Editing a video on YouTube is not complicated. Many people don't realize that the YouTube site offers free video editing software, which allows you to edit your videos and stitch them into clips with transitions. You also have the option to add special effects or make enhancements and even rotate the video or slow it down. There are several professional video editing software that you can buy to edit your videos, but you can also find some that are free.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: upload videos to YouTube
Step 1. Create a YouTube account
If you already had a YouTube account, all you need to do is sign in to it. In order to use YouTube video editing software, you must have an account with the site. The video editor and the toolbar allow you to combine several video sequences or images, to trim your clips, to add musical samples to them or to personalize them by adding special effects. If you don't already have a YouTube account, you can easily create one.
- Go to the YouTube site and click on the subscribe button located in the upper right corner. Then click on Create an account and all you need then is your Gmail email address. If you don't have one, click Create an account at the bottom of Google's registration page. This will redirect you to a page where you can create your account.
- Once your YouTube account is created, you will then need to go to the video editor application. Click on the icon Upload at the top right of the page, then on To modify. The video editing bar will appear at the top of the page and you just have to click on it.
- You can also go directly to the page using the YouTube.com/editor link.
Step 2. Upload one or more videos to YouTube
To create a single video, you can use up to 50 video clips and 500 images. First, you need to import the videos you want to use.
- To import a video from your computer, all you need to do is click on the import button at the top of the page, once you have logged in. Choose privacy settings, then select the video you want to import. As the video loads, you can change basic information and advanced settings, and then decide if you want your followers to be notified.
- Click on Publish if you want the video to be made public. Choose in the privacy settings the options Not listed Where Private if you want the video to be shared privately. You will receive an email informing you that your video has been posted.
- To import a video from an iOS device, sign in to your YouTube account. Open the guide in the upper left corner, then go to My chain. Click on the import button, then choose the video from your gallery. You will then have to press the confirmation button and modify the title, tags, description and privacy settings. Once done, click on the import button.
- The videos will be automatically added to the video editing software.
Step 3. Go through the tabs of the editing software
There you will see six tabs where you will find the various video editing and enhancing tools.
- The first tab on the left gathers all the videos that you will have imported. There you will see a camera icon and you can browse your clips.
- The second tab contains Creative Commons videos. These are royalty-free videos that you can use without any problem. You can search for specific videos in this bundle by typing keywords into the search bar, after clicking the Creative Commons (CC) icon at the top left of the video editor.
- The third tab is represented by a camera icon and gives you the option to import images.
- The fourth tab allows you to add music and bears the icon of a musical note.
- The fifth tab contains the transitions that you can use to link the various edited videos. He wears the icon of a bow tie.
- The last tab allows you to add a title to the video being edited in the timeline.
Step 4. Drag your video (s) into the timeline
Choose a video that you imported or one that you took from Creative Commons videos or even both, then hover your mouse over the ones you choose. Click on the + sign that appears to move the video in the timeline.
- You can also drag the chosen images or clip directly to the timeline, where it is listed. Drag videos here.
- If you are looking to merge two videos, you just need to click on both and drag them into the timeline.
Part 2 of 4: turn video into clips
Step 1. Reduce your video
You can reduce the duration of a clip after you put it in the timeline. Maybe there are some clips in the video that you don't like and want to get rid of, or you just simply want the video to be shorter.
- Place your cursor over the video you placed in the timeline and select the scissors that appear in the box. These scissors will allow you to reduce the size of your video.
- Click on the slider on the left and pull it to the right. This will remove the entire portion of the video to the right. You can perform the same operation with the slider on the left. Click on the scissors and save. This will remove the entire portion of the video in gray.
- To remove a middle portion of a video, you need to place that video twice in the timeline. Then, you just have to reduce them so that they meet.
- If, on the contrary, you want to increase the duration of the video, pull the slider from the center of the video outwards. Note that if you extend the video beyond its original size, it will repeat itself.
Step 2. Add transitions
To add a transition, choose one of the models offered when you have clicked on the edit tab at the top of the editing software. This tab is represented by a bow tie.
- Drag your chosen transition to the middle of two snippets. You have 17 transitions at your disposal. However, using too many effects can make a video look like an amateur.
- To combine several extracts, you just need to drag them into the timeline and arrange them in the desired order.
Part 3 of 4: Adding Touchups and Effects
Step 1. Choose the effects icon
By putting the cursor on the video placed in the timeline, you can choose the effects on the right icon that appears. This icon looks like a magic wand.
- A dialog box will appear and you will be able to choose effects. For example, you can decide to adopt black and white for the video, change the contrast and brightness or stabilize the video.
- The middle icon allows you to rotate the video.
Step 2. Add edits to your video
These options allow you to add filters, change the color and improve the rendering of your videos.
- To make touch-ups, go to the Video manager from your YouTube channel. Select the video you want to edit and click To modify to apply the various modifications. Choose the features available on your computer and save when you are done by choosing Save as.
- Among the editing tools available are those that stabilize camera movements, slow playback speed, speed up playback speed, cut parts of video, blur faces, rotate video, and apply filters.
- Your video should be less than two hours long and have fewer than 100,000 views for you to use these editing tools.
- You can preview the changes by dragging the middle line to make a side-by-side comparison between the new version and the old one. Click on the tab to find the different retouching tools available or on the filters tab to see the different color filters available.
Step 3. Add background music
You have the option to add music to your video by choosing free tracks available at the music tab at the top of the video editor interface.
- Under the Video Manager, choose the video you want to edit, then click on the edit button to select the desired audio track. You can add the tracks placed on the right side. You can also type the song titles you are looking for in the search bar. When you are done, click Save.
- You can also import your own musical samples or reduce the audio tracks. If you are using an audio track, YouTube will add an advertisement to your video.
- It may take some time to load the audio track.
Step 4. Add comments to YouTube videos
Click the edit button on the left of the screen, just above your video.
- You can also use the same button to create a description and a title that will appear below the video.
- You should choose tags and a category, as this will help people find your video when they search for items related to the topic it is discussing. If you don't, very few people will be able to find your video.
Part 4 of 4: Edit with Movie Maker
Step 1. Choose another editing software, such as Movie Maker
The latter is a free program that you can easily find on your computer if its operating system is Windows. It is very similar to YouTube video editing software. However, with this software, you will first need to edit your video on the computer before posting it to YouTube.
- The equivalent of Windows Movie Maker on Macs is called iMovie. You can also buy professional video editing software. Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro are among the choices available, but they can be expensive.
- If you have a computer that has a Windows system, you should be able to find Windows Movie Maker in the Start menu. Copy the video from your phone or camera to your computer by USB, then launch Movie Maker.
Step 2. Choose a video from Movie Maker
The process is rather straightforward and is very similar to that followed with YouTube video editing software. You will also place videos in a timeline so that you can edit them and add effects.
- Click on Import video in the left sidebar. You will need to choose a name for your video and the location where it will be saved on your computer. Choose the best clip quality when the dialog box appears.
- Choose whether you want to import the full video or parts. It depends on how many sequences you have. Then click on Following. Once done, the tape rewinding process will begin followed by capturing the video and then saving the file. Click on To end to exit the import process. However, if the sequences you want to use are already imported, you can still stop the import by pressing Stop.
- This will break up the video footage into several clips. Choose as many snippets as you want to use and drag them into the timeline.
Step 3. Edit a clip
The next step will be to edit the video in small segments or remove the parts of the video that you are not interested in. If for example there is a part of the clip where the video is unstable, you can remove it during editing.
- Choose a video. Click on Show editing table and select the desired clip. The latter will appear in the player and when you press the play button, you will see a small button at the bottom right of the screen. This is the edit button.
- Click on this button to remove part of your clip. This will separate the sequence into two portions. Delete the portion in the middle that you don't want by right clicking on it, then choosing the delete option.
Step 4. Add effects
Sometimes you will want to improve the quality of your video by increasing the brightness or adding filters or other special effects. You can do this easily with Movie Maker.
- If you want to improve the quality of the video, select it and then right click on it. When the menu appears, choose the effects. There you will find many options to enhance your clip. For example, you can reduce the brightness or add other tones. Make your choices, then save when you're done.
- To decrease or increase the volume of the audio track, select the clip and press the audio button on the far left. Make your adjustments then save.
- To insert credits, go to the overview and click on a clip. Choose Tools in the top menu then select Titles and credits. Choose where you are going to add the title and enter it in the box that appears.
Step 5. Add music
To add music to your video, choose timeline view and import music into Movie Maker. You will see this displayed at the top of the screen.
Drag the music into the Audio / Music section where you want it to appear in the video, then save
Step 6. Export the video file
Go to the menu File then choose Save the movie. Click on To start up then post it on YouTube.
Advice
- YouTube generally accepts videos with a resolution of 1080 x 720 and 1920 x 1080 pixels (which is equivalent to 16: 9 widescreen aspect ratio) although higher resolution means more loading time. The maximum is 1 GB for size and 15 minutes for duration (except for some users). Most of the video formats that the site accepts include AVI, WMV, MPG, and MOV.
- Improve your production skills by studying aspects like using scripts or mockups to improve the quality of your videos.