What makes a truly great editor? It's not software. It's not gear. It's the ability to tell unforgettable stories through rhythm, structure, and emotion. In this post, we break down the myth that technical skills alone will set you apart — and explore the real craft that gets you hired again and again.

No one has ever come up to me after watching a documentary, reality TV or entertainment show I edited and said, “Wow, that was incredible. What editing software did you use?”

And they never will.

We’re living in the golden age of accessible filmmaking. What used to cost $100,000 now costs $20 a month. Anyone with a laptop and a camera can edit a film that looks and sounds beautiful.

The barriers have been shattered. The gates have been flung open. And that is definitely something to celebrate.

But there’s a shadow side to this creative democratisation.

It’s convinced a generation of filmmakers that gear and software equals greatness. That if your camera is 8K and you shoot log mode and grade in DaVinci Resolve with all these expensive plugins, your film is automatically high-end.

It definitely isn’t.

Because all the tech in the world means nothing if you can’t tell a story.

So in this essay, I want to smash a dangerous illusion that you may have, and then I want to set you on a different path. I want to take you through all of the arguments in one of the most misunderstood areas of our industry… software vs creativity.

At the end, you’ll know exactly what to focus on, why it’s so important, and how to become incredibly valuable in the editing world.

Let’s dive in.

Why Software Won’t Make You a Great Editor

“All the gear and no idea.”

A ten-grand anamorphic lens doesn’t give you a director’s vision any more than an editing suite packed with plugins will give you narrative or montage skills.

The creative world is full of talented button-pushers who never learned the one thing that matters: how to move the viewer.

We’ve become obsessed with tools. Social media feeds us an endless stream of LUT packs, transitions, and behind-the-scenes setups. The subtext is always the same: If you want to be a great editor, you need better gear, better grading, better graphics, and better plugins.

It’s a lie.

Gear doesn’t move people. So what does?

Story.
Rhythm.
Emotion.
Timing.

The most powerful edits in history weren’t made by the resolution of the camera. They were about meaning, context, and brilliantly designed narrative structures. 

I could own every plugin ever made. But if I can’t build tension, or create a compelling character arc, or build a moment with devastating emotional impact? I’m not an editor.

I’m just someone who’s knows the software inside out.

It would be like me memorising the manual for Microsoft Word and then thinking that I could go out and write an award-winning novel.

What Clients Actually Look for in a Video Editor

So, let’s be honest: Directors and producers are not hiring us because we memorised every shortcut in Premiere or Avid or Final Cut.

They’re hiring us because we can analyse, structure, manipulate, and craft their raw footage into compelling and dramatic sequences that captivate audiences.

And that is the most important thing… the audience and their experience. It’s an unbelievably honest feedback loop. If the audience is engaged, they continue watching. If they aren’t, they don’t. Pretty simple.

This is just as applicable for YouTube videos as it is for long-form drama or documentary. They’re hiring us because we can cut a sequence that makes people cry, or laugh, or feel like they’re on the edge of a cliff.

There is no "make this sequence dramatic" button. There is no plugin for creating jeopardy at the end of a scene.

Directors and producers have gone to enormous lengths to get that raw footage. It represents a huge investment of time, money, energy, and creativity on their part and they are not going to hand it over to someone who isn’t highly driven in turning it into a compelling visual story.

And so one of the most important steps in carving a successful career in professional editing is to drop the illusion that is pumped out continuously by film schools, online courses, edit training centres, and YouTube tutorials.

The illusion that mastering tech and software is mastering filmmaking.

As editors, we are retrospective screenwriters. We shape, structure, and build stories from raw footage. Apart from the generally accepted rules of visual grammar, we bring so much of our own stylisation, perspective, and emotions into the cutting room and onto our timeline.

That’s why two editors can be given the same footage and deliver completely different scenes. One makes you feel something. One doesn’t.

Only one gets hired again.

Why Storytelling Is Every Great Editor’s Superpower

Here’s the hard truth: Technical editors who are focused on the software are everywhere. It doesn’t take a lot of skill to memorise software— that really is the easy part. If you’re on a learning journey and want to focus on the skills that really matter, read our full breakdown: Can Editing Be Self-Taught?

Creative storytellers, however, are rare. And therefore a valuable commodity.

Every year, thousands of new editors enter the industry armed with photographic knowledge of every tutorial, every preset, every keyboard shortcut.

But very few have studied the craft of editing. And this is exactly where I want you to divert your focus to. Things like:

• How to build a character in the mind of the audience over time.

• How to create anticipation and withhold information so the audience is mesmerised.

• How to build rhythm without relying on music.

• How to design beautifully stylised shot flow or a powerful intercut.

The editors who go in this direction are the ones who rise up quickly. The ones who understand that editing is emotional architecture. It’s invisible design. It’s psychology.

I want you to put yourself in the mind of the audience and practice delaying satisfaction, changing pace rapidly at the right moment, and scoring every scene so that the music matches the intention and meaning, perfectly.

Learning how to tell visual stories is without doubt the most valuable skill in our industry.

Creative Editing Is an Art, Not Just Software

Please don’t misunderstand me. Software is vital, software is important, we’d be nowhere without it. I love what Adobe and Avid and Apple and Blackmagic have created. I’ve spent over 25 years staring at their timelines and they’re truly magical.

But when you’re learning this beautiful art form, it’s so easy to get distracted— and that is what I remind all of my students.

When I teach editing, I teach the art.

If I were teaching painting, I wouldn’t start by comparing different brushes. I wouldn’t waste hours discussing bristle count or handle length.

I’d teach light.
I’d teach shadow.
I’d teach how to guide the eye.
How to create mood.
How to design perspective.
How to evoke something emotionally powerful with every stroke of the brush.

Editing is no different. Software is just the brush. If you focus only on that, you’re not learning to paint. You’re not learning how to be an artist.

Successful editors aren’t obsessed with tools. They’re obsessed with designing narrative structures, building exciting variation within cutting patterns, and creating visual flair that keeps their viewers on the edge of their seat.

Where the Real Power Lies in Editing

So, do you want to build a real career? A creative life that lasts? Then my advice to you is stop obsessing over gear and start obsessing over story.

Learn the fundamentals of editing… dialogue structure, B-roll placement, dramatic pacing, intercutting, music editing. Then move onto narrative, jeopardy, tension, withholding, and all of the creative skills we’ve discussed in this essay.

Memorise this and repeat it every day in your cutting room…

There are no random edits on any timeline. Every single cut is there for a reason.

Yes, we are in a golden age of filmmaking opportunity. But the obsession with tech and software in our industry has created a massive imbalance in the skillset of many editors.

And with this imbalance, come a huge opportunity.

If you focus all of your energy on creativity— and not the software, the plugins, and the graphics— you would quickly find yourself in a completely different league.

That is where the power is.
That is what gets you hired.
That is what makes you a truly great editor.

Stay cool, stay safe, and stay cutting.

Paddy

FAQ: The Power Is in the Cut, Not the Keyboard

What’s the best way to start improving my storytelling skills?
Start by thinking like your audience. Rewatch scenes you love and ask why each edit is there. Look for rhythm, timing, and emotion — not just what’s said, but how it’s revealed. Inside The Edit has free training inside the app to help you practise this way of thinking.

Do I still need to learn editing software?
Absolutely — but once you know the basics, the real growth comes from developing your creative instincts. The software is the tool. Storytelling is the art.

What does Inside The Edit teach?
We teach the art of creative editing — structure, rhythm, pacing, music, emotion, story, and everything else that makes an edit powerful. No software tutorials. Just the craft.

How can I get started?
Download the app to access free training, creative exercises, and our short course How to Cut a Scene Like a Pro.