From Raw to Refined: Mastering the Art of PC Video Editing on Windows

How to Edit Videos for YouTube on PC

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

To create a successful YouTube video, you need to shoot the video and edit it on Windows or Mac. (You can find the whole processing of making a YouTube video if needed.) If you have always wanted to make your own videos and upload to YouTube to share, but you don’t know the best way to go about, then you shouldn’t miss this article. In the following part, I’ll share with you some best tools that you will need to edit YouTube videos and at the end of it, I’ll show you the detailed steps of how to edit YouTube videos with the video editor Filmora on computer.

• Part 1: Tools you need to edit YouTube videos on PC
• Part 2: Editing Videos for YouTube on PC [Detailed Steps]

Best Tools for Editing YouTube Videos on PC

Before editing, you need to choose a good enough video editor for YouTube video which can combine your footage clips seamlessly and export in high quality. To be honest, there are so many video editing software for YouTube available on the market and quite a number of tools used for editing YouTube videos on PC, some are paid while others are available for free. To save your time in picking the best one, we’ve listed some of the best tools for you to Edit YouTube videos.

Top 3 Recommended Video Editor Tools for Editing YouTube Videos on PC

The following are some of the most versatile video editor tools currently available for editing videos on PC

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora is an intuitive video editor with a wide range of advanced tools and video effects. We listed Filmora at the first spot because it is recommended by many users and reviewers as the best video editor for beginners and also provides sophisticated features.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Filmora is a simpler way for those who are serous with editing YouTube videos on PC and Mac and you don’t have to install any other editing tools. As an all in one video editor, Filmora gives you the power to edit audios and videos, record PC screen, edit audio and add custom colors and voice over with a lot of ease. The following are some of the specific benefits and features you will be entitled to when you use Wondershare Filmora to edit YouTube videos on PC and Mac. You can download the trial version to have a try and share with me about your opinion .

Why choose Wondershare Filmora

• Ability to record the screen of your PC together with the voice
• Edit all your audios with audio mixers and equalizers
• Has wonderful filters, overlays, and text effects
• Has a color turning tool to allow you correct white balances and much more
• Let you to upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook

You may also like:How to Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone >>

2. Window Movie Maker –

Windows Movie Maker is a totally free video editor available for Windows7/8 users, so if you’re a YouTube beginner without no budget for video editing software, you can start with it. It is easy and intuitive to use, though it lacks some of the advanced functionalities needed for professional video editing. After being skilled in video editing, you may need some alternatives to Windows Movie Maker, in this case, check our picks of the best free video editing software for Windows.

Windows Movie Maker Interface

3. Adobe Premiere Pro –

This is one of the professional video editors available for PC and it is not a free tool. It comes with advanced features and functionalities needed for professional video editing and for you to use it you will have to pay with about $19.99 - $74.99 per month.

Screenshot from Adobe Premiere Pro CC Release Video

Professional Screen Recorder Tools for YouTube Videos

If you are making a tutorial video, a software how-to video or a gameplay video on YouTube, you may also need a screen recording software to record what happening on your computer and show it with your viewers. In this case, we’ve picked some screen recording tools that you may need. Some of them both feature the video editing tools and screen recording tools.

1. Filmora scrn – A high quality screen recorder with editing features.

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2. ScreenFlow –ScreenFlow has a free version you could use for high quality screen captures, but for you to get the most from it, you will have to upgrade to the paid versions.

For more information on screen recorders for Windows, kindly check our picks about best screen recorder for YouTub. .

Note: Filmora now also feature a more powerful recording features, so you can now record screen and audio and edit video in one place.

Professional Audio Editors for YouTube Videos Editing

1. Audacity

Audacity has an intuitive user interface, featuring a simple design without unnecessary features to clog things up. Its footprint is relatively small and it can run on PC nonstop. The only thing you won’t like about it is that you will only be able to get as far as bedroom recording with it.

2. WavePad

This audio editor has a fully customizable user interface that will work both for beginners as well as professionals. It is easy to use and will suffice most of your needs as far as editing YouTube videos on PC is concerned.

For more information about audio editing tools and tips, check out How to Add Audio to Video .

Professional Color Grading Tools for YouTube Videos

To adjust the brightness, white balance, tone or apply 3D LUT effects to your video, you can complete all of these in Filmora or use the following color correction software.

Adobe SpeedGrade

When you use this together with Premiere Pro, you will have the fastest color grading experience in the world. The only caveats to using it are that the tracking is not the best and the workflow when using it on Windows is not that streamlined either.

Looking for more professional color grading tools? Check Best Color Grading & Correction Software>>

Part 2: Editing videos for YouTube on PC [Detailed Steps]

Irrespective of the editing software you use, following the steps outlined below will make it is easy for you to edit videos for YouTube on PC. Assuming you already have made your mind on the editing software of choice, use the following steps to edit and export your completed work. To better demonstrate the steps of YouTube video editing, I’ll use Filmra9 video editor to edit YouTube Video.

1.Split or combine your video clips

Most of the editing programs you use will have a timeline view of your work where you can easily cut or drop your shots. Each of the shots taken is actually a separate file which you will have to combine with others to make the video. The split feature in Filmora can cut footage into parts and then you can move it to desired position or just delete the unnecessary part. You can choose any part of the video quickly with the Quick Trim feature in preview. Besides, Filmora supports almost all popular video and photo formats, so there will be no obstacle when you want to combine footage shot with different devices. You can add photos to video or audio to video.

To combine several footages into one, just place all clips in the video track in order. Form the timeline view, move the shots around, cut, trim or shorten them as you desire. You can also add transitions between shots so that your final production may have a professional look.

2. Crop, Rotate, Pan & Zoom

You can rotate the video at any angle at any direction and change the scale of video footage or other transform. If you want viewers to focus on some part of the frame, you can use try the Pan & Zoom feature.

Learn more about How to Zoom in Video After It’s Recorded or Saved?

3.Add texts, Music and other effects

Once the individual shots have been edited into a single video, it is now time for you to add the special effects. This is the time to add stuff such as texts, music and other special effect you may want to see on the video. If you are worried about doing this, just know that you don’t have to be a pro editor to do all these since most of the program will guide you through on how to add all the special effects.

4.Save and export

After you have done with adding all the special effects, choose the file format for saving your video then export it. YouTube accepts major file formats and these include MP4, AVI or WMA hence you will be okay when you use any of them.

Filmora also allows you to upload videos to YouTube platform directly since it will choose the format and frame rate or codec which suit best.

These are the basic steps you will use when you want to edit YouTube videos on PC. Just remember to use the right widescreen format and also render your files in either 1080i or 720p high definition.

YouTuber Jamie Keet from Teacher’s Tech channel has made a tutorial about how to edit videos on Filmora. This video is detailed and let us know if you think it is helpful in the comment below.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Thumbnail Mastery for YouTube Channel Graphics

YouTube Channel Art: How to Make Banners, Icons, and Thumbnails?

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

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YouTube channel art refers to your banner, icon, and watermark along with the thumbnails of your videos. Creating custom channel art is a great way to express yourself and communicate the tone of your videos.

YouTube supports JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG files for channel art, although they do not allow animated GIFs.

Part 1: Top Sites for YouTube Channel Art

You can make your channel art in Photoshop, or another photo editing program, but there are also some excellent tools online which you can access for free. Here are two of the best:

Canva.com

Canva has templates for YouTube banners as well as a variety of stock images. You can also upload and edit your own images on Canva. It is a free service, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each. Canva has a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey.com

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. It’s free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription for either $4.99 a month, or $2.75 a month for a year.

Part 2: Banners

Your banner is the header for your channel page. Its dimensions are 2560 x 1440 px.

Not all of your banner will be visible on all devices. The full 2560 x 1440 px image will only be seen by viewers watching on tv screens.

Only 1546 x 423 px of your banner will be visible on computers, and this ‘safe area’ can vary for different tablets and smartphones depending on the width of their screens. Make sure any important text or logos are placed in a central location so everybody can see them.

Also, keep in mind that your icon will hover over the top left corner of your banner and that your social media icons will be located in the bottom right corner.

The file size of your banner cannot be over 4MB.

Part 3: Icons

Your icon is the avatar you use when leaving and replying to comments on YouTube. It also hovers over your banner on your channel page.

By default, your icon will be the picture associated with your Google account.

If you upload a new icon, it will render down to 98 x 98 px. So, any square image larger than 98 x 98 px will work. However, YouTube recommends you use one as large as 800 x 800 px. This will give you a sharper, higher quality, image.

Part 4: Thumbnails

Thumbnails are the images that represent your videos on your channel page and in search results.

You can browse through your video and choose a still frame you want to use as your video’s thumbnail. Or, you can upload a custom image.

Custom thumbnails should have an aspect ratio of 16:9, the same as YouTube’s video player. The files should be under 2MB and have a resolution of 1280 x 720.

To upload a custom thumbnail, select the custom thumbnail option under Video Thumbnails at the end of the video uploading process. You can also change the thumbnails of your existing videos to custom ones through Video Manager.

Remember that your thumbnail will be rendered down to a much smaller size. If you use text, like the title of your video, then you should make it really big so that it is easy to read when it gets shrunk down.

Part 5: Watermarks

A watermark is a small, usually 50 x 50 px image displayed in the bottom right corner of your video.

Watermarks protect your videos by making them harder for others to steal and take credit for.

Ideally, your watermark will be a transparent version of your logo. Try not to use more than three colors – you do not want your watermark to distract your viewers.

If you add a branding watermark through YouTube then that watermark will also double as a subscribe link.

Here is how you can add a branding watermark through YouTube:

1. On YouTube, go to your Creator Studio and select Branding under the Channel menu.
2. Click the blue add a watermark button on the Branding page.
3. An upload of a watermark window will pop up. Select your image file and click Save.
4. Choose between having a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your videos, or having it there for the entire length of your videos. The popular choice is to have it visible through the entire video.
5. Click Update. Your watermark will be applied to all of your videos.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox