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How to edit and share video game footage on Youtube

How to edit and share video game footage on Youtube
Trevor Hutchins

Trevor Hutchins

  • Updated:

Welcome to the exciting world of video game YouTubers! There are a lot of reasons you may have come… you want to find a community of fellow gamers. You enjoy video games and want to turn that passion into a career. You were inspired by your favorite YouTube sensations and want to follow in their footsteps.

No matter what the reason, you’re in the right place!

We’re going to help you ease through the editing and posting process to let you focus on what you do best: creating fun videos and looking good doing it!

How to edit and share video game footage on Youtube

Step 1: Who Are You?

The caterpillar from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” asks an eternally relevant question: who are you?

Caterpillar References for the Win
Trust me, this reference will make sense.

For YouTubers, this means: what type of videos are you going to create?

Ask yourself: what videos do I enjoy watching? Check out the funny clips strung together by Pewdiepie. Enjoy the stream-of-thought entertainment put on by the Game Grumps (warning: both curse frequently). We’ll mention these two again because they inspired us, but feel free to perform your own search!

Then, once you realize what you enjoy, put it all together and think about what type of videos you’d like to make. If you’re not as loud or spontaneous as Pewdiepie, a more down-to-earth walkthrough may be up your alley. If you aren’t good at clearly outlining information, the engaging and clipped style may be perfect for you. Those are just two options, but there are infinite varieties and gradations. Start building yours!

Once you have a general idea, it’s time to move on to the next step.

Gathering your Media

Before you edit a YouTube video, you need something to edit!

First stop: check out our articles on game capture cards and taping yourself for YouTube. These may help you gather the core footage for your video.

Then, consider other add-ons you’d like. The Game Grumps begin their show with a short intro clip. Pewdiepie has a video introduction that he constantly alters in different, silly ways. Other YouTubers may start with cool channel artwork. These things may all improve your video, but they take time to create or find. Make sure to consider them before you start editing so you have all your materials ready!

General Editing Notes

The meat and potatoes: how to edit footage.

Since there is so much different editing software (even YouTube has their own), we’ll discuss the core skills required for video editing. These can be applied to any editing program, and as long as you know these functions you’ll be well equipped for any challenge.

1. Importing

It all starts here. Sometimes a simple drag-and-drop system will work; however, many programs require you to search through files for the specific video. In this case, make sure all your clips are well-ordered in a easily accessible folder, preferably on your desktop!

2. Media clipping/arranging

We’re referring to the most basic functions: lengthening or shortening videos/pictures, and placing them in whatever location suits you.

If all else fails, this ability can make a video! The general rules go: start with something fun, and keep the video entertaining. YouTube audiences often have short attention spans, so you need to keep them interested!

3. Media combination

Many streamers record audio, gameplay, and video separately . That means everything must come together in post-production! Learn how to place yourself (audio and video) over the game, and match the timing for each.

An advanced note: do you plan to include music and sound effects? Will you place the video of yourself in a specific corner, or even remove the background using green screen? Will you use captions and titles on-screen for humor and clarity? There are plenty of ways to combine videos, and each program offers various tools. Explore what you can do, and search for specific instructions online.

4. Extreme editing techniques

Transitions, clip movement, focusing, speed alteration, color changes (filters), and more can make the video more interesting if used well. These aren’t required of course – a great show can feature the creator and the game alone – but knowing how to use them can turn out exciting results! Again, Pewdiepie exemplifies this type of editing, so here’s one of his videos to give you an idea:

5. Exporting

If your program doesn’t allow you to post directly to YouTube, or you don’t wish to use that method, learn to export! Generally, this will be under a button menu titled “file”. On a Mac:

Export screen shot

Posting to Youtube

Well done, making it this far! The first video edit is always the trickiest, and requires a great amount of learning. Now, you’ve only got a short way left to go. However, there are two paths…

Direct posting:

Some programs allow you to post directly to YouTube, like iMovie. We’ll use iMovie specifically as an example:

When you select YouTube, you’re given a few options:

Once you enter the information properly, hit the “Next” button at the bottom and your video will upload to YouTube. Simple!

Remember, there are more settings to change on the YouTube site itself, once your video finishes uploading. Don’t forget to check playlist, captions, comment settings, etc.

Export first:

Sometimes, you’ve gotta export first. In this situation, you’ll likely have the MP4 file somewhere. Once again, placing it on the desktop or in an easily accessible file works wonders for your mental health; don’t hide the video from yourself!

Open YouTube. Click on your profile picture and find the Creator Studio button – currently in beta testing.

Inside the creator studio, find the “Add Media” in the top right. Clicking on it opens a drop-down menu where you can upload a video or go live:

Hit “upload video” and then choose whether to drag and drop your video or upload it through file search.

Once again, there are other things to consider: tags, descriptions, public/private availability, thumbnail selection, and so on. Once you have everything to your satisfaction… you’re done posting!

Just remember to check the YouTube analytics, which are available after a day or so, to see your video’s performance. From there, use the information to prepare for your next video post.

Final Words

More than technical skills or anything else, becoming popular on YouTube requires mindful effort and dedication: plan to spend months, likely years, building a fan base. It may take a long time before you find your crowd and they find you!

During this process, we recommend starting small: don’t use overly elaborate materials or editing. If you follow Pewdiepie’s beginnings, his first videos were simple. His funny clip videos only appeared later on in his YouTube career! Staying simple at first helps you put out a solid base of content, which can attract your first admirers.

Good luck. We hope these instructions help you hit the ground running!

Trevor Hutchins

Trevor Hutchins

Trevor Hutchins writes screenplays, novels, and articles from his home in La Mirada, California. He self-published hist first novel, 'Wynden's Legacy,' on Amazon in May of 2017 and hasn't stopped writing since.

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