1. Knowledge
  2. Video Editing
  3. Building Your Edit πŸ“Ό

How to use the Online Editor

Want to stitch your project together? Need to add that branded finish? Our in-built video editor makes it possible for you to take the reins.

Disclaimer: The editor may have had a facelift since these videos were made!

New to editing? No problem. The editor is easier than you might think to pick up and has everything you need to create great videos. Here are a few pointers to help you get started.

Shortlisting your uploads

Shortlisting is essentially organising your uploads into a sequence for editing. Find out more about how to create a shortlist here.

Once you're happy with your shortlist, click 'Go to edit stage' and pick the 'Online Editor' option. This will import your shortlist to the editor so you can begin editing.

*Import times will vary due to connection and volume of clips. If you don't see all your clips straight away, hit refresh. 😎

Where to find everything

Now that your clips are in the editor let's get familiar with each part of the editor and what they allow you to do.

Menu and assets

Here you’ll find everything you need to create and save edits. The menu on the top-left is where you can open and save work. Your work will be saved automatically, but it's always a good idea to save frequently just in case!

The lower row is where your assets live. Assets include your uploads, text, audio, and more. Click on a panel to see what's available.

Timeline

This is where you build the sequence that becomes your final piece.

Preview screen

This is where you can preview anything you highlight in the assets section before dragging it onto your timeline. You can also preview whatever is in your timeline by pressing the space bar to play.

Essentials

Drag, drop, double-click

Those three magic words. To get assets onto the timeline, drag and drop. If you want to change anything about that asset, double-click on it, make the change, scroll down and hit β€˜Save Changes’.

Tracks

There are video (for all visual assets) and audio tracks (music/sfx) on your timeline. You can add more by clicking the + icon on the top left of the timeline. You can label these tracks which can be handy for organising your edit (main content, b-roll, logo, music, SFX, etc.).

Why are there multiple tracks?

Think of these as layers. The bottom video track is the bottom layer, and any tracks above it are placed on top. The Seenit logo is placed on top of a black background in the example below. If we swapped the tracks of the logo and background, we wouldn’t be able to see the logo because the opaque background would fully cover it. So, multiple tracks let you layer assets like text or cutaway footage so that the right things are visible at the right time.

Building an edit

Trimming clips

Helpfully, you can trim clips before you drag them to the timeline. Highlight your clip in the 'My media' section, then drag the in and out points at the bottom of the preview screen to mark where you want the clip to start and end. Once you’re happy, drag that clip onto the timeline.

To trim a clip in the timeline, either hover over either end of it until the arrows appear and drag in or out, or move the playhead to where you want to split a clip and click the scissor icon

Adjusting music levels

If you're working with music you may want to adjust its volume at certain points in the video. You’ll notice a blue line along the top of the audio track, which signifies the volume level. By clicking this line you can add extra volume markers and drag them to the desired level.