Developing new skills: Editing my videos- Learning how to synchronising the images to the music

This week I have been trying to learn some new skills that might help me with videos and posts in the future. Learning how to edit videos to the change in beat or timing in music can be a game-changer in terms of making your videos more engaging and entertaining for your audience. I have images in my head of what videos I will be able to make once we relocate to Barbados, we just need to get there first. By synchronising the visuals in your video with the beat and tempo of the music, you can create a more dynamic and impactful video.

The first step for me was to decide what I wanted to make the video of. Since the most popular video on my YouTube at the moment is the tour of the Riu Touareg Hotel in Cape Verde, where we stayed in December 2022, I thought I would make a "Short," which is a new video format for YouTube. The original video is nearly an hour long, so I thought I should choose the most important areas to showcase in a short. This could be the opening shot, a particularly dramatic moment, or a dance sequence depending on what your subject matter is. I grouped these moments as reference points, putting the restaurants or the pools together and started placing the visuals on the timeline accordingly.

The next step for me was to find some music to use. There are lots of websites that have music you can pay for, but there is also lots of royalty-free music available out there at the moment. Who knows I might upgrade my music choices if the channel really takes off, but I have found lots of royalty-free choices on the sites I have looked at.

Here is the site I have used the most so far-

https://www.videvo.net/search/inspirational/clip_type/royalty-free-music/

Selecting a song with a consistent beat and tempo makes the process easier and produces a more cohesive final product. Once you've chosen your song, just import it into your editing software and place it on the timeline.

Then it is time for the fun part. You need to trim the footage to align with the music. You can also use transition effects, such as cuts, fades, and dissolves to enhance the synchronisation between the music and video. These effects can accentuate the music's beat and add a professional touch to your video. Since my clips had some panning and movement, these acted as transitions without needing to add any.

I finally, took some time to fine-tune my edits and make sure everything was synchronised correctly. I experimented with moving clips, adjusting for longer and shorter timeframes and made adjustments until I was happy with the effect.

I'm happy with how this has turned out, but it is just my first try. 😁 Let me know what you think and which country you are in.