How Professional Video Editors Work: Real-Time Editing Process

How do professional video editors actually work in real-time?

Professional video editors work through a structured workflow: they create string-outs of all footage first, pull selects to separate tracks, build rough assemblies without perfecting individual shots, then refine the entire sequence as a whole rather than polishing piece by piece.

Why sitting behind a pro editor changed everything

When I started out as an editor, some of the biggest epiphanies I had came from sitting behind pro editors and watching them work — seeing how they navigated their timeline, what shortcuts they were using, and how they were thinking about selecting or ordering shots.

Unfortunately, today there are very limited opportunities to sit behind a pro editor. That's why I'm turning on my camera and screen recorder so you can see my timeline over my shoulder while I edit this sailing scene from start to finish.

The string-out method pros actually use

I always start with what I call a string-out — a long sequence of all the clips laid out in order. To make this, I go into the media folder, select all, and use a hotkey to turn it into a sequence. It lays out all the clips, and these are the shots I'm pulling from.

This gives me everything at once instead of hunting through folders. When I want to find a shot from my edit in the original string-out, I use Match Frame to pull it into the source monitor, then use Reverse Match Frame to find that specific frame in the string-out.

How to pull selects without losing your mind

Instead of using markers, I move clips up to video track two to mark my selects. That's how I alert myself that it's a select — I just visually see them on track two.

I'm always looking for action in shots. This closeup of the hand turning the wheel has good action. This shot of nothing happening doesn't interest me because nothing is happening. The most important editing criteria is emotion — not necessarily the emotion of the people in the scene, but the emotion of the audience you want to create.

Even when I'm looking at stock footage for a little exercise, I think about what I want the audience to feel. Second is story. Emotionally, I want to build a sense of adventure, excitement, and curiosity.

Why pros don't perfect shots one by one

Here's a big pro tip — I haven't even watched through any of this. I'm just picking shots and putting them in order.

One thing I used to do at the beginning of my career is I would work on the first few shots of an edit, and I would really try to make them perfect. I would try to find just the right in-and-out points. I'd watch them back-to-back over and over. I would start sound design, and then my day would get away from me, and I'd realize I only worked on the first three shots of an edit.

Now, I do it very differently. I create a complete cut of something and then watch it all the way through. I'm giving everything a fair amount of time and then I'm able to see everything from a complete cut perspective. My work has really improved since I started doing that.

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The keyboard shortcut discovery system

I use tons of hotkeys. Almost everything I do is on the keyboard. The best way to learn keyboard shortcuts is to be self-aware of repetitive tasks. I used to keep a journal and note things like, "I am always moving things to track two — how can I do that without a mouse?" I'd find a place on the keyboard I liked, memorize it, and start using it.

Whether you use DaVinci, Premiere, or Final Cut Pro, you can custom map your keyboard shortcuts. Focus on the movements you repeat most often.

Why 12 frames of black matter

I create black video and put it in my assets folder. I like to start with 12 frames of black. One second feels too long, but 12 frames allows you to watch the first image come on from black so you can really see that first cut.

If I'm exporting a rough cut for a commercial, I'll have 12 frames of black at the head and tail. If I'm posting to YouTube, I start on the first frame of action, but for a demo reel or client review, I include that black because the 12 frames also gives the website time to load.

How rhythm gets established in the first shot

The length of that first shot is definitely establishing a pace. That's a 5-second shot. In terms of rhythm, when I established that first shot being around this length, I knew the subsequent shots would be in that ballpark because I'm trying to have a consistent rhythm in this opening scene.

I'm always looking at the action of the shot. The shot to my eye doesn't really start until the hand starts moving. My end point would be right there. I can come out anytime, but that's what felt right to me.

The smash cut transition technique

I like the idea of going from hands to hands — from the hand on the steering wheel to them getting into the car. This could be a "smash cut," where there is a drastic change in environment or contrast between scenes.

We go from sailing to pointing like, "Hey, we're going somewhere." Then we smash cut — we're out of the car. The professional editing techniques that make commercials work often rely on these kinds of purposeful contrasts.

Sound design makes the story complete

A story is not complete without sound. I like to use Artlist because there's a beautiful integration with Premiere Pro. The Artlist library is now in Premiere Pro, so I can audition and drag sounds right in.

I start with basic placeholder sound — waves for the water shots, sailing ambience, distant seagulls to help carry us into the next scene. For the car scene, I search "car highway interior" to match the perspective. Then I add Norway-specific birds since that's where this footage was shot, and crisp wind for the mountaintop to add to the story that they're on this precipice.

This is extremely rough sound, but now this sequence is ready for the next step — choosing music and detailed sound design from shot to shot.

The complete editing workflow — from string-out to final cut — took about 35 minutes for this sailing scene. By working fast and loose first, then refining the whole sequence, you end up with stronger edits than perfectionist shot-by-shot polishing.

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