After the Trip (The Edit)
My Top Ten Guidelines for Editing
1: Cut, cut, and cut again
If, like me, you come home from a trip with far too much footage, you need to be absolutely brutal during the edit. Cut out everything that doesn’t fit the storyline, including repetition, and accept that you will inevitably end up cutting scenes you really like. It can’t all go in. Review every single clip - even though there may be hundreds of them in a video. Even with the short ones, ask yourself: ‘Is this really necessary? Does it add anything to the video?’ If the answer is no, it’s gone!
2: But keep a few random moments in…
Despite what I’ve just said about being brutal, the most arbitrary, off-the-cuff observation can sometimes return the highest viewer engagement. I remember briefly mentioning a BYD car dealership in the Azores. It had absolutely nothing to do with the actual theme of my video, yet it generated more comments than anything else in the entire episode. Don't sanitise the video so much that you strip away its quirky personality.
3: Edit tightly to eliminate dead space
Always try to trim every clip tightly, cutting away anything unnecessary. Even a half-second pause before you start speaking should be removed. It may seem pedantic, but over the length of a video I promise it’ll make a difference. Focussing on the little things will result in a well-balanced video that flows seamlessly for the viewer. And it cuts out unnessecary dead space. Tight editing is a core part of a successful ‘less is more’ strategy, and even though viewers might not even be aware of the subtle detail, it will make your videos more watchable.
4: Less is more & the power of audio
You can cut away a lot more of a clip than you may realise. This can be handy especially in clips with motion. For example, if your subject is throwing a ball, don't start the clip with the stationary pause before the action happens. Try slicing the clip so it starts midway through the throwing motion itself. It doesn’t work for every single shot, but you’ll be amazed at how much cleaner and dynamic it makes the overall pacing feel. In general, showing less is almost always an advantage.
And if it takes the form of a sharp cut to the next clip, audio is the best way to disguise a rough transition. Fade it in like a DJ, it’s worth the extra effort. Audio is an incredible, ofter overlooked, tool for fixing problems during an edit. I’d go as far to say it’s more important than the visual. Well-placed audio can trick the viewer into missing very obvious visual errors, and I don’t mean overlayed music tracks, it’s a lot more subtle than that. Difficult to explain here, but my advice is give audio more attention during an edit than seems obvious.
5: Structure it to tell a cohesive story
We all know that traditional stories need a clear beginning, middle, and end, but you don’t need to be quite so rigid when editing a vlog. By its very nature, a travel video is going to be a bit more chaotic, spontaneous, and reactionary. Your primary goal is simply to take the viewer on the journey with you. Even so, keeping a loose narrative structure in mind helps ensure you end up with a well-rounded, satisfying, standalone video. I don’t tend to think ‘beginning, middle, end’ when filming or editing. It tends to fall into place naturally. A travel vlog will generally follow you on a journey anyway, so if it’s a flight for example, you already have checking in, the flight, and the arrival, so bingo! That was easy :)
6: Don't panic when looking at the first rough cut
When you first drop all your raw footage into the timeline, it can look incredibly fragmented, messy, and, quite frankly, a bit boring. Do not panic! It will come together. If you trust the process and keep trimming, your three-hour borefest will slowly transform itself into a punchy, highly watchable 20-to-30-minute episode. Yes, you’ll delete scenes you wish you could have kept, but the overall flow of the video is infinitely more important than any single clip. Going back to ‘less is more’, remember an enjoyable 15-minute video will always perform better than a boring 30-minute one. Try to review your final edit at least a couple of times before publishing. Chances are you’ll still find stuff that really doesn’t need to be there.
7: Keep your visual style simple
Resist the temptation to play around with fancy transitions, flashy effects, and heavy on-screen graphics. They might be fun to mess about with in the software, but in reality, they do nothing but distract from the actual story you are trying to tell.
Why I Still Use iMovie: This is exactly why I’ve stuck with iMovie for so many years. It’s basic, and although it can be incredibly annoying at times, its limitations are its greatest strength. It forces me to keep things simple and completely removes the temptation to over-complicate what’s on the screen.
8: Don’t be constrained by a specific runtime
A video should be exactly as long as it needs to be to tell the story. If you focus entirely on making an episode that flows well and holds the attention, it won’t matter if the final edit drops at 20 minutes or 45 minutes. If the viewer is genuinely engaged, the clock doesn't matter.
👥 Two Ways to Find Fresh Eyes
Option A: If you are unsure about the pacing, get someone else to watch the edit and ask for total honesty. You have likely been staring at the same timeline for days, meaning you are far too close to the project to see the bigger picture.
Option B: If you don't have someone nearby to review it, simply shut the laptop, leave it overnight, and watch it fresh the next morning. Detaching yourself from the edit allows you to view it from the unbiased perspective of a channel viewer.
9: Remember that "boring" is the cardinal sin of YouTube
Entertainment value is obviously subjective, but the absolute last thing you want is for your content to feel dull. Being boring is the fastest way to get dropped by both your viewers and the algorithm. If you make a silly mistake on screen, whether you trip over your words or do something clumsy, build it right into the narrative! You aren’t trying to produce a highly polished, sterile television documentary. It’s a vlog. Your absolute biggest asset is your relatability, and real people make mistakes every day.
10: Know when to put the brush down
When is an edit actually finished? This is something every creative person has to ponder, whether it's an artist finishing a canvas or a YouTuber rendering a timeline. You can tinker with a video forever, or you can step away. If you are aiming to put out one or two videos every single week, you have to accept a simple truth: it’s not a flawless masterpiece, it’s just another week of content. It won't be perfect, as it shouldn't be anyway. ‘Done is always better than perfect’. On to the next adventure!