Looking to Edit Videos on Mac? 3 Built-in Apps You Can Use

On your Mac, you can create intuitive videos using the built-in app – QuickTime Player. With the launch of TikTok or Instagram, videos have become a more popular mode of entertainment. 

If you are looking to create basic videos on your Mac, this article will be helpful. Here’s how you can create compelling video clips using the QuickTime Player app. 

Can I Edit Videos in QuickTime Player?

You can also use QuickTime Player to edit the video clip. We will discuss the method to edit or trim videos using the built-in player app on MacBook in the later section of this article. 

If you are looking to trim a movie in QuickTime Player, open the clip and refer to this guide. Use Split Screen on your MacBook to open two windows in parallel. Check how to split screen on MacBook, to get started. 

Create Video in QuickTime Player

In the QuickTime Player app, click on File and then tap New Movie Recording. You can see controls that will enable you to start recording, select recording options, and adjust the volume. When the recording control appears, green lights will blink next to the MacBook’s camera. If the built-in camera on your MacBook is not working or your desktop setup doesn’t have a camera built-in, connect an external camera to the device. 

Click on the Options pop-up menu and select any one among the following recording options. 

• Choose a camera you want to use if you have more than one camera attached to your Mac. 
• Select a microphone in case more than one microphone is attached to your Mac. 
• Choose the best recording quality. The videos you create in high-quality produce uncompressed files that can consume large storage space. 
• Next, adjust the volume on your MacBook to hear the audio sound.
• Click the Record button to begin the recording. When the video completes, click the Stop button. 
• If you want to pause the recording in between, Option-click the Record button. To resume recording, click on the Record button again. 
• To save the video on your Mac, click on the File menu and select Save. Provide a name to the recording, select the destination folder, and save the recording. 

Trim Movie in QuickTime Player

The QuickTime Player not only allows you to create videos, but you can also use the app for editing tasks. 

1. Open the movie that you want to trim in the QuickTime Player, click on Edit, and select Trim. 
2. Drag the handles displayed in yellow in the trimming bar. Now the area that you see outside the yellow handles is the area that you want to trim. 
3. Click the Trim button to start editing the video. 

Trim A Clip in QuickTime Player

To split a large-size movie into shorter clips, follow the steps given below:

1. Open the QuickTime Player app on your MacBook, click on View, and select Show Clips.
2. Now double-click to open the clip that you want to trim.
3. Adjust the area that you want to trim by dragging the yellow handles.
4. Click the Trim button to trim the clip. 

Split A Large Movie into Smaller Clips

Large-sized videos consume more space on your Mac drive and corruption can damage all your work. So, split them into smaller clips to preserve them securely on your computer.

1. Open the movie that you want to split into clips in the QuickTime Player app.
2. Click on the View option and select Show Clips
3. Now move the playhead displayed as the red vertical line to the place where you want to separate the clip into two. 
4. Click on the Edit button and select the Split Clip option. 

Repeat the process to split the video into as many clips as you want. The major benefit of splitting larger movies into clips is that corruption in a single file will not result in losing entire work. 

Rearrange Video Clips on Mac

Using the Quicktime Player app, you can rearrange the clips in the video by uploading the video file. 

1. Open the video that contains the short clips you want to rearrange.
2. Click on View and select Show Clips. 
3. Now drag the clips in the order you want and click Done.  

iMovie Video Editing Tool on Mac

Other than QuickTime Player, you can use iMovie (another built-in video app) on your MacBook to create and edit videos. To upload a video in iMovie, you can either AirDrop the video or share them via email on your Mac. 

iMovie supports 4K video resolution which indicates that the videos you create, save, and export using the tool will look flawless on bigger screens. 

In comparison to the standard high-definition resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, the 4K video resolution has 3840×2160 pixels. 

The software offers excellent video editing features that allow you to add background music or special effects to the clip. Other than that, iMovie gives you access to picture-in-picture, split-screen, and green-screen features. 

The tool is accessible on all Mac devices including MacBook, iPad, and iPhone. Put simply, iMovie is a one-stop video editing software that works efficiently on all Mac devices. 

FinalCut Pro Video Editing Tool for MacBooks

FinalCut Pro is the third video editing tool that you can use on MacBooks. The tool comes with a clean interface paired with advanced features that makes editing a breeze. The best thing is that the editing you do using FinalCut Pro is fast and smooth. 

Your Mac device will not face any performance issues while the editing is in process. HDR supports results in producing high-quality edited videos in vibrant colors and stunning visuals. It is specially optimized for Apple Silicon computers for enhanced performance.

The paid version of FinalCut Pro gives you access to even more intuitive features. It includes an Object Tracker that incorporates Machine Learning capabilities that helps the tool in detecting faces and objects.

Even if you are looking to edit a video you captured in Cinematic mode on iPhone, use FinalCut Pro for the best result.

So these are some of the most proficient video editing tools you can use for editing videos on your Mac computer. 

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