How To Edit Videos on Your iPhone

In movies and TV shows, video editors are often depicted as being glued to bright screens in dark rooms, but how often are they shown working from their phones? Editing videos on your iPhone can simplify your post-production process, letting you work from almost anywhere. However, most mobile editing apps have limitations you need to be aware of before you start. Read on to learn how to edit videos on your iPhone that your viewers will love. 

How To Prepare Your iPhone for Video Editing

Before you can edit any videos, you'll first need to film them on your iPhone or camera.

Review Your Video Quality Settings

For any production or photoshoot, it's critical to check your camera settings first. Fortunately, most iPhone camera settings are preset and can be easily adjusted from the Camera app. For DSLR cameras, check your ISO, shutter speed, and frame rate for slo-mo videos. Always ensure you have enough memory storage before filming to avoid interruptions.

Adjust the Color Balance for Better Video Quality

For DSLR cameras, check the ISO levels and white balance in your filming location. These settings affect how much light your camera senses and should be adjusted for different venues and times of the day. If you're filming on your iPhone, double-check and adjust the photographic style settings from the Camera app using the arrow at the top of the screen. Current models' photographic styles include rich contrast, cool, warm, and vibrant. 

Start Shooting Videos

Once your camera settings are up to your standards, start filming videos. Take your time with the filming process. Ensure lighting, audio, and what's on-screen are on par with other videos you'd find on social media. Your video needs to grab people's attention, but it might not if the background is cluttered or the audio is hard to hear. 

Film more than one take of clips whenever possible, especially moments with movement or action. Even if there was nothing wrong with the original version, that second take might end up looking slightly better during the editing process. 

Tips for Getting Started with Video Editing on Your Phone

Once you've compiled your footage, it's time for post-production. With modern technology, this entire process can now be completed from your phone. 

Choose a Video Editing Tool for Your Platform of Choice

Before you start video editing on your iPhone, you'll need to decide on an editing app. Most apps are only basic video editing tools compared to Mac and PC-based software, and some require in-app purchases to export or use all of their features. Therefore, it's crucial to know each video editor's abilities and limitations before you start. 

If you're making social media videos, you should consider what video editing apps work best for each platform. For example, CapCut Video Editor was established by a TikTok content creator and has many tools specific to TikTok. Other great apps for iPhone video editing include:

• Adobe Premiere Rush
• Canva
• GoPro Quik
• iMovie
• InShot Video Editor
• Splice
• Vimeo Create

Use the Crop Tool To Trim and Organize Your Videos

Each video editing app has different specifications for editing content, but most at least give you options to trim, crop, splice, and change the order of clips. This is where the true art of video editing lies — just don't forget to save video projects regularly. 

Take your time building your timeline using all available video clips. Pay close attention when deciding which parts of videos to keep. Don't let any continuity errors slip into your final cut, and be prepared to reshoot or remove certain moments when necessary. It's almost always better to have a shorter final cut of your video than a longer one, especially for social media where attention spans are short. 

Trim clips on moments with action when creating transitions and cuts. For example, if you have two shots of someone standing up and walking, cut between the shots at the exact moment the person stands. This will keep the transitions seamless by putting viewers' focus on the action. 

Add Background Music, Sound Effects, or a Voice-Over

Once your video timeline is to your liking, the next step is to add sound. While your footage may already have audio, you should add sounds and effects to smooth the timeline and make the video more exciting. Only using royalty-free music and sounds will keep your videos protected, as copywritten music may get your video demonetized or removed from online platforms. 

Sound effects can improve action, transitions, VFX sequences, and dips in audio quality. Likewise, background music and sounds will make your video more immersive and further define its tone. Adding atmospheric noises, such as distant bugs or vehicles, can make cuts feel seamless, especially if certain video clips already have lots of background noise. 

Finally, recording and adding voice-over to your timeline can add narration, exposition, calls-to-action, and more. Consider re-recording dialogue through automated dialogue replacement (ADR) for footage with poor audio quality.

Apply Transitions and Text for a Professional Feel

Transitions, text, and other graphics can make your video pop. While preset transitions like wipes, fades, and dissolves feel cheesy when overused, when used effectively and in moderation they go a long way in maintaining visual activity in your video. Switching up transitions is particularly useful for videos with still photos. 

Many video editing apps include presets for text and graphics, allowing you to complement your clips without having to craft your own illustrations. Graphics are particularly handy for ending your video with an eye-catching call to action. Many platform-specific editing programs even include graphics that meet certain social media styles, such as YouTube "subscribe" buttons and textboxes similar to those on TikTok.