How to Use CapCut – The Complete Guide for

Beginners
By Cecilia Hwung | Last Update: Jan. 13, 2023
Quick Navigation
How to Use CapCut App
Introducing CapCut Interface
How to Do Basic Editing in CapCut
How to Use Overlays in CapCut
How to Edit Text in CapCut
How to Edit Audio in CapCut
How to Apply Advanced Editing in CapCut
How to Export Video from CapCut

CapCut is a free video editor developed by the same

company that create the TikTok app. After its global
launch in April 2020, this easy-to-use video editing
app soon take a large share in the editing market.
After all, the large user base of TikTok contributes to
the growth of the CapCut app.

So, how to use CapCut to create videos easily for

sharing or just for fun? We compiled the complete
guide to make good edits using CapCut, covering
everything from creating a new project, applying
basic edits, venturing for advanced features, to
exporting the video.

How to Use CapCut App

Step 1. Install CapCut app and open it.

Note: CapCut also has a desktop version so that
you can edit videos on a bigger screen more easily.
Step 2. Tap the "New Project" icon to create a
project.
Step 3. Tap to select one or multiple video clips and
hit Add.
Step 4. Start editing on the timeline.

Tips:
1. CapCut will save the project draft automatically.
You can pause and resume editing anytime.
2. For automatic quick editing, you can also use the
Short Cut feature to create videos in 1-click.

Introducing the CapCut Interface

 Preview Window: You can playback video,

or pinch, drag, rotate and interact with the
clips directly inside the preview window.
 Timeline: You can assemble, arrange, and
apply edits to video, audio, overlay, effects,
and text tracks.
 Main Toolbar: All the tools you need can be
found here. The Main Toolbar shows up when
there is no clip selected on the timeline.
 Sub Toolbar: They are toolbars dedicated
for different tracks and clips on the timeline.
 For instance, there are sub toolbars for videos
clips, text, audio, overlays and so on.
You can also watch the video tutorial below.

How to Do Basic Editing in CapCut

How to Trim Videos in CapCut

After adding videos to the timeline, follow these

steps to trim videos in CapCut:
1.Tap the video clip, you shall see white frames
around it.
2.Tap and hold on the white edge, and drag it
to trim the video.
3.You can also drag the opposite position to
retrieve trimmed parts.
When you are trimming videos by dragging the
edges, the adjacent clips will move along. In this
way, there won't be gaps (and hence black screens)
in your project.
If you want to trim out a section in the middle, you
need to split the footage, and delete the clip in the
middle. Read below.

How to Split Clips in CapCut

To split a video clip in CapCut, follow these steps:

1.Tap the video clip to make sure it is selected.
2.Hit the Split icon at the bottom of CapCut.
By splitting the video, you can perform the following
edits:
  Add transitions in between after creating the
split;
 Remove unwanted parts by tapping the split

clip, and hit the Delete icon at the bottom of

the screen;
 Insert new clips in between two video clips.

How to Resize Videos in CapCut

When you are trying to share videos to certain social
platforms, the original video you created for another
platform may not fit. Resizing videos in CapCut can
make your video best fit the social media, and offer
better viewing experiences for your followers.
To resize videos in CapCut, follow these steps:
1.Tap the video clip that you want to change
size.
2.Tap the Format icon at the bottom of the
editor.
3.Choose a different as aspect ratio.
For instance, if you want to change horizontal videos
to vertical, so as to better fit TikTok, you can use
the 9:16 dimension.
When resizing the video, it is inevitable that some
parts may be cropped, or are surrounded by black
bars. In such a case, you can use the Canvas
feature to polish the video.

1.After change format, tap the Canvas icon on

the toolbar at the bottom screen.
2.Tap the Color icon to change background
color.
3.Use the Background feature to add pictures
as the video background.
How to Mirror Video in CapCut
Mirror a video is a way to flip the video horizontally,
or to create an interesting effect when two videos
are put together side by side, while each one is
mirrored to the other on the horizontal axis.

To mirror a video horizontally in CapCut, follow

these steps:
1.After importing the video clips into CapCut.
2.You shall see the toolbar pop up at the
bottom, tap the Edit menu.
3.Here will be another Edit option right
between the Extract Audio and Filters tool,
tap it.
4.Hit the Mirror tool inside the Edit option.
How to Rotate Video in CapCut
In CapCut, you can rotate the video to fix wrong
orientations, or create the trendy rotation effects
that features video zooming and rotating in
animation.
Rotate Video in CapCut to Change Orientation
 1.Create a new project, add video clips from
your camera roll, and Hit the Add button.
2.Hit the first Edit button to go inside the video
editing toolbar.
3.Tap the second Edit button, and hit Rotate.
Note:
If you want to rotate part of the video instead of the
entire video clip, tap on the footage and split it
before using the rotate function.
Rotate Video in CapCut Using Keyframes to
Create Motion Effects
If you are trying to create video rotating effects, like
those trendy videos that rotate videos and selfies
photos, follow the steps below:
1.Import video clips or pictures to CapCut.
2.Tap on the clip, and tap the Keyframe icon
to add a Keyframe. The Keyframe icon sits
under the preview window (see screenshots
above), next to the Play button.
3.Tap on the clip and swipe to the right to
move to a new position, tap
the Keyframe button again to add another
Keyframe.
4.While staying on the second Keyframe, put
two fingers in the preview window to pinch
and rotate the clip.
5.Repeat step 3 to move forward and create the
third Keyframe, and repeat step 4 to pinch
and rotate the clip. You can rotate it to 360
degree, 180 degreen or any angle that you
like.
Playback and you shall see the clip rotating in
motion. You can also make adjustment accordingly
until you are happy with the result.
A little explanation here if you are curious about
how the Keyframe works: for the first Keyframe, it
keeps the original state of the clip, without another
rotation or zoom-in, then in the second Keyframe,
we rotate the clip. Therefore, from Keyframe 1 to
Keyframe 2, the video starts to animate from the
original state to another state with different rotation
angle and scale, thus resulting in animation.
How to Change Speed in CapCut
CapCut offers two modes to change
speed: Normal or Curve.
The Normal option allows you to speed up or slow
down the video at a constant speed, such as 2x, 4x,
8x, etc.; the Curve option opens up to more editing
possibilities, with the speed changing non-linearly to
create impactful speed ramping effects.

To use the constant speed modifier in CapCut, follow

these steps:
 1.Tap the video clip on the timeline, and hit
the Speed icon.
2.Hit the Normal option to change the speed at
the constant rate.
3.Drag the slider the slow down video to 0.1x
or speed up to 100x.
4.You can toggle the Pitch option to decide
whether to alter audio pitch when the video
speed is changed.
To use the speed curves in CapCut, you can read
the detailed guide to make velocity effects, including
auto velocity effects.
To ease the speed when creating transitions, 3D
zoom effects, or using keyframes, you can use
the graphs feature in CapCut.
With the speed modifier in CapCut, you can make
interesting Slomo video (Slow motion) to highlight a
key moment, such as creating the bullet time
effects.
How to Reverse a Video in CapCut
Reversing a video can create interesting effects,
such as broken glasses restored or torn paper
merged into one.
 1.Add video to the project in CapCut.
2.Tap on the video clip, and swipe the toolbar
at the bottom.
3.Swipe all the way to the right until you see
the Reverse icon.
4.Tap on it to Reverse the Video.
How to Replace a Clip in CapCut
Replacing videos or pictures in CapCut is a handy
feature. With it, you don't need to go through the
hassle of trimming and adjusting the length of the
newly add video clip to make it fit in, or re-apply
effects again. The replaced video clip shares the
same duration and effects of the original clip.
 1.Tap on the video clip that you want to
replace. If you prefer to replace part of the
footage, you can use the Split tool to cut up
the footage, and tap the segment to swap.
2.Tap and swipe the toolbar at the bottom, all
the way to the right until you see the Replace
icon.
3.Tap Replace and find the video clip that you
want to add.
Note:
The duration is set to be the same length to fill in
the slot, still you can swipe the footage back and
forth to make sure the parts you want are included
in that settled duration.
How to Add Video Transitions in CapCut
Many trendy transitions in TikTok are 1-click
templates in CapCut Video Editor. With these
templates, you can create cool transitions without
editing experience.

 Import two or more videos into CapCut

project, or split a long video into two parts.
 Click the icon between two clips to enter the

transition panel.
 Apply transition templates and playback to

find one you love.

Note: you can tap the transition icon again to
adjust or delete transitions.
 Drag the slider to adjust the transition timing.

 Tap the forbidden icon to stop applying any

transition preset.
How to Use Overlays in CapCut

Using the overlay feature in CapCut, you can add

videos, pictures and text on top of the main clip,
thus creating Picture in Picture effect, special title
effects, or use it in combination with green screen
effects and more.
How to Add and Edit Overlays in CapCut
To add overlays to CapCut, follow these steps

1.Import video or picture into the project as the

main clip.
2.Click the Overlay icon in the toolbar. If you
cannot find the Overlay icon, make sure not
to tap the main video clip.
3.In the new window, Tap Add overlay.
4.Browse the video or picture files and select
one to add.
Note:
You can repeat the steps to add more overlays on
the timeline.
To edit overlays in CapCut, follow these steps:
 1.Tap on the Overlay track, and you shall see
the editing tools. You can split, trim, change
volume, and so on in the same way you edit
the main clip.
2.Tap the double arrow icon once you finish
editing the Overlay clip. It will take you back
to the main timeline.
3.To revisit the Overlay editing panel, click the
waterdrop-shaped thumbnail.
Tips
 If your overlay is longer than the main clip,

the rest the video will show black screens

with only the overlays.
 You can tap the overlay clip and split or trim

it.
 To change the position of the overlay clip on

the timeline, you can tap and keep pressing

on the overlay clip to move it.
How to Put Two Videos Side by Side in CapCut
(or Create Split Screen Effect)
When you add two or more clips on different tracks
in the timeline, and make they aligned on the
timeline, these clips will show up in the preview
window simultaneously in the same screen.
You can crop or use the split screen features to
decide the parts to show and hide, or change the
shapes of the split screen.
The video tutorial below is easy to follow.
To get started, add main video to the timeline, and
tap Overlay to add overlay video.
1.Tap the Mask icon at the bottom panel.
2.Tap the Split icon, and move the split line in
the preview window.
3.You can also add more videos side by side by
repeat steps above.
4.Besides using the Split template, you can also
use the Filmstrip template and so on.
How to Use Green Screen in CapCut
CapCut offers the Chroma Key feature to remove
colors such as green screen.
1.Import the main video to the project, and add
overlays on top of the video.
2.Find the Chroma Key icon in the overlay
video's editing toolbar.
3.Use the color picker to identify the color to
remove.
You can read detailed tutorial on how to use Chroma
Key in CapCut>>

How to Edit Text in CapCut

How to Add Text in CapCut

Adding text is easy and quick in CapCut:

 1.Create a New Project and import video, audio,
pictures when needed.
2.Tap the Text icon at the bottom toolbar.
3.Type in the text as you like, and adjust its
color, fonts, shadow, etc.
4.After adding text to the timeline, you can
drag its edge to make it longer or shorter,
depending on how long you prefer it the stay
on the screen.
Next to the Style tab for text, you can also apply
Effects, Bubble, and Animation to the Text. Since
they are presets, you don't need advanced editing
skills to deal with the settings.
How to Make Text Transparent in CapCut

After adding text to the video in CapCut, you can

adjust its transparency to create nice styles. For
instance, it can be used as a way to add watermarks
to the videos in CapCut.
 1.Tap Text icon, type in the text as you like,
and hit the confirm button.
2.In the style tab, drag the Opacity slider to
change the transparency of the text and
titles.
How to Use Text Tracking in CapCut
The text tracking feature in CapCut can
automatically animate the text, in a way that the
text follows an moving object in the video
designated by you.

1.Import video into CapCut project, and tap the

Text icon.
2.Add text to the video, and tap on that text
clip.
3.Swipe at the bottom toolbar until you
see Tracking.
 4.Narrow down the area to track the object by
dragging the arrow, and place the anchor on
the central part of the moving object.
5.Tap the green Tracking button to start auto-
tracking.
When it's done, you shall see the text move along
with the chosen object.
Note: You can ease out and ease in the tracking
motion by applying the graphs feature.

How to Create the Text Behind Person Effect

When combining text editing with other features in
CapCut, you can create trendy text effects as other
creators. Placing the text behind a person is such an
example.
1.Add text to the video as you normally do, and
export that video clip.
2.Create a new project, and import that video
as the main video track.
3.Tap overlay to import the raw video (one
without text) as the overlay track.
4.Use the Move background feature to
remove the background, and it's done.
For detailed guide, you can watch the video tutorial
by Luka, shown below.

How to Edit Audio in CapCut

How to Add Audio in CapCut

You can add background music, sound effects and
other audio to the video by using the stock audio
library in CapCut. These stock media files are royalty
free, meaning you can upload the video to YouTube
and other social platforms without copyright
infringement.
Besides using stock music, you can also use CapCut
to extract music from your favorite videos. With this
method, you might not be able to share the video to
the public, but only for personal sharing.
1.Add the footage to a new project, and tap
the Audio icon at the toolbar.
2.Hit Sounds to open up the stock library, and
pick your favorite track to add.
3.You can tap on the added audio clip to trim,
split or change its speed.
How to Change Audio Volume in CapCut
To make video louder or mute it, you can use the
volume option in audio editing.
1.For background music and environment
sound inside the video, you can tap on the
video track, and hit the Volume icon to
change the loudness.
2.You can also tap on the video, hit Extract to
separate that audio onto the dedicated
audiotrack. Then you can tap the audio clip
and use the Volume tool on it.
How to Use Auto Caption in CapCut

If you love the speech to text feature in TikTok,

chances are you will also be needing the speech to
text feature. Using CapCut, you can turn video
sound to captions automatically, thus saving time as
you won't need to manually add captions.
1.Create a new project and add the video.
2.Hit the Text icon from the toolbar. Do not tap
on the video, otherwise, you will be directed
 to the video editing toolbar, where you won't
see the Text icon.
3.Hit Auto Captions. It sits in between the
Text template and Stickers features.
4.Choose to create auto captions from the
original sound in the video, voiceover, or
both.
5.Wait for the app to finish analyzing and
adding the text as captions.
You can playback and check if the caption is
accurate. If you prefer to make adjustments, tap the
Batch Edit icon to callout the keyboard, and correct
the word when needed.
For audio effects, you can use the free AFX from
Sonnis. See video tutorial below.
How to Apply Advanced Editing in CapCut

How to Add Effects in CapCut

CapCut has many ready-to-use effects to enhance
your video easily. It includes both video effects to
add enchanting FX and body effects to polish your
skin, figure, and so on.
 1.Tap on a video clip and hit the star-
shaped Effects icon.
2.Tap Video Effects or Body Effects.
3.Use the presets to polish the video clip. The
effects will be shown as a purple clip
underneath the main video.
Note: Once you go back to the main timeline, you
won't see the purple clip, there is instead a colored
line about the video clip, indicating that segment has
effects applied. You can always revisit and edit or
remove the effects by tapping the Star-
shape Effects icon again.
How to Make a Picture Move in CapCut
To make a picture move in CapCut, you need to use
the Keyframe features.
You can keyframe the position, scale, rotation angle,
crop percentage and many other parameters in
CapCut, so that the clip will transform from status 1
in Keyframe 1 to status 2 in Keyframe 2, thus
creating the desired motion.
1.After adding the picture as overlays on top of
the video, tap on the picture clip.
2.Swipe the clip to place the playhead at the
point where you want the picture to start
move.
3.Hit the Keyframe icon under the preview
window to add the first Keyframe.
4.Move the picture to another position in the
preview window, and hit the Keyframe icon
again to add the second keyframe.
Playback the video, you shall see the picture move
from position 1 to position 2.
Once you get the hang of CapCut editing, you can
also up your game and learn how to add 3D Zoom in
effects in CapCut. For quick editing and keep up
with the trend, you can also use CapCut
templates to have fun.
Will I Lose Everything If I Delete CapCut?
Yes, your projects and drafts will be deleted along
with the app. If you are on iOS, you can choose to
"offload" the app, which will delete the application
itself, while keeping the documents and data inside
it. However, it is not guaranteed that everything will
be intact.
How to Export the Video from CapCut

After finish editing the video, you can click the

Export button in the top right corner.
CapCut support exporting video up to 4K, here are
the export settings to tweak with:
 Resolution: 480p, 720p, 1080p, 2K/4K

 Frame Rate: 24, 25, 30, 50, 60

 Smart HDR: Option to turn video into

"smart" HDR video

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Besides fully-fledged features that can power up
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screenshot of video tutorials on their YouTube
channel.