Different Kinds of Editing Cuts

Posted August 29, 2017

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Editing is one of the most important aspects of video. It is where you assemble your story and make it compelling for the viewer. It is where you take all your footage and compress it into the perfect video that you can make it. The most essential aspect of editing is cutting between clips.

When you cut between clips you are compressing time, and shaping the story for your viewer. When, and how, you take a cut can drastically change the way your video is perceived.

The simplest kind of edit is a simple cut. This is the most common edit you will see in video, TV, and film. This is where the video just goes from the last frame of the first clip, to the first frame of the second clip one after another. Just a cut. Other than that, you can use a transition, like a fade or wipe, to go from one clip to another.

You'll know from your editing software, like Final Cut or Premiere Pro, that there are many options when it comes to transitions. There is everything from the simplest cross dissolve, to much more complicated animations and wipes. Now, we believe that when it comes to editing, the simpler the better -- especially when it comes to transitions. Having too many wild and crazy transitions can be distracting for the viewer and take away from your story. However there is a right place and time for transitions, and certain transtions carry with them cues for the viewer as to what that transition signifies.

Here are 13 creative editing styles, cuts and tips that will help you step up your game from Pond5:

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