Ultimate Guide on How to Edit Surveillance Videos: 3 Methods

Surveillance cameras are widely used for monitoring and recording purposes. They are not only essential for businesses to prevent emergencies or security incidents but also serve personal needs such as watching over pets or children and ensuring home safety.

Why You Should Edit Surveillance Videos

Typically, surveillance videos are long and monotonous since cameras record everything continuously. To highlight important or interesting moments, it is necessary to use a surveillance video editor to refine the raw footage. There are several key reasons why editing surveillance videos is essential.

Improve Video Quality

Surveillance camera footage often appears hazy or blurry due to poor lighting conditions or low resolution, making it hard to recognize details. A professional video editor can enhance brightness, sharpness, and clarity to make the content more visible and useful.

Remove Background Chatter

Sometimes the video is filled with background chatter. It is necessary to use the editing tool to remove the background noise while keeping the important audio track. Additionally, if the audio is unclear, features such as an AI voice generator may be utilized to provide a narration of the scene.

Preserve Memorable Moments

Life is full of unexpected events. Sometimes, surveillance camera footage may capture meaningful or memorable moments that weren’t recorded with a phone or camera. Editing the video helps you trim unnecessary parts and focus on the moments worth saving.

Share on Social Media

If you want to share a special event online, editing is crucial to make your surveillance video more engaging. You can add text, subtitles, or transitions to guide viewers and enhance the storytelling experience. Adjusting the video’s aspect ratio is also a key factor to ensure it fits different platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.

No matter what the reason, the important thing is to find a reliable and easy-to-use surveillance video editor to meet your needs.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Edit Surveillance Videos

Although a wide variety of surveillance cameras exists on the market, there are no specialized editors designed exclusively for surveillance footage. However, many powerful video editors can serve as excellent alternatives. In the following part, we will display step-by-step guides on how to edit surveillance videos on PC using MiniTool MovieMaker, Microsoft Clipchamp, and CapCut.

Method 1: Using MiniTool MovieMaker

If you are new to video editing and looking for a free surveillance video editor, MiniTool MovieMaker is a great choice. First, it features a clean and straightforward interface, making users master the software quickly without a steep learning curve. It is also completely free of ads, bundles, or watermarks, empowering users to edit videos with no hassle.

In addition, MiniTool MovieMaker is an all-in-one free video editor designed for Windows users. It is equipped with a wide suite of editing tools, from basic to advanced, which perfectly cover most editing needs. Beyond basic editing features, like trimming, cropping, and splitting videos, MiniTool MovieMaker also supports multi-track editing, such as adding text or images to videos, creating picture-in-picture effects, and more.

Here are the detailed steps on how to edit surveillance videos on PC using MiniTool MovieMaker.

Step 1: Download and Install

Click the button below to start downloading it. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

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Step 2: Import Your Video

Launch MiniTool MovieMaker. Close the pop-up Project Library window to access the main editing interface. Then, click on Import Media Files to upload your video from your local computer.

Next, click the Plus icon at the lower-right corner of the video or directly drag it to the timeline.

Step 3: Edit the Video

There are various editing tools available for surveillance videos.

1. Adjust Video Properties

Click the video clip on the timeline, and you can select different specialized tabs to adjust the surveillance video in the right Video Property panel. For example, if the surveillance camera is crooked, you can move the Rotate slider to correct the direction. If the video is too dim to watch, click the Color tab and drag the Brightness slider to make it brighter. To avoid the background clutter, click on the Mute icon in the Audio section to remove the audio track from the video.

2. Trim & Split Video

To shorten your surveillance video, hover your mouse cursor over the edge of the video clip until the Trim icon appears. Then, drag the Trim icon inwards or outwards to remove the unwanted part from the clip.

Move the playhead to the desired points on the clip and click the Scissors icon to split it. Next, you can rearrange and organize the segments easily.

3. Add Text to Video

Click the Text tab on the menu, and you can browse down to see all kinds of text templates. Hover your mouse over the desired text to preview the text animation. If you are satisfied with it, click the Download icon. Then, click the Plus icon to add or drag it to the timeline.

On the right panel, you can input words and preview the effects on the Player window. Moreover, if you are not satisfied with the default font and size, select your preferred ones in the Text Property on the right.

4. Add Music to Video

Actually, there are two methods available for adding music to a video. The one is clicking the Audio tab on the menu and scrolling down to find one suitable. Then, click the Plus icon to add it to the timeline. Using your own audio files is another way to add music to your video. Hit the Media tab on the menu and click Import Media Files again to upload your music files. Then, add it to the timeline.

Move the sliders on the music property to add the fade-in/out effect and decrease the music volume.

5. Add Elements to Video

To spice up your video or hide some important information in your surveillance video, adding elements is a great choice. Select the Elements tab on the menu and choose the desired one. Click the Plus icon to add it to the timeline. You can also preview the effects on the Player window.

6. Add Transitions to Video

To connect different clips or highlight the excellent clips, it is necessary to add transitions. Click the Transition tab at the top of the menu, and you can see several kinds of transitions. Hit the clip on the timeline to add a transition. Click the Plus icon or directly drag the desired transition to the timeline.

Then, you can move the slider on the right Transition Property panel to adjust its duration and select the preferred mode. Also, you can preview the transition effect on the Player window.

Step 4: Export the Final Video

After editing, click the Export icon at the top of the menu. Then, you can customize the video name, location, format, resolution, and frame rate. Next, click on the Export button at the bottom of the Export window to save the final video to your computer.

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Method 2: Using Microsoft Clipchamp

Microsoft Clipchamp is also a great option to edit surveillance videos. It is easy to use and offers a rich variety of editing tools. It features a clean and simple interface that is suitable for users of all experience levels.

The versatile software allows users to cut videos, merge audio, generate captions with AI, and so on. In addition, it offers a rich content library that includes abundant music, stickers, filters, and more resources. With this video editor without watermark, you can easily cut out the unnecessary clips and add new content to make the video more engaging.

Here are the concrete steps on how to edit surveillance videos on PC using Microsoft Clipchamp.

Step 1: Download and Install

Check if your computer has Microsoft Clipchamp installed. If not, you can go to the Microsoft Store to download and install it.

Step 2: Import Your Video

Open the software and click Create a new video to enter the editing interface. Then, click Import media to upload your video. Next, click the Plus icon of the video or drag it to the timeline.

Step 3: Edit the Video

There are several tools used for changing the tone of surveillance videos.

1. Adjust Video Color

To make the fuzzy surveillance footage brighter and easier to watch, you can click Adjust colors to make adjustments. Set Blend mode to Lighten or move different kinds of sliders to adjust the color. The effect can be previewed from the Player Window.

2. Add Filters to Video

You can also add filters to change the video tone. Click Filters on the right toolbar and scroll down to select the desired one. Click it and you can see the effects on the Player window. Move the Intensity slider to make it fit the video better.

Step 4: Export the Final Video

Once the editing is finished, click Export at the top of the menu. Then, select the preferred resolution for your video to save it to your computer.

Method 3: Using CapCut

CapCut is one of the best video editing software due to its ease of use and comprehensive editing tools. Therefore, if you are looking for a reliable tool for creating stunning surveillance videos, CapCut should be an ideal option.

CapCut provides a rich variety of editing tools and effects to edit, improve, and add elements to videos. The built-in video stabilizer can eliminate shake from unstable surveillance cameras, making the clip easier to watch. It also offers copious filters and lighting controls to correct dark or hazy video. Besides, it also enables users to crop, split, and trim video, helping to eliminate black or motionless segments of videos.

CapCut can be accessed for free, but some of its features require a Pro account. Still, it is popular for users who need to create high-quality videos in minutes. Let’s see how to edit surveillance videos on PC using CapCut.

Step 1: Download and Install

Visit CapCut’s official website to download this program and install it on your computer.

Step 2: Import Your Video

Open CapCut and click Create Project to enter the main interface. Then, click the Import icon to upload your video.

After importing, click the Plus icon at the corner of the video or simply drag it onto the timeline.

Step 3: Edit the Video

There are plenty of editing tools suitable for surveillance videos.

1. Adjust Video Property

Select the video and scroll down to see the basic default video settings. To improve the video tone, you can click the Blend icon to pick a desired mode and drag the slider to adjust the opacity. Then, click Stabilize to automatically apply it. You can select the preferred level to adjust the video stabilization.

2. Enhance Voice Quality

To eliminate the background clutter and enhance the voice quality in the surveillance video, you can right-click the video on the timeline. Then, select Enhance Audio and click Normalize loudness, Enhance voice, and Reduce noise to apply to the video automatically. Additionally, you can also click the Audio tab next to Video to find them.

Step 4: Export the Final Video

Once the video is edited, click Export at the top of the menu to access the export settings window. Then, customize the video settings and click the Export icon at the bottom to save the final video to your computer.

Conclusion

This post provides detailed steps on how to edit surveillance videos on PC using MiniTool MovieMaker, Microsoft Clipchamp, and CapCut. In addition, it also explains why editing the surveillance footage is important. Give these applications a try and choose the one that best fits your needs to make your surveillance clearer and more effective.

If you have any problems or suggestions when using MiniTool MovieMaker, please do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected].