Social Media Video Editing Course

Lesson 1 • File Management and Asset Organization

Establishes folder structures, naming conventions, and backup habits before any editing begins. Prevents asset loss and speeds up every future project.

Lesson 2 • Platform Landscape and Video Formats

Covers major platforms and their native video specs. Establishes the baseline knowledge needed to make format decisions throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Video Project Planning Essentials

Introduces pre-production planning tools including briefs, shot lists, and content calendars. Connects planning discipline to faster, cleaner editing workflows.

Lesson 1 • Importing and Organizing Media

Teaches media import methods, bin organization, and metadata tagging inside the editor. Organized media bins directly accelerate the cutting process.

Lesson 2 • Choosing and Installing Editing Software

Compares leading editing applications by feature set, cost, and platform compatibility. Guides students to an informed software choice before setup begins.

Lesson 3 • Playback, Monitoring, and Preview Settings

Configures playback quality, external monitor output, and preview rendering. Accurate monitoring ensures editing decisions translate correctly to final export.

Lesson 4 • Timeline Fundamentals and Tool Shortcuts

Introduces the timeline interface, track types, and essential keyboard shortcuts. Fluency with these tools is required for every editing technique in the course.

Lesson 1 • B-Roll Integration and Coverage

Covers selecting, timing, and layering B-roll to support the primary narrative. Effective B-roll use is a defining skill for social media video editors.

Lesson 2 • Selects and Rough Assembly

Covers logging footage, marking selects, and building a first assembly cut. This structured approach prevents wasted time on unusable material.

Lesson 3 • Pacing and Rhythm in Short-Form Video

Explores how cut frequency, clip duration, and music tempo create perceived pace. Applies directly to social media formats where pacing drives retention.

Lesson 4 • Continuity and Jump Cut Decisions

Distinguishes intentional jump cuts from continuity errors and teaches correction methods. Understanding this distinction is essential before adding transitions.

Lesson 1 • Music Licensing and Track Selection

Explains royalty-free, licensed, and platform-native music options and their usage rights. Choosing compliant music prevents content removal and monetization loss.

Lesson 2 • Dialogue Cleanup and Noise Reduction

Covers noise reduction tools, EQ for voice clarity, and removing unwanted sounds. Clean dialogue is the single most important audio element in social video.

Lesson 3 • Audio Fundamentals for Video Editors

Introduces decibel levels, waveform reading, and audio track types. Foundational audio literacy prevents common mixing errors in all subsequent work.

Lesson 4 • Mixing Dialogue, Music, and Sound Effects

Teaches volume automation, ducking, and layering to create a balanced final mix. A well-mixed track is critical for viewer retention on mobile devices.

Lesson 1 • Secondary Corrections and Masking

Teaches HSL qualifiers, power windows, and tracking masks for targeted adjustments. Secondary tools allow precise control without affecting the entire image.

Lesson 2 • Color Consistency Across Platform Deliverables

Addresses how different platforms render color and how to compensate during export. Ensures the graded look survives compression and display on mobile screens.

Lesson 3 • Primary Color Correction Workflow

Covers lift, gamma, gain, and offset controls to fix exposure and neutralize color casts. Primary correction must be completed before any creative grading begins.

Lesson 4 • Creative Grading and LUT Application

Applies creative looks using LUTs, curves, and color wheels to establish a visual identity. Consistent grading is a key differentiator for branded social content.

Lesson 1 • Typography Principles for Video

Covers font selection, hierarchy, and legibility rules specific to video and mobile screens. Strong typography is the foundation of all motion graphic work.

Lesson 2 • Transitions Using Motion Graphics

Designs graphic-driven transitions including wipes, reveals, and shape animations. Motion graphic transitions elevate production value beyond standard cuts and dissolves.

Lesson 3 • Lower Thirds and Title Cards

Builds lower thirds, name tags, and title cards using templates and custom designs. These elements appear in nearly every professional social video production.

Lesson 4 • Animated Overlays and Brand Elements

Creates logo animations, icon overlays, and branded frames that reinforce visual identity. Consistent brand elements build recognition across a content series.

Lesson 1 • Stories and Ephemeral Content Editing

Addresses the fast, lo-fi aesthetic of story-format content and its editing conventions. Story content requires speed and authenticity over polish.

Lesson 2 • Horizontal Long-Form and Mid-Form Content

Covers editing for longer horizontal formats where pacing, chapters, and retention curves differ. Long-form editing skills complement short-form work for full-service creators.

Lesson 3 • Repurposing Content Across Platforms

Teaches systematic workflows for adapting one master edit into multiple platform versions. Efficient repurposing multiplies content output without multiplying production time.

Lesson 4 • Short-Form Vertical Video Editing

Focuses on editing for vertical formats with strict time limits and hook-first structure. Vertical video dominates mobile consumption and requires a distinct editing mindset.

Lesson 1 • Quality Control Checklist and Review Process

Establishes a pre-delivery QC checklist covering audio, video, captions, and metadata. A systematic QC process eliminates errors before content goes public.

Lesson 2 • Archiving and Project Handoff

Covers project consolidation, media archiving, and handoff documentation for client delivery. Proper archiving protects assets and enables future revisions without rework.

Lesson 3 • Platform Upload Specifications

Maps export settings to the technical requirements of each major social platform. Matching specs to platform requirements ensures maximum quality after compression.

Lesson 4 • Export Settings and Codec Selection

Covers codec options, bitrate settings, and container formats for social media delivery. Correct export settings prevent quality loss and upload rejection.