Video editing is one of those skills that atrophies dramatically if you don’t use it. I edited video regularly for several years, stepped away, and came back to find that I had retained almost nothing — worse, the software had changed substantially in my absence.
This project is about rebuilding that skill set deliberately, not just fumbling back into old habits.
The situation
My last serious video editing was in 2019. Final Cut Pro X in 2019 is not Final Cut Pro in 2024 — the application has changed, my hardware has changed, and honestly, my eye has changed. Things I thought looked good in 2019 look flat and uninspired to me now.
The goal was never to become a professional editor. The goal was to be able to take the footage I capture on my various camera-adjacent devices and cut it into something I’m proud to show someone.
What I’ve been learning
Color grading: This is where I’ve spent most of my time. Specifically, understanding the log-to-Rec709 pipeline, what LUTs actually do versus what people say they do, and how to build a look from scratch rather than applying someone else’s preset and calling it done.
Multicam editing: I have a GoPro, a mirrorless camera, and sometimes a phone. Getting three angles in sync and cutting between them fluidly is a workflow problem I’m still solving.
Audio: Video is 50% audio. I keep forgetting this and having to relearn it.
Why it’s paused
Paused is perhaps the wrong word. The project is ongoing in the sense that I keep editing things. What’s paused is the structured learning — for now, I’m just making things and seeing what I notice.