The Best Way To Learn How To Edit

Norman Zizoff

Oct 27 (edited) in Editing Discussion 💻

How do you master video editing?

I’m breaking it down for you in this post. Keep reading.

Learning to edit isn’t about watching hours of tutorials.

It’s about getting hands-on, testing your limits, and building your skills.

And one of the best ways to build your skill set is by replicating the style of editors/creators you admire.

Let’s dive into how to do it, step by step:

🚨 Forget theory for a second, get to the action 🚨

Step 1: Choose a Creator

Find a creator with an editing style you love. Choose someone whose style you want to be able to replicate. For example, Iman Gadzhi, MagnatesMedia, Alex Hormozi, Ali Abdaal, etc. (This is the only time I'll ever recommend copying styles is a good thing, b/c it is helpful to learn the technical skills behind these styles).

Step 2: Analyze & Copy Their Script

If it's a short-form video, take their script, and write down every single word of the video. For longer content, take a 1-minute clip where their style is strongest. Write down exactly what they say.

Step 3: Film Yourself

Yep, record yourself doing and saying exactly what they did. This gives you the footage you need to start replicating their edits.

Step 4: Attempt to Edit

Before running to tutorials, try recreating the style yourself with the current knowledge you have. Focus on the timing of cuts, effects, animations, sound design—every single detail. As best as possible, try to recreate that clip you took exactly how it is in the actual video. This is where the real learning happens. You’ll notice what comes easy and what trips you up.

Step 5: Review & Refine with Tutorials

Now that you have tried your best, dive into tutorials. Look up the creator's style, how to create effects, animations, and anything that you want to learn how to do better. Now you'll know exactly what you need to refine.

Step 6: Redo It Better

With this new knowledge, start from scratch. Take what you learned from the tutorials, and create a cleaner, sharper, and hopefully more accurate version to the actual video.

This learning cycle—Try, Fail, Learn, Improve—is the best way to master any editing skill.

✅ Rinse & Repeat ✅

Want to become great at editing?

Follow this method for any style or effect you’re aiming for, and repeat the cycle. You’ll start to see your skills evolve faster than you ever thought.

And if you’re new to your editing software?

Learn the basics of the program first. That’s your foundation.

This isn’t just the best way to learn editing—it’s the fastest way to build your unique style too because you should now have the technical knowledge to be able to produce anything you want!

Let me know what you think of this learning process below!

Love y'all!

Norman

6 comments