Lightworks — Official Quickstart Guide 2023 — Learn Lightworks in 15 Minutes!
TLDRIn this quickstart guide, Chris Wells from Lightworks demonstrates how to use the software for video editing. He covers project creation, importing footage, basic editing techniques, audio editing, color grading, adding transitions and titles, and finally exporting the finished video. The guide is designed to help new users get started with Lightworks efficiently.
Takeaways
- 🎬 Start with the project management screen in Lightworks to create a new project.
- 📂 Import footage using the 'Import Clips' button and navigate through integrations with stock footage and cloud storage options.
- 📹 Use in and out points to select the desired parts of the video clips for the timeline.
- 🔄 Different methods to place clips on the timeline include double-clicking, using the replace button, and drag-and-drop.
- ✂️ Trim clips directly on the timeline by dragging the brackets or using the cut option with keyboard shortcuts.
- 🎛️ Create a new audio channel for managing multiple audio clips and ensure they are in stereo format.
- 🔊 Edit audio clips on the timeline, aligning them with visual cues and adjusting levels with fades for smooth transitions.
- 🎵 Add music to the timeline and adjust its length and volume to complement the video without overpowering other audio.
- 🎨 Apply color correction effects to enhance the visual appeal of the footage, adjusting settings like shadows, midtones, highlights, and saturation.
- 🌟 Use the 'Unfold' feature to apply color correction to multiple clips simultaneously for a consistent look.
- 🏷️ Add titles and transitions for a polished finish, customizing text, fonts, and effects like blur and dissolves.
- 📤 Export the final video using the export tab, choosing the desired format and settings, and even directly to platforms like YouTube.
Q & A
Who is the presenter of the Lightworks Quickstart Guide?
-The presenter of the Lightworks Quickstart Guide is Chris Wells, a video editor at Lightworks.
What is the main purpose of the video script provided?
-The main purpose of the video script is to provide a mini overview of the Lightworks software and demonstrate how to use it to edit a video from start to finish.
How does one create a new project in Lightworks according to the script?
-To create a new project in Lightworks, you select the 'create a new project' button, give it a name, and click 'create'.
What are the different workspaces in Lightworks mentioned in the script?
-The script mentions several workspaces for advanced editing of specific aspects of a video, but the focus is almost entirely on the 'edit workspace'.
How can you import footage into a Lightworks project?
-You can import footage into a Lightworks project by selecting the 'import Clips' button, navigating to the appropriate folder, and either importing the whole folder or specific files by double-clicking or using the import button.
What are some of the ways to place footage onto the timeline in Lightworks?
-There are multiple ways to place footage onto the timeline in Lightworks, including double-clicking to open in the source monitor and setting in and out points, using the replace button, the insert button, and keyboard shortcuts, or simply dragging and dropping the clip.
How can you adjust the audio levels of clips in Lightworks?
-You can adjust the audio levels of clips in Lightworks by selecting the clip and using the mouse to drag up or down to increase or decrease the volume.
What is the importance of good audio in a video according to Chris Wells?
-According to Chris Wells, good audio is at least 65% of what makes a video feel more professional, emphasizing the importance of taking time to get it right.
How does the script describe the process of color grading in Lightworks?
-The script describes the process of color grading in Lightworks by adding a 'color correction' effect to the desired clip and adjusting settings such as shadows, midtones, highlights, saturation, gamma, contrast, brightness, and gain.
What are some of the finishing touches mentioned in the script for a video project?
-Some of the finishing touches mentioned in the script include adding transitions, such as a dissolve, and creating a title for the end of the video using the 'titles' effect.
How can you export a video from Lightworks as described in the script?
-You can export a video from Lightworks by going to the 'export' tab, choosing a format like MP4 h264, selecting the region of the timeline to export, giving it a name, and pressing 'start' to begin the export process.
Outlines
🎬 Introduction to Video Editing in Lightworks
Chris Wells, a video editor at Lightworks, introduces a software tutorial on how to use Lightworks for video editing. He showcases a sample video and promises to guide viewers step-by-step from project creation to final editing. The process begins with accessing the project management screen, creating a new project, and navigating the workspace, focusing primarily on the edit workspace. Chris explains how to import footage using various integrations and local files, and demonstrates different methods for adding clips to the timeline, including using in/out points, replace, insert, and keyboard shortcuts.
🎛 Audio Editing and Sound Effects Integration
The second paragraph delves into the importance of audio quality in video production, emphasizing that it contributes significantly to the professionalism of a video. Chris outlines the process of creating new audio channels for organizing clips and overlapping them on the timeline. He details the steps for placing audio clips, using audio waveforms for visual alignment, and applying fades to smooth transitions between clips. The tutorial also covers adjusting music timing and levels to complement the video's visuals and audio effects.
🎨 Color Grading and Effects Application
In this section, Chris discusses the process of enhancing the visual appeal of footage through color grading. He navigates to the effects tab to apply color correction, explaining the various settings that can be adjusted for shadows, midtones, highlights, saturation, gamma, relative contrast, brightness, and gain. Chris demonstrates how to apply these settings to individual clips and then to multiple clips simultaneously using the 'unfold' feature. The goal is to achieve a consistent and visually appealing look across all video clips.
🔖 Final Touches and Exporting the Video
The final paragraph covers the addition of transitions and titles to polish the video. Chris explains how to use transitions, such as dissolves, to create smooth transitions between clips and how to adjust their duration. He also shows how to add a title effect at the end of the video and customize it with text and font styles. Lastly, Chris guides viewers through the export process, detailing the options available for different subscription levels and the steps to export the video file directly to a computer, including selecting the appropriate format and settings.
📢 Conclusion and Call for Feedback
Chris concludes the tutorial by inviting viewers to provide feedback and suggestions in the comments section or on Lightworks' online forum. He encourages interaction with the community of users for further learning and support. The tutorial ends with a reminder of Chris Wells as the presenter and a prompt for viewers to continue making movies.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lightworks
💡Project Management Screen
💡Import Clips
💡Edit Workspace
💡Timeline
💡Inpoint and Outpoint
💡Audio Channel
💡Color Correction
💡Transitions
💡Titles
💡Export
Highlights
Chris Wells introduces the Lightworks video editing software and provides a quickstart guide.
The project management screen is used to create and manage video projects.
Importing footage into the project can be done through various methods, including direct import and using the source monitor.
Editing the video involves setting in and out points and using different methods to place clips on the timeline.
The replace and insert buttons are used to manage clips on the timeline.
Keyboard shortcuts can be utilized for efficient editing, such as setting in and out points and inserting clips.
Trimming clips on the timeline can be done by dragging the end brackets or using the cut option.
Audio editing is emphasized as a crucial part of making a video feel professional.
Creating new audio channels allows for the management of multiple audio clips on the timeline.
Aligning audio clips with video using waveforms ensures precise timing.
Fading is used to smooth transitions between audio clips.
Adding music to the timeline involves timing it with key moments in the video.
Adjusting sound levels ensures that sound effects do not overpower the music.
Color grading is introduced as a way to enhance the visual appeal of the footage.
Basic color grading involves adjusting shadows, midtones, highlights, saturation, gamma, contrast, brightness, and gain.
Applying color correction to multiple clips can be done by unfolding the effect for broader application.
Transitions, such as dissolves, are used to create smooth changes between video clips.
Titles and end credits can be added to the video using the titles effect.
Exporting the final video can be done in various formats, including direct export to YouTube.
The video concludes with an invitation to join the Lightworks online forum for further learning and support.