How to Edit Videos with the YouTube Video Editor! (Updated)

Introduction

In this updated tutorial, we will take a deep dive into the YouTube Video Editor, showcasing its latest interface and features. This free built-in tool provides an easy and surprisingly powerful way to trim, splice, and edit your videos online. Whether you're looking to make quick edits to existing videos or perform more comprehensive edits on simpler projects, the YouTube Video Editor can be a great asset.

Overview of the YouTube Video Editor

Since our last tutorial, the YouTube Video Editor has undergone several upgrades. Originally designed for making quick edits to already uploaded videos, it now allows for a wider range of functionalities, including:

Trimming Sections: Remove unnecessary parts of your videos effortlessly.
Blurring Features: Blur out specific faces or sensitive information like phone numbers.
Editing Live Streams: Edit down your live streams without needing to re-upload them.
Replacing Music: Replace copyrighted music with tracks from the YouTube music library.

Accessing the YouTube Video Editor

To access the YouTube Video Editor:

Go to your YouTube channel.
Select the video you want to edit and click ‘Edit Video’.
Click on ‘Editor’ in the left sidebar.

Alternatively, if you're editing a video that is not yet public, navigate to ‘Manage Videos’ within the YouTube Studio dashboard, find your video, and click ‘Editor’ from there.

Interface Overview

Upon entering the YouTube Video Editor, you'll find several components:

Playback Area: This is where you will preview your video and see the edits you make.
Playback Controls: Use these to play, pause, skip forward, or backward.
Volume Controls: Adjust or mute the volume as needed.
Editing Timeline: See a visual representation of your video that allows you to manage your edits.
Audio Waveform: This shows the audio in your video, helping to identify where to make audio edits.

You can zoom in and out on the timeline for more precise control and access options to trim, undo, redo, and save your edits.

Trimming Your Video

To trim your video:

Enter ‘Trim Mode’ by clicking on the trim button.
Use the blue handles on the sides of your video to remove sections from the beginning or end of your video.
If you want to remove a segment from the middle of your video, you can split the clip and then select the segment to delete.

Remember that you can’t move footage around; the YouTube Video Editor is primarily for trimming existing content.

Adding Audio

You can enhance your video by adding music from YouTube’s library:

Click the plus sign (+) to add audio.
Search through the music library to find a suitable track.
Once added, you can adjust the start and end positions of the audio track and set its volume to mix it well with your primary audio.

Ads and End Screens

If you're part of the YouTube Partner Program, you can control ad placements throughout your videos. You can manually adjust or remove ads as you see fit.

You can also add end screens at the conclusion of your video. Use the options in the editor to implement templates or custom links, ensuring a smooth transition to other content.

Blurring Sections

To remove sensitive information or blur out faces:

Click on the blur area and select either ‘Face Blur’ or ‘Custom Blur’.
You can track a face or create a fixed blur on specific objects.

Saving Changes

After editing, remember to preview your video before saving. Edits are processed by YouTube, so updates don't appear instantaneously.

Now that you are familiar with the built-in YouTube Video Editor, you can explore two additional resources on external video editing software if you're looking for something more robust.

Keywords

YouTube Video Editor, video editing, trim videos, blur faces, edit live streams, replace music, audio library, ads, end screens, save changes.

FAQ

1. What can I do with the YouTube Video Editor?
You can trim, splice, and edit videos, add audio tracks, blur faces or objects, manage ad placements, and insert end screens.

2. Is the YouTube Video Editor free?
Yes, the YouTube Video Editor is a free tool available to all YouTube users.

3. Can I replace copyrighted music using the YouTube Video Editor?
Yes, you can replace copyrighted music with tracks from YouTube's audio library.

4. Where can I find the YouTube Video Editor?
You can access it from your YouTube channel by selecting a video and clicking on the ‘Editor’ option in the left sidebar.

5. How do I save my changes in the YouTube Video Editor?
You must hit the ‘Preview’ button first before the ‘Save’ option becomes available. The changes will process once saved.