How Good Can You Get At Video Editing in Just 2 Weeks?

Can you get good at video editing in just 2 weeks? This was the challenge that I set myself. Would I become a master, or would I simply give up at the first hurdle? I'm going to dive into the start of my journey, the setbacks and struggles, and what I learned in process of this 14 day challenge. 

For those of you who don't know, I started a YouTube channel 2 weeks ago and with that, came my first upload. As soon as the video was published, I knew I needed to improve my editing. The video was rough around the edges, and the editing didn't help the video flow. Editing is a key part to making videos, so I set myself the challenge. 

Day 1

To start my journey I downloaded a free editing software that had been recommended to me by a friend. The software is called Davinci Resolve and when you first download it, it is intimidating to say the least! There are 7 different areas in which you can edit your video, there's hundreds of buttons and features, and when you know nothing about editing, like me, it's easy to simply close your computer and forget about editing. But, with this challenge I set myself, I was determined to get as good as I could in 2 weeks. 

Once I was ready to get started I began watching a YouTube video about how to edit a video on Davinci Resolve, specifically for YouTube. I began learning how to import your footage, how to make cuts and delete gaps, how to add text and add additional footage (B roll) over the main video (A roll). The tutorial was extremely helpful and beginner friendly, making it easy to follow along. Of course, the process of following along, and going back and forth from the tutorial took far longer than the 15 minute video, but I was learning.

Day 7

After a week of going through the footage and watching more videos on tutorials and using the software more and more. I had finally come to a point where I was happy with where I was. I had taken my first YouTube video and re-made it using all of the skills I had learned over the week. I was able to improve the flow of the video, to improve the sound quality and make the text and information flow nicely in and out of the screen. I will say I had a big help from a friend who came by and gave me some quality advice and tips when it comes to editing and using an editing software. He taught me about different types of cuts and how to set the scene of the video. If you have a friend who knows more about editing than you then I highly recommend asking them for some advice as they'll help you learn quickly and effectively! 

Once he had left, I spent some time re-making my first video and had a lot of fun doing so! It was difficult though. I found it really difficult dealing with the colour grading, and in the end left it as it was as I got frustrated and couldn't figure out how to make it look better. That said, one thing I was really happy with was blurring the eggs in the video. I watched a specific tutorial, and went through it step by step, and got exactly the result that I was looking for! It was so satisfying when it worked out, except for when I accidently deleted it... but I remembered how to do it, and watching the tutorial again I was able to get it done a lot quicker! It's exciting when you learn something, and you are then able to do it so much faster than before. It was a setback, but I went back, and if anything I just learnt how to do it better. 

After the week, I'd re-edited my first video and re-uploaded it to the channel. I shaved over a minute off the last video, had more text to provide more context to the overall video, and tried (and failed) at colour grading. I'd improved the audio and overall I was happy with how much better it was than the last. 

Day 14

I continued to learn more about editing, making another video showing a week of my training and again, was quite happy with the result (even if I still hadn't figured out how to colour grade). After that video, I decided it was time to make the video summarising the challenge and that was an entire learning process in itself. I dedicated an entire day to focusing on making the video the best one that I've made so far. I spent more time learning in depth about colour grading, about improving the audio and sound effects. I tried (and failed) to do some new things, but always felt like I was learning in the process. 

After watching a really helpful tutorial on colour grading, I finally felt like I had learned how to make the video look slightly better. It initially started with simply improving the colours in the clips I added through changing a setting, and then really focusing on improving the colour grading. I spent a solid hour messing with the colour options and was happy with the end result! 

The video took me around 8 hours to edit, but a lot of that time was spent learning, and I know each time I am going to be building a stronger and stronger foundation. I hope to be able to look back in a years time and be able to see the progress that I've made in the editing quality of my videos!

To summarise

How good can you get at video editing in just 2 weeks? Not very good, but you can make a massive improvement from where you were. I am so happy with the progress I've made, and feel like I've launched myself into the process. For the first time I feel confident about where I am heading, and feel like it's the right thing for me to do! I like the idea of learning and improving in a new skill, and there are so many skills to learn! Maybe I'll try and see if I can improve my filming in 2 weeks too!

If there's any skill that you're thinking of learning, set yourself a 2 week challenge, and you too may be surprised with the results. It could be anything, painting, running, push-ups, magic tricks etc. I am sure you'll be surprised with the results. 

If you want to take a look at the video summarising the 2 weeks, then click the video below. 

Thanks again for taking the time to read and I'm looking forward to not only making more videos, but writing more posts and providing more insight into my videos and my life as a whole. 

Bye!

Jamie Waller

"The journey to 1000 subscribers starts with a single video"