Whether you’re a freelancer or work in a newsroom, if you’re producing news video, teamwork is essential. From shooting to editing and mixing the audio, a production team can consist of a handful of specialists working on different schedules, sometimes across time zones.
Cloud-based video editing platform WeVideo can simplify and speed up the process, adding workflow flexibility and an insurance policy that your footage will always be with you.
WeVideo lets you collaborate with other project members or share your clip libraries. So if you're out shooting video in the field with no time to edit, just upload the footage to your account and your colleagues in the newsroom can work on the project.
When starting a new project, there are three editing modes to choose from, offering options for editing novices and aficionados. In storyboard mode, you drag-and-drop clips in the order you want them, trim as needed, apply a theme and soundtrack and WeVideo will do the rest.
If you've tried your hand at video editing before, you'll recognize the timeline editor layout. In this mode, you have more control over your final product. You can add voiceovers and fade effects, and make other custom transitions.
Advanced editor mode offers the most flexibility, and would be the go-to mode for professional video editors looking to collaborate in the cloud. This mode features multiple video and audio tracks and lets you work with other users on shared projects.
You can upload pictures, video or audio from Google Drive, Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, Dropbox, Picasa and Box, or directly from your desktop. You can also record video or audio directly from your microphone. Your clips are stored online so you access them at any time.
If you're having trouble hunting down Creative Commons-licensed audio, you can lay down some of the audio clips already available on the platform for background music.
If your video clip isn't up to par, you can make color corrections, change volume levels, add effects and more. You can also get your Instagram fix by applying one of 26 free themes to your video - choices such as "classic," "noir" and "fashionista" each offer unique typography, transitions and visual effects.
With the free version, you can publish your video to WeVideo or Google Drive. With a premium account, you can publish videos to YouTube, Vimeo or Dropbox, or download them to your desktop.
The collaboration feature is only available with the premium version, which is more affordable than many editing platforms on the market. For US$5 per month or US$50 per year, you can collaborate with up to five other users, access the highest-quality editing features and get larger storage and export capacity.
With a free account, you can upload 5GB of content and export 15 minutes worth of edited video.
If you know you’ll be working at a location where WiFi is a bust, you can download WeVideo Next, the offline desktop app for Chrome OS, and edit videos without an Internet connection.
If you're a mojo (mobile journalist), there are also video apps available for Android and iOS. You can capture video or photos with your phone that you can easily add to your account. With the Android app, you can edit footage together with the Storyboard mode and publish it on YouTube, WeVideo or Facebook.
For more tips, check out WeVideo Academy's tutorials here.
IJNet Editorial Assistant Margaret Looney writes about the latest media trends, reporting tools and journalism resources.
Images: Screenshots from WeVideo website.