This post was written in 2016 – these instructions are outdated
Editing Videos in YouTube
If you are already logged into your YouTube Account, go to https://www.youtube.com/editor.
If not, log into YouTube and click the Upload Button in the upper right hand corner. The following screen will appear. Click the Edit button in the Video editor section.
Choose the Video you want to edit
Click on the video you want to edit and drag it underneath the editing screen (where it says “Drag videos here).
Trim the Length
If you want to trim off a second or two at the end of your video, click on the tiny window and drag the video clip inwards. You can play the video in the larger screen above to see how the ending looks and fine-tune your edit.
If all you need to do is trim the length, then you can add a new title and click “Create Video” and you’re done.
Adding Videos Together
You can edit two videos together – drag them both down into the “Drag videos here” area. If you decide you want to get rid of one of the videos, click on the little “X” to remove it.
Quick Fixes
These options include adjusting brightness and contrast, adding slow motion, pans and zooms. I’ve never had great success with the “stabilize video option.” I recommend using a tripod whenever possible to get good quality footage, rather than hoping this will fix shakiness. It re-encodes the video and does not always look better. You can use the “preview effects side-by-side” to see the differences before you save any changes.
Filters
Different filter options change how your video looks.
It’s fun to preview the effects side-by-side. When you are finished, select Create Video.
Adding a Text OverLay
Play the video, or drag the white circle to the place where you would like to add Text. Click on the “Enable Text” button and add your text in the box under “Text.” You can choose font, styles, color, position, height and opacity levels, (opacity is also known as transparency – or how much you can see through it).
Audio
With audio edits, you can change the Volume, Pan, Bass, and Treble.
If you want to learn more about video pre-production and editing on YouTube, check out the YouTube Creator Academy. If you have any questions for me, would like to work together, or have a tutorial you’d like to see, please get in touch. Best, ~Marjorie