1. Choose your software
Adobe Premiere Pro (PC or Mac), iMovie (Mac), Windows Movie Maker (PC), Final Cut Pro X (Mac), Camtasia Studio (PC) or Telestream Screenflow (Mac)
2. Transferring footage and organising projects

The first step in video editing is transferring all of your footage from your camera to your computer. If your footage is from a video camera or DSLR, then you’ll want to copy your footage off the SD card from your device. If your footage is from an iPhone, then you can connect the phone to a Windows computer via USB cable and access the read-only device. On Mac, I would recommend using “Image Capture”, a pre-installed application, to easily transfer your files from your iPhone.

3. Finding and assembling the best takes

Go through the clips and look for the best takes of each one. This may be the best reading of your script or the most visually impressive shot. To do this, double click each file in your project and scrub through the clip to assess the quality of each.
Once you’ve found your preferred take, add it to your project’s sequence timeline. Apply this same process for every shot, laying everything out in linear order. This is called “assembling the edit.”

4. Trimming the head and tail

With the arrangement of your video now in place, you can start to make some finer adjustments to the pace and flow. In a nutshell, you’ll want to trim the beginning and end of each of the clips you arranged in the timeline. Don’t underestimate the importance of this step! Fine-tuning your edit will help to create a video that feels more like a human conversation and less like a robot monologue.
You can either use a cutting tool (this may be represented by ‘scissors’ or ‘razor blade’ icons), or simply drag the beginning or end of your clip to the correct position.

5. Adding music

Background music plays a really important role in your video. It’s a powerful way to drive the video forward and create emotion around your message.

6. Exporting a proof

A worthwhile tip if you’re stuck in a creative rut is to take a break and come back later to your edit. Grab a drink or a snack, or just step away for a few minutes. Come back to the video with fresh eyes. This will help you notice things you may have missed when you were deep in the zone.