There are various types of free video editing software on the Internet. We recommend starting with Windows Movie Maker. Go to the links page for futher examples of free video editing software. 

Criteria for editing:

• Follow the storyboard as much as possible.
• Choose the best takes of each shot.
• Trim the beginning and end of shots so that there is no unnecessary footage.
• Cut out wobbly bits, bad lighting, out of focus shots etc.
• Cut out mistakes in the audio or dialogue. (Don’t leave in pauses, ums, or stumbles).

Make your film as short as possible while still telling the story. In other words, cut out anything that doesn’t add to the telling of the story.

Editing is part of the post-production phase of filmmaking. No matter what software you choose, the concepts of editing in any software are very similar.

The process can be summarized like this:

A workflow is the order in which you carry out the steps in editing.  These workflows can differ depending on the genre or type of film you are making.

For example:

• When editing a music video clip, you would lay the music track down first before editing the footage. This ensures the edits are cut to the beat of the music.
• In a drama or action film you would add the music and sound effects after editing the footage to enhance the visual, dramatic and emotional effects of the film.
• In a documentary film you would most likely edit the spoken audio tracks first. Then you can more easily edit footage and cutaways over the top of the people talking.

To learn all about how to capture and edit your movies go to the links for free tutorials in Windows Movie Maker, and iMovie.