What is J Cut and L Cut in Video Editing | LAL PICTURES STUDIOS

 What is J Cut and L Cut in Video  Editing.

Normally we only discuss about the photography and the image editing in this blog but for a change, we are starting a new topic in this blog. "VIDEO EDITING". From now we will share video editing techniques as well in this blog.

We are dividing this into three. For those who searching about J cut and L cut, you should understand "what" is this cut, "Where to use it and finally "how" to do this ?

• What is J cut and L cut 

• Where to use these cuts

• How to do this

We are starting with some basic and beginner topics. Doesn't matter image editing or the video editing, it’s always depend on the editor's creative mind or creative point. Doesn't even matter what software or apps you are using, its all upon on your effort and time you investing on the editing.

INTRODUCTION

No matter what software you are using or in the smart phone, which apps you are using. J cut and L cut is a video editing option or a technique using between the two scene transitions. You can try this in any software or apps. Doesn't matter you are using Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or Davinci Resolve or smart phone apps such as Inshot, Kinemaster or any other video editing apps, you can use it in any software. 

Normally editors and directors use visual effects in the transitions between scenes such as cross dissolve or fade or even more, now there are plenty of transitions are available as presets or manual. 

WHAT ISJ cut and L cut

L cut and J cut are also transitions but it is used as audio transitions. Instead of using visual effects, sometimes editors use this technique for keep the audience engaged with the scenes. Using this technique, we can keep audience more engaged to the more than usual. It’s also a part of the story telling that viewers can feel that they are also part of the story. 

WHERE TO USE THESE CUTS ?

In the simple terms, usually these cuts are using when someone explains anything in the story. When any character in the movie tells a back story in the movie, these cuts have been used to show the visuals of the story as the transitions in the beginning and ending. There is no any other perfect place to use these cuts than other than this.

Thriller movies use these techniques widely all around the world for to maintain the suspense their movies. Audios comes before the actual scenes makes audience more engaged to the scenes.

Using these options while showing montage is an another great option. For giving information to the audience, these options have been using all over the world. Every Sherlock homes movies use this trick in their films to convey to audience to what Sherlock discovered.

These are the simplest terms about the cut you can see in the internet.

HOW TO DO J CUT AND L CUT IN EDITING

In the simplest terms and for easy to remember. These transitions gets the names by the shapes they created in the editing video timeline. When we make J cut transition in the timeline, that specific portion of the timeline looks like a j shape and same as you think the L cut creates a L shape in that specific portion of the timeline 

J CUT

What is J cut.

When we apply J cut in our timeline, its makes a j shape in our timeline because the J cut means the audio comes before the scene. The video only start after a few seconds.

J cut editing create a timeline just like the image shown as above. The audio comes first then the video comes. 

L CUT

What is L cut.

It’s the opposite of the J cut, when we use L cut in our editing, the timeline makes shape like "L". When a scene is over, the audio from the scene will play little bit more even the next scene started or the audio from the current scene  will carry bit more to the upcoming scene and its look like a "L" shape. this is why its called L cut.

 

As shown in the image, the L cut applied timeline will look like this.

CONCLUSION 

These are just the editing transitions to make audience more engaged to the movie or whatever you are editing. Its doesn't matter which software or apps you are using, you can use these transitions in any editing timeline because its not a preset, its applied by manually by the editor. Only matter how you going to use the transitions and applying in the correct position. 

If you having any doubt in image editing or the photography, you can check here lal pictures studios

In our last post, we discussed about the what is ISO in camera, you check it out as well. If you having any doubt, please inform us on the comment section or connect with us on our social medias, the link have been shared in our blog.