Gone are the days of needing powerful computers to edit high-quality video. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to edit a video using Flixier, a browser-based video editor.
1. Getting Started
To jump in, head over to Flixier and sign up for free using your Google account. From there, select Create Project. You’ll be able to name the project and select the video format (widescreen, social, square, or portrait). You can use a variety of browsers, but Chrome and Microsoft Edge are preferred.
2. The Editor
One of the things that’s nice about browser-based NLEs is that they require zero previous editing experience. Flixier has great stock video, photo, GIF, and audio options, so you can start editing even if you don’t have your own media. If you prefer to use your own footage, that’s OK too.
Flixier even allows you to grab media using links from social media sites like YouTube, Twitch, and SoundCloud. To do this, you can go over to the library on the left-hand side of the page and select Import, which will bring up a popup giving you tons of options.
The editor allows you to easily add media and a variety of beautiful animations to craft your video to the timeline. You can use anything from overlays to transitions, social media buttons, and text. Editing with Flixier is really intuitive because of its well-designed layout.
Here’s an example:
To add any media to your timeline, simply find the audio/clip/overlay you like, and drag and drop it onto the timeline. Once it’s there, you can freely move it to the desired position. Once you select media on the timeline, your editing options for that clip will appear on the right-hand side of the page. The options available will change with the type of media you have selected.
The way the page is laid out makes for easy edits by having all your options appear in one place. There are no deep menu dives to bog you down.
Here are some of the features you can use. Along the top of the page, you can undo/redo your edits, while at the bottom, you can place your marker on the timeline and select Cut to split your clip. Speaking of changing clip lengths, you can also adjust these by going to the end/start of a clip, and then using your mouse you can select the clip and adjust the length by dragging it to the desired length.
Step 3: Exporting Your Movie
Exporting your project is pretty cool. You’ll be able to publish to many sites at the same time, and because this is all done on Flixier’s server, the speed of the export isn’t dependent on your processing power. Once you decide to export, you’ll be able to go back to the dashboard via a link where you can view your project being rendered. Flixier will also send you an email letting you know the process is complete.
Getting your media from Flixier onto your hard drive is another step, but it’s still easy to do. While in your dashboard, you’ll be able to see your exported projects. Under the thumbnail, you can click on … to pull up a menu that gives you the option to either download or publish your project to a bunch of social media sites and cloud-based storage systems. Select the option you need, and you’re good to go. Here’s an example of a video I made using Flixier in a few minutes.
That’s it! Thanks for following along, and I hope that you enjoy using Flixier to edit and share your content. If you’re looking for more top-notch resources, feel free to check out these recommended pages:
