Cutting to the Beat, and then some!

This idea started out as a little Cutting to the Beat project and then took on a life of its own. Let me explain, and I'll show you how I did it.

Cutting to the Beat is one of the most basic yet, satisfying editing techniques. If you find a good piece of music with a strong beat and you make the shots change with the 2 or 4 count, it is very satisfying to watch. Examples are pretty much every pop/hip-hop music video.

Or, you can Cut to the Beat with Cutting on Motion. This can be tricky. Usually the first time you do this its on accident and then you start seeking out cutting on motion opportunities to make images match with the sounds.

My Initial Idea: I went looking for a good song to make a Leading Ladies edit honoring Women's History Month. I found so many powerful songs by female artists that were from different genres.

Then, I thought I could create an interesting audio tract by cutting the hook of each song together. It was a little tricky making sure the songs actually made some sense, and told a story when placed. That left me with a 2 minute-ish track to edit with and make sure the audio was balanced.

Audio Track

The next step was to download a ton of clips from favorite scenes and movie trailers that highlighted powerful women.

Yes! That's A LOT OF VIDEO!

The next step was to find the clips that matched up with the music nicely BUT also showed something visually powerful. The actual Cutting to the Beat is pretty easy really. Simply use your blade tool and cut on the video layer of the timeline matching the beat (spike) on the audio track.

Ok. The reveal 2 ways...

Cutting to the Beat with Straight Cuts or Cutting to the Beat with Transitions?

Here is the Side-By-Side

Cutting to the Beat

Cutting to the Beat - with Transitions

There are a lot of FREE PRESET TRANSITIONS out there. Once you find the ones you like simply add them to your project and you have elevated the complexity of your edit. Game on!

So, which edit do you like better? The one with straight cuts or the one all of the transitions. Like the one you like best.

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Filmora - A free editing software with a lot of great presets. This program is perfect for new editors but even a savvy editor can have fun and elevated projects with this software. There is a text, animation and sound package included and an option to upgrade.

iMovie - A free editing software available on iphones and Mac computers. Great for beginners and for making simple quick edits. There is a text, animation and sound package included.

CapCut - A free editing app available on phones, PC and Mac computers. Great for editing on the run. If you like fan edits this program is loaded with great animated text and powerful preset transitions making beginners look like pros.

Final Cut Pro - Is NOT a free editing software but has nearly all of the capabilities as pro editing software. The interface is very user friendly and as easy to use as a basic editing program.

Premiere Pro - Is NOT a free editing program. This is a professional level program. Premiere is a part of the Adobe Suite and works via "Dynamic Link" with other programs like After Effects. The user interface is complicated and you will need a teacher and tutorials to navigate the program.

DaVinci Resolve - Is a free editing program. This is a professional level program. The cool part is the option to make the interface look like Final Cut or Premiere. There is a learning curve to the program but it is free. Also known for its color grading capabilities.

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Cutting to the Beat, and then some!

This idea started out as a little Cutting to the Beat project and then took on a life of its own. Let me explain, and I'll show you how I did it.

Cutting to the Beat is one of the most basic yet, satisfying editing techniques. If you find a good piece of music with a strong beat and you make the shots change with the 2 or 4 count, it is very satisfying to watch. Examples are pretty much every pop/hip-hop music video.

Or, you can Cut to the Beat with Cutting on Motion. This can be tricky. Usually the first time you do this its on accident and then you start seeking out cutting on motion opportunities to make images match with the sounds.

My Initial Idea: I went looking for a good song to make a Leading Ladies edit honoring Women's History Month. I found so many powerful songs by female artists that were from different genres.

Then, I thought I could create an interesting audio tract by cutting the hook of each song together. It was a little tricky making sure the songs actually made some sense, and told a story when placed. That left me with a 2 minute-ish track to edit with and make sure the audio was balanced.

The next step was to download a ton of clips from favorite scenes and movie trailers that highlighted powerful women.

Yes! That's A LOT OF VIDEO!

The next step was to find the clips that matched up with the music nicely BUT also showed something visually powerful. The actual Cutting to the Beat is pretty easy really. Simply use your blade tool and cut on the video layer of the timeline matching the beat (spike) on the audio track.

Ok. The reveal 2 ways...

Cutting to the Beat with Straight Cuts or Cutting to the Beat with Transitions?

Here is the Side-By-Side

Cutting to the Beat

Cutting to the Beat - with Transitions

There are a lot of FREE PRESET TRANSITIONS out there. Once you find the ones you like simply add them to your project and you have elevated the complexity of your edit. Game on!

So, which edit do you like better? The one with straight cuts or the one all of the transitions. Like the one you like best.

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​Filmora - A free editing software with a lot of great presets. This program is perfect for new editors but even a savvy editor can have fun and elevated projects with this software. There is a text, animation and sound package included and an option to upgrade.

​Final Cut Pro - Is NOT a free editing software but has nearly all of the capabilities as pro editing software. The interface is very user friendly and as easy to use as a basic editing program.

Premiere Pro - Is NOT a free editing program. This is a professional level program. Premiere is a part of the Adobe Suite and works via "Dynamic Link" with other programs like After Effects. The user interface is complicated and you will need a teacher and tutorials to navigate the program.

DaVinci Resolve - Is a free editing program. This is a professional level program. The cool part is the option to make the interface look like Final Cut or Premiere. There is a learning curve to the program but it is free. Also known for its color grading capabilities.

Cutting to the Beat, and then some!

This idea started out as a little Cutting to the Beat project and then took on a life of its own. Let me explain, and I'll show you how I did it.

Cutting to the Beat is one of the most basic yet, satisfying editing techniques. If you find a good piece of music with a strong beat and you make the shots change with the 2 or 4 count, it is very satisfying to watch. Examples are pretty much every pop/hip-hop music video.

Or, you can Cut to the Beat with Cutting on Motion. This can be tricky. Usually the first time you do this its on accident and then you start seeking out cutting on motion opportunities to make images match with the sounds.

My Initial Idea: I went looking for a good song to make a Leading Ladies edit honoring Women's History Month. I found so many powerful songs by female artists that were from different genres.

Then, I thought I could create an interesting audio tract by cutting the hook of each song together. It was a little tricky making sure the songs actually made some sense, and told a story when placed. That left me with a 2 minute-ish track to edit with and make sure the audio was balanced.

The next step was to download a ton of clips from favorite scenes and movie trailers that highlighted powerful women.

Yes! That's A LOT OF VIDEO!

The next step was to find the clips that matched up with the music nicely BUT also showed something visually powerful. The actual Cutting to the Beat is pretty easy really. Simply use your blade tool and cut on the video layer of the timeline matching the beat (spike) on the audio track.

Ok. The reveal 2 ways...

Cutting to the Beat with Straight Cuts or Cutting to the Beat with Transitions?

Here is the Side-By-Side

Cutting to the Beat

Cutting to the Beat - with Transitions

There are a lot of FREE PRESET TRANSITIONS out there. Once you find the ones you like simply add them to your project and you have elevated the complexity of your edit. Game on!

So, which edit do you like better? The one with straight cuts or the one all of the transitions. Like the one you like best.

Recent Posts

Filmora - A free editing software with a lot of great presets. This program is perfect for new editors but even a savvy editor can have fun and elevated projects with this software. There is a text, animation and sound package included and an option to upgrade.

Final Cut Pro - Is NOT a free editing software but has nearly all of the capabilities as pro editing software. The interface is very user friendly and as easy to use as a basic editing program.