Best 2 Methods to Edit MP4 Files on Windows: Step-by-Step Guide

The first step in the MP4 editing process is to choose the right MP4 editing software. There are plenty of professional software programs you may hear about, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Vegas Pro, and Lightworks. However, if you have no experience in editing MP4 files, an easy-to-use MP4 editor may be more suitable for you, such as MiniTool MovieMaker and Microsoft Clipchamp online video editor. Before jumping to the step-by-step guide, choose the right tool depending on your editing needs.

How to Edit MP4 Offline

Fast Track:

1. Install MiniTool MovieMaker.
2. Import the target MP4 file(s).
3. Split and trim clips, and add transitions.
4. Add title/credits/captions and music.
5. Export the MP4 video.

MiniTool Movie Maker is a video editor without watermark for Windows. With its simple and intuitive interface, you can easily and quickly edit MP4s. It provides essential tools and various effects to help you edit and enhance MP4 videos.

Step 1: Download and install the MP4 Editor

Click the button below to download and install MiniTool MovieMaker on your computer.

MiniTool MovieMakerClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Import MP4 Video

After installation, launch the MP4 editor and click New Project to enter the main interface. Then, click Import Media Files to add the MP4 files and drag them to the timeline to begin editing.

Step 3: Split MP4 Video

To make a cut, move the playhead to your desired position and click the Split icon. This will split the MP4 video into two separate clips. Repeat this process to break the file into smaller, more manageable segments.

If you need to remove a middle section, right-click the desired clip and choose Delete. Additionally, you can insert other videos or images and apply transitions between the clips.

Step 4: Trim MP4 Video

Place your mouse cursor over the start or end edge of the clip until the Trim icon appears, then drag the handle inward to cut away unwanted parts from the beginning or end of the clip.

Step 5: Add Transitions

To add a transition, go to Transitions at the top, browse the library and find or download the desired effect, and drag it to the gap between two clips. Next, go to the Transition Property to set the effect’s duration and change the mode.

Step 6: Add Text

MiniTool MovieMaker offers a rich text library. You can find a template to add a title card, end credits, or captions to the video. Go to Text at the top, choose a template, and add it to the timeline. Next, type and edit your text in the Text Editor on the right panel.

Step 7: Add Music

Navigate to the Audio tab to select a song or sound effect for your video, or click Media > Import Media Files to upload your own music. Once you’ve added the audio to the timeline, go to the Music Property section to adjust the volume or apply fade-in and fade-out effects.

Step 8: Export the MP4 Video

After editing, click Export in the upper-right corner. You can then specify the file name, destination folder, output format, resolution, and frame rate. Finally, click Export again to start processing the video.

MovieMaker by MiniTool is an inexpensive, easy-to-use video editing program. It includes a fair number of effects and gives you easy ways to join your clips, add transitions, and overlay objects and text.https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/minitool-moviemaker

How to Edit MP4 Online

Fast Track:

1. Open Microsoft Clipchamp online video editor in the browser.
2. Create a project and upload MP4 files.
3. Add overlay effect, change speed, and add a logo.
4. Save and export the video.

If you tend to edit MP4 files online, try the powerful online MP4 editing tool – Clipchamp. Clipchamp is free to use, but requires you to sign up for it. It includes all basic editing features such as Split, Transition, Title, etc.

Also, it offers various templates and video stocks. Let’s see how to edit MP4 video with Clipchamp.

Add MP4 video

Step 1. Go to the Clipchamp official website and sign up for an account.

Step 2. Click Create a video at the upper right corner.

Step 3. There are all kinds of dimensions for social networks like Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Then choose the dimension you want and choose Start editing.

Step 4. Tap Add Media and choose Browse my files to import MP4 files. Or drag and drop MP4 videos you want to edit.

Step 5. Drag and drop MP4 files to the timeline at the bottom of the video editor.

Add Overlay Effect to Video

Making a picture in picture effect is helpful when you make a video. You can overlay a picture or video on your main video to make your video more vividly. Or use overlay effect for call to action like YouTube end screen. See this post: How to Add YouTube End Screen – Get More Views on YouTube.

Here’s how to add overlay effect to video.

Step 1. Drag and drop the picture or video you imported to where you want to add overlay effect.

Step 2. Click on the overlay video and you will find a dotted box. Then click on it to add overlay effect to the video. If you want to extend the time that the video overlay appears, just drag the right side of the video to the right.

Step 3. Right-click on this icon to adjust the position and size of the video overlay.

Remember, your exported video will be watermarked if you used premium features. To remove the watermark from your video, you might be interested in How to Remove Watermark from Video and Photo Efficiently.

Adjust video speed

If you find your video is too long, you want to make the video shorter. In this case, you can speed up the video to shorten it in length without deleting any scenes in the video.

Step 1. Highlight the video and an edit window appears.

Step 2. From here, click the box below CLIP SPEED to drop down the list.

Step 3. There are three options list here: Slow, Normal and Fast, select the Fast option from the drop-down list. Then select a speed of 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x to increase the speed of the MP4 video.

Add logo to video

To promote your business on YouTube, you can add a striking logo to your MP4 video. A logo not only can help you attract the audience, but also can protect your video from stealing.

Additionally, you can also build your business in other ways like adding YouTube banner.

See this post to learn how to add YouTube banner: Everything You Need to Know about YouTube Banner Size.

Take the following steps to learn how to add logo to the video.

Step 1. Choose the last option Logo in the left panel and click on Upload a logo to select the logo you made from your computer.

Step 2. Drag and drop the logo to the timeline. Then choose the logo and adjust its length to fit the video.

Step 3. To avoid the logo affecting the audience’s view experience, you can change the size, the position and the opacity of the logo.

Step 4. Finally, tap on Export video to save the MP4 video.

Overall, the two MP4 editors have their own features. MiniTool Movie Maker allows you to edit MP4 offline. With it, you can create video without watermark.

Although your video may be watermarked when using Clipchamp, you can use some advanced features that some video editor may not have, such as adding overlay effect.

A benefit of Clipchamp being a web app is that you can access a project you create on your PC from wherever else you sign into your account. Just keep in mind that it doesn’t store media in the cloud unless you spring for a subscription. One downside to Clipchamp being a web app is that web navigation sometimes works against you.https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/clipchamp

Conclusion

There are 2 reliable methods to edit MP4 files such as split, trim, apply transitions, add credits and adjust video speed. This post offers several useful tips to edit MP4 videos. After reading this post, you must learn how to edit MP4 videos. Pick an MP4 editing software and edit video like a pro!

If you have any questions about MiniTool MovieMaker, please contact us at [email protected].

Edit MP4 FAQ