A Sneak Peek into My Editing Process!

This summer, I’ve been working on editing player mixes for some of the standout athletes at NC State—and it’s been one of my favorite parts of the job. I love working on short-form, high-energy content that blends creative transitions, music, and storytelling. Before the summer started, I downloaded around two terabytes of footage from last season, focusing on four players: Justin Joly (tight end), Hollywood Smothers (running back), Brandon Cleveland (defensive end), and currently, Sean Brown (linebacker).

Every edit starts with the music. The player picks the song, which sets the entire tone of the video. A strong track with good rhythm and beat drops is essential—it gives the edit structure and energy. Syncing the footage to the beat is one of the most important parts of keeping a viewer engaged. The more precise the timing, the cleaner and more professional the final product feels.

I like to kick off each edit with a flashy transition. For example, in my Brandon Cleveland edit, I created a newspaper-style transition in After Effects. I selected five or six clips with solid framing, masked out Brandon in each one, and overlaid them with vintage-style textures. Then I arranged the clips in 3D space and moved the camera across them from left to right. As the camera panned, the vintage clips flashed by and seamlessly led into the first highlight play. It was quick, but the effect made the intro stand out—and it took a lot of effort to get it right.

For Hollywood Smothers, I created a helmet zoom-through transition. I masked out his face inside the helmet and duplicated that layer six times, arranging them in a 3D space to create a tunnel effect. I then animated a camera zoom through all the helmet layers and placed the next clip at the end of the tunnel. To tie it all together, I added a subtle shake at the end to smooth out the transition and keep the motion feeling natural.

But transitions aren’t the only thing that makes an edit feel dynamic. I also rely heavily on time remapping. In Premiere Pro, I use this to speed up and slow down clips to emphasize big hits, jukes, or key moments. It’s also a great way to match the footage to beat drops in the music. For example, I might speed up a clip right before the drop and then slow it down dramatically to land right on the beat. It’s a simple effect, but it’s essential for building rhythm and pacing in short-form edits.

Finally, no edit is complete without solid color grading. I always start by ensuring the blacks are truly black and the footage isn’t overexposed. I use Lumetri scopes and the basic correction panel in Premiere to fine-tune things. Consistency is key—if the footage shifts in color from one clip to the next, it pulls the viewer out of the experience. I aim to create a cohesive look that ties all the footage together and enhances the overall mood of the video.

Editing is all about constantly learning and experimenting. Most of what I know, I’ve picked up from YouTube and TikTok. I’m always looking for new transitions, effects, or editing tricks to add to my toolkit. Every project is a chance to push my skills further—and that’s what makes it so rewarding.

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Music Corner: A song that I have been listening to a lot is “Bury Me In Vegas” by Red Leather. I found this artist on TikTok and explored his music. It’s a blend of pop and country music, making it very easy to listen to. He has a really good voice and solid flows.