How to trim your video

Trimming is an easy way to fix those small errors and stumbles that happen during recording.

Rather than re-record your entire masterpiece, use trim to edit out unwanted segments so that you can share your video with confidence.

Trim the start or end of your video

Trim is ideal for removing the set up and tear down portions of your video. Tighten up your video by cutting out any dead air at the beginning or end.

1. Sign in to your Vidyard account in a browser
2. Select a video from your library, then click on Trim (below the video preview)
3. Click and drag the handles at either end of the video timeline. Any portion of the timeline in a light gray color without a timestamp will be removed from the video.
   • To be extra precise, use the left and right arrow keys (⬅️ or ➡️) to nudge the handles back and forth
   • You can also enter an exact timestamp in the fields below the video timeline
4. Select Save to finish 

Edit a section in the middle of your video

If you need to edit out a mistake in the middle of your video, use Split to divide the video into 2 or more clips. You can then trim the start and end of each clip, or delete a clip entirely.

1. Move the playhead to the part of the video you want to edit
   
   • Pay attention to the timestamp where the playhead is located along the timeline
   • To be extra precise, use the left and right arrow keys (⬅️ or ➡️) to nudge the playhead along the timeline
2. Select Split (✂️) to cut the video into 2 or more clips
3. Click and drag the handles of each clip to trim. Any portion of the timeline in a light gray color without a timestamp will be removed from the video.
   • Alternatively, you can use Split to create a section of the video that you no longer want, then select Delete to remove it entirely
4. Select Save to finish

Preview your trimmed video

Before you save any changes, you can preview your new video to make sure that you're keeping the right parts.

1. Move the playhead to a location on the video timeline
2. Click on the play button (▶️) to begin a preview
   • If you've trimmed parts of the video, the playhead will skip over any sections that have been removed or deleted from the timeline

Revert back to your original video

Not happy with your changes? After you save your work, you can select Revert to Original to bring your video back to its original state. Vidyard will undo all edits made to the video and restore the original file that was recorded or uploaded to your library.

Be careful -- after you use Revert to Original, it cannot be undone.

1. Select Trim again to open the video editor
2. Click on Revert to Original, then confirm your decision to finish

Frequently asked questions

Why does trim reset my video's analytics, thumbnail, and other customizations?

When you use either Trim or Revert to Original, it overwrites the current video file in your library. Your newly trimmed video (or the original, if reverted) is considered a new video.

It is best to either use Trim or Revert before making any customizations that you do not want to lose, or have to re-apply.

The following are permanent results of using Trim or Revert and cannot be restored.

Can I save my video's analytics, thumbnail, captions before I trim?

If you would like to avoid losing analytics, captions, and other customizations, we recommend that you duplicate the original video, then trim the copy instead.

Alternatively, if you want to trim the original video, you can save some of your data by:

• downloading your captions so that you can re-add them after trimming the video
• downloading your custom thumbnail
• running a report to save the original video's analytics up to the current date

Will using trim affect the video's creation date?

No. Whether you use trim or revert back to the original version, your video will maintain the same creation date as when it was first recorded or uploaded to Vidyard.

Can I only revert my video to the original within a certain period of time?

No, there is no time limit. After saving your changes, you can use Revert to Original at any time, even if you've trimmed the video more than once.

Can I use my keyboard to help trim a video?

Yes. In fact, your keyboard can help you make more precise edits along the video timeline.

Use tab to move around the trim editor, then use the left and right arrow keys (⬅️ or ➡️) to nudge the playhead or clip handles in either direction along the timeline.

How do I tell when a video clip starts and ends?

After you use the Split function, you can see the duration of each clip along the video timeline. When you select a clip, you can also see the beginning and end timestamps in the fields below.

Can I trim a video with the Vidyard mobile app?

At the moment, no. Trim and other editing features are not supported on mobile.

To edit your videos with Trim, you must sign in to your Vidyard account with a supported browser on a desktop computer. 

If you're using the Vidyard desktop app or browser extension, you can easily open the edit page for your video in a new browser tab.

1. Select the Library tab (▶️) in the desktop app or browser extension
2. Open the menu (3 dots) next to a video, then select Edit