Microsoft has a growing library of apps and services, many of which are lesser known to everyday users. Chances are you already have access to the app I’m going to focus on today, Clipchamp.
The video editing app is the default video editor on Windows 11, and it’s also available on the web. Recently, I used the app to create a music video for my American football team, and several people asked me what I used to make the video. While at first glance it might seem like I learned how to create my own graphics, I actually just used a template from Clipchamp and a few basic filters to customize its look.
What is Clipchamp?
Clipchamp is a free video editor available on Windows 11 and the web. Listing them separately is a bit technical, as Clipchamp is a web-based video editor, whether you use Microsoft’s app or Clipchamp online. There’s even an iOS version of Clipchamp, but I have an Android phone, so I can’t say how good or bad the app is.
Compared to video editing apps like Adobe Premiere Pro or Da Vinci Resolve, Clipchamp is much more basic. It feels more like a feature-rich smartphone or tablet video editor that’s scaled to a larger screen, rather than a full-fledged competitor to professional apps. That’s intentional, though, as Clipchamp’s goal is to have a low learning curve and make video creation easy.
“Create videos in just a few clicks with Clipchamp, Microsoft’s easy-to-use video editor,” reads the app’s description on the Microsoft Store. “This video maker is beginner-friendly with a drag-and-drop interface, but has advanced video editing features to help you cut, crop, and resize videos, record screen and webcam, edit green screen videos, and even add AI voiceovers. Create engaging social media videos, sales promotion videos, in-depth tutorials, and more with Clipchamp.”
While Clipchamp is easy to use, it offers more features than you might think. Templates, filters, effects, and the fact that it has a multi-level timeline make the app suitable for more complex edits.
Clipchamp also has a library of royalty-free assets that can be used to make videos stand out. A few animated graphics can really make a video look more polished.
I don’t pay for Clipchamp Premium, so the tools I used to create the video below are free. If you want more features, you can pay $9.99 per month to export in 4K, access premium assets, and a handful of other perks.
I admit that Microsoft doesn’t really keep Clipchamp as secret as the title suggests, but in practice, very few people seem to know about Clipchamp. When I told my friends that I was using Clipchamp, none of them said they knew that the app was already installed on their Windows 11 PC.
Create Videos with Clipchamp
After posting the video above, several people reached out to me asking how I made the video. The graphics seem to be the biggest hit. Clipchamp has a lot of templates, but only a few are geared toward sports teams or highlights. The template I originally used had a blue accent and theme, but I was able to use filters to customize it.
I’m not a professional video editor, but I studied broadcast journalism and have been using Adobe Premiere Pro and Da Vinci Resolve for years. I would class myself as a “prosumer,” meaning most people with a bit of time and experience could make similar videos. What I like about Clipchamp is that it has a simple enough interface that almost anyone can drag and drop a few clips into it, but more experienced creators can make their own videos.
Room for improvement
While I like Clipchamp, there are a few small additions that would go a long way. I’d like to see the ability to choose a specific segment of a clip to replace a piece of content on the timeline. Currently, if you drag a video to replace an item on your project’s timeline, the clip you dragged starts from the beginning.
When using a template, it’s normal to want to squeeze the best part of a clip into a specific time window, and that doesn’t always match the exact length of your source video. I’d also like to be able to add a transition to the beginning or end of a clip that isn’t directly next to another item in the timeline. I guess in this case it’s not so much a transition as an effect, but it would still be nice.
Overall, Clipchamp has improved since coming under Microsoft’s domain (Microsoft bought Clipchamp in 2021). I hope the tech giant continues to invest in the video editor.
