Movavi Video Editor
Movavi Video Editor is a popular editor with a wide user-base. It claims to be able to provide a user-friendly approach to editing videos that is simple and intuitive, while still giving users access to a wide range of features.
How effective and user-friendly is it really? If you want to find out – keep reading.
Movavi Video Editor
4 Important Types of Cuts for Editing Videos
The types of cuts that are used when compiling videos are extremely important and can affect its structure and pacing. There is no one type of cut that is ‘perfect’, which is why editing videos and cutting them is really more of an art than a science.
If you want to start to cut videos more skillfully, there are numerous different types of cuts that you could try out. Out of those, there are four in particular that you are extremely important:
- Jumpcut
Essentially a jump cut will cut from a frame in a clip to a similar-looking frame later in the same clip or in a different clip – making everything seem to ‘jump’ or ‘jumping’ forward in time.
It isn’t very smooth and can be quite jarring for viewers, which is why you should use it only in specific circumstances.
Generally, jump cuts are used either to show time passing more quickly or to show repetition.
- Cut on action
To use a cut on the action you will need to cut from a clip that shows one action, to a clip that shows that same action being completed.
In theory, viewers will be focused on the action in the clip and the cut itself will be masked so it doesn’t jar the viewers.
Cutting on the action is a very versatile way to edit videos, as it can be used in numerous situations and is often employed to make a video appear more seamless.
- L cut and J cut
Technically these are two cuts, but they are both very similar to one another. In the L cut, you will cut from one clip to another clip but still play the audio from the first clip for a few seconds, whereas in the J cut you’ll play the audio from the second clip a few seconds before cutting to it.
One of the ways in which both the L cut and J cut are used most frequently is when editing conversations so you can cut to other people in the conversation to show reactions without interrupting the flow of the conversation itself.
- Cutaways
Basically, a cutaway is a type of cut that takes viewers away from a continuous scene to insert footage from another scene. It is often used to provide context or establish the environment in which the subject is in.
Another common use of cutaways is to avoid a direct jump cut. Simply put, cutting away to a different scene will be less jarring than using a jump cut, and you can then cut back to the original scene at a later point in time.
Be sure to try out each of these types of cuts to see the effect that they have, and if you need to you should be able to easily find detailed instructions on how to cut a video.
As you try each cut be sure to put yourself in the viewers’ shoes and observe the pacing of the video as well as how smooth it is.