The need to trim audio, video, and images is like the need to cut your hair: yes. No matter how great your raw footage or solo track, trimming is a critical part of the editing process, especially when prepping your content for an audience.
So let’s get right to it. Whether you need to trim audio to a specific length, clip video clips, edit video length, or all three to make the perfect compilation, here's how to trim, clip, cut, [insert your favorite verb here] videos in seconds with WeVideo's easy-to-use Trim tool.
How to trim video clips in four easy steps
- Open your video clip in our video editor (pssst…you can do this for free).
- Select the clip on your timeline, then use the Trim tool to trim the beginning or end.
- Customize further: edit video clips together, add text, music, transitions, and more.
- Export your project and share!
There’s the quick and easy. Read on for the full download on trimming audio, video, and images in both our desktop editor and the WeVideo mobile app.
Step 1: Open your video clip
In WeVideo, click Create > Video, then choose whether to use the full-featured editor (see: all the options) or a simplified version for quick and basic editing.
Already have a project cooking? Great. Open it from your Projects folder on the left.
Step 2: Use the Trim tool to trim audio and video
Time to trim! Select the video clip or image (or audio clip) from your timeline. Once it’s selected, hover over either the beginning or end of the clip, and you’ll be prompted to trim via the ←→ icon. Click on it, then hold and drag. Voila!
Pro tip: Need to get granular with the amount of video that you slice off? Use the magnifier in the bottom right corner of the editor to zoom in on your footage, as close as 1/10 of a second!
Step 3: Customize further
Once you’ve clipped your video, what’s next? WeVideo comes loaded to the brim with tools you can use to customize your video exactly how you want. Merge clips together, add music, text, transitions, and more.
Step 4: Export and share
When your video’s all set, click Export (the blue button) in the top right corner to export and share with your crowd. You’ll be prompted to name the project if you haven’t already. Choose to export as an MP4, Podcast, or GIF. Then select your resolution.
Fun fact: WeVideo Professional and Business subscribers have a treasure trove of social sharing options directly from the WeVideo editor. Boom!
How are trimming, splitting, and cropping clips different?
Trimming, splitting, and cropping clips are common video editing techniques (and all can be done quickly in our online video editor!), but they all do different things.
Trimming clips:
As we’ve explained, when you trim a clip, you shorten it to edit the video’s length. There’s a variety of reasons to do this: unnecessary footage, length constrictions, emphasizing the most important part of a clip, matching footage with music, etc.
Splitting clips:
Splitting (or slicing) a video clip means cutting it into separate pieces. If you’re working with a really long clip, then splitting it into multiple clips can be helpful (and afterward, you’ll probably find yourself cutting sections out altogether).
Cropping clips:
When you crop a video, you remove an unwanted visual area of the clip. Note, you aren’t changing the video’s length at all; rather, its aspect ratio. A common reason to do this would be when creating social media content.
For example, Instagram has different video length, aspect ratio, and resolution specs depending on what type of video content you make.
How to trim videos in the WeVideo mobile app
There’s nothing better than being able to edit on the go with the WeVideo mobile app (available for iOS and Android). And just like in the web-based video editor, trimming a clip is easy-breezy.
To clip a video in the WeVideo mobile app:
- Tap the Create video button to select a video, or open an existing project from your homescreen.
- Select the desired video clip on your timeline.
- Use the sliders on either side of the selected clip to trim it.
- Tap off the clip in order to save your changes.
The best part? All paid WeVideo subscribers can start projects in the mobile app, then quickly copy them over to our web editor to continue working (perfect for educators who are teaching multimedia creation in the classroom!). Enjoy the creative flexibility of editing on the mobile app, plus the robust tool selection on desktop.