Creative Skills Video Production

Understanding Video Editing Basics

A practical foundation in cutting, sequencing, audio, color, and export workflows with Professor Mark Davis

Quick Course Facts

Self-paced, Online, Lessons

Videos and/or Narrated Presentations

5.1

Approximate Hours of Course Media

About the Understanding Video Editing Basics Course

Understanding Video Editing Basics is a beginner-friendly course designed to help you build Creative Skills through a clear, hands-on introduction to the editing process. With Professor Mark Davis, you’ll gain confidence using editing tools while learning a practical foundation in cutting, sequencing, audio, color, and export workflows with Professor Mark Davis.

Build Your Editing Foundation With Confidence

Learn how editors shape story, pacing, and viewer attention from the very start
Get comfortable with software layouts, timelines, and project setup for a smoother workflow
Practice organizing media, selecting strong footage, and building a solid rough cut
Develop essential finishing skills in audio, titles, color correction, and exporting for web and portfolio use

Understanding Video Editing Basics gives you the core skills needed to edit clean, effective videos from start to finish.

This course walks you through Understanding Video Editing Basics in a structured, easy-to-follow way so you can learn how editing decisions affect story and viewer experience. You will start by understanding the editor’s role and the mindset behind good edits, then move into interface layout, workspace setup, and media organization so your projects stay efficient and manageable.

As you progress, you will learn how to work confidently with the timeline, choose the best clips, and assemble a rough cut that communicates clearly. You will also explore trimming for better pacing, using transitions with purpose, and adding B-roll to strengthen clarity and flow. These lessons help you develop Creative Skills that make your edits feel more polished and intentional.

The course also covers essential finishing techniques, including basic audio editing, titles and on-screen text, simple color correction, speed changes, and foundational effects. You will learn how to review and revise your work with consistency in mind, then export your edit in the right format for web or portfolio use. By the end, you will have a practical workflow you can repeat on future projects and the confidence to turn raw footage into a clear, professional video.

Course Lessons

Full lesson breakdown

Lessons are organized by topic area and each includes descriptive copy for search visibility and student clarity.

The editor’s role and the editing mindset

1 lesson

Lesson 1: What Video Editing Does

18 min Preview

Video editing is the process of shaping raw footage into a clear, purposeful story. In this lesson, Professor Mark Davis explains the editor’s role, the mindset behind good editing, and how editing ch…

Interface layout, tools, and project setup

1 lesson

Lesson 2: Editing Software and Workspace Basics

20 min

This lesson introduces the editing software environment so learners can start working efficiently and confidently. It focuses on the role of the timeline, viewer, media panels, toolbars, bins, and pro…

Folders, bins, naming, and file management

1 lesson

Lesson 3: Importing and Organizing Media

18 min

This lesson teaches the practical workflow for bringing footage into an editing project and keeping it organized from the start. Students learn how to create a clean folder structure, import media saf…

Tracks, clips, playhead, and playback controls

1 lesson

Lesson 4: Understanding the Timeline

19 min

This lesson introduces the video editing timeline as the central workspace for organizing and shaping a project. You will learn what tracks, clips, the playhead, and playback controls do, and how they…

Evaluating clips for story, quality, and usability

1 lesson

Lesson 5: Selecting Strong Footage

18 min

This lesson teaches how to choose footage that actually helps the edit. Professor Mark Davis shows how to evaluate clips for story value, technical quality, and practical usability before placing them…

Assembling clips in a basic sequence

1 lesson

Lesson 6: Making Your First Rough Cut

22 min

In this lesson, you will build your first rough cut by placing clips into a simple sequence and making early decisions about what stays, what goes, and what order tells the story best. Professor Mark …

Ripple trims, roll edits, and tightening timing

1 lesson

Lesson 7: Trimming for Better Pacing

20 min

This lesson focuses on the core trimming moves that make an edit feel deliberate and easy to watch. You will learn how ripple trims change sequence length, how roll edits shift the cut point without c…

Cuts, fades, and when to keep edits simple

1 lesson

Lesson 8: Working with Transitions

17 min

This lesson explains how to use transitions in a way that supports the story rather than distracting from it. You will learn when a clean cut is the best choice, when fades help signal a passage of ti…

Supporting visuals that improve clarity and flow

1 lesson

Lesson 9: Using B-Roll Effectively

19 min

This lesson shows how to use B-roll to make edits clearer, more engaging, and easier to follow. You will learn when B-roll helps, what kinds of supporting visuals work best, and how to place them so t…

Levels, cleanup, and balancing dialogue and music

1 lesson

Lesson 10: Basic Audio Editing

21 min

In this lesson, Professor Mark Davis introduces the core audio editing tasks that make dialogue clear and music supportive. You will learn how to check levels, reduce common problems like noise and cl…

Readable text that supports the message

1 lesson

Lesson 11: Adding Titles and On-Screen Text

18 min

This lesson shows how to add titles and on-screen text that improve clarity without distracting from the edit. You will learn where text works best, how to choose readable fonts and safe placement, an…

Exposure, white balance, and consistent image quality

1 lesson

Lesson 12: Simple Color Correction

20 min

This lesson introduces simple color correction as a practical finishing step for editors who want cleaner, more consistent images. You will learn how to spot common problems in exposure and white bala…

Slow motion, speed changes, and emphasis

1 lesson

Lesson 13: Working with Speed and Timing

18 min

This lesson explains how speed changes shape meaning in an edit. You will learn when to use slow motion, when to speed up action, and how timing can create emphasis, clarity, or energy. We will focus …

Essential tools without overcomplicating the edit

1 lesson

Lesson 14: Basic Effects and Adjustments

19 min

This lesson introduces the core effects and adjustments that make edits cleaner, clearer, and more polished without creating unnecessary complexity. Professor Mark Davis focuses on when to use basic t…

Feedback, consistency checks, and final refinements

1 lesson

Lesson 15: Reviewing and Revising Your Edit

20 min

In this lesson, you will learn how to review an edit with a clear eye , catch common continuity and pacing problems, and make revisions that improve clarity without overworking the timeline. You’ll se…

Formats, settings, and delivery choices

1 lesson

Lesson 16: Exporting for Web and Portfolio Use

21 min

This lesson shows how to export a finished edit for web viewing and portfolio delivery without losing quality or creating oversized files. Professor Mark Davis explains how to choose the right format,…

About Your Instructor

Professor Mark Davis

Professor Mark Davis guides this AI-built Virversity course with a clear, practical teaching style.