Limit your timeline, embrace versioning, and script your checklists. Editing faster starts with reducing choices.
Keep your bins atomic. Name assets with prefixes like “A-Roll_”, “B-Roll_”, “SFX_” for rapid search. Lock your assembly cut, then iterate with non-destructive adjustment layers and snapshot exports. Your future self will thank you when you need to jump back.
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Build a neutral base, then create style with controlled contrast and saturation per scene.
Match first, stylize later. Use vectorscopes to normalize skin tones, then waveforms to anchor luminance around your scene’s subject. Add taste with halation and subtle film grain only after the story reads clearly in black and white.
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Edit with the waveform. Build rhythm, cut on beats, and let visuals serve the sound.
Dialogue clarity outranks everything. Duck competing frequencies, carve space with EQ, and compress for intelligibility before adding music. Then, let b-roll accent transients so the picture “snaps” where the ear expects it.
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