This is an editing toolkit tailored to short-video creators. Focusing on three core elements, shot size, camera movement, and transitions, it breaks down the underlying logic of visual storytelling and helps you move from technical execution to telling stories.
The book systematically covers the spatial storytelling principles of eight shot sizes (extreme long shot, long shot, full shot, medium shot, close-up, and extreme close-up), teaching you to convey emotion precisely through the proportion of subject to environment. It reveals the techniques behind more than ten camera movements (push, pull, pan, track, follow, crane, and orbit), so your shots can breathe. It also explains the logic behind fifteen types of transitions (hard cut, dissolve, wipe, match cut, and more), helping you avoid awkward, jarring cuts.
Unlike generic editing tutorials, this book focuses on why you make each cut. Using classic films and TV series such as The Wandering Earth and Reply 1988, it examines the storytelling intent behind shot choices. For common beginner problems like inconsistent shot sizes, monotonous camera movement, and abrupt transitions, it offers practical, ready-to-use solutions.
Whether you're new to short videos or an experienced creator looking to improve the polish of your work, this book can help you develop an editing mindset: tell great stories through your shots and move viewers with the details.
