Things I wish I knew as a New AMV Editor
Apr. 17th, 2023 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
violet_skiesAfter years of cursory interest in AMV editing due to my husband taking up the hobby, I took the plunge and started making my first video in earnest in July of 2022. As I rapidly approach my one year anniversary of being a video editor, I'm going to list things I wish I had known when just starting out.
1. Aspect Ratio and Frame Rate--all of your sources have aspect ratio and frame rate. Make sure your project settings match this. You can right-click your source in windows to figure this out. Make sure it matches or people WILL NOTICE
2. The best video editing software is the one you can use--people will argue about this, but when you're just starting out, pick one and learn it. DaVinci is free, not a bad place to start. Vegas goes on humble bundle regularly, it's pretty powerful. Pinnacle you can buy and own outright. It is always morally correct to pirate Adobe products. That kinda stuff. They all have things they do better or worse, but to learn the basics, they're all pretty similar.
3. Get a VPN, seriously... It helps you with both nyaa and y2mate to acquire source footage and songs. And qbittorrent is my torrent client of choice.
4. Get AMVtool. Your editing software probably cannot handle MKV files. You will need to recontainer (not convert) your sources for ease. Definitely recontainer without audio.
5. Ken Burns--the name vidders use for pan and zoom to keep your stuff moving. There's lots of ken burns guides out there, but ultimately, less is more.
6. Rendering (or exporting depending on your software) is fiddly. Get help the first time you render a video.
7. There's a lot of help out there. All the editors I have met are really cool. Most people are really patient and willing to help and answer questions.
8. Edit what you want. Editing for views, contests, subscribers or whatever is fine if that's what you're into. But ultimately, if you have FUN making a video, that will really shine through the work you do.
I'm glad I started this hobby. It scratches that creative itch that I have while requiring no financial investment, and it's a LOT more forgiving with mistakes and learning as you go. There's also a wealth of knowledge to be had, and the people I have met through the hobby are genuinely awesome. It hasn't even been a full year, but the process and results are extremely rewarding and fulfilling for me. I recommend this hobby to anyone who has considered it!
In case I forget, my next post will be writing about finding pairings and music that I like to edit with.
1. Aspect Ratio and Frame Rate--all of your sources have aspect ratio and frame rate. Make sure your project settings match this. You can right-click your source in windows to figure this out. Make sure it matches or people WILL NOTICE
2. The best video editing software is the one you can use--people will argue about this, but when you're just starting out, pick one and learn it. DaVinci is free, not a bad place to start. Vegas goes on humble bundle regularly, it's pretty powerful. Pinnacle you can buy and own outright. It is always morally correct to pirate Adobe products. That kinda stuff. They all have things they do better or worse, but to learn the basics, they're all pretty similar.
3. Get a VPN, seriously... It helps you with both nyaa and y2mate to acquire source footage and songs. And qbittorrent is my torrent client of choice.
4. Get AMVtool. Your editing software probably cannot handle MKV files. You will need to recontainer (not convert) your sources for ease. Definitely recontainer without audio.
5. Ken Burns--the name vidders use for pan and zoom to keep your stuff moving. There's lots of ken burns guides out there, but ultimately, less is more.
6. Rendering (or exporting depending on your software) is fiddly. Get help the first time you render a video.
7. There's a lot of help out there. All the editors I have met are really cool. Most people are really patient and willing to help and answer questions.
8. Edit what you want. Editing for views, contests, subscribers or whatever is fine if that's what you're into. But ultimately, if you have FUN making a video, that will really shine through the work you do.
I'm glad I started this hobby. It scratches that creative itch that I have while requiring no financial investment, and it's a LOT more forgiving with mistakes and learning as you go. There's also a wealth of knowledge to be had, and the people I have met through the hobby are genuinely awesome. It hasn't even been a full year, but the process and results are extremely rewarding and fulfilling for me. I recommend this hobby to anyone who has considered it!
In case I forget, my next post will be writing about finding pairings and music that I like to edit with.
