Video editing how-tos
Video editing how-tos are the everyday tasks most people need without learning a full editor: trimming a clip, cropping it to a new shape, merging files, changing speed, adding text, music or a watermark, and shrinking a file so it can be sent. Most of these jobs take a minute with a free tool on a phone, a computer or in the browser. These guides walk through each task step by step on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac, with free methods first, and also cover recording your screen, webcam and microphone, working with the audio track, and fixing the usual problems: no sound, audio out of sync and a quiet mic.
34 guides in this topic
Start here
- How to Trim a Video (iPhone, Android, PC, Mac)How to trim a video for free: drag the handles in Photos (iPhone), Google Photos (Android), Clipchamp (Windows) or QuickTime (Mac), or use …
- How to Crop a Video (Any Aspect Ratio, Free)How to crop a video for free on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows or with FFmpeg, plus the exact crop sizes for 9:16, 1:1 and 4:5 from a 16:9 v…
- How to Merge Videos Into One (Free, 4 Ways)How to merge videos into one file for free: a browser tool with no upload, iMovie on iPhone, Clipchamp on Windows, or FFmpeg's concat. With…
- How to Compress a Video Without Losing QualityCompress a video without visible quality loss: re-encode with H.264 or H.265 at a sensible bitrate or RF, keep the resolution, and check th…
- How to Add Text to a Video (Free, Any Device)How to add text to a video for free: titles, labels and calls to action in a browser tool, in the TikTok or Instagram editor, or with FFmpe…
How do you trim, merge, loop and change a video's speed?
Trim first to remove what you don't need, then join the pieces. How to trim a video covers iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac, and how to merge videos into one joins clips on any device. For repeats and effects, see how to loop a video and how to reverse a video. To change pace, speed up a video for time-lapses and tutorials, or slow down a video smoothly; slow motion looks best from footage shot at a higher frame rate. Cut on a pause or a change of shot so the joins don't jump, and keep a copy of the original in case you trim too much.
How do you change a video's shape, size or orientation?
Crop to cut the frame to a new ratio, or resize with padding to keep everything in shot. How to crop a video to 9:16, 1:1 or 4:5 and resizing a video without cropping cover both approaches, and converting horizontal video to vertical handles 16:9 to 9:16. Filmed sideways? Rotate the video. To make the file smaller, follow how to compress a video without losing quality: lowering the resolution to what the destination shows and exporting as H.264 MP4 does most of the work. To hit a hard limit, how to compress a video to 100 MB gives the bitrate for every length. Going the other way, how to upscale a video to 1080p or 4K explains what resizing and AI upscaling can and can't fix, and how to stabilize a shaky video covers phone, Mac, Premiere and FFmpeg.
How do you add text, a watermark, blur or a GIF?
Overlays go on top of the picture and are rendered into the export. Guides: how to add text to a video, how to add a watermark or logo and how to blur a face or object. To pull images out instead, see how to get a still image from a video and how to convert a video to GIF. Keep text and logos away from the edges, where phone apps place their buttons, and use a size that stays readable on a small screen.
How do you edit a video's audio track?
Treat the sound as its own track: replace it, extract it, raise it or cut it. How to add music to a video without copyright problems, how to remove audio from a video, how to extract audio from a video, how to make audio louder without distortion and how to cut an MP3 or audio file cover each job. For podcasts, make an audiogram from an audio clip. If sound and picture don't line up, see how to fix audio out of sync with video.
How do you record your screen, webcam and microphone?
Your computer has free recorders built in; the main thing is choosing the right audio source before you start. How to screen record covers Windows, Mac and Chromebook, how to record a webcam video and how to record audio on a computer do the same for camera and mic, and how to use a teleprompter helps you read to camera. When something fails, check screen recording has no sound, webcam not working and how to test your microphone.
Every guide in this topic
- Audio Cutter: How to Cut an MP3 Online (Free)Free audio cutter and MP3 cutter online: trim the start and end, remove a middle part, add fades, make a ring…
- How to Add a Watermark or Logo to a VideoHow to add a watermark or logo to a video: text in your browser, a logo in any editor or with FFmpeg's overla…
- How to Add Music to a Video (Without Copyright Strikes)How to add music to a video on a phone, PC or with FFmpeg, how loud to set it under speech, and where to find…
- How to Add Text to a Video (Free, Any Device)How to add text to a video for free: titles, labels and calls to action in a browser tool, in the TikTok or I…
- How to Bleep Out Words in a Video (Free Ways)To bleep a word, find its timestamp, mute the audio for that moment and add a 1 kHz beep. Steps for CapCut, i…
- How to Blur a Face or Object in a VideoHow to blur a face, licence plate or screen in a video: YouTube Studio's face blur, desktop editors, or FFmpe…
- How to Compress a Video to 100 MB (or Any Size)To compress a video to 100 MB, work out the bitrate from its length, lower the resolution if needed, and enco…
- How to Compress a Video Without Losing QualityCompress a video without visible quality loss: re-encode with H.264 or H.265 at a sensible bitrate or RF, kee…
- How to Convert Horizontal Video to VerticalHow to convert horizontal video to vertical (16:9 to 9:16) without losing the speaker: crop sizes, speaker tr…
- How to Crop a Video (Any Aspect Ratio, Free)How to crop a video for free on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows or with FFmpeg, plus the exact crop sizes for 9…
- How to Extract Audio from a Video (Free)How to extract audio from a video for free: a browser tool (WAV, no upload), FFmpeg commands for MP3 or lossl…
- How to Fix Audio Out of Sync With VideoAudio out of sync? Check if it's a fixed delay or a growing drift. Shift the audio to fix a delay; fix drift …
- How to Get a Still Image From a VideoGet a still image from a video at full resolution: a free browser frame grabber, Google Photos Export frame, …
- How to Loop a Video (Free, Online or FFmpeg)How to loop a video so it repeats in one file: a free browser looper with no upload, FFmpeg's -stream_loop, a…
- How to Make an Audiogram for a PodcastHow to make an audiogram for a podcast: pick a 30-60 s clip, add an image, a waveform and captions, export 9:…
- How to Make Audio Louder Without DistortionBoost by 6 dB (double the amplitude) with a limiter, or normalize the peak to -1 dB. dB table, loudness targe…
- How to Merge Videos Into One (Free, 4 Ways)How to merge videos into one file for free: a browser tool with no upload, iMovie on iPhone, Clipchamp on Win…
- How to Record Audio on a Computer (Windows, Mac)Record audio on a computer with a browser recorder, Windows Sound Recorder, QuickTime or Voice Memos on a Mac…
- How to Record Yourself on a Webcam (Free)Record yourself with a webcam for free: a browser recorder with no upload, the Windows Camera app or QuickTim…
- How to Remove Audio from a Video (Free)How to remove audio from a video for free: a browser tool with no upload, Google Photos' Mute, FFmpeg's -an, …
- How to Resize a Video Without Cropping ItResize a video for Reels, TikTok, Shorts or YouTube without cropping: pick the size, then a blurred backgroun…
- How to Reverse a Video (Play It Backwards, Free)How to reverse a video and play it backwards for free: a browser tool with reversed or muted sound, CapCut, o…
- How to Rotate a Video (Phone, PC, Online)How to rotate a video 90 or 180 degrees for free: iPhone Photos, Google Photos, a browser tool with no upload…
- How to Screen Record on Windows, Mac, iPhone and AndroidHow to screen record with sound for free: Snipping Tool (Win+Shift+R), Shift-Command-5 on Mac, Control Center…
- How to Slow Down a Video (Smooth Slow Motion)Slow a video to 0.5× or 0.25× in your browser, on a phone or with FFmpeg. For smooth slow motion, record at 6…
- How to Speed Up a Video (Fast Forward, Free)How to speed up a video or make it fast forward for free: a browser tool from 0.25× to 4× with no upload, iPh…
- How to Stabilize a Shaky Video (Phone, PC, Mac, FFmpeg)Fix shaky video for free: Google Photos on Android, iMovie on Mac, Warp Stabilizer in Premiere, or FFmpeg's v…
- How to Test a Microphone (and Fix a Quiet Mic)Test a mic in 30 seconds: speak, watch the meter (peaks around -20 to -6 dB), record 5 seconds and listen. Wi…
- How to Trim a Video (iPhone, Android, PC, Mac)How to trim a video for free: drag the handles in Photos (iPhone), Google Photos (Android), Clipchamp (Window…
- How to Upscale a Video to 1080p or 4K (and When Not To)Upscale a video with FFmpeg (free, lanczos) or an AI upscaler like Topaz Video. What upscaling can and can't …
- How to Use a Teleprompter (Speed, Setup, Tips)Set the teleprompter to 130-160 words per minute, put the text just under the lens, use short lines and a tes…
- Screen Recording Has No Sound? Fixes for Every DeviceNo sound in a screen recording? The mic or system audio wasn't selected, or permission is off. Fixes for Mac …
- Video to GIF: How to Convert a Video to a GIF (Free)Video to GIF, free: pick a 2-6 second clip, 10-15 fps and about 480 px wide, then convert in your browser wit…
- Webcam Not Working? 9 Fixes for Chrome, Windows, MacWebcam not working? Usually a blocked permission, another app using the camera, or a privacy switch. Fixes by…
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a video file smaller?
Lower the resolution to what the destination needs, export as H.264 MP4, and reduce the bitrate. A one-minute 1080p clip at about 5 Mbps is roughly 40 MB.
Why is my screen recording silent?
Most recorders capture only the microphone by default. Turn on system or tab audio in the recorder's settings before you start, and check the right input is selected.