How to Edit Videos on Your iPhone: 7 Essential Tasks Made Easy

Many people rely on the iPhone for shooting video clips and photos in homes, offices, and on the street. The simplicity of using a single device to shoot, edit, and upload your video is something even the latest cameras can’t match.

But shooting video doesn’t always go to plan, and sometimes you’ll need to edit, trim, flip, or otherwise manipulate your video before you can upload it. Today we’ll look at how you can do that using a combination of Apple’s own editing tools and some smart third-party apps.

Note that several of these tips require iMovie for iPhone, so you should install that before proceeding.

Download: iMovie (Free)

How to Edit Videos on iPhone

To access your iPhone’s basic editing tools, launch the Photos app and find the video you would like to edit in your Videos album or Camera Roll. In the top-right corner of the screen, tap Edit to see the editing options available to you.

You’ll see two buttons at the bottom of the screen, just below the film roll. If you tap the ellipsis icon (…) you’ll be able to make adjustments within the Photos app using any external editing tools you have (like iMovie).

Once you’ve made an edit, tap Done and choose whether to create a new clip or overwrite your original.

How to Trim a Video on iPhone

You can trim a video (reduce its length) using your iPhone’s in-built tools:

1. Find the video you would like to trim in the Photos app.
2. Select it and tap Edit in the top-right corner.
3. On the film roll at the bottom of the screen, grab the start point and drag it to where you would like the video to begin.
4. Grab the end point and position it where you would like the video to end.
5. Preview your changes using the Play button, then hit Done and choose to overwrite or save your video as a new clip.

How to Crop a Video on iPhone

The iPhone doesn’t have a built-in editing tool that allows you to crop your videos, so we’ll need to turn to the App Store for this task. Many social media apps like Instagram allow you to crop your video when you post it, and this should always be your first port of call.

There’s a dearth of quality apps that can perform this function, so we opted for an ad-supported freebie called Video Crop. Unfortunately, the ads are a little intrusive and there’s no in-app purchase to disable them. However, the app itself is solid, with plenty of presets and a free crop mode too.

Here’s how it works:

1. Launch Video Crop and tap on the crop icon, then grant the app access to your Photo library.
2. Select the video you would like to crop from the list, then hit the tick icon in the top-right corner.
3. Choose the crop you would like to apply at the bottom of the screen, then move the frame to where you want it.
4. Hit Play to make sure the crop is suitable for your entire clip.
5. Tap the Save icon in the top-right corner and wait for the operation to complete.
6. Hit Save to save your video to Camera Roll or More to export it to another app.

How to Flip a Video on iPhone

Your iPhone can’t flip videos with its basic editing tools, so you’ll need a third-party app to achieve this. We opted for a freebie called Rotate and Flip which is basic but does the job just fine:

1. Launch Rotate and Flip then tap on the video icon and choose Video (you can also edit Live Photos with this app).
2. Grant the app permission to view your Photo library, then select the video you would like to edit.
3. Make your edits using the 90 button to rotate the frame, or the mirror buttons to mirror the image.
4. Hit Save and wait for the video to render. You can then find the video in your Photo library

This app allows you to rotate by 90 degree increments and mirror the video on the vertical and horizontal axes.

How to Add Music to a Video on iPhone

The easiest way to add music to your video is using Apple’s free iMovie. The hardest part of this process is having music saved to your device that you can use, since Apple Music and DRM-protected tracks won’t work.

1. Launch the Photos app and find the video you would like to add music to.
2. Tap the Edit button in the top-right corner, then hit the ellipsis button (…) at the bottom of the screen.
3. Choose iMovie and wait for the editor to load (if you can’t see iMovie, tap More then make sure the toggle next to iMovie is on).
4. Tap the musical note icon and find a song you’d like to use (you can always use the Theme Music tracks for free).
5. Drag the waveform to choose the start point for your chosen music.
6. Hit Done to save your video.

This will replace your original movie with a new version that includes a soundtrack. To get the old version back, find the movie in your Photos app, tap Edit, then choose Revert.

How to Add Title Text to a Video on iPhone

This task is also best handled with iMovie. You can use it to add animated title text to your video, and the results look great.

1. Launch the Photos app and find the video you would like to add text to.
2. Tap the Edit button in the top-right corner, then hit the ellipsis button (…) at the bottom of the screen.
3. Choose iMovie and wait for the editor to load (if you can’t see iMovie, tap More then make sure the toggle next to iMovie is on).
4. Tap the text icon which looks like a big T and choose an effect from the list at the bottom of the screen.
5. Tap on the text to edit it and type whatever you like. Hit Done to save your video.

This will replace your original movie with a new version that includes title text. There’s no way to change when the text appears. To get the original video back, find the movie in your Photos app, tap Edit, then choose Revert.

How to Combine Videos on iPhone

iMovie is also the best way to combine more than one video into a finished production. You can use other video editors to accomplish the task, but iMovie is easy to use and maintained by Apple so it’s a great place to start.

1. Launch iMovie then head to Projects and tap the New Project + button.
2. Choose Movie when prompted then navigate to your Videos using the media browser.
3. Select a movie and tap Play to preview it or the Plus + button to add it to your project.
4. When you’ve selected all your clips, tap Create Movie.
5. Drag left and right to preview your timeline, trim your clips, and make any other edits.
6. Hit Done to save your project, then export your new video using the Share button at the bottom of the screen.

You Should Download iMovie!

There really is no excuse not to download iMovie for iOS (and the free Mac version too), particularly considering it was once a premium app. It comes with its own set of great-looking filters and a fun movie trailer creator, and you can even use it to edit 4K content on the newer iPhone and iPad models.

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