OpenShot Video Editing Tutorial

This tutorial is designed for newcomers to OpenShot and video editing, providing an introduction to the software and a step-by-step video editing exercise.

Overview

• Objective: To quickly familiarize users with OpenShot, covering the user interface, menus, built-in effects, and clip properties for effective video editing.
• Software Version: OpenShot 3.1.1 (as of September 2023).

User Interface and Menus

Main Interface Components

1. Menu Bar:

   • File: Manage project files and profile.
   • Edit: Undo, redo actions, and set preferences.
   • Title: Create video titles (static or animated).
   • View: Arrange UI layout and show/hide elements.

2. Main Window Layout:

   • Simple View: Default layout with three sections:
     • Left Section Panels:
       • Project Files Panel: Manages media files with filters for video, audio, and images.
       • Transitions Panel: Access built-in transitions for clips.
       • Effects Panel: Add effects like brightness and contrast.
       • Emojis Panel: Add emojis to your video.
     • Timeline Panel: Key panel for editing, includes a toolbar, zoom slider, timeline ruler, and tracks.
       • Default setup of 5 universal tracks for any media type.
     • Video Preview Panel: Shows video frames at the playhead position.

Advanced View

• Switch Views:
  • Simple View vs. Advanced View for more panel visibility and layout options.
  • Advanced View requires a screen of at least 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Key Panels and Tools

• Properties Editor Panel: Adjust properties of clips for animations and effects.
• Captions Panel: For adding text captions.
• Docking Panels: Position panels by dragging them as needed for a customized layout.

Clip Properties

Understanding Clip Properties

• Properties Types:
  • Numeric and Non-Numeric: Adjust values by clicking and dragging or selecting from a menu.
  • Key Frame Properties: Animatable over time to create effects.

Common Properties

• Alpha: Adjust transparency and add fade effects.
• Enable Audio: Toggle audio on/off.
• Frame Number: Show/hide timeline frame numbers.
• Location: Add sliding/panning effects.
• Origin and Rotation: Add rotation/spinning to videos.
• Scale: Resize videos to match project dimensions, useful for adjusting video aspect ratios.
• Scale X and Y: Apply zoom effects.
• Volume: Control audio volume, add audio fade effects.

Step-by-Step Editing Guide

• To be continued in the next part of the tutorial.