6 Editing Mistakes That I Hate (With Fixes)

Turn on YouTube for more than a couple of minutes and I guarantee you’ll run into one of the editing mistakes I’m about to talk about. I’m Austen Menges, a professional editor with over 20 years of experience, and today I’m inviting you into my edit suite to share six editing mistakes I hate—and more importantly, how to fix them.

These mistakes are extra irritating because they all involve one of the most basic types of edits: cutting between two lines in a talking head interview. It’s probably the most common edit on YouTube—and one I use all the time. For these examples, I used footage of my friend Scott Rice from when we were working on our story editing masterclass.

Mistake 1: Audio Pop on the Cut

In the first clip, there’s a subtle audio pop as the edit cuts from one clip to another. That’s because there wasn’t a crossfade on the audio. You should always add a crossfade—especially with dialogue—to smooth things out. My default is a two-frame crossfade. Just zoom in on your waveform, add that crossfade between the clips, and the pop disappears.

Mistake 2: Leaving in Unnecessary Breaths

This one’s simple but often overlooked. In the clip, Scott takes a breath right before the cut. Since editing allows you to manipulate time, there’s no reason to leave that breath in unless it’s adding something. Tightening up by removing that breath makes the edit feel more polished.

Mistake 3: Too Much Head on the Second Shot

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of trimming dead frames. In this case, Scott has a few awkward frames at the start of clip two where he’s just kind of looking around. Cutting out those few frames tightens everything up and gives a more polished feel.

Mistake 4: Cutting Off the Final Word

Here, the cut from clip one is too abrupt, slicing off part of Scott’s last word. The fix? Add a few frames back in so you get the full word, then throw on that crossfade. The result is a much smoother transition.

Mistake 5: Starting a Word, Then Cutting

This version is similar to mistake two, but worse. Scott not only takes a breath, he starts a word at the end of clip one that doesn’t go anywhere. If you want to leave the breath in for emotional or rhythmic reasons, that’s fine—but trim out the partial word. You can usually see it in the waveform. Clean that up, and the edit feels intentional instead of sloppy.

Mistake 6: A Combo of Errors

This one’s a mix of the previous mistakes. There’s a breath, but it gets cut off halfway through. The crossfade is missing. And there’s too much head on clip two. It’s a mess—but easily fixable. Either include the full breath or none of it. Add the crossfade. Trim the extra frames. Cut before the breath if it’s unnecessary. Once you do all that, the edit feels natural again.

Bonus: How to Cut Interviews Smoothly

Here are three solid options for editing cuts between lines in an interview:

• Clean Cut: Remove breaths (unless they add something), trim out filler words like “um” or “like” when appropriate, and always use a two-frame audio crossfade. I like to leave one frame after the final word in the first clip and cut in a couple of frames before the next word in the second clip.

• High-Energy Cut: For fast-paced edits, you can trim off the end of the last word in clip one and cut in right when the next word starts—or even a frame before. Just don’t overdo it. One frame is enough to add energy without losing clarity.

• J-Cut: Start with the high-energy audio edit, but delay the visual cut of clip two by a few frames. This lets the audio from clip two start while we’re still seeing clip one—creating a J-cut. It’s a great way to smooth out a transition while keeping things dynamic.

Be deliberate with all your edits, and use the techniques above when they make sense for your content.

Happy editing!

Austen is an ADDY award-winning film & commercial editor with over 20 years of experience. He has worked with global brands like Meta, KPMG, SAP, and Christianity Today. His PSA work has championed causes like school safety (with Matthew McConaughey), driving safety, and anti-tobacco. A thought leader in the editing field, his online lessons quickly amassed over 100K views after launch.