Airplanes. Hotel rooms. Conference rooms. Vacation rentals. Cluttered offices. Heck, maybe even your dining room table. 

What do all of these locations have in common? They’re inopportune places where you likely had to edit at some point in your professional journey just to get a project across the finish line. 

If you’re lucky, you have a dedicated space designed for this purpose, containing all the tools necessary for your work. If you don’t, rest assured you’re not doomed to a life of calling every flat surface your computer lies on your workspace. 

With a little know-how and the right hardware, software, and space, you can create a DIY home video editing studio that lets you produce the same professional, high-quality videos the industry expects. 

In this guide, we walk you through the basic and next-level assets you need so you can set up the ideal film editing studio in your own home—and share some real-life examples to inspire your space. 

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What you need to build out your film editing studio at home

Hardware

You know you need hardware. But what kind of hardware can help take your workspace to a true home studio level? Since you already know and use the basics, we discuss some additional considerations for them below, then suggest a few that can help you take your setup to the next level. 

For sourcing hardware, we recommend suppliers like B&H and Adorama. Along with comprehensive catalogs, they have knowledgeable pros who can answer questions in person and online. Local photo and video specialists are also great for this reason. However, if you know what you’re looking for, Newegg offers competitive pricing, while Best Buy is easily one of the most accessible. 

Computer

Look, we know having a computer is obvious, but should you build off what you have or add to your arsenal? We know many creative professionals who have a laptop for portability and a dedicated desktop for their home studio setup. Others simply build on what they have. It’s really a matter of budget and preference. 

If we had to choose, building a desktop for your home studio is the way to go. Parts and upgrades are generally cheaper, and most desktops are modular, allowing you to upgrade your RAM, graphics card, and internal storage as your projects and needs grow.

Displays, monitors, and/or projectors

Your current editing system already has a monitor, but you may need more. Additional monitors can significantly improve efficiency by giving you more space to work. Plus, they provide extra visual reference so you can see how your work looks on larger and smaller screens. 

External storage

With a dedicated workspace, you no longer need to consider—or pay for—the convenience of more portable hard drives. We highly recommend switching to a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), allowing you to maximize storage capacity and transfer speeds. You also gain the safety of data redundancy, all for a fraction of the price of traditional external hard drives. 

Studio headphones and monitors

Many editors use headphones or small speakers out of sheer necessity. While they’re still a crucial tool for audio reference, adding a set of professional-level headphones and studio monitors can undoubtedly improve your current setup. 

That said, make sure you follow best practices to get the most out of your monitors. Have them isolated from the surface they sit on (most have foam bottoms to reduce vibration that may impact fidelity/accuracy) and correctly position them to achieve the best and most accurate sound (equidistant from each other and you, and aimed directly at you). 

Next-level additions

Once you have the essentials, if you’re looking to step up your game (and workflow), you may want to include these options, too.

Editing controllers

For efficiency and accuracy, editing controllers can give your workflow a real boost. Consider color-coded and software-specific keyboards, control panels like Loupedeck and DaVinci Resolve, audio mixing boards, and tablets like Wacom for precise drawing, masking, and rotoscoping. 

Green screen and camera

If you need to go beyond editing, having a green screen and video camera that meets your project’s quality standards can be a lifesaver for visual effects and compositing. 

Reliable power

Save yourself the headache of losing work by getting an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in case of unexpected power outages. 

Software

Like our hardware recommendations, some of these software tools may be obvious but are still worth mentioning for a comprehensive home video editing bay. 

Operating system

Consider our inclusion of this tool as just a reminder to make sure your OS and video editing software are compatible, especially if your home video editing studio includes an upgrade. 

Editing software

DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc. Need we say more?

Collaboration and streaming software

Unless you’re working on a personal project, chances are you collaborate with remote team members or need to showcase your work to clients. Unfortunately, simple conference tools like Zoom often don’t cut it. They simply can’t handle the rigors of streaming high-quality video in real time. 

Fortunately, there’s a handy solution for this: Evercast. Designed for professional-level video creatives (as well as music production and game development), Evercast allows users to collaborate in real time (up to 4K at 60fps) from any source with minimal lag (150ms average globally). The platform also offers comprehensive collaboration features and industry-leading support and security. 

Evercast is an excellent way to maintain professional-level dynamics both in and out of your project (and office). Just ask Fred Paragano, CAS, who’s been nominated for three MPSE and two Primetime Emmy awards, won a Golden Reel, and is featured on multiple Grammy-winning albums:

“We used it for the spotting session [with directors and editors in San Francisco and producers in New York], and it worked flawlessly. The clients were very impressed—and that, of course, makes us look good, too…Being able to remain in my location but still work with clients worldwide opens up so many more possibilities.”