Filmora X is incredibly easy for anyone to use with a little bit of practice. Even film editing novices can turn their video clips, images, and audio into snazzy and polished videos, whether it’s for a cousin’s wedding, a reality show audition tape or an instructional piece to use in a classroom. Filmora X is the only program you will need to edit and create high-quality videos, for any audience, for any reason.
This user-friendly and intuitive program allows you to combine various types of media into one film. You can create a 50th-anniversary reel set to your parents’ favorite songs or a hilarious “mash-up” of office bloopers for the company holiday party.
Read along for tips on using Filmora X. We will walk you through the basic functions you will quickly master as well as some of the more advanced features that are also easy to use to add special effects to your videos.
Getting Started: Importing Media
Before you start the video editing process in Filmora X, gather all of the files you need in one folder. You can save any video clips, audio clips, and still images together in one spot, which will make it easy for you to import them quickly into Filmora.
Open Filmora and create your “new project” (tip: Filmora X has some handy presets, such as Instagram video settings, which will automatically create a video in the right dimensions for the Instagram feed). A quick scan through your device’s desktop folder for “Cousin Andrea’s wedding” after you click on “import media” in Filmora, and you will have all the files you need at the click of a button.
You can select all of the items in your folder to upload them all at once, or if you did not organize the files into one folder (tsk, tsk), you can still choose all of the items from your computer files one by one.
Once you have chosen the file(s) to upload for your video, they will appear on your main Filmora screen.
In addition to video clips, any audio clips and still photos you choose will also appear in this section.
Editing Video Clips in Filmora X
Once you have uploaded your media files, you can edit them within Filmora X. If you need to cut off certain portions of a video clip (perhaps Aunt Susan’s wedding dance does NOT need to be saved for posterity), you can shorten or crop the videos. You can also string several video clips together into one sequence.
The playhead – the red button in the lower half of the screen – can be used to edit video clips in various ways. You will also notice above it some tools you can click on, and the crop symbol is the one you will pick to “crop” a portion of a video.
There is more than one way to skin a cat in Filmora X: you can use the tool buttons or drag the playhead to make various changes, and in time you will get the hang of what method you prefer to use. Right-clicking also brings up options on all of your imported media.
Working with Images in Filmora X
When you import media in Filmora X, you can include still images, which you can then drag and drop right into your video in the lower section of the Filmora screen.
By placing media clips snugly next to one another in this timeline, there will be no gaps (if you leave a gap, your video will show a black screen).
Adding your image to Filmora X is just the beginning. Once you have imported it, you can create various artistic effects. If you click on the painter’s palette tool, you will see options to color correct or enhance your image. By right-clicking on the image, you will see additional options for editing: you can rotate the image 90 degrees, for example, or crop the image to fit the video frame.
Working with Audio in Filmora X
Video clips and images are magically transformed when you add your own special audio touches. Choosing a favorite song to import in Filmora X is easy (you simply add the audio files when you import your videos and images).
You will drag and drop the audio file below the video and images after you have imported it.
Tip: Filmora X comes with a number of free audio clips preloaded if you click on “audio” in the top menu bar.
Adding Transitions to Your Videos in Filmora X
The transitions tool in Filmora X is what will really turn your video footage from something that looks “homemade” into something with a polished and professional quality.
You will see Transitions in the top menu bar, and when you click on it, a range of options will appear. You can “dissolve,” “fade,” or “morph” the pieces of your video from one to the next (plus a whole host of other choices).
Simply right-click on the effect you want to use, and you will see you have the choice to apply it to all clips, some clips, or random clips.
Adding Titles or Text in Filmora X
If you want to create a title opening for your video or add text throughout, this is also incredibly easy to do with the help of Filmora X.
There are a variety of title and text designs included, and you can also click on “custom” to create your own. Find all of them by clicking “Titles” in the main menu bar.
Using a Green Screen in Filmora X
The Green Screen allows you to superimpose elements of one video over another. Let’s say you want to add a clip of the bride’s favorite actor hitting the dance floor at her wedding (as a joke and some good-natured ribbing with her new spouse). You can use the green screen tool to pull off this effect.
You can open the green screen by choosing the icon just to the right of the painter’s palette. Then you will take an image or video from a solid background and layer it over another image or video.
Recording a Voice Over in Filmora X
If you want to add your own narrative to your video, it’s as easy as clicking on the small microphone icon on the far right side of your screen, underneath the video/image box.
The audio features of Filmora X are sophisticated: you can reduce background noise, “fade in” and “fade out” and also utilize the equalizer.
When in Doubt: Drag and Drop
This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what you can do in Filmora X, and you will undoubtedly discover many incredible tools as you start to play around with it, using your own videos, images, and audio.
The key to Filmora X is “drag and drop:” using items in the top menu to manipulate your media and dragging and dropping these pieces into the play bar below. Once you get the hang of this, you will learn how to layer and sequence your clips into high-quality, entertaining videos.
Luckily there are so many features already built-in (such as stock audio clips and title page designs) that Filmora X does much of the work for you.
What Next: Exporting Your Filmora X Video
Once you have made something you are ready to share with the world (or perhaps just your friends and family), you can export the Filmora X video with just a few clicks.
When you choose “export” from the menu bar at the top of your screen, you will be presented with three choices: export the video to your device, upload it to YouTube or upload it to Vimeo.
The free trial version will allow you to export it to your device with a watermark; you can purchase Filmora X to get a version of the video without a watermark. The same will hold true for videos uploaded to YouTube and Vimeo: your file will be watermarked if you use the free version of Filmora X.
Final Thoughts
Even with the watermark, you cannot beat the great features of the free version of this program, and it is a fantastic way to practice video editing and sharpen your skills. The program is easy enough for almost anyone to use, even if you have never had any kind of video or design training.
Whether you simply want to post eye-popping videos to impress friends in your social media feed or you need a great reel to build your new business, Filmora X is a surefire way to create videos that will exceed your expectations.
