editing tools, audio editing
In this project, you’ll be editing an amatuer music video. You’ll need to upload the video clips and audio that you want to use. You’ll create a multi-cam sequence and make cuts in that sequence. You’ll also edit all of the fundamental elements, including color, transitions, overlays, and beat alignment. The most time-consuming part will be to align every video aspect with the music.
Video Editing Starter Project Templates
One of the best ways to gain video editing experience, especially as a beginner, is to use video editing templates. These templates contain pre-altered settings and effects so that all you have to do is add your project files and modify the existing settings according to your preferences. Listed below are some of the templates you can use to get started.
- After Effects Template. This template can be used to implement blur and fade transitions. It’s also conducive to a collaborative environment.
- Video Outro Template. This template is especially useful for YouTube content creators. It’s an outro clip of a beach that is fully customizable.
- Canva Video Editing Template. This template is ideal for editing a business promotional video, which can be an arduous process. It includes a huge variety of royalty-free footage and is fully customizable.
- Instagram Stories Pack. This template pack has been developed for Instagram video stories so that even casual users can have professional-looking content. You can edit text, music, images, and other basic elements.
- Animated Shapes and Symbols. This template pack comes with 45 free animated shapes and symbols that can be added to your video editing projects.
Next Steps: Start Organizing Your Video Editing Portfolio
For skills-based jobs like video editing, having an impressive portfolio is crucial to landing a job, attracting clients, or getting hired by employers. The best way to showcase your skills is by creating a video editing portfolio. You can use the tips listed below to optimize the organization of your portfolio.
Incorporate Every Software You Use
Your portfolio should include video projects that have been edited using every software that you’re proficient in. This allows employers to see that you’re capable of working with a wide range of software, which is especially important if they have a specific software they want you to use, such as Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
Highlight Your Best Work
Rather than including every project you’ve worked on, only include your best work in your professional portfolio. You’ll want to create a high-quality video portfolio, highlighting the extent of your capabilities. Your video portfolio should also allow employers and clients to see multiple dimensions of your work.
Showcase Your Unique Style
Video editing is an art, and every artist has their own unique style. Similarly, you likely have a style that’s unique to your professional preferences. You should include projects that allow employers and clients to get an idea of who you are and what your style is. Make sure you also include projects that are neutral so that they know you aren’t confined to your style.
Video Editing Projects FAQ
Yes, video editing can be profitable and has an excellent job outlook. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual salary of a video editor is $61,900. Additionally, BLS projects a 29 percent job growth between 2020 and 2030.
You can practice video editing by working on projects. It’s helpful to watch video tutorials and follow along with the experts. This is also a great way to learn new techniques, tools, and editing terminology.
According to tech review sites, the best video editing software includes Adobe Premiere Pro, Powerlink PowerDirector, Apple iMovie, Apple Final Cut Pro, Lightworks, Final Cut Pro, and Corel VideoStudio Ultimate.
A 5-minute video can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 weeks to edit. The editing time depends on a wide range of factors such as footage quality, audio, style, and most importantly, the project requirements or goals. Your level of experience and the quality of the software you’re using also affect the editing time.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
