“That was amazing? Where can I get one?”

A commonly asked question for a video editor that seems to never get answered.

Most people have heard of video editing, whether it be trimming a video and adding clips or adding animation or text. Turns out, there is a lot more to it than that to people on Instagram or other similar platforms.

On Instagram, the hashtag “videoedits” has millions of 15-30 second videos of all sorts of things. Whether it be tv shows, celebrities, cartoons, movies, or even pictures. A song is used for its beat and tune in which the clips used will transition into the next one. No matter how fast or how slow, editors take it one frame at a time to create these incredibly smooth edits.

According to Summer Grace, a video editor, it could take anywhere from 1 hour and a half to several hours to create a short 30 second edit. Due to the time it takes to make one, to find something to edit that will stay interesting is also challenging. Many editors do something called “scrapping”, meaning they lost interest and did not finish the edit. Some may post it to stay active for their followers while they find a new project to start on, or they will just get rid of it.

The next step is to find an audio, could be a song or something someone has made on YouTube. “Probably through accounts [on Instagram] that only post audios.” states Grace when asked what the easiest way was. The decision to add a voiceover is another piece to the audio. A voiceover could be from the scene or video that is in the edit or even something funny. “A voiceover usually takes like an extra 30 minutes. I strive for perfection and it’s difficult to get it perfect.” Grace mentions.

Inspiration, check, audio and voiceover check, but now its time for content. Finding good quality scenes from a movie or show is hard. Many editors have created accounts strictly for scenes on Instagram to help others, but sometimes it can be hard to find. YouTube is a good resource for finding popular scenes, but it could be in bad quality or not the scene you are looking for. Its better to have the movie/show downloaded or found on an Instagram account.

Transitions are next, after splitting the audio where you want and inserting your clips in the right order. To handmake the individual transitions takes the bulk of the time. But fortunately, apps like Videostar allows editors to make presets beforehand. A transition is in between two clips, could be anything from a slide to a spin. New transitions are being created every day, as well as overlays. Overlays are used for design and aesthetic, could be a splash animation or little transparent stars on the screen. According to Alexa Falls, a former editor, “overlays are simple when it comes to pictures, but with videos it gets tricky, especially if the person is moving in the video.”

The final touches to an edit usually include the coloring and the watermark. Coloring is like a filter to a picture; it adds to the aesthetic and the feel. Messing around with filter settings is a way to make them or finding presets on Instagram by other editors can work too, says Falls. A watermark is just the username of the creator somewhere on the edit. This is the most satisfying part for editors, it makes it come together.