Successful video editing is a confluence of creative vision, technical skills, and practical problem solving, so it’s no wonder that it takes a lot of dedication and practice to become skilled at it. To help you jumpstart that process, here are five skills you need to have to be a successful video editor.

Coming to you from Justin Odisho, this helpful video details some skills and mindsets to have ready when you’re sitting down to edit your video work. Personally, I think the second one mentioned is particularly important: being a good sculptor and knowing what to take away. Most of us can learn the technical ins and out of Premiere and the like, but having a refined sense of what isn’t necessary is a really nuanced skill that can have a lot of impact: a concise, tight narrative is far and away preferable to bloat or simply unnecessary content and will create a greater impact by clarifying your message through the removal of distracting elements. Nonetheless, all five skills Odisho details are important to have, and the video is well worth the watch. 

Do you have any additional skills you think are crucial? Share them in the comments!