What Does a YouTube Video Editor Actually Do?
Updated: 8 minutes ago
What Does a YouTube Video Editor Do During the Editing Process?
A lot of people think YouTube video editors mostly cut out the boring parts, add some music, and export the file. There's obviously more to it than that.
The more I've gotten into video editing, the more I've realized how much of the process happens before the final timeline starts to take shape. You're not just cutting footage down. You're figuring out what the story is, what deserves attention, what needs to move faster, and what can be left behind.
Here's what I've learned so far from actually working through that process.
A good edit isn't just about removing footage. It's about figuring out what the video actually wants to be
It's Not Just Cutting Footage
Scope
Before getting deep into chopping up footage like a prep chef for Gordon Ramsay, it's important to know what you're getting into. Obviously, watching hours of unedited footage to get a scope of what you're dealing with is an option, but simply getting a rough storyline from the creator can instantly save hours of work and give the editor an idea of what to look for.
First Pass
Now that you have an idea of what to look for, we scrub the footage... FAST. This is only the first pass. We need to make the footage manageable. This is where we keep anything that even has the potential to make the story as we discover the direction.
This is the bulk of my editing process, and it usually takes the longest. This is where 15+ hours can turn into 5–6 hours.
Second Pass
This is where we build the story. Now that you've seen the footage, we can find the big sections that lead to nothing, which takes are worth keeping, and which moments are pivotal.
This is where the 5–6 hours turns into an hour.
Not everything needs to move at the same speed
Pacing Matters
Dead Space
We have a solid chunk of useful footage now. This is when we take the edges off.
Is the pace of the speaker a bit too slow? Cut the breaks out to keep the flow of speech cohesive and concise. Did a sequence take too long to get to the point? Trim the less important portions in the middle.
Take off the beginnings and ends of your clips to get right to the point. There's no need for a second pause before every clip.
Breathe
On the contrary, it's also important to recognize when things require that space. That's when it's good to start paying attention to the overall pacing of the video.
If there's a portion that is very intense, use tighter cuts to keep the pacing and immersion. Once you reach the aftermath of that moment, slow things down. Keep more of that space to showcase the resolution.
Not everything needs to move at the same speed.
Viewer Retention
Retention is one of the biggest considerations when editing for YouTube. YouTube is still social media, after all. It's very easy for a viewer to simply click off the video if it doesn't feel worth watching or is taking too long to get into.
Getting the pacing right, especially when it's matched to the style of the video, is a big part of what separates a good edit from a bad one.
A strong edit can sometimes cut another 10–15 minutes of unnecessary footage without losing what actually makes the video worth watching.
The Edit Shapes the Story
Rearranging Moments
At this point, you should have a solid story built up. But does everything make sense without the context of the other 15 hours of footage?
Watching the footage all the way through now, you may realize there are still a couple of parts that simply don't fit, despite being solid clips.
Depending on the video, maybe you can use those moments somewhere else to help build something up or resolve something later. If not, scrap it.
There's no need to force a good part into a story that doesn't require it.
Building the Hook
Identify exactly where the main parts are and mark them as you go through the footage. Then take the funniest parts, the most intense parts, the most informative parts—the real bread and butter of the video—and bring them directly to the front of the edit.
It's very common to tease the viewer with the best part of the video so they have a reason to keep watching. This is one of the most important parts of building retention.
Zooms and Pans
Adding movement and dynamics through zooms and pans can vastly reshape the story.
During slower parts, this can keep things fresh and remove some of the feeling of static shots. It's also useful for directing attention toward things the viewer might otherwise miss.
Or, stylistically, you can intentionally use movement to make something feel awkward or goofy when it's done right.
Audio Is a Huge Part of the Job
Music
Audio is the secret piece of the puzzle that can bring everything together. Think of it like the rug that ties the room together.
You can easily define sections through the soundtrack placed underneath them. Whether it's just for the intro and ending, used to build suspense, or playing underneath the main portion of the video, music can play a huge role in defining moments within the story without changing anything visually.
SFX
Sound effects, especially in gaming videos, short-form content, and daily-life videos, are often used to emphasize specific moments.
It can be a low bass hit to show something is detrimental, a pop to emphasize a wow factor, or a meme sound to highlight a funny moment.
These can bring out parts of the video that the visuals alone don't fully express. From what I've seen while getting deeper into YouTube editing, SFX have become a pretty prominent part of the style of a lot of content.
Dialogue Cleanup
Especially important in videos that rely heavily on voices, like tutorials, podcasts, and gaming videos, dialogue needs to stay prominent so background noise doesn't distract the viewer.
There's a whole art to this, utilizing EQ, compression, limiters, and noise gates. You can also treat dialogue creatively with things like reverb and delay when the style calls for it.
Sometimes the best edit is the thing you decided not to add
Visuals Support the Story
Subtitles
Adding captions to videos is a great way to not only help viewers understand what is being said, but also distinguish between different speakers, especially when they sound similar.
They can also work wonders for short-form content. A good amount of people watch videos completely muted, so captions can turn a fairly stationary visual into something the viewer can actively follow.
Graphics
Anything from a reference to what is being said, flashed on screen, to a meme image used to keep viewer attention, graphics work very similarly to SFX and are often used in conjunction with them.
They can keep the story flowing without adding unnecessary breaks to the main narrative.
Knowing When Not to Add Something
This is a very important skill to develop.
As things become easier to add through presets and reusable effects, things can get overboard very quickly. Just because you can add an effect doesn't mean you should.
This is where it's important to understand the type of content being made and the audience it's being made for.
Sometimes the best edit is the thing you decided not to add.
So get that clarified before spending an hour doing way too much.
What I Learned From Editing 15+ Hours Into 30 Minutes
After personally turning 15+ hours of raw gaming footage with two POVs into a 30-minute video, I've learned that simply cutting up footage is only the first part of making a YouTube video.
There are tons of potential directions a story can be taken, and a lot of different tools that need to be utilized to keep retention high and the story flowing.
Doing things wrong can easily turn a very well-done recording and story into a bland video, regardless of how good the original content was.
The editing process isn't just about removing footage. It's about figuring out what the video actually wants to be and then shaping everything around that.
15+ hours raw footage → 30-minute finished video
2 POVs · 100K+ YouTube views
When Should You Hire an Editor?
You Don't Have Time
This is probably the most obvious reason to hire an editor.
Having tons of footage or tons of ideas is great, but delegating part of the production process can be invaluable. It gives you more time to focus on creating content and less downtime spent trying to turn that content into a finished video.
Skill Issue
This is the second most obvious reason.
Learning to do all of these things well is difficult and requires countless hours to get good at. Especially when you need to focus on marketing the last video, creating a new one, or keeping up with deadlines, learning to completely edit your own videos can quickly become another full-time job.
You can learn it. The question is whether you actually want to spend all that time doing it.
Fresh Eyes
This might be the most underrated reason.
You created the content. You know what you wanted it to be. You have the vision for it.
But you've also probably watched the same footage more times than you ever wanted to.
Having someone else look at that footage can bring a different perspective. They may see an opportunity you missed, find a better way to pace a section, or approach the story in a way you hadn't considered.
Sometimes two heads really are better than one.
What I Can Help With
You may be looking at all of this and thinking, "Wow... there's a lot more involved in this than I thought."
And that's exactly where an editor can help.
You don't necessarily need to hand over complete creative control. Give me the goal, the parameters, and the footage, and I can help take it from a pile of raw material to something that's actually ready to publish.
If delegating your video editing seems like the right fit for you, let's talk.
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