Do you know that there Free video editing software Hidden inside your Microsoft Photos app? Popular and lightweight photo editor The viewer comes pre-installed on Windows 10 and Windows 11, and although JPGs and PNGs are the mainstays, it’s powerful enough to let you edit and trim your movies as well.
The best way to think of Microsoft Video Editor, which has been a staple of the Photos app since 2017, is like a modern version of Windows Movie Maker. to Video editing softwareIt’s really simple (even basic) and really accessible – and you don’t need a high-end device computer video editing to achieve results. You can upload and organize your media on your timeline, then add some special effects, 3D animations, transitions, and music.
You will never encounter the likes of DaVinci Resolve in Hollywood. It’s not even on par with Microsoft’s recent acquisition clipchampone of the Best video editing software for beginners. There are not enough tools and features here to support professional editors and videographers.
But to trim videos precisely, create quick clips and make your footage look great, Microsoft Video Editor is perfect. Best of all, editing in the app is non-destructive, so you can come back to altering effects later if you change your mind.
Here’s how to find Microsoft Video Editor and create a video from start to finish.
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How to edit videos in Microsoft Video Editor
1. Choose your files
Open the Photos app – at the end of the bar you will see the Video Editor option. Click this, then select “New Video Project”. Enter a name for your video and hit OK.
There are three panels on the home screen – Project Library, Viewer, and Storyboard (this is your timeline).
To add your media, head to the project library and hit add. Choose the location of your files, then choose Media. These will now appear in the library, accessible when you need them.
2. Arrange and trim video clips
With your videos and photos stored in the Project Library, it’s a simple case of dragging those clips onto the timeline. From here, it’s very easy to rearrange clips by simply dragging and dropping them into position.
If your clip needs to be trimmed, highlight it and select Trim from the Storyboard tools. Use the left and right handles to set a start and stop point for the video. This is useful if you just need to shave off an awkward opening or end of a video. When you’re done tweaking, tap Done.
To convert long videos into parts more easily, try using the Split function.
3. Add titles and animation effects
To add titles or captions to your video, click Add Title Card. This places a new card at the beginning of your storyboard – although you can drag and drop this deeper into your video if you need to.
Highlight this thumbnail, then tap on the text to change the style and words. There are plenty of sample fonts and background cards to suit different tones. You are free to modify the duration of title cards in the same way you trim video clips – by setting trim handles to the start and end points.
If the video is at least 2 seconds long, the text will animate as it appears. Select a style from the menu on the right (unfortunately this is not customizable), then choose a placement. When done, tap Done.
To see the motion option, first make sure a photo or video is highlighted. This adds some interesting pan and zoom effects that are especially effective for still images. Select a frame from the Storyboard, then click the icon and choose a style.
4. Apply 3D filters and effects
To give your video a completely new look, select Themes 0 present in the three-dot menu in the top-right corner. Each theme will add different music to your video, with appropriately designed titles. The app will automatically adjust how long the photos appear to sync with the music.
There are also Instagram-style filters to add a touch of elegance to your video. Click on a video or photo, then select the filters icon and choose an option. All of the presets have a vintage look and are unfortunately not customizable, but there is a pretty wide selection. Make your selection, then tap Done to confirm.
To make things even more special, select 3D effects. This is not a full 3D rendering and modeling program. These are fun particle effects that you can use to draw attention to something in your video. Subtle elements are usually the most effective, but they’re fully customizable so you can tone down the more dramatic elements. Move the green slider at the bottom of the preview window to choose when the effect should appear, and use the arrows to adjust its angle and orientation.
5. Change the music
You have two options for inserting music into your video. At the top right is the “Background Music” option and next to it is “Custom Sound”.
If you choose the background music included in the video editor, you can access a few stored audio files. Pick one, preview it, and check the “Sync your video to the beat of the music” box to keep the beat of everything. If you need some proper tunes, we’ve rounded up some of the best music samples and sound effects libraries out there for your sound stock.
On the other hand, custom audio is just a space for uploading your own recordings. So, if you’ve created narration for your video, here’s where you’ll add it to your video. Click Add Audio File, go to File Explorer to find your music, and click OK. The tracks will be added to your clip, where you will trim the clip and move it to the appropriate part of the video. Select Done to finish.
If the audio in any of your videos is too loud and drowns out the music, right-click the clip and select “Volume” to lower or mute it.
6. Save and share your video
When done, select End Video and choose the resolution option – low, medium or high. Your choice will determine the image quality, but you cannot manually set the resolution or frame rate. The video will then be rendered (which may take a while depending on your hardware), encoded in MP4 format and saved to your Pictures folder.
Once you’re done, you can share your file for free so everyone can see your latest artwork.