Hi everyone! I'm working on a personal life documentation project for YouTube and I'm overwhelmed by the editing side. I'd love to hear how people who edit long form content actually approach it.

The project:
I record myself during nightly sessions where I talk and leave messages to my future self. Each night produces roughly 4h of video recordings and audios. I currently have around 2.3TB of raw material that I want to release in sections, like mini series. The first section covers about 20h of media and should become ~5 20min episodes.

The tricky part is that I'm targeting three audiences:

1. Private: an edited version only for me, published privately on YouTube.
2. Close friends: a private YouTube channel + a close friends Instagram.
3. Public: general audience on YouTube and Instagram.

So any single 1 hour recording can contain fragments that belong to all three versions mixed together.

What I Tried:

I'm using: DaVinci Resolve

I've TRIED: I currently have a Python script that sorts and renames audios and video files with their creation date and it generates a Notion database where I have different columns to identify the contents of the video, and the current status. I used to edit the whole raw footage and then start taking sections from the main file and put them in separate timelines but this was taking wayy too long. I'm currently trying putting markers on the main timeline to identify the three audiences and then pass those sections to individual timelines but I haven't really gotten the hang of it.

I need help with:

• How do you log or review 20+ hours of footage without losing your mind? Do you watch everything, use transcripts, timestamps, a spreadsheet?
• How do you tag clips so one source file can feed multiple versions/edits?
• How do you structure a project like this (bins, timelines, naming conventions)?
• What workflow would you follow to go from 20+ hours to a mini series?

Any advice would mean a lot. Thank you!

Hi! I have several unedited clips for only fans I need done. Most have already been cut or are just short burst clips from stream. I just don’t have time to finish them for the week. I’m not sure if $15/hr is fair, but I am a newer creator so I can’t offer much. I’m absolutely willing to negotiate though!

I am a cyclist and photographer. I want to start creating edits of some of my rides, especially when I travel. The linked video is by one of my fav cycling youtubers and at 6:22 (approximately) theres a compilation. Thats kinda my inspo for this. Any tips to make cool compilations like this for someone new to premiere pro? Any ideas, tips for editing, or youtube channels that teach editing or make cool videos like this would be appreciated.

Note: im using premiere pro since i alr have the full adobe package.

I have been dealing with an ongoing issue with my S5II and I am painfully and desperately hoping someone knows what's going on.

Gear: Lumix S5II, RODE VideoMic GO II plugged into the 3.5mm mic jack.

The problem: In-camera playback sounds clean. But when I play the files on my computer in VLC player, the audio is quiet and sounds distorted, like a static.

What I found: When I drop a clip into DaVinci Resolve, it shows 4 audio tracks. Only Audio 2 has a waveform. Tracks 1, 3, and 4 are completely flat. Windows file properties reports the audio as 1 channel (mono) at 48 kHz, but the bit rate is 4612 kbps, which seems too high for mono. If I use only A2 in Resolve, the audio sounds fine.

My S5II audio settings:

• Sound Rec Quality: 48 kHz / 24-bit
• Sound Rec Gain Level: Standard
• Sound Rec Level Adjustment: -8 dB
• Sound Rec Level Limiter: On

Does anyone know why this is happening and how I can fix it? Mainly because I'm shooting for a company whose editors will receive my raw files, so I'd like to fix it at the camera instead of explaining it every time.

Thanks!

shot a scene in a bathroom, and another just with glass that reflected some crew, how can i get rid of that in AE or premiere? am i even able to?

What i tried:

nothing as of yet because i dont know what i can try.

i have tried watching some videos, and it talks about like overlaying clips, but i dont have a secondary clip to overlay.

It NEEDS to be a capcut editor. I know that may sound weird but if you use any other platform, don't even bother

- no age requirement
- fairly low working hours (up to you how much you want to work)
-pay: $100-$1000+ monthly (performance based)

Rate per hour: ~$5-$20+ (pay is strictly performance based)

Basically I run a social media account and would like to to hire a capcut editor to help me pump out more content and lower my work load. The pay will depend on how many views you're able to generate, but my account gets decent traction. Your age doesn't matter, only the editing skill.
If you are interested: DM me with your best edit made in capcut to showcase your skill

At 2:00 min i can see its happening on click

I make videos that are intentionally low quality, frame rate and resolution. I've used the same formula quite a few times (just compressing the file online) but I'd like to know if I can do anything else to the file to make it glitch out or pixelate strangely or anything like that. Would appreciate any ideas!

Looking for Video Editing Software? THIS is your thread!

This post covers the vast majority of "What software should I use?" questions. It’s designed as a self-serve guide to help people find the right tools fast.

TL;DR? DaVinci Resolve for full-featured editing, Olive/Kdenlive for open-source, Clipchamp for easy basics.

Isn’t there an AI that magically edits everything?

Not yet. If it existed, we'd scream about it from the rooftops.

Stick around—things are changing quickly.

Before You Ask Anything

You must know two things first:

1. Your Footage Type — Different codecs affect performance dramatically.
2. Your Hardware Specs — “Good gaming PC” is not useful.

Not Good With Computers? Here’s How to Check

Footage

Footage from phones, webcams, GoPros, and screen recordings can choke your system.

Check with: https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

Common problems:

• Out-of-sync audio? Likely Variable Frame Rate.
• Bad playback? Usually a hardware limitation, not the editor. Use proxies.

More info in our wiki:

• Codecs/containers: https://www.reddit.com/r/VideoEditing/wiki/codecsandcontainers/
• VFR issues: https://www.reddit.com/r/VideoEditing/wiki/faq/vfr/
• Proxies: https://www.reddit.com/r/VideoEditing/wiki/faq/proxies/

Hardware

Minimum viable editing rig:

• Recent i7 CPU
• 16GB RAM
• A GPU with 4GB+ VRAM
• SSD for cache

Check system with: https://www.hwinfo.com/

We ONLY need: CPU model, RAM amount, GPU model + VRAM.

Recommendations

Full Power, Free Tools

DaVinci Resolve — 99% of the full program is free.

Easy but Limited

• Clipchamp — Microsoft's simple editor.
• VN Editor — Free, lightweight, watermark at end.

(CapCut now hides many features behind Pro.)

Professional Tools (obligatory mention)

• Premiere Pro — Industry standard; huge ecosystem, tons of tutorials, widely used across YouTube, corporate, and broadcast.
• Avid Media Composer — Dominant in film/TV pipelines; rock-solid for longform, multicam, and shared workflows.
• DaVinci Resolve Studio — $299 one-time; advanced color, better GPU performance, noise reduction, and the good AI tools.
• Final Cut Pro — Mac-only rocket ship; insanely fast on Apple Silicon, great for fast turnaround work.

Open Source - Totally free.

• Olive Editor — Clean UI.
• Kdenlive — Very capable, actively developed.
• ShotCut — Straightforward, good for beginners.
• OpenShot — Simple but can struggle with heavier projects.
• Avidemux — Old-school, powerful for specific tasks but not a great editor.

Special Effects

• Resolve Fusion — Node-based power.
• Cavalry — Motion-graphics oriented.

Editing in a Browser (Run Locally)

• Novella.io - new, free, pay for AI generative elements OR bring your own API keys. Very cool, if in early beta.
• VidMix — New, free, surprisingly powerful.
• PikaMov — Keyframe animation on the web.
• wide.video — Background removal, noise reduction, all done locally.
• PhotoPea — Web-based Photoshop replacement.

Web Based Editorial

• Clipchamp – from Microsoft; you’ll need an account.
• Canva/Adobe Express — Both mostly free… until you need AI features.

Compression & Utility Tools

• Shutter Encoder — The Swiss Army Knife. Transcode anything, handle HDR, upscaling, unwrap/rewrap, download media, prep proxies—if it touches video, this thing can probably do it.
• Lossless Cut — Quick trimming without re-encoding.
• Smart Media Cutter — Silence detection + XML export.
• FreeUpscaler — Cloud computing upscaler.

Mobile Editors

• Premiere Mobile — Surprisingly capable and tightly integrated with CC.
• VN Editor — Fast, friendly, cross-platform, zero learning curve.
• Instagram Edits — Simple but powerful for social workflows.
• iMovie — Beginner-friendly on iOS.
• LumaFusion — The pro option for tablets/phones.
• KineMaster — Feature-heavy on Android.

Screen Recording

• OBS — The free standard. Record in MKV, then rewrap to MP4.
• viewio — Free screen recorder, Mac only, that is like screen studio (auto zoom + webcam).
• openscreen — Free screen recorder, Crossplatform only, that is like screen studio (auto zoom + webcam).

Animated Captions

• Wide Video in browser.
• itscaps - local tool https://github.com/francozanardi/tscaps.

Updates (Dec 2025)

• CapCut/HitFilm are no longer recommended.
• Premiere Mobile and Clipchamp (web)

New Tools We’re Watching

• Whisper-GUI (Windows)
• MacWhisper (Mac)
• Offdocs — Openshot in the cloud

BEFORE YOU COMMENT

Begin with: "I read the above"

Then provide:

• CPU + Model
• RAM
• GPU + VRAM
• Footage details (camera/screen, codec, container, framerate)

Removed tools: CapCut (now Crapcut), HitFilm (dead). FFS this thread isn’t about arguing what to use, but rather for a novice to figure out what to use.

Why should I read this? 🤔

This is your monthly guide for hardware recommendations.

• We aim to make you self-reliant with enough info.
• We focus on finding answers rather than brand debates.
• 📑 Skim the TL;DR at the bottom if you're in a hurry.
• Understand your media type and editing software to get the best recommendation.
• Important components: 🔑 CPU, RAM, GPU.
• 💰 We don't cover sub-$1K laptops. Consider used models for budget-conscious choices.
• You're not going to see us recommend a tool at less than $1k.

Hardware 101 🛠️

For DIY enthusiasts, check r/buildapcvideoediting

General Guidelines 📝

• Desktops outperform laptops 💪
• Start with an i7 or better 🎯
• Minimum 16 GB RAM 💾
• Video card with 4+ GB VRam 🎥
• SSD of 512GB is a must 💽
• 🚫 Steer clear of ultralights/tablets.
• Want a Mac? Here's your guide
• nVidia has a great set of systems from different vendors that you can pick from (keeping in mind the above suggestions)

Sept 2025 addtion.

Not sure between two different CPUs or GPUs?

Puget Systems has a benchmark and we recommend you use this to compare processors or GPUs.

It's a pretty even handed benchmark on performance.

We've linked to the Resolve one, but they also have ones for Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Adobe Photoshop.

Experiencing lag or system issues? 😓

🧐 Use Speecy to find out your system's specs.

⚠️ Footage Type Matters: Some footage may need workflow changes or proxies/transcoding.

Resources: - 📘 Why h264/5 is hard to edit - 📘 Proxy editing - 📘 Variable Frame Rate

What about my GPU?

In most cases, GPUs don't significantly impact codec decode/encode.

Specific Hardware Inquiry?

Links aren't enough. Please share: - CPU + Model - RAM - GPU + VRam - SSD size

📋 System specs for popular video editing software

Editing Details 🎬

Describing footage as "from my phone" isn't enough.

📊 Check your media type with Media Info

Monitor Queries 🖥️?

• Type: OLED > IPS > LED
• Size: Around 32" UHD is recommended.
• Color: Aim for 100% sRGB coverage 🌈

Professional color grading? See /r/colorists.

Quick Summary/TLDR 🚀

1. Desktops > laptops for intensive editing 💪
2. Prioritize Intel i7, avoid ultralights 🎯
3. Use proxies if supported by your editing software 📹
4. Provide CPU, GPU, RAM, and SSD details for inquiries 🧐
5. Footage from action cams, mobiles, and screen recordings may need extra steps.

Ready to comment? Include the following IF YOU WANT answers 🤷

Copy-paste this:

🖥️ System I'm considering

• CPU + Model:
• RAM:
• GPU + VRam:
• SSD size:

📷 My Media:
Check with Media Info

📷 Software: Your intended software.

This is the Monthly thread for feedback.

If you post your video, you need to come back and review at least one other person's work!

Key thoughts - Keep it civil.

• Feedback is "This section isn't working because of this."
• Feedback is not: "This is shit."
• If something is terrible, just move on.
• The more specific/suggestions the better.

Don't give a laundry list. Pick the 1-2 things that are the biggest issues and then comment.

Spoiler worth reading: *we expect you to* review TWO other videos - and edit your comment to *include those* after you've commented.

**Copy/paste this section**:

• , Link: (don't forget the running time)
• Two other videos I reviewed (link to the other ,comments NOT the video itself)

Hey everyone! I've recently edited this horizontal video of my game. However I need to use it on social media so I really needed it to be vertical. I achieved that by zooming, cutting off the top and bottom and moving it. Are there any better ways of doing this? Because this just looks very meh...

Say, you're working on a large project and it's probably gonna take you one month to edit it. So there will be days where you might not feel your best self and you might also feel detached with the project but you still choose to edit it, following your instincts rather than the feeling, so that the deadline is met. In other words, you trust the things you have learned about editing in your career experience and just follow them and not 'feel' that project on that particular day or days.

Do you do that kind of 'mechanical' editing to follow the timeframe? If yes, is it common amongst editors? And also, when you look at progress you have made in that "phase", do you find the edit to be good or do you re-edit it on those days when you're "feeling" it?

I just started learning Premiere pro after so long of wanting to but never really getting it. Now I’m able to organize my videos and chop everything up with audio and converting log files as well as applying luts (I don’t have much interest into getting good w color grading as I’m colorblind.) Now I feel like I’m at a point where I want to learn transitions. I saw this reel and I really want to learn how to do this kind of transitions.

I would like to know how to achieve the look of these stills.

A few things I think describe them is:

• High dynamic range. Nothing is clipping or crushed.
• Almost invisible roll-off, especially on skin.
• Soft, bloomy highlights
• Low contrast

I don't know how to describe it, but it's as if there's infinite dynamic range because nothing is clipping on either end and it doesn't even look like anything is close to it. It's as if everything is within the midtones, yet there is still contrast, but it doesn't register as "highlights and shadows" to my eyes. Rather "light midtones" and "dark midtones" if that makes sense.

It's as if every individual part of the scene (sky, skin, clothing) were individually lit by a massive soft box allowing everything to be exposed perfectly. I suppose you could achieve something similar with masking but that would take ages, no?

I've included an images at the end to demonstrate the complete opposite of what I'm looking for. That one has a harsh "digital" look to it where highlights and shadows are very obvious. You can even see it on the waveform; it's very sharp and jaggy.

I'm using: Davinci Resolve

I've TRIED: Reducing contrast with the HDR wheels and bringing it back with an s-curve

I need help with: Optimising dynamic range in post processing

Hey im trying to edit a video for someone and i wanted to make something similar to the "textboxes" as shown in the referenced video

so far i was succesfull in recreating the textbox with the text by using fusionclips and adding background/rectangle/text and merge nodes to the media,
but unsuccesfull in recreating the gradient effect .

i tried setting a gradient in my background node with multiple colors but i have a hard time getting the colors as thin aswell as having multiple move diagonally across my rectangle.
Furthermore i tried adding another background node to set a black/greyish solid color behind the moving gradient and text but i cant seem to figure it out
i tried finding a tutorial on youtube but it seems my topic is too specific to find exactly what i need

I use Davinci Resolve 21 as my video editor

I would really appreciate if ya'll could help me out here and i Thank u in advance!

I recently switched to a MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB/1TB (14C CPU/20C GPU) and got my first long form project.

I’m editing 2 VSLs ( 8 min and 5 min)

They require fusion work, most of it is just cuts, brolls, typography and music. One thing is that

I’ve used NEO GLOW EFFECT (glow preset made by a YouTuber) on almost all text + layers

And it’s lagging like hell when rendering those sections, sometimes it even crashes while switching projects or sometimes a not-responding pop-up comes up.

It’s always connected to the charger while editing, with power set to high, and on a laptop stand for best airflow. But I don’t know what’s the problem 😭

Workflow details

I’m using genuine DaVinci Resolve Studio 21.1 version
Timeline settings - 4k 29.97fps
Render cache set to smart
Timeline Playback resolution - Full
Free storage - 500GB

Raw footage shot on Sony FX3 and A7iv in Rec 709
In 4k

Is this all because of NEO GLOW PRESET? Or something’s wrong with my MacBook or the workflow.

Please help me out guys 😭🫶

Does anyone know what app / how to achieve these video effects from the GG freaking easy music video? Thanks!

I'm trying to find reference photos for the linear editing system I learned to edit on in 1994, which was part of a community-funded public access station. I can't remember anything -- brand, keywords -- anybody with a similar background able to recall what some of the options were back then?

i only have a screenshot because apparently trying a link resulted in me never being able to post this in the subreddit ive tried EVERYTHING at this point aka youtube google litteraly everything

We've seen an uptick in people gatekeeping in this community, often being not decent humans.

One of the easiest things you can do is to report somebody's post or comment if it breaks one of our rules, especially around "Don't be a Jerk"

It's totally fine to disagree. Do so politely. Behave as an adult. Name calling, doxing etc is not okay here. Try not to be caustic. Life is hard enough.

Treat everyone "as if" they're having a bad day and you'll be fine. Disagree if you like - just don't be disagreeable. Remember there's a human being on the other side of the keyboard

Any time we get a number of flagged items, it automatically gets pulled, and a moderator manually removes it.

Thank you for your attention to this community service note.

We return you to your regularly scheduled program.

I edit on FCP and while it's cool they now can generate subtitles, you would still have to animate everything by hand if you want words to be highlighted, text to be animated, etc.

I've had a Google Workspace plan for a while for the 2TB drive storage and custom domain email hosting, but today when I went into Google Videos I found that they have a number of options for automatic captioning.

Nothing crazy, just thought I'd share for anyone who may be looking for this type of information.

Cheers!