UGC editing is not about showing off. It is about making sure nobody stops watching. And all of it is done on the phone, without a computer and without expensive licences.

The apps worth using

CapCut for ninety per cent of cases: fast cuts, automatic subtitles, templates. InShot as a lightweight alternative. Instagram's native editing only for minimal touch ups.

One practical tip: export at the highest available quality and deliver the original file, not a compressed messaging link. A video that arrives pixelated makes a terrible impression.

Pace is the main technique

Cut every pause. Every breath, every filler word, every dead second between sentences. A forty second video with the pauses removed becomes twenty eight and retains far better.

The simple rule: if you are unsure whether a second is surplus, it is surplus.

Bilingual subtitles, your advantage

Here is the Costa Rican differentiator. Deliver the same piece with two subtitle versions, one in Spanish and one in English, and suddenly your video serves both the local audience and the visitor.

Automatic subtitles get place names, brands and local terms wrong. Always review them, in both languages. A mistake in English in a video for a hotel is reason enough not to call you again.

Short sentences, one idea per line, in the middle third of the screen.

Sound before image

Level the voice so it sounds even from start to finish. If there is music, keep it far underneath. In advertising, loud music ruins more pieces than any framing mistake.

And always use royalty free music: a licensed track can get the brand's ad taken down.

What to remove

Flashy transitions, nervous zooms, trend effects that age in two months, filters that change the real colour of the product or the landscape. UGC is bought because it looks real.

Deliver versions, not one piece

Deliver the main video, two versions with a different opening and a version without burned in subtitles so the client can add their own.

That turns one delivery into three, justifies a higher price and gets you hired again without arguing about the rate.

Where to go next

Editing quickly and cleanly is what lets you take on more jobs per month. Our guide on how to become a UGC creator covers the rest of the craft.