Beginner Task 1: Edit Your First Publishable 30s Video (Detailed Edition)

This is a task-first lesson. You are not trying to learn everything in one day.
You are trying to produce one complete short video that is good enough to publish.

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What you will finish today

By the end of this task, you will export a 25-35s vertical video (9:16) with:

• a clear hook in the first 2 seconds
• 8-12 usable shots
• one controlled speed-ramp moment
• basic color correction (not heavy grading)
• clean audio balance
• readable subtitle style

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Before you edit: project and asset prep

Required assets

• 10-15 raw clips (phone or camera, mixed wide/medium/close)
• 1 music track (royalty-free)
• optional 2-3 short ambient/SFX clips (whoosh/click/room tone)

Project structure (do this once, save later time)

Create folders:

• 01_footage
• 02_audio
• 03_graphics
• 04_exports
• 05_project_backup

Sequence preset (Premiere + Resolve)

• Resolution: 1080 x 1920
• Frame rate: 30fps
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Audio sample rate: 48kHz
• Safe subtitle zone: keep text above bottom 12% of frame

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Timeline blueprint (what goes where)

Use this track layout:

• V2: B-roll/cutaway/overlay shots
• V1: main narrative shots
• A3: SFX
• A2: music
• A1: voice / original dialog

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Step-by-step execution

Step 1 - Build a 5-line story map (3-5 minutes)

Before touching the timeline, write:

1. Opening hook sentence
2. Problem/context
3. Action/demo moment
4. Result/payoff
5. CTA/ending line

If you cannot write 5 lines, your cut will drift.

Step 2 - Ingest and mark selects (8-10 minutes)

• Scrub all clips once.
• Mark in/out for usable fragments.
• Rename favorites: A01_hook, A02_detail, B01_result...
• Reject unusable clips (shake, blur, wrong exposure).

Target: collect 12-18 selectable fragments.

Step 3 - Rough cut first, polish later (10-12 minutes)

• Place your story in order on V1.
• Keep each shot around 1.5s-3.0s.
• Total duration after rough cut: 32s-40s (you will trim later).
• Remove all dead air, hesitation, and duplicate visual meaning.

Rule: if two adjacent shots communicate the same thing, delete one.

Step 4 - Rhythm pass + one speed ramp (8-10 minutes)

Rhythm pass:

• Drop beat markers on music (every bar or half-bar).
• Nudge cuts to land near beat accents.
• Keep 20%-30% of cuts off-beat for natural flow.

Speed-ramp pass (only once in this beginner task):

• Choose a motion clip 0.8s-1.2s long.
• Segment to 3 parts: normal -> fast -> normal.
• Speed suggestion: 100% -> 130% -> 100%
• Add short ease in/out (2-4 frames) to avoid jerky jumps.

Do not add more than one ramp in this assignment.

Step 5 - Basic color correction (6-8 minutes)

This is correction, not cinematic grading:

• Exposure: skin around 55-70 IRE (if scopes available)
• Contrast: mild increase only (+10 to +20 style range)
• Highlights: reduce if clipped
• Shadows: lift slightly only if crushed
• Saturation: +5 to +15 maximum

Consistency rule: match adjacent shots before making anything "stylish".

Step 6 - Audio cleanup and balancing (6-8 minutes)

Voice / primary sound:

• Keep average around -12dB to -9dB
• Keep peaks under -6dB

Music:

• Keep average around -20dB to -14dB under speech
• Duck slightly at key dialogue moments

Master:

• Final peak under -3dB

If you cannot hear consonants clearly on phone speakers, music is too loud.

Step 7 - Subtitle and hook polish (6-8 minutes)

Subtitle rules:

• 4-6 lines total for this 30s task
• one idea per line
• line duration usually 1.0s-2.0s
• font weight medium/bold
• maintain one style throughout

Hook rule:

• First on-screen text must appear in first 0-2s
• Make it outcome-focused, not generic

Weak: "Today I edit a video"
Better: "From raw clips to a publishable short in 30 minutes"

Step 8 - Export + quality control (5-8 minutes)

Recommended export:

• Format: H.264 (.mp4)
• Resolution: 1080 x 1920
• FPS: 30
• Bitrate: VBR 1-pass, 8-12 Mbps
• Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48kHz

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Final QC checklist (must pass all)

• Duration is 25-35s
• Hook visible in first 2s
• No black frames / freeze frames / accidental gaps
• Subtitles fully readable on phone
• Audio peak under -3dB
• Content still understandable with phone volume at 40%-60%

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Common beginner failure modes and exact fixes

Problem 1: Video feels slow

Fix: cut 10%-20% from every clip, then re-check rhythm.

Problem 2: Looks over-processed

Fix: reduce contrast/saturation globally, then re-check skin tones.

Problem 3: Music buries speech

Fix: drop music 3-5dB and add simple keyframe ducking around dialogue.

Problem 4: Subtitle fatigue

Fix: shorten each subtitle to one idea, maximum two short lines.

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30-minute v2 challenge (recommended)

Duplicate your timeline and make exactly 3 improvements:

1. Replace the opening shot
2. Re-time music transition points
3. Tighten subtitle rhythm for readability

Publish v1 or v2 today. Speed with quality beats endless perfection.