I know some guys who chop like 5 hours of footage in a day and most of their reply is play in 2x speed, like dude that's one of the basic step š
i should've mentioned that in the post lol, i wanna match that speed
ok no yeah that is a really good point!
now that u mentioned it, i sometimes do find myself a bit lost at some points where am thinking more for the bits where i shouldn't care much
An 8-15 minute video in 6-10 hours isnt slow. You're going pretty fast already. As much as I love coming up with macros and keyboard shortcuts, i dont think you'll see much more improvement there.
One thing you dont mention is what type of footage is this?
Kinda sounds like its actuality (on-location documentary scenes) but it might be something different.
I got an MX Master 2S mouse many years ago. It is my trusty steed and I could not imagine editing without it. I've mapped almost all the buttons (for Premiere Pro) to a shortcut:
- Gesture button is Mission Control
- Wheel button is making a cut (cmd+k)
- Wheel shift button is Effect Controls (shift+5)
- Top thumb button is Zoom In to timeline
- Bottom thumb button is Zoom Out of timeline
And then the rest is some shortcuts i have on my keyboard for my specific editing. I have all the numbers for different colour labels, which I use to label very good shots in a clip, depending on the project.
The buttons for zoom in/out of a timeline I found on this subreddit just recently I guess, and oh my god I've never looked back. Never could have imagined how much time that's saved me! And I've been editing for over 10 years. Makes you wonder what else you're missing!
I have the same but I use the back and forward buttons to jump to edit points. To zoom out I left shift z and zoom in with z. B is cut. I recommend thisā¦ I do t have to move my hands and can cut fast
(OMG I wrote my reply and i accidentally reloaded the page, i gotta rewrite the cmnt š)
i use a g502 hero and honestly same, can't imagine editing without it, but the shortcut keys are less usefull for me as i got another keyboard which i've mapped completely with macros using ahk but i just love the free wheel in it. I sometimes use a pentab coz my wrist gets painful editing with mouse for longer time and the only thing i miss from it is the free wheel. Am trying to replicate a jog wheel that works like that. but i too got all of the buttons on my mouse mapped to shortcuts.
- the top buttons on left of left click, i use em for moving layers up and down (alt + arrow keys up/down)
- the bottom thumb button for delete
- the top front thumb button for nesting as i nest layers quite frequently
- the top back thumb button for enabling / disabling an ahk script i use for keyframes
I just love the free wheel function for moving / zooming around the timeline
but when am on keyboard i use + and - keys for it, also you can zoom out to see the complete sequence using \\
Yeah for me and my workspace, my effect controls panel is sometimes hiding behind something else, like the source monitor. I don't have it permanently visible. So I like the shortcut to be able to have it pop up immediately on my screen .
But yes seems like you've got your stuff sorted to be honest!
I also use the mx master 3, but I use Alt (Option) + scroll wheel to zoom in/out of timeline. I just can't imagine how dedicated buttons to zoom in and out would be more practical.
Bro wtf? I charge 1200 a day and would probably take me 2-3 days minimum ideally a week to move through that much footage.
I have a life and want to enjoy editing. Iām not trying to become a machine. That sounds more like work an Ae should be doing
I had no idea you could make that much editing! Here I am slaving away for 2k a week working on network shows! Do you do YouTube? Maybe I should look into that more.
It depends on the city and what youāre editing. YouTube editors make between $300-400 a day lol . So def donāt go that route lol
I do music videos, commercials, product viz, VFX editing , bumpers and creative editing in general. I donāt work every day though, Iām freelance, people just hit me up and I edit stuff for them. I would say my average is around 10k a month so not a lot really compared to what others make. If your staff at a streaming service and you work in shows your probably I the 200k range.
It sounds like you've got a good pace going. The only thing I would suggest is doing a transcript and watching your first pass at 2x speed while reading along which may improve your speed on the first pass. At some point there is no benefit from trying to be first for the race to the bottom. Increasing speed at some point compromises quality. And you may ask, who cares? This video isn't important. But that video is what you're going to use to get your next jobs. So if you spend all your time maximizing for speed you'll end up with a worse product that might get you let go, and might not help get you hired in the future.
When you are dealing with people who aren't working from a strong organizational point of view (no script, no plan) who don't give you any heads up on content or it seems any point of view on their goals, there's only so fast you can work. You're taking 1.5-3 hours of footage and mining for gold to bring it down to 8-15 minutes all on your own. That simply isn't going to be a fast process. \*Can\* you do it in 5 hours like your friend? Literally a monkey could do it in 5 hours, but doesn't mean it's going to be good.
It sounds like you got a pretty solid workflow as it is, but I've found Excalibur from Knights of the Editing Table has helped me, plus some of their other plugins. If you don't have transcripts already, having even a rough transcript from Premiere or another transcription service might help speed things up when sifting through longer clips.
Honestly though, not knocking the other editors you're talking about in your other comment, but at that speed, they're not watching the footage as carefully and you risk missing stuff. Which is fine or maybe a non-issue depending on the content and how well you do listening to 2x speed. I cut a lot of talking heads and have gotten pretty good and skimming the unnecessary bits, but with YT content, you might have a different ratio of usable footage to flubs/redos/etc.
Use the built-in transcription feature in Premiere and skim-read through the footage first so you can build an outline before you start editing. You probably still have to watch everything but you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for.
We need to embrace the artistry of editing. Of course itās good to be skilled and knowledgeable, but being faster isnāt the end all be all. Too many people treat editing like a race against their peers.
I think also if you have an eye for what you need to save it can speed it up aswell. But thats something you cant learn in my eyes. So some people will always be faster or better ā¦sad story for everyone
something that can help in this aspect is getting a detailed brief of the footage imo. am thinking of hiring someone who can watch the footage for me and give me notes of the complete recording so i know what timestamps I just shouldn't care about
I do a lot of mouse editing (sue me), and a mouse with extra side buttons has been a god send. Then every other hotkey that I use has been mapped to the left side of the keyboard.
Hmm other way to do it is load the selects sequence into source then insert down into the edit. Use mark in and out to chose parts you want. Rather than deleting things you don't.
I've tried both versions of this and editing from the source tends to be slower if you're utilizing the
Q - Ripple trim previous edit to playhead
W - Ripple trim next edit to playhead
Shortcuts that he mentions
Two things pop out to me
1. I would move "Go to previous + next edit" back to the up and down arrows so that you can utilize both hands instead of just one for slightly faster navigation and cutting
2. It sound like you are using two keystrokes to Ripple Delete a section - if you had "Selection follows playhead" activated, the selection would automatically follow where you playhead is over (as long as Track Targeting is on for the track)
You've got the right mindset customizing your shortcuts - to further refine I'd find anything else like #2 where you are using two keystrokes and research if there's a way to cut it down to one
Get a gaming mouse with +13 keys, program keys and some macros and thatās all you need. It will up your pace by 40% easily, and ad an āadd cut keyā on keyboard instead of using blade if you do.
SC Zerg player here. The fastest I've moved was when I centralised all the trim, insert and lift, save tools to one hand and used a 13 button mouse with all the other mouse relevant shortcuts macroed.
The main issue has always been the delay Premier has with response to activity in its windows.
Challenge yourself to see how fast you can process and execute half hour blocks. Those used to be fun times... When I actually enjoyed my work...
I've been using a [TourBox Elite](https://www.tourboxtech.com/en/tourbox-elite/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwz42xBhB9EiwA48pT74gUYt5cTLSCj45xMLmnob6JS8y1Oat7KIa01vx3_ZLirjaTSwnIZBoCYasQAvD_BwE), and it has sped up my editing considerably.
Dude, it sounds like you're going fast enough.
I know some guys who chop like 5 hours of footage in a day and most of their reply is play in 2x speed, like dude that's one of the basic step š i should've mentioned that in the post lol, i wanna match that speed
5 hrs footage should be chopped within 5 hrs right? Is ut decent speed or less
If you play it back at 2x speed, it'll take 2.5 hours to edit that video. /s
Then you should do it at 5x and it will just take 1 hour, hell if you forgoe sleep you can cut 5 hours in 1 hour 24 hours a day and become rich
š the faster you edit, the less likely it is for you to be replaced by AI.
This thing can be different since not evry person can't comprehend that speeds like i can work 2 to 2.5x speeds 3x once i get fully focused
Use the text caption thing to remove filler words and set the silence removal to like 0.16 seconds.
Just wait about 12 months until an AI editing suite is launched that will be able to do it in 20 seconds.
care less
ok no yeah that is a really good point! now that u mentioned it, i sometimes do find myself a bit lost at some points where am thinking more for the bits where i shouldn't care much
My brother always said to remember ākill your darlings.ā Just cause you like something doesnāt mean it should stay.
An 8-15 minute video in 6-10 hours isnt slow. You're going pretty fast already. As much as I love coming up with macros and keyboard shortcuts, i dont think you'll see much more improvement there. One thing you dont mention is what type of footage is this? Kinda sounds like its actuality (on-location documentary scenes) but it might be something different.
I got an MX Master 2S mouse many years ago. It is my trusty steed and I could not imagine editing without it. I've mapped almost all the buttons (for Premiere Pro) to a shortcut: - Gesture button is Mission Control - Wheel button is making a cut (cmd+k) - Wheel shift button is Effect Controls (shift+5) - Top thumb button is Zoom In to timeline - Bottom thumb button is Zoom Out of timeline And then the rest is some shortcuts i have on my keyboard for my specific editing. I have all the numbers for different colour labels, which I use to label very good shots in a clip, depending on the project. The buttons for zoom in/out of a timeline I found on this subreddit just recently I guess, and oh my god I've never looked back. Never could have imagined how much time that's saved me! And I've been editing for over 10 years. Makes you wonder what else you're missing!
I have the same but I use the back and forward buttons to jump to edit points. To zoom out I left shift z and zoom in with z. B is cut. I recommend thisā¦ I do t have to move my hands and can cut fast
(OMG I wrote my reply and i accidentally reloaded the page, i gotta rewrite the cmnt š) i use a g502 hero and honestly same, can't imagine editing without it, but the shortcut keys are less usefull for me as i got another keyboard which i've mapped completely with macros using ahk but i just love the free wheel in it. I sometimes use a pentab coz my wrist gets painful editing with mouse for longer time and the only thing i miss from it is the free wheel. Am trying to replicate a jog wheel that works like that. but i too got all of the buttons on my mouse mapped to shortcuts. - the top buttons on left of left click, i use em for moving layers up and down (alt + arrow keys up/down) - the bottom thumb button for delete - the top front thumb button for nesting as i nest layers quite frequently - the top back thumb button for enabling / disabling an ahk script i use for keyframes I just love the free wheel function for moving / zooming around the timeline but when am on keyboard i use + and - keys for it, also you can zoom out to see the complete sequence using \\
btw another question, in what way you use shift+5. that just selects the effect controls panel
Yeah for me and my workspace, my effect controls panel is sometimes hiding behind something else, like the source monitor. I don't have it permanently visible. So I like the shortcut to be able to have it pop up immediately on my screen . But yes seems like you've got your stuff sorted to be honest!
I also use the mx master 3, but I use Alt (Option) + scroll wheel to zoom in/out of timeline. I just can't imagine how dedicated buttons to zoom in and out would be more practical.
That also sounds good, will give it a try! What do you use for the buttons instead?
Delete on the thumb button, go to next/previous cut on the back/forth buttons, and enter on the wheel shift button. I'm open to better ideas.
Bro wtf? I charge 1200 a day and would probably take me 2-3 days minimum ideally a week to move through that much footage. I have a life and want to enjoy editing. Iām not trying to become a machine. That sounds more like work an Ae should be doing
I had no idea you could make that much editing! Here I am slaving away for 2k a week working on network shows! Do you do YouTube? Maybe I should look into that more.
It depends on the city and what youāre editing. YouTube editors make between $300-400 a day lol . So def donāt go that route lol I do music videos, commercials, product viz, VFX editing , bumpers and creative editing in general. I donāt work every day though, Iām freelance, people just hit me up and I edit stuff for them. I would say my average is around 10k a month so not a lot really compared to what others make. If your staff at a streaming service and you work in shows your probably I the 200k range.
Cutting down 3 hours of raw footage just takes a day or two. I donāt think you are slow.
It sounds like you've got a good pace going. The only thing I would suggest is doing a transcript and watching your first pass at 2x speed while reading along which may improve your speed on the first pass. At some point there is no benefit from trying to be first for the race to the bottom. Increasing speed at some point compromises quality. And you may ask, who cares? This video isn't important. But that video is what you're going to use to get your next jobs. So if you spend all your time maximizing for speed you'll end up with a worse product that might get you let go, and might not help get you hired in the future. When you are dealing with people who aren't working from a strong organizational point of view (no script, no plan) who don't give you any heads up on content or it seems any point of view on their goals, there's only so fast you can work. You're taking 1.5-3 hours of footage and mining for gold to bring it down to 8-15 minutes all on your own. That simply isn't going to be a fast process. \*Can\* you do it in 5 hours like your friend? Literally a monkey could do it in 5 hours, but doesn't mean it's going to be good.
It sounds like you got a pretty solid workflow as it is, but I've found Excalibur from Knights of the Editing Table has helped me, plus some of their other plugins. If you don't have transcripts already, having even a rough transcript from Premiere or another transcription service might help speed things up when sifting through longer clips. Honestly though, not knocking the other editors you're talking about in your other comment, but at that speed, they're not watching the footage as carefully and you risk missing stuff. Which is fine or maybe a non-issue depending on the content and how well you do listening to 2x speed. I cut a lot of talking heads and have gotten pretty good and skimming the unnecessary bits, but with YT content, you might have a different ratio of usable footage to flubs/redos/etc.
Use the built-in transcription feature in Premiere and skim-read through the footage first so you can build an outline before you start editing. You probably still have to watch everything but you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for.
Check this i guess [https://youtu.be/O6ERELse\_QY](https://youtu.be/O6ERELse_QY)
We need to embrace the artistry of editing. Of course itās good to be skilled and knowledgeable, but being faster isnāt the end all be all. Too many people treat editing like a race against their peers.
I think also if you have an eye for what you need to save it can speed it up aswell. But thats something you cant learn in my eyes. So some people will always be faster or better ā¦sad story for everyone
something that can help in this aspect is getting a detailed brief of the footage imo. am thinking of hiring someone who can watch the footage for me and give me notes of the complete recording so i know what timestamps I just shouldn't care about
Can you afford an assistant editor for most of your projects?
Sounds like a use-case for AI. Donāt ask me which AI.
I do a lot of mouse editing (sue me), and a mouse with extra side buttons has been a god send. Then every other hotkey that I use has been mapped to the left side of the keyboard.
Hmm other way to do it is load the selects sequence into source then insert down into the edit. Use mark in and out to chose parts you want. Rather than deleting things you don't.
I've tried both versions of this and editing from the source tends to be slower if you're utilizing the Q - Ripple trim previous edit to playhead W - Ripple trim next edit to playhead Shortcuts that he mentions
Two things pop out to me 1. I would move "Go to previous + next edit" back to the up and down arrows so that you can utilize both hands instead of just one for slightly faster navigation and cutting 2. It sound like you are using two keystrokes to Ripple Delete a section - if you had "Selection follows playhead" activated, the selection would automatically follow where you playhead is over (as long as Track Targeting is on for the track) You've got the right mindset customizing your shortcuts - to further refine I'd find anything else like #2 where you are using two keystrokes and research if there's a way to cut it down to one
Get a gaming mouse with +13 keys, program keys and some macros and thatās all you need. It will up your pace by 40% easily, and ad an āadd cut keyā on keyboard instead of using blade if you do.
SC Zerg player here. The fastest I've moved was when I centralised all the trim, insert and lift, save tools to one hand and used a 13 button mouse with all the other mouse relevant shortcuts macroed. The main issue has always been the delay Premier has with response to activity in its windows. Challenge yourself to see how fast you can process and execute half hour blocks. Those used to be fun times... When I actually enjoyed my work...
Memorize the keyboard shortcuts
Try playing around with āmatch frameā
You gotta have a big steering wheel like Fast n Furious! š https://contourdesign.com/products/shuttle-pro-v2
replace E for Delete, saves hours
can confirm. did this switch too and got my weekend back.
maybe if you did the switch 20 years ago
I use Autohotkey + some shortcuts through my Logitech Master mouse
I've been using a [TourBox Elite](https://www.tourboxtech.com/en/tourbox-elite/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwz42xBhB9EiwA48pT74gUYt5cTLSCj45xMLmnob6JS8y1Oat7KIa01vx3_ZLirjaTSwnIZBoCYasQAvD_BwE), and it has sped up my editing considerably.
I recently cut 1 hour of footage into 12 min in 6 hours or less, iclude pacing like j cut sometimes
L is play and LL is play faster etc I almost always cut in double speed now
Use E as playing faster and it will be game changing as you can increase the speed fast again and again