How To Edit YouTube Videos [Ultimate Guide]

How To Edit YouTube Videos

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

YouTube videos have a certain look and feel that many viewers have come to expect and enjoy. Much of the aesthetics of YouTube videos developed as a result of the biggest YouTubers having to quickly and efficiently edit videos together on a daily basis. Below is our list of some of the most common video editing techniques used by famous YouTubers.

Table of Contents: Ultimate Guide to YouTube Video Editing INTRODUCTION START BIG OPENING TITLE INTRODUCTION CUTS JUMP CUT ASSOCIATIVE CUT TRANSFORM ZOOM CAMERA SHAKE COLOR/LEVEL ADJUSTMENT TRANSITIONS WIPE ZOOM VISUAL ELEMENTS CALL-TO-ACTION VISUALS TIME MANIPULATION TIMELAPSE SLOW MOTION AUDIO CENSOR SOUND EFFECTS BACKGROUND MUSIC MUTING BACKGROUND MUSIC VOICE-OVER Compressor

Part 1: Introduction

1. Start Big

“I’m doing something really exciting… within the first ten seconds of this video. That way you stay here.” – Liza Koshy (How To Be A YouTuber 101!! | Lizzza)

In the same way that a teaser or trailer builds anticipation for a full film, many YouTubers start with a preview of the most high-energy part of their video.

In Jake Paul’s prank vlog (above), Jake shows his brother, Logan, chasing and beating him up as Jake screams for help at the top of his lungs. The already high-energy scene is even more intensified by the epic music playing in the background. This seven-second clip, which resurfaces halfway through the video, is enough to entice many viewers to continue watching. It very effectively leaves enough room for viewers to wonder, “How did Logan’s room actually look in the end?” “What was Logan’s initial reaction before he started chasing Jake?” By creating curiosity gaps like these, you can incentivize your viewers to close these gaps by watching longer.

2. Opening Title Introduction

Just as TV episodes begin with opening credits and theme music, quite similarly, some YouTubers start their YouTube videos with an intro.

Greg from “How To Drink” has an effective twenty-second intro (above). In this video, he shows you who he is and what his videos are generally about. Since these two things don’t change so much for him from video to video, he can start many of his videos off with this same intro.

Below is a video tutorial about how to add text and titles to video in Filmora, hope that helps you in creating your own YouTube video texts and titles.

For more information on intros, check out our post on How to Make a YouTube Intro?

Part 2: Cuts

1. Jump Cut

A jump cut is a simple and straightforward type of video editing cutting technique that “jumps” from one section of a clip to a later section of a clip, cutting out whatever happened in the middle. Some of the middle parts you might want to remove may include mistakes, long silent pauses, and filler words (umm, like, etc.).

Although the use of jump cuts to remove these parts had been discouraged for a long time in the film world, its extensive use by so many YouTubers has established it as its own style that many viewers have come to expect and enjoy. The jumpiness that comes from jump cuts can be effective in keeping your audience’s attention in a shock-inducing manner.

Jump cuts can also be used to show a passage of time in a creative way or make objects magically appear on-screen.

Zack King (above) makes a toy taxi magically appear in his hands using this video editing technique. Filmora allows you to do jump cut easily, you can watch the tutorial below and learn more jump cut tips and tricks .

2. Associative Cut

Not everyone in your audience may recognize the cultural or historical references you make in your videos. It can, therefore, be helpful (and also quite enjoyable) to show the original clip of the reference you are making.

In the same vlog that Jake Paul gets chased down by his brother (above), twenty-eight seconds into the video, Jake expresses his desire to go fast in his car. Right after he says “I want to go fast,” Jake cuts into a scene from the movie Talladega Nights. In that scene, Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell’s character, also says that he wants to go fast.

Part 3: Transform

1. Zoom

Many YouTubers digitally adjust the zoom of their talking head shots in order to create additional emphasis or suspense. When zoom is used very slowly and smoothly, this technique can be effective in building up suspense and drawing a viewer deeper into the speaker’s message. When a drastic zoom is used suddenly, it can be effective in emphasizing a particular spoken line.

RiceGum is one YouTuber who uses zoom video editing effects extensively in his talking head videos. Want to pan and zoom your video footage too? Check our guide to getting Ken Burns Effect on Videos .

2. Camera Shake

Camera shake is a video effect that makes the original clip appear like it was filmed during a violent earthquake. Many YouTubers use this effect to emphasize their voice when they are talking about something erratic or out of control.

3. Color/Level Adjustment

A lot of comedy YouTubers change the color and levels of their videos in order to emphasize different moods. One common thing YouTubers do when they talk about anything slightly sad is to gradually fade out the colors in their talking head shots. In a cheesy way, the black and white look can emphasize a feeling of emptiness. For his “sad” reactions, PewDiePie often jump cuts into a black and white, slowed down clip of his sad face while playing some sad music in the background. To emphasize a darker message, some YouTubers increase the amount of shadows in their video. In the video below, while his daughter is delivering a darker message from 0:32 to 0:50, La Guardia Cross gradually adds more shadows around his daughter’s face through what appears to be a vignette effect.

Part 4: Transitions

1. Wipe

Many YouTubers transition from one scene into the next using a wipe transition. In a wipe transition, the next clip that you want to transition into slides into the frame horizontally or vertically until it completely covers the first clip. For additional wiping effect, many YouTubers also use a fast, high pitched “woosh” sound effect with this transition.

2. Zoom

The zoom transition is quite similar to the wipe transition, except it uses a zoom effect. Many of the top YouTubers combine this transition with a lower-pitched “woosh” sound effect.

Part 5: Visual Elements

In other genres of film, the only appropriate visual elements filmmakers can tastefully add to their footage seem to be clean looking, seamlessly integrated text and motion graphics. YouTube, on the other hand, is another world with much more room to get outrageous. Many of the top YouTubers add a lot of visual elements (emojis , images, filters, explosions) to their videos to emphasize their jokes, play-on-words, historical or cultural references, and mood.

1. Call-To-Action Visuals

Whether they’re prompting you to subscribe, like, comment, or check out their purchasable merchandise, many YouTubers include visuals to strengthen their calls-to-action.

Part 6: Time Manipulation

1. Timelapse

“The staple of any Casey Neistat vlog is the timelapse, which he uses both to further the narrative or set the time of day.” -@omgurheadsgone

A lot of cameras now come with a timelapse/hyperlapse function, requiring no further video editing. To achieve the kind of timelapses that Casey Neistat makes, though, you’ll have to film real-time footage and then manipulate the speed of it in post. Since sped up ambient sound is hardly ever pleasing to the ear, a lot of YouTubers replace the audio with music that enhances the mood of the timelapse.

2. Slow Motion

Slowing down footage is another way YouTubers like to manipulate the passage of time. This technique can draw the audience’s attention into the intricacies of a movement captured on film. But if you stretch your video clip digitally in order to achieve this look, your video may not look so smooth – your software will need to create extra frames of footage based on your existing footage. The solution around this problem is to make sure to record your video at a very high frame rate.

Part 7: Audio

1. Censor

The traditional practice for censoring out explicit language in television has been to replace profanity with a high pitched “bleep” sound effect . YouTubers, however, have popularized the use of animal sound effects to censor out explicit language. Epic Meal Time frequently uses the “caw” of a crow for this purpose.

2. Sound Effects

Whether it is pouring water into a cup or drinking a glass of water, adding louder sound effects can enhance your viewer’s experience of the action that is taking place on camera.

3. Background Music

Music is very effective in helping people feel all kinds of emotions. It is no wonder so many of the top YouTubers make gratuitous use of music in their videos. Some even add background music to every single clip of their entire YouTube video and only drop the music when the following technique (below) is used.

4. Muting Background Music

A lot of YouTubers who talk over background music abruptly mute the music when they want their audience to focus their attention on whatever it is that they have to say at that very moment. Isolating one’s speech in this way can be a very effective way to emphasize something serious or emphasize a punchline to a joke.

5. Voice-Over

Adding additional recorded verbal commentary is another technique used by many of the top YouTubers. This technique can be helpful when the visuals of your footage do not sufficiently communicate the full message you want to get across to your audience.

6. Compressor

A lot of video editing software programs give you the option to add compression to your video’s audio. Compression lessens the dynamic range between the softest and loudest parts of your audio. This technique can help your speech sound more uniform in volume.

For those who want to make their YouTube videos better, I recommend Wondershare Filmora for editing YouTube videos . Filmora video editor allows you to create and edit a YouTube video easily with plentiful templates and effects pre-programmed.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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Apex Chart Analyst: Master Video Popularity

Make Quality YouTube Video with Wondershare Filmora

An easy and powerful video editor for YouTube Video

Numerous video and audio effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

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As the second-largest search engine on the internet, people watch over one billion hours of content on this platform every day. This video-sharing platform has more than 2 billion active users, meaning it has the potential to increase brand awareness and boost your business. More than 92% of marketers surveyed stated videos play a crucial role in their marketing strategy. Rank tracking is essential if you want to achieve the top rankings on YouTube.

Why Do We Need to Check YouTube Ranking?

Allows You to Know if Your Videos Are Performing Well

The main goal of most users is to rank number one on search results. So checking your rank position will help you know if your videos appear on YouTube and Google’s top results. Most users watch videos on the top of search results. For this reason, if you are not ranking at the top of search results, you will miss out on traffic.

Knowing where you rank on search results will allow you to develop an effective strategy that will help you increase your views and grow your following.

Allows You to Know if Your Videos Are Performing Well

Knowing where you rank on search results will allow you to develop an effective strategy that will help you increase your views and grow your following.

Help You See Your Progress

Knowing that you are appearing on the top search results is a clear sign that you have optimized your video titles, description, and content for the right keywords. In turn, more people will view your videos, and your channel will gain more subscribers.

Allows You to Change Your Low Ranking State

If you are ranking low, you will know that you need to enhance user experience and optimize your content for relevance. You will change your content and ensure it is engaging and suitable for your target audience.

Question: What will affect the ranking of your YouTube video?

Some of the things that can affect the ranking of your YouTube videos include the quality of your content. If your video is large and not optimized for mobile devices, this can also affect your rank on search results.

Make Quality Video with Wondershare

Use Filmora to ensure your videos are high-quality and engaging. This video editing tool helps you make amazing videos that will keep your audience coming back to your channel for more content.

The software has features like color grading, customizable effects, and keyframe-based animation. You can include text and voice-overs. Additionally, the software allows you to remove video “noise.” The best part is: Filmora offers editing support for videos with 4K resolution.

You can use the software to increase the quality of your video and audio. Filmora also allows you to crop and decrease the size of your video to ensure users can watch them on their mobile devices.

Top 8 YouTube Rank Tracker

1. Geo Ranker

This YouTube video rank checker is a cost-effective solution that allows you to monitor your domestic and international rankings. Geo Ranker has over 30 different filters; it gives you the ability to pinpoint your targeted keywords in multiple languages and capture keywords for YouTube videos.

You can also monitor competitors’ backlinks, view top-performing YouTube videos, manage YouTube accounts, and much more. Best of all, it comes with a keyword suggestion tool to ensure you target the right keywords that people are searching for.

2. Rank Ranger

Rank Ranger is another popular YouTube video rank checker that allows users to monitor their rankings against competitors domestically and internationally. This tool provides the user with insight into their competitors’ rankings, views on how many clicks they are getting on their videos, and the ability to see where it counts towards your monthly statements. It also allows you to monitor one or more channels at once, set daily email alerts for new rankings, generate custom reports on keywords/videos for clients, and export to CSV.

3. VidIQ

Founded in 2011 by Todd Troxell and Rob Sandie, VidiQ is a SaaS product that allows you to monitor your rankings and see if you are doing the right thing. You can also use the tool to research keywords, view top-ranking videos in specific locations or globally, and compare your video against competitors’ videos. Additionally, this YouTube video rank checker allows you to view the number of times people clicked your video and identify if new keywords are becoming popular.

4. Link Assistant

Link Assistant comes with all the bells and whistles you would expect from a well-rounded YouTube rank checker. These include ranking data across multiple regions, custom reports, backlink checker report for your videos, keywords suggestion tool to drill down into specific search terms, and exporting to CSV.

5. Tube Buddy

Tube Buddy is a Chrome and Safari plugin that allows you to monitor your rankings against competitors. This YouTube rank checker also gives you the ability to track mobile views and likes on your videos. Additionally, you can find top-ranking videos for targeted keywords and get video insights such as estimated views, keyword rankings, preferences, and dislikes for any video on YouTube.

6. AccuRanker

With offices in Denmark, the UK, and the U.S., AccuRanker is an award-winning YouTube rank checker. With a user-friendly interface, analyzing and understanding your up-to-date rank tracking data on AccuRanker is a breeze.

After every 24 hours, you can check updated rankings. You can also refresh this tool on-demand any time you want to check how your keywords are ranking.

Moreover, this YouTube rank checker works with a range of third-party integration, meaning you can track everything from anywhere using any device.

7. YTCockpit

With this YouTube video rank checker, you can find keywords with a decent amount of search volume. Also, YTCockpit tells you how difficult or easy it is to rank for these keywords depending on the current competition. It allows you to plan your content according to the most searched for keywords.

Aggregating data from Google Ads and YouTube Suggest, this tool can analyze tons of videos per minute. And with each keyword it finds, this YouTube rank checker generates the top twenty ranking videos instantly.

8. Pro Rank Tracker

Since its inception in 2013, Pro Rank Tracker has been the go-to tool for people seeking reliable YouTube video rank checkers. The tool allows you to track your videos on Google and YouTube by choosing the relevant search engine. It gives you daily ranking updates, and there is also an option for on-demand refreshes. The platform is compatible with both mobile devices and PCs.

Conclusion

YouTube rank tracking tools help you monitor your rankings and see how well you are doing against your competitors. They allow you to check keyword positions and check the progress of your growth on YouTube.

Try It Free Try It Free

Why Do We Need to Check YouTube Ranking?

Allows You to Know if Your Videos Are Performing Well

Knowing where you rank on search results will allow you to develop an effective strategy that will help you increase your views and grow your following.

Allows You to Know if Your Videos Are Performing Well

Knowing where you rank on search results will allow you to develop an effective strategy that will help you increase your views and grow your following.