How to Create and Edit Videos in Canva

Video editing is demanding and often limited to hardware and software. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today, you have a handful of feature-rich and lightweight video editors available online. Among them, Canva is quickly becoming everyone’s favorite choice as it offers enough tools to edit your videos.

Getting dedicated hardware and software to edit videos is expensive and requires a steep learning curve. However, if you are an aspiring YouTuber or an amateur, you can create professional-looking videos using Canva’s feature-rich video editor. We’re going to explore Canva’s video editor to create and edit videos. So let’s get started.

How to crop, crop, combine videos in Canva

First, let’s see how you can upload your video to start editing it in Canva.

Step 1: Open your web browser and go to Canva’s video editor. Now click on the Create Video button.

Canva Video Editor

2nd step: In the video editor, switch to the Downloads tab and click the Download Media button to download your video from PC.

Alternatively, you can also use the three-dot menu to upload your video directly from other platforms like Facebook, Google Drive, Instagram, or Dropbox.

Step 3: Once you’ve uploaded your video, you’re ready to edit in Canva’s video editor.

Separate clips

You will find that your entire video is displayed as a single clip in the timeline. You can split your video into multiple parts and edit each of them separately.

To split your video, move the cursor over the part from which you want to split the video. Now right click anywhere on the timeline and choose Split.

Moreover, dividing your video into several parts also allows you to change the order of the clips. You can view all of your clips in the Grid view and change their order from there.

To add more clips and images to your video, click the + Add Page button.

Cut videos

Besides splitting, you can also easily trim your clips in Canva. Here’s how.

To trim your video in Canva, select the video and click the trim icon in the upper left corner.

Then use the two sliders at the top to select part of the video. Finally, click Done to save your trimmed video.

Crop videos

Likewise, you can also crop your video in Canva to your preferred aspect ratio. To crop your video, select the video in the preview and click the Crop button on the top left.

Now crop the frame of the video just like you would a picture. Finally, click on Done.

Note that the same aspect ratio will be applied to the entire clip.

How to add elements and text in a video

Besides the basic editing elements, you can also add elements and text to liven up your videos in Canva. Here’s how.

Use items

Step 1: Switch to the Items tab on your left. You can explore Canva’s vast library of various stickers, graphics, photos, graphics, and more here. You can search for a particular item by exploring different categories or use the search option.

2nd step: You can insert any item from the library by clicking on it. Once added, you can move it, resize it, crop it or animate it as you need.

The item you add to your clip will appear throughout the video. To remove the item from the video, select it and press Remove.

Add text to video

With Canva, you can also put text on your video to make it more descriptive. Here’s how.

Step 1: Switch to the Text tab on your left. First, select the type of text you want to add.

2nd step: Next, you will need to choose a text style for your video.

Step 3: Once added, you can edit the text inside the text box. Additionally, you can use the toolbar at the top to change the font style, size, color, position, spacing, etc.

How to add effects and transitions in a video

Once you are done with the basic editing, you can now add that extra flair to your video by adding effects and joining your clips with smooth transitions in Canva. Here’s how.

Apply effects

Step 1: Select the clip in the timeline that you want to edit and click Animate in the toolbar at the top.

2nd step: Here you will find different types of page and photo animations. You can preview each of them by clicking on them.

Likewise, you can also add such effects to a particular element or text. To do this, select the element and click on the Animate option in the toolbar above.

Now on your left you will find some animations that you can apply.

Join clips with transitions

After you’ve edited all the clips in your timeline with the tools above, here’s how to join clips with various transition effects in Canva.

Step 1: Go to your video editing timeline, click the + (plus icon) between the two clips and select Add Transition.

2nd step: Here you can preview each of them by hovering your mouse over them. Select the one you want to apply. In addition, you can also change its duration as well as its direction.

To add the same transitions to all your clips, click the “Apply between all pages” button.

How to add background music to a video in Canva

Besides the elements and effects, you can also insert any background music you want into your video in Canva. Read on to find out how.

Step 1: Switch to the Audio tab on your left. Here you will find a bunch of royalty free audios that you can use in your video. You can also search for audio using the search box or tags at the top.

2nd step: To add a track to your video, simply drag and drop the audio onto your video timeline.

Step 3: Once added, right-click on the audio to mute, adjust the volume, or remove it from there.

Custom audio tracks

Although Canva offers non-copyrighted tracks, you can still choose a custom audio track you want to use. Here’s how.

To insert a custom sound, go to the Downloads tab on your left. Now click on the Upload Media button to add your custom audio track. Alternatively, you can also record your audio in Canva using the Record button yourself.

Once downloaded, you will find your track in the Audio tab below.

How to use templates to create a video

If editing your video from scratch seems tedious, use Canva’s templates to automatically give your video a makeover with filters, music, and text styles. Here’s how.

Step 1: Switch to the Models tab on your left. Here you will find its extensive library of predefined templates. Click on the one you want to use.

2nd step: Once added, you can select and edit various elements of the template including its background, text, size, animations, effects, and more.

How to download and share a video

After editing the video, you can preview it by clicking the play button in the timeline. Once you’re happy with your creation, here’s how to download it.

Click the download button on the top right corner, select the file type as MP4 video and select the pages you want to include. Finally, click on the Download button to get your video.

Wait for Canva to compile and download the video for you.

Simplified editing

Canva certainly shows great promise with its easy to use video editor. Plus, Canva’s ready-made templates and elements make it easy to create and edit videos. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and start editing your videos already.