Here are the steps to edit and process the video from an event

Total average time involved at bottom

1. Capturing. This is the process of feeding your tapes to the computer and putting them on hard drive for use in editing. If you've gotten to this point in editing, you should have some editing set up already and some knowledge of how to do this in whatever program you're using. Some capturing just loads an entire tape as one piece and other batch capturing will load the entire tape in separate clips automatically (more convenient). For 3 hours of video it takes 3 hours to transfer files computer time. 10 minutes editor time (editor time means the person's time doing the editing)

2. Choosing clips and cutting out junk. This would be the time to decide the order of your video, if doing an intro, copy some of the best clips into one folder to use for this. Cut out any extra unusable footage, etc. You have to view all the footage (3 hours of video it takes 3 hours of editor time)

3. Multi-camera event: Syncing clips. With video from the 2 cameras laid out on separate tracks, you should find a point that happens in both shots that is easily identifiable (entering the ceremony a speech starting, etc) and line them up. Then look for an exact frame within the 2 shots, such as a clap, a flash, a raising of the hand, etc. We call these sync points. Line up the frames and play the shots with the audio together and it should sound the same. You can also look at the audio waveforms for the corresponding clips and sometimes they can be visually matched up as well, especially if there's any abrupt loud sounds like a clap. (if multi-camera 1.5 hours more)

4. Adding background music. This is where you start being creative and making your event into a nice production. Choose the few instrumentals or songs you will use as background during, beginning and ending the event. This sets the tone of the event and is an important part of bringing good continuity into the changing scenes throughout the intro, photo collage (if used), portions of the reception and so on. About (30 to 45 minutes editor time) minutes to place music and lead ins and lead outs (volume tapering up or down)

5. Editing with cuts and fading. Basic editing guidelines are cutting on action or movement fade or soft cut on slow scenes. Especially if this is a multi-camera shoot, it will take sometime to go through the ceremony and other events cutting and fading back and forth between the two cameras. If it's a single camera then you'll mostly just be cutting from scene to scene or fading from one to the next. Don't over do the fades and make them too long or drawn out. Especially don't switch around too much during long speaking parts. Give it some time on each shot and keep the continuity flowing and smooth. 3-4 hours editor time. Plus 1.5 hours (average 8 hour wedding after all the cuts and clips placed) required to view entire to check that everything is perfect.

6.  A photo collage. If you have some photosof the bride and groom growing up, as well as times together, this would be a good place to put them in. You can use the same background music and continue on after the intro to your video or fade into a new piece. Play a nice video background behind and have the photos flip in and out or fade or whatever you like. Just don't play a single photo more than about 6-8 seconds including the fading or it'll become dreary. From this photo collage you could fade to the ceremony or wedding prep shots. If you don't have graphics backgrounds you can also play these photos over video shots from the wedding, like scenery or wedding prep, if you don't make it too busy.15 to 30 minutes editor time

7. Titles. This doesn't have to be done last, but at some point you'll be using your editing program or title plug-in program to lay intro titles, location, ending and so on. Use a nice flowing font that goes with the theme or any background titles you have. Just make sure they are clear and visible as your final may be a slightly lower quality and less visible. 15 to 30 minutes editor time

8. Rendering edited sequence. 4-8 hours computer time (done overnight so it won't tie up computer) 15 minutes editor time. Rendering to one video file capable of playing on a computer.

9. DVD authoring. and put it together in your DVD authoring software. Now you just have to render it to a DVD format. This is where you add a menu and chapters. 15 minutes to assemble The menu is created in Photoshop. 15 minutes to assemble. Plus 4-8 hours computer transcoding from video file to DVD file computer time (done overnight so it won't tie up computer)

10. Burning DVD from DVD image file 15 minutes Checking DVD to make sure everything works minimum15 minutes.

    For an 8 hour one camera wedding/reception: total average of 10 hours 20 minutes video editor time minimum. 12 hours rendering and trans-coding time

    For a 2 hour one camera wedding/reception: total average of 4 hours 40 minutes video editor time minimum (all steps still need to be done for a short wedding). 7 hours rendering and trans-coding time

    This does not include loading and unloading camera equipment, charging batteries, driving to and from wedding/reception site.