Lightworks — Official Quickstart Guide 2023 — Learn Lightworks in 15 Minutes!
TLDRChris Wells from Lightworks delivers a concise guide to mastering the software in just 15 minutes. He demonstrates project creation, footage importation, and editing techniques, including setting in and out points, using keyboard shortcuts, and trimming clips. The tutorial also covers audio editing, color grading, and adding transitions and titles. Finally, he explains how to export the finished video, ensuring viewers can create professional-looking videos with ease.
Takeaways
- 😀 Lightworks is a powerful video editing software with a user-friendly interface.
- 🔍 The project management screen is the starting point for organizing and creating new projects.
- 📂 Importing footage can be done through various methods, including using integrations with stock footage and cloud storage.
- 🎬 The Edit workspace is the primary area for arranging and trimming video clips on the timeline.
- ⏸ In and out points are essential for selecting the desired segments of video clips for editing.
- 🔄 Multiple methods exist for placing clips on the timeline, including double-clicking, using replace and insert buttons, and drag-and-drop.
- 📉 Trimming clips on the timeline can be done by dragging the clip's edges or using the cut button for more precision.
- 🎛 Audio editing is crucial for professional video production, with Lightworks offering tools to adjust levels and add fades.
- 🎨 Color grading is facilitated by the software, allowing for adjustments to shadows, midtones, highlights, and overall color saturation.
- 🎵 Adding music and sound effects involves timing them correctly with the video and adjusting their volume to complement each other.
- 🎥 Transitions and titles can enhance the video's flow and provide a polished finish, with Lightworks offering a variety of effects to choose from.
- 📤 Exporting the final video can be done in various formats, including direct export to YouTube or as a video file for further editing.
Q & A
Who is the presenter of the Lightworks Quickstart Guide?
-Chris Wells, a video editor at Lightworks, is the presenter of the guide.
What is the first step when you open Lightworks?
-The first step is to use the project management screen to view old projects or create a new project.
How do you import footage into a Lightworks project?
-You import footage by selecting the 'Import Clips' button, navigating to the appropriate folder, and either importing the whole folder or selecting specific files.
What are in and out points used for in Lightworks?
-In and out points are used to specify the start and end points of a clip before placing it onto the timeline.
How can you undo an action in Lightworks?
-You can undo an action by pressing the undo button or using the keyboard shortcut Command or Control + Z.
How do you add a fade effect to audio in Lightworks?
-To add a fade effect to audio, you click and hold on the corner segment of the audio clip and drag it along for the desired fade duration.
What is the purpose of the 'Effects' tab in Lightworks?
-The 'Effects' tab is used to apply various effects to video clips, such as color correction.
How can you apply color correction to multiple clips simultaneously?
-You can apply color correction to multiple clips by adding the effect, unfolding the clip, and trimming or expanding the effect to cover the desired clips.
What is the final step before exporting a video in Lightworks?
-The final step is to ensure all desired effects and transitions are applied, then use the export tab to select the export settings and start the export process.
How can you access additional transitions for Lightworks?
-Additional transitions can be accessed by downloading them from the Lightworks account portal, which offers extra transitions for all plans, including the free plan.
Outlines
📽️ Introduction to Video Editing Software
Chris Wells, a video editor at Light Works, introduces the video editing software and its capabilities. He demonstrates the process of creating a new project, importing footage, and navigating the workspace. Chris explains how to use the import clips feature, integrate with stock footage and music providers, and manage local files. He also shows different methods of placing footage onto the timeline, including setting in and out points, using replace and insert functions, and keyboard shortcuts for efficient editing.
🎥 Editing Techniques and Audio Integration
This paragraph delves into the editing process, focusing on video editing first before moving on to audio. Chris discusses the importance of good audio, which he considers to be a crucial part of a professional video. He guides through creating a new audio channel for overlapping clips and demonstrates how to place audio clips on the timeline, aligning them with the video using waveforms. Chris also explains how to use fades to smooth transitions between audio clips and how to adjust music timing to synchronize with video cuts.
🎨 Color Grading and Effects Application
Chris introduces color grading as a key step to enhance the visual appeal of the footage. He explains how to apply color correction effects to adjust shadows, midtones, highlights, saturation, gamma, relative contrast, brightness, and gain. Chris also shows how to apply these effects to multiple clips simultaneously and emphasizes the reversibility of all effects without altering the original clip. Additionally, he touches on the use of transitions to create smooth cuts between clips and the customization of titles for the video.
🔖 Final Touches and Exporting the Video
The final paragraph covers the addition of transitions and titles to polish the video. Chris describes how to use the transitions tab to select and apply effects between clips, such as a dissolve. He also guides on how to add a title at the end of the video and customize its appearance. Lastly, Chris explains the exporting process, detailing the steps to export the video file in various formats, including MP4 H264, and discusses the options available for different subscription levels, concluding with a prompt for feedback and further engagement on the Light Works forum.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lightworks
💡Project Management
💡Workspace
💡Import Clips
💡Timeline
💡Inpoint and Outpoint
💡Color Grading
💡Audio Channel
💡Waveform
💡Transitions
💡Export
Highlights
Introduction to Lightworks by Chris Wells.
Creating a new project and navigating the project management screen.
Importing clips from local files and integrating with stock footage and cloud storage options.
Switching views between tile and list layouts for clip organization.
Setting inpoints and outpoints for clips and different methods to place clips on the timeline.
Using keyboard shortcuts for efficient editing.
Trimming clips directly on the timeline and using the bracket tool.
Splitting clips and deleting unwanted sections.
Creating a basic assembly edit of the video.
Adding and editing audio clips on the timeline, aligning audio with video.
Creating new audio channels and adjusting audio levels.
Applying fades to audio clips for smoother transitions.
Adding music to the timeline and timing it with video cuts.
Basic color correction and grading using the effects tab.
Applying color correction to multiple clips simultaneously.
Adding transitions and special effects to enhance the video.
Creating titles and text effects using the titles effect.
Exporting the final video in various formats including MP4 h264.
Direct export to YouTube with chapter markers and settings.
Using the Lightworks online forum for additional support and community engagement.