Split and Edit HD Video Using Free Software

Imagine you're using your phone to record an embarrassing selfie when suddenly, a cat races through the scene behind you with a dog in hot pursuit! Incredibly, at that very moment a CLOWN CAR pulls up to the stop light and the cat dashes in through the driver's open window, and the dog dives in after it, causing TWENTY CLOWNS to come bursting out of the funny little vehicle!! The cat and dog take off through an open door and the clowns quickly pile back in the tiny car and drive off as the light turns green.

Amazing! And you recorded the entire thing! You have the world's funniest video and it's going to go viral! But what about those embarrassing selfies at the beginning, are you really looking for that kind of attention? Wouldn't it be nice if you could just split and edit the video to remove that embarrassing part? For free? You can, and here's how!

About 90% of personal computers are running on a Microsoft Windows operating system^[1], which usually comes bundled with a handy little piece of software called "Windows Movie Maker".

The odds are, this is probably the quickest and easiest solution to splitting and editing your video clips, so let's take a quick look at it first, and then we'll explore some other options that will appeal to Apple Mac OSX users as well.

1. 1
   Open Windows Movie Maker

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   1. Drag your mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen and click on the Windows Start icon.
   2. You might have a similar icon built into your keyboard and pressing this will also open the Windows Start menu.
   3. Type Windows Movie Maker, and click on the matching result from the list to open the program. If you typed in the entire phrase without typos, there should only be one match. In some cases it may say Windows Live Movie Maker, and that's fine too. As a shortcut, you can just type the word Movie, but you'll have to pay closer attention to the search results since they may offer additional options when the search parameter is less defined.
      
   4. If for some reason Movie Maker is not already installed on your Windows computer, you can download Download Windows Movie here.
      

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2. 2
   Import Video Clip

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   Great! If you've made it this far, the rest is a cinch!

    

   1. If you've already located the video file you want to edit, just drag and drop it to the large open area in the Movie Maker workspace.
   2. Otherwise, just click on the icon near the top left of the screen that says Add Videos and Photos, and navigate to the file that way. Don't forget to connect your camera first!
      
   3. Movie Maker will automatically start converting the video file into a Windows format it understands. It might take several minutes depending on the video so be patient and keep an eye on the Preparing Video progress bar at the bottom of the workspace until it's done.
      

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3. 3
   Open Video Editor Tab

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   Select the Video Tools - Edit menu tab near the top of the workspace to open the video editing tools.

   

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4. 4
   Split Clip

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   Use the mouse and play button to find the point in the video where you want to split it, then click on the Split icon.

   

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5. 5
   Edit Clip

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   Click on the first half of the split clip that you want to remove, then press the delete button on your keyboard.

   

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6. 6
   Now that you've accomplished the basic edit, why not experiment with some other features, like

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   1. Adjusting the speed.
   2. Adding fade in at the start and fade out at the end.
   3. Adding music.
   4. If you try something you don't like, just type Ctrl-z, or click the Undo icon near the top left to undo the last action, and then try something else.
      

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7. 7
   Export Video

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   Once you're satisfied with your editing, click the Save Movie - For Computer icon near the top right and choose a name and save location for your video. If you don't know where to save it, try Desktop.

   

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8. 8
   When it's done saving, press the Play button to review your final work.

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9. 9
   Save Project

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   Don't forget to save the Movie Maker Project file as well. This will allow you to come back later and fine-tune the edits you just made and export alternate edits of your video.

   

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If you've graduated beyond the simple split clip edit and are looking for something more robust than what Windows Movie Maker has to offer, there are some really incredible free options for video editing available, ranging all the way to professional grade software like Lightworks (download here)^[2]

and Resolve (download here)^[3].

Another excellent video editing tool that has recently joined the ranks of free software is the latest release of Hitfilm, and it's available for PC or Mac.

HitFilm 3 Express

HitFilm Ultimate is a full-featured and versatile video, 3D and VFX editing software that is making a name for itself as a serious contender in the world of video production, and has an active and growing community for support. To attract even more users, they have released their basic version of HitFilm 3 Express, which includes all the essential tools with the option to purchase additional advanced components if the need arises.

Top Reasons to Switch to HitFilm for Video Editing

• Lots of Features
• Easy to Use
• Plentiful Support
• PC and Mac
• Minimal System Requirements

Here's how to get started with a basic Split Clip Edit.

1. 1
   Sign Up, Download and Install HitFilm 3 Express here^[4], then open the program and click New project, then Start Editing.

   

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2. 2
   Import your raw footage, or drag and drop it into the Media folder on the left.

   
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