A Note on Terminology: Since the editor is primarily designed for video editing, this article uses the term "video" for the media being edited. However, the information and procedures also apply to any audio-only files you may have. It does not apply to interactive media (videos with polls embedded in them). You cannot currently edit the video portion of interactive media; you can only add, remove, or edit the embedded polls, and as such the Edit Media command for interactive media is disabled.

EchoVideo's video editor allows you to "trim" or cut out the beginning and end sections of a video, to remove the "dead space" that often occurs at the beginning or end of a lecture recording. You can use the same trim functionality along with Save As to split a longer video into distinct separate and shorter video files as well. 

This article discusses trimming and splitting videos specifically. See Using the EchoVideo Video Media Editor for an overview of the buttons and commands available in the editor. See Removing Video Segments and Inserting Other Media for instructions on cutting segments out of a video, as well as inserting a different video file into the video you are editing. See Adding, Removing, and Replacing Video and Audio Tracks for instructions on performing those actions.

REMEMBER: Use the playback controls in the TOP "playback" section of the editor page to move the playhead AND cut marker. The cut marker in the editor panel moves with the playback head. The cut marker and location timestamp box will always be in sync with the playhead in the playback panel. 

Furthermore, the timestamp box provides location granularity up to 100ths of a second. You can type into this box then press Enter to move the playhead and cut marker to a very precise location that you cannot get to via scrubbing or playback.

Finally, any portion of the video that you "remove" is technically still there. Meaning you can trim ends to different locations just as much as you want. You can still see those "removed" portions and change the trim points until you are happy with where the video starts and ends. The below instructions include steps for "checking your work". Once you click Save or Save As, the changes are applied in processing, at which point your video will have new starting and/or ending locations.

Trimming the Ends of the Video

The "top" or "trim in" and "tail" or "trim out" commands in the video editor allow you to clip off the beginning and/or end segments of the video. This allows you to remove the "dead space" from your lectures. This is also useful for creating distinct segments of a recording that can be "saved as" their own standalone video, or used as a segment to be inserted into another video. These tasks are described in more detail in Advanced Video Editing.

The instructions below use the "Top" and "Tail" buttons on the cut-head marker to set the beginning and end of the video. HOWEVER you can also drag the Trim Handles from either end of the video to set the beginning and end location. Using the cut marker is somewhat more accurate because you can see in the playback panel what is showing in the recording at that location. The trim handles are the pink/red end markers that appear when you click the on the video (or a segment of it) in the editing panel. 

Trim the beginning of the video

To trim the front of the recording

1. In the playback panel, put the playhead/cut marker at the NEW location where you want the video to start. You can adjust this location later if needed, as described later on this page. 
2. Click the left bracket icon on the cut marker, located left of the cut marker menu button, and identified in the below figure. This action referred to as "Top" or "Trim in".  
   

3. To see where the new BEGINNING point of your media is, Look at the timestamps below the left trim handle.

4. Type the left trim handle value into the location box.

5. Press Enter.
   

   The playback panel will move to the set location. So will the cut marker. The playback panel will show the still-frame of the location, where the trim-in mark sets the video to begin.

   
6. Use the instructions below for checking where the new BEGINNING point of your media is.
7. If you have more changes to make, be sure to make all changes before saving. You cannot make further edits to media until processing of saved edits is complete. If you are using "Save As" this does not apply, as it creates new media separate from the one you are working with.
8. If you are finished, click Save or Save As as appropriate.

Trim the end of the video

To trim the end of the recording

1. Move the playhead/cut marker to the location where you want the video to end.
2. Click the right bracket icon on the cut marker, located to the right of the cut marker menu button, and identified in the below figure. This action is referred to as "Tail" or "Trim out". 
   
3. In the editing panel, move (click and drag) the cut marker to near the new "end" of the video.
4. Click Play in the playback panel, and check to see the video now ends where you want it to. 
5. If you cut too little or too much, you can drag the trim handles as needed to shorten or extend the remaining video segment. See also the section below on fine-tuning top and tail locations.
6. If you have more changes to make, be sure to make all changes before saving. You cannot make further edits to media until processing of saved edits is complete. If you are using "Save As" this does not apply, as it creates new media separate from the one you are working with.
7. If you are finished, click Save or Save As as appropriate.

Checking and Changing the Top or Tail Locations

To see the new END point of your media

1. Click into the video in the editing panel to place the cut marker near the end.
2. Click Play in the playback panel.

Playback will STOP at the location you cut for "trim out".

Checking the beginning location is more complicated, because there is no way to "just start the video at the new location." The media you are cutting out is still there, so you can click into the removed area and still see it. 

To see the new BEGINNING point of your media

1. Look at the timestamps below the left trim handle
2. Type the left trim handle value into the location box.
3. Press Enter.
   

The playback panel will move to the set location. So will the cut marker. The playback panel will show the still frame of the new beginning point of this video.

Changing Top or Tail Location

You can always repeat the steps in the procedures earlier on this page to top or tail the video in a different location.

You can also drag the trim-handles in or out to change the top and tail locations.

BOTH of those methods are well suited for use in conjunction with the zoom-in feature (plus and minus buttons next to the timestamp location box), so that the video and time locations in the editing panel are shown much more granularly.

For fine-tuning the top or tail location, the timestamp location box is a very good, and relatively easy method. It is particularly useful if you have fade-in or fade-out effects in the video you are editing. It lets you change the location and see the precise moment the fade in/out begins or ends. 

The screenshots below the step-by-step procedure show an example of where a fade out isn't complete at the first trim-out location, and the difference that altering the timestamp by a few tenths of a second makes.

To use the location timestamp box for fine-tuning

1. Enter the trim-in or trim-out location into the timestamp location box (whichever you want to change). They are located under the trim handles in the editing panel, and the trim-in location is circled in the figure above.
2. Press Enter.
3. Click back into the timestamp location box.
4. Use your keyboard to change the timestamp by 10ths or 100ths of a second, pressing Enter each time.
5. View the visual playback change in the playback panel.
6. Repeat as needed.
7. When the moment shown in the playback is the location you want for the beginning or end, click the Trim In (left bracket) or Trim Out (right bracket) icon on the cut marker to mark the new location you are setting.

NOTE: The location shown in the timestamp box and the time shown for the beginning or end marker MAY drift by a few 100ths of a second. This is known and should not materially affect what is visible at that location. You can zoom in to get a more granular view of the particular location if needed.

The first figure below shows the trim-out (end of the video) location at 01:05:42:25. Notice that the credits panel is starting to fade out but it is not yet completely gone.

The next figure below shows the new location of the trim-out mark at 01:05:42:48. A difference of nearly 1/4 of a second. But the new location shows a fully black screen with the credits completely faded out.

Splitting Videos into Multiple Video Files

You can probably guess where this is going and why these instructions are here. It is because splitting videos into smaller, distinct, and separate video files is merely a matter of trimming either end, then using the Save As command to create a new video from the remaining portion of the original.

For example: You teach a once-weekly, 3-hour Art History class. Each of your classes is three distinct (but related) lessons on some aspect of the course materials.

After your lecture recording is complete, you can take the original 3-hour recording and split it into three 1-hour recordings that can be embedded into an LMS/VLE  such as Canvas or Blackboard for students to view. OR you can take one segment and turn it into interactive media by embedding polls into it.

You can also take this opportunity to remove the "dead" segments from between the lessons where you may have allowed the students a 5-10 minute break, but the classroom recording continued to run. You would simply trim in and trim out each segment around the portions of the recording that don't need to be there.

The below procedure and the accompanying screenshot takes a 3 hour video and splits it into 3 separate new video files. The same process applies for splitting a video into only two new videos but logically would require fewer steps. Use these instructions as a guide for splitting your videos into multiple distinct video files.

And again - experiment with these features and use Save As for the results. Practice makes perfect!

To split a video into multiple video files

1. Find the video you want to use and select Edit Media to open the editor.
2. Use the playback panel to find the location where the first segment should end, and pause the playback.
3. Click the right bracket icon on the cut marker, identified in the below figure. This will "Tail" or "Trim out" the segment, marking the end of what will be this first split video.
   
4. In the editing panel, move the cut marker to near the new "end" of this video.  
5. Click Play in the playback panel. The video will stop at your new end location.
6. If this is an appropriate place to end this first video file, open the Actions menu and click Save As.
   
7. Give the new file a Title, Description, and/or Tags as appropriate then click Done.
8. In the editor, open the Actions menu and click Clear Unsaved Changes.
   The full video will appear again with the cut marker remaining at the location you last set.
9. Use the playback panel to find the location where the second segment should begin and pause the playback.
10. Click the left bracket icon on the cut marker, identified in the below figure. This will "Top" or "Trim in" the segment, marking the beginning of what will be this second split video. 
    
11. If necessary, use the instructions above to review or fine-tune the trim-in cut location.
12. Use the Playback panel to find the location where this second segment should end, and pause the playback.
    If you are only splitting the video into two segments, you may not need these steps, unless you need to remove portions of the end of the original recording.
13. Click the right bracket icon on the cut marker. This will trim out the segment, marking the end of what will be this second split video.
    
14. In the editing panel, move the cut marker to near the new "end" of this video.  
15. Click Play in the playback panel. The video will stop at your new end location.
16. If this is an appropriate place to end this second video file, open the Actions menu and click Save As.
17. Give the new file (the second video being created) a Title, Description, and/or Tags as appropriate, and click Done.
18. In the editor, open the Actions menu and click Clear Unsaved Changes.
    The full video will appear again with the cut marker remaining at the location you last set.
19. Use the playback panel to find the location where the third segment should begin, and pause the playback. 
20. Click the left bracket icon on the cut marker to "Trim in" the segment, marking the beginning of what will be this third split video.
21. If necessary, use the instructions above to review or fine-tune the trim-in cut location.
    The following few next steps may not be necessary, if the end of the original video is sufficient. If this is the case, you can go directly to Save As.
22. If you need to trim a portion from the end, use the Playback panel to find the location where this third segment should end, and pause the playback.
23. Click the right bracket icon on the cut marker. This will trim out the segment, marking the end of what will be this third split video.
24. In the editing panel, move the cut marker to near the new "end" of this video.  
25. Click Play in the playback panel. The video will stop at your new end location.
26. If/when there is an appropriate place to end this third video file, open the Actions menu and click Save As.
27. Give the new file (the third segment you want to save) a Title, Description, and/or Tags as appropriate and click Done.

You can return the ORIGNAL media to its former state by clicking Clear Unsaved Changes again. 

At this point you now have FOUR videos in total; the original video you split, and three new, shorter, distinct media that you can post for students as needed. OR if you are editing media that is not yours, you may see only the three newly created videos in your library.