GUYS I DID IT!! I officially opened up Premiere Pro and gave video editing a shot.

Sam has a million things on his plate, and I decided it was finally time for me to step up, put on my big girl pants, (start to) learn how to use Premiere Pro, and get after some video editing.

This will make it possible for us to turn out more content, more quickly. Whether it is a DIY video, Weekly Wrap-Up, shop project, Sam Macy Design creation or collection, Life Outside the Shop vlog, or whatever comes down the pipeline next, I want to help.

I knew I’d like it… but I had NO idea I’d love editing this much. This is the first time in a LONG time I’ve gotten lost in something. Think: sit down and realize that 3+ hours and a whole meal have gone by without notice.

(If you know anything about me, the fact that something can make me forget a meal or snack is a BIG DEAL.)

TBH, I’m actually pretty proud of how my very first video came out;) I know that there are SO many things Premiere Pro can do that I haven’t even TOUCHED yet. But, that just makes me more excited to start Video #2 (coming soon…ish!).

Want to watch along? Here ya go:)

There are some pretty big things about Premiere Pro (and editing in general) that I learned along the way…

1. When Sam told me it takes about one hour to edit one minute of video, he wasn’t lyin’.
   This video is just over 12 minutes. Because of the learning curve that comes with anything new, it took me at LEAST twelve hours to get this baby chopped up and put back together.
   
   I also lost a few hours of work with a simple “I hit no instead of yes when it asked me if I wanted to ‘save'” kinda deal.
   
   
2. Start with what you know
   When I first decided I wanted to take a stab at editing, Sam gave me some footage from a trip we took to visit his grandparents to play around with.
   
   As great as that was, there wasn’t a solid storyline or much going on so I actually found it a lot harder to edit.
   
   That’s why I wanted my first video to be a weekend when I had control of the camera and was just kinda, you know, just living my life. That way, I’d have an idea of what footage I had, what I envisioned for the final project, and could make that come to life.
   
   I’ll definitely have to get better at editing video that I didn’t take (read: helping Sam with some stuff here and there) but I definitely want my niche here to be with the vlogs and DIY projects I help with. Sam can do his fun shop stuff;) That just means more varied content for you!
   
   
3. EDITING video makes you better at TAKING video
   FOR REAL THOUGH. Gosh, I have so many ticks and I cut more um’s, likes, and awkward pauses that I’d like to admit. These are definitely things that you don’t notice as readily when you’re taking. Seeing and hearing how often these things were happening has already helped me bring more awareness. Instead of saying um or like (at least, sometimes), I’ve begun just taking a big breath.
   
   I’ve also learned that it is SUPER important that I speak slowly (or, slower – no promises on ever speaking slowly) and don’t interrupt Sam. I’m sure he’ll love that. This makes it MUCH easier to splice together conversations and storylines without funky audio.
   
   Watching footage helps me notice shots that work well and where I was missing some key points in the storyline. Now, I’m on the lookout for these shots when the camera is in my hand and running.

This has been an amazing opportunity to be a beginner at something again and I am so grateful for it.

As I get older, I hang out at square one less and less frequently. Especially if I don’t consciously put myself in situations that challenge me or introduce new skills. I bet you find the same.

Because I do have things that I work hard to be good and efficient at, I can tell when that is not the case. Instead of finding this frustrating, I actually find it so exciting.

If this is what my first video looks like, what will a video two years look like? What about five years? How many AWESOME things are out there for me to learn and use with Premiere Pro?

I’m just fired up about this. I can’t wait to start going through footage of our puppy pallet project to create a DIY video for ya.

Oh – and if you want to know what the “burning down the house” sitch was, you’ll have to watch the video.

Spoiler alert: our house is still standing;)