Have you noticed that there is often a stark difference between the videos recorded and created by amateurs and those produced by professionals? It might be difficult to put a finger on it, but essentially videos produced by professionals tend to appear more polished.
The good news is that you can start to make your videos look more professional as well in post-production, and all you need is to know how:
Color Correct The Video Footage
Before you cut together your video, you should color correct the video footage that you're going to use - especially if it was shot with different cameras or in different locations. By improving the white balance, your video will look more consistent when it is cut together, and appear much more professional.
While most editors have automated tools for color correction and white balance, some manual adjustments may be required. In fact if you want to take it a step further you can color grade the entire video to give it a consistent look and vibe as well.
Make Sure The Audio Sounds Crisp And Clear
Beginners often overlook the audio quality of the videos they're producing - and that is a mistake that you will want to avoid. Audio that sounds crisp and clear will make your video seem much more professional.
Ideally, it's best if you take steps to record better quality audio. That being said if you're already in post-production you can take steps to improve it by minimizing the background noise and adjusting the audio levels.
As a last resort if the audio is beyond redemption you could even consider getting rid of it, and adding a voiceover that you record separately or replacing it with background music instead.
Edit The Video For Smoother Scene Transitions
If your video is jarring every time it transitions between scenes, it is going to look much less professional and off-putting to viewers. That is why you should carefully consider every transition, and take steps to make it as smooth as possible.
While there are many different types of cuts that you could use, using a match cut or cut on action is a good place to start. At the same time you should avoid jump cuts, that tend to be extremely jarring and should only ever be used in specific cases.
Another thing to keep in mind during post-production is that your edits should be simple. Don't overuse effects, and always think about why you want to apply them to your video. For example, if you want you could use a software like the Movavi Video Editor Plus to apply video blur and convey a sense of speed - but not just for the sake of blurring the video.
If you use everything described above, your videos should start to look much more professional. It may take time for you to really master some of the methods, but by starting to use them you should see an immediate improvement.
