A good first film course should teach you two editing programs, not one. Start with a general editor that agencies and production houses use every day. Then add a second program that is strong at colour grading. Learn the ideas behind editing first, because they carry over to any program you use later.
This matters more now that Malaysia is trying to bring in more productions. In March 2026, FINAS said its Film in Malaysia Incentive will keep offering a 30 percent cash rebate to productions that film here (The Hollywood Reporter, March 2026). Productions that shoot here also need people to edit here, and they edit on the software their team already uses.
The four kinds of editing software
Editing programs fall into four groups. You will meet all of them in a working career.
| Kind of software | What it is used for | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| General editing suite | Cutting footage, sound, titles and exports | Agencies, production houses, freelancers |
| Colour-first editor | Colour grading, with full editing as well | Films, commercials, music videos |
| Motion graphics and compositing | Moving text, graphics and visual effects | Advertising, social content, post-production |
| Phone and quick editors | Short social videos, fast turnaround | Content creators, small businesses |
A first course should teach the first two well and introduce the third. Phone editors are easy to learn on your own.
Why the ideas matter more than the buttons
Every editing program has a timeline, a place for your clips, and a way to export. If you understand these ideas, you can move between programs in a few days.
These are the ideas a first film course should drill:
- The timeline. Tracks for video and audio, and how to trim, move and ripple clips.
- File organisation. Folders, or bins, for each scene. Clear names. A project nobody else can open is a project nobody can help with.
- Proxies. Small copies of large camera files that let a normal laptop edit smoothly. You switch back to the full files for the final export.
- Sound. Levels, clean dialogue and music under speech. Bad sound makes a good picture feel cheap.
- Export settings. The right format and size for a cinema, a TV channel or a phone screen.
A student who learns these on one program can pick up a second one fast. A student who only learns where the buttons are will struggle the day the program updates.
Why one program is not enough
Clients and production houses do not all use the same software. A freelancer who only knows one program turns down some jobs or learns under pressure.
Colour work is the clearest example. Some teams edit in one program and send the finished cut to a colourist working in another. The two programs swap the edit using an exchange file, a small file that lists every clip and cut. If you know both sides, you can hand over a project without errors.
This is why many courses teach a general editor first and a colour-first editor second. One programme’s course page 和 overview show this order. At one film school in Johor, the programme names two industry-standard editing programs and covers storytelling, colour grading and motion graphics alongside them.
What to learn first, and why
Start with a general editing suite. It teaches you the full job: cutting, sound, titles and export. Most short paid jobs, like event videos and company profiles, are done this way.
Move to the colour-first editor once you can cut a clean story. Colour grading makes more sense when you already know what the scene is supposed to feel like. We explain why beginners find this step hard in why colour grading takes practice.
Leave motion graphics for third. Moving titles and effects need their own program and their own way of thinking, so they are easier once editing feels natural. See whether to learn motion graphics or visual effects first.
A first editing project, step by step
The best way to learn a program is to take one project from start to finish. A good course walks you through the same order every professional uses.
- Copy the footage from the camera card to two drives, and check both copies play.
- Make a new project and create folders for each scene, the sound and the music.
- Build a rough cut. Put the story in order without worrying about small details.
- Tighten it into a fine cut. Trim each shot so nothing drags.
- Clean the sound. Balance voices, lower the music under speech and remove noise.
- Grade the colour so every shot in a scene matches.
- Add titles, then export in the format the client asked for.
Doing this once, from raw files to a finished video, teaches more than ten short demos. It also shows you where each program is strong. You may find you like cutting in one and grading in another.
Mistakes new editors make with software
Three mistakes come up again and again with first-year students.
The first is editing straight from the camera card. Cards get lost or wiped. Always copy the footage first.
The second is chasing effects before the cut works. A shaky story does not improve with a fancy transition. Get the order and timing right, then decorate.
The third is never learning keyboard shortcuts. Editors who use the mouse for everything work at half speed. Learn ten shortcuts in your first month and your editing will feel different.
The computer question
Students often ask which laptop to buy. The honest answer is to wait until you start the course.
Many schools have editing computers you can book. Using them first shows you what speed you really need. If you do buy, look for enough memory and a fast drive before anything else. A slow drive makes editing painful, whatever program you use.
Also ask whether the school provides software licences during the course. Some programs are free to start and some need a paid subscription. Knowing this early helps you plan costs.
Questions to ask a film course about software
Before you enrol, ask these five things:
- Which editing programs do students learn, and in what order?
- How many hours a week do students spend editing, not watching demos?
- Do students learn colour grading and motion graphics as well?
- Can students use school computers and licences outside class time?
- Do students finish projects from raw footage to a full export?
A course that answers all five clearly is teaching a job. One that only lists software names is teaching buttons.
Frequently asked questions
Which editing software is used most in Malaysia?
Agencies and production houses use a small group of paid editing suites, plus one widely used colour-first editor. No official body publishes usage figures, so ask the companies you want to work for what they use.
Is free editing software good enough to learn on?
Yes, for learning the basics. Some professional programs have free versions that are powerful enough for student work. What matters most is learning the timeline, sound and export, which work the same way everywhere.
Should I learn editing on a phone first?
Phone editors are fine for practice and social videos. They hide many steps that a professional project needs, such as file organisation and export settings. Move to a computer editor as soon as you can.
How long does it take to learn an editing program?
You can learn the basic tools in a few weeks of regular practice. Editing well takes much longer, because it depends on judgement, not tools. Read our guide on how long video editing takes to learn.
Do I need an expensive laptop for a film course?
Not at the start. Many schools let students book editing computers. Wait until you know which programs you will use, then buy a computer that runs them well.
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