Video production basics for a noob

Question

I am an iOS developer who wants to create a mobile app for video editing. But I do not know the basic terminology and functionality of video editing and production. Terms like video scrubbing, video ramping etc. leaves me clueless.

Please if anyone could suggest me some resources from where I can start my research about the video editing tools, features, requirements and basic terminology.

Thank you.

Answer 1

I recommend you do a few things.

1. Take an online course in video editing. You can either sign up for one at something like linda.com, or even just go to YouTube and search for video editing. There are thousands of tutorials which can point you in the right direction.
2. If the above isn't reasonable, take a class at your local community college. Many offer classes in video editing and motion graphics.
3. Read some books. I can personally recommend In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch and The Technique of Film and Video Editing: History, Theory, and Practice by Ken Dancyger. Peachpit Press also has lots of books on a number of applications.
4. Go to a local video editing user's group and ask basic questions. If you're in a major city in the US, you might try the local Final Cut Pro User Group meetings (SF Cutters, LAFCPUG, CHIFCPUG, BOSFCPUG, etc.) or Adobe Premiere or Avid User Group meetings.
5. Sit down with a local editor (there are probably editors near you who do commercials, if not TV, film, and music videos). If you can befriend an editor or other video artist, they are a good source of ideas for software to write!

I've been writing such software professionally for over 15 years, and that's how I got into it.