Tools I Used This Summer for Video Editing 101

Summer 2024 Notes

This summer was intense, but kind of amazing. I took Video Editing 101 at the University of Tokyo, and it turned out to be way harder (and way cooler) than I expected. Our professor was adamant about us learning the “real tools” professionals use—no cutting corners, no relying on random apps that just slap filters on. She wanted us to think like editors, to make decisions about every frame we cut or keep. Honestly, it was overwhelming at first.

One of our early assignments was to put together a two-minute video about something that inspires us. I remember sitting in the university’s media lab at 9 p.m., surrounded by students editing footage of cityscapes, temples, and animated graphics. It was one of those moments where you look around and think, how did I end up here? But by the end of the summer, I’d fallen in love with video editing. These are the tools I used the most—and some notes I’m keeping for myself to remember what worked (and what didn’t).

Tools I Used

Adobe Premiere Pro: This was the main software for our class projects. It’s professional-level editing software, and I guess there’s a reason everyone in the industry uses it. I spent hours trying to figure out how to use it properly. The timeline interface looked so complicated at first, and there were a million shortcuts I didn’t understand. By mid-summer, though, I’d gotten the hang of it.

Used it for:

Trimming and arranging clips for the final project.
Adding transitions between cuts.
Syncing voice overs with video.
Note to self: Premiere is powerful, but it’s overkill for quick edits. Definitely need more practice to get faster with it.

Canva:

Kind of surprised I ended up using Canva, but it turned out to be helpful for small tasks. I didn’t know Canva had a video editing tool until another student mentioned it. It’s super simple, nothing fancy, but it’s fast and easy for basic stuff. I used it to make text overlays and design thumbnails for YouTube uploads.

Used it for:

Creating thumbnails for class presentations.
Quick edits when I didn’t need full software like Premiere.
Note to self: Canva is good for what it is, but don’t rely on it for anything complex. Great for quick and casual edits.

SliceTube: Okay, this tool was my secret weapon. For one of our assignments, we had to create a video essay, and I needed clips from all sorts of YouTube videos—interviews, tutorials, even a documentary. The problem? Most of the videos were an hour long, and I only needed 30 seconds from each.

SliceTube lets you paste a YouTube link, trim the exact part you want, and download it without touching the rest of the video. No sketchy ads, no weird watermarks, and the quality stayed perfect. This saved me hours.

Used it for:

Cutting specific sections of YouTube videos for my video essay.
Downloading clean, high-quality clips for my final project.
Note to self: I will 100% use SliceTube again. Works great when you don’t want to download or edit an entire video.

DaVinci Resolve:

This was recommended by our professor for color grading. It’s free and insanely powerful for making your footage look professional, but honestly, I only scratched the surface with it. I used it a couple of times to tweak the color and lighting in my clips, but I didn’t have time to explore it fully.

Used it for:

Adjusting color tones for a more cinematic look.
Note to self: Definitely worth diving deeper into DaVinci Resolve. Color grading can make a huge difference, but it takes time to learn.

OBS Studio: Used this for screen recording. We had an assignment where we had to explain our editing process, and I recorded a tutorial showing how I trimmed clips and added transitions. OBS was easy to set up and worked perfectly for recording my screen and voice at the same time.

Used it for:

Recording project demos and tutorials.

CapCut:

This was my go-to when I needed to edit on my phone. It’s simple but surprisingly powerful for a mobile app. I used it for trimming clips on the go and editing short videos for Instagram and TikTok. Definitely not a replacement for Premiere, but great for quick edits.

Used it for:

Editing social media videos.
Quick trims when I didn’t have my laptop.
Note to self: CapCut is amazing for casual editing but not for detailed class projects.

Audacity:

Not technically video editing, but I used Audacity for cleaning up audio. I recorded a voiceover for one of my projects, and there was a ton of background noise from the dorm. Audacity made it easy to remove static and echo.

Used it for:

Cleaning up audio for voiceovers.

SliceTube was honestly my MVP this summer—saved me so much time cutting YouTube clips for assignments. Premiere Pro is great for detailed editing, but it’s a lot to handle for quick projects. Canva and CapCut were good for smaller stuff, but I want to spend more time learning DaVinci Resolve next semester.

Overall, I’ve realized how much video editing is about finding the right tool for the right job. Each one has its strengths, and knowing when to use what is half the battle. Let's hope I get straights A's next semester! Wish me luck
Fin 🤞