10 Video Editing Tips Every Creator Should Know

# 10 Video Editing Tips Every Creator Should Know After editing thousands of videos, here are the techniques that make the biggest difference. ## 1. Cut on Action Never cut during dead air. Cut when something is happening—a gesture, a word, a movement. This makes edits invisible. ## 2. The J-Cut and L-Cut - **J-Cut**: Audio starts before video - **L-Cut**: Audio continues after video changes These create smooth, professional transitions. ## 3. The 321 Rule - 3 copies of your files - 2 different storage types - 1 offsite backup Lose footage once and you'll never skip backups again. ## 4. Color Grade Last Get your edit locked before touching color. You'll waste hours grading footage that gets cut. ## 5. Use Keyboard Shortcuts Learn these in your editor of choice: - J, K, L for playback - I and O for in/out points - Cut shortcuts (varies by software) You'll edit 3x faster within a week.