Clipping (Trimming) allows you to edit existing videos into shorter clips and save them, while stitching allows you to combine two or more videos/clips into a new video. A use case is stitching a video clip of your company logo at the beginning of a company training video to brand your training videos.
There are two types of clipping available in Wowza Video:
- Quick mode – Creates clips along existing segments, which are typically 8-second segments. If you don't need frame-by-frame precision in your clips, this is an efficient and inexpensive choice.
- Precise mode – Creates clips by specifying start and end times, down to individual frames. While this mode offers precise control, the precision requires re-encoding the resulting clip, adding encoding costs and time.
Clip editor overview
Clip and stitch uses the Clip editor. To access it, click + Add Videos in the navigation, select a video in the Videos list, then click Create Clip in the Video Details page.
Learn more about the Video Details page to see the specific settings and their descriptions you can configure for clipping and stitching a video.
1. Videos list
To the left of the editor, there is a Videos list. Click + Add Videos button to expand the list of all of your videos. You can select a clip from the list to put in your Reel area.
2. Reel
The Reel area contains all of the clips you want to add to your selected video. It is located just above the video player.
3. Trim tool
When first opening the editor, you will see the video preview player and the Trim tool.
The Trim tool is laid out on a horizontal timeline representing the duration of the video. The orange box on the timeline represents the clip. The white, vertical lines represent the start time and end time drag handles of the video and segment clips. Hover over the white, vertical start time drag handle, then hold your mouse down and drag and drop on the track where you want the start time of the clip. For example, in Quick mode, the start time will be in, typically, 8-second increments. Do the same with the end timeline which will also be, typically, in 8-second segments.
4. Zoom
Since the timeline encompasses the entire duration of the video, you may need to zoom in on parts of the timeline for more precise control.
To zoom, you have two options:
- Use the zoom and focus controls located directly below the timeline.
- Use the focus bar that represents the currently visible part of the timeline.
Zoom and focus controls
Using the zoom and focus controls, you can:
- Zoom in on the timeline.
- Zoom out on the timeline.
- Zoom and focus on the currently selected clip.
- Zoom out completely to show the full timeline.
5. Focus bar
Below the controls, there's a bar that represents the currently visible part of the timeline. Using the handles, you can resize the bar which zooms in and out on the corresponding part of the timeline. You can also drag the actual bar part to focus on a corresponding part of the timeline.
Stitch a clip
To stitch a clip into a video in the Clip editor:
- Select a video from the list of videos in the Clip editor.
- Drag and drop the video onto your Reel area. You can add multiple videos to the reel and drag them on the reel to rearrange them.
- Click Clip video or Clip as new video.
Warning! If you click Clip video, Wowza Video stitches the video based on the order the videos are arranged and the resulting video overwrites the source video of the first video. This action cannot be undone. If you need access to your source video later, ensure you store a copy of it first.
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If you select Clip video, a confirmation displays. Click Clip video. The videos on the Reel are stitched together in the order they were arranged. The stitched video clip displays in the Videos list.
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If you select Clip as new video, configure it, then click Create clip. The videos on the Reel are stitched together in the order they were arranged. The stitched and newly-created video clip displays in the Videos list.
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Trim a clip - Quick mode
To trim a selected video in the Clip editor in Quick mode:
- Select Quick Mode at the top of the Clip editor for the video you need to clip.
- Drag the handle (white, vertical line) on the left of the trim tool to set the start point (typically by 8-second increments) and the handle (white, vertical line) on the right to set the end point (by 8-second increments) to set the region of the recording you want to trim.
- Click Clip video or Clip as new video.
Warning! If you click Clip video, Wowza Video trims the video based on the start point and end point and the resulting video overwrites the source video. This action cannot be undone. If you need access to your source video later, ensure you store a copy of it first.
- If you select Clip video, a confirmation displays. Click Clip video. The video clip displays in the Videos list.
- If you select Clip as new video, configure it, then click Create clip. The newly-created video clip displays in the Videos list.
Trim a clip - Precise mode
Note: A clip created using the precise mode incurs additional encoding time and cost.
To trim a selected video in the Clip editor in Precise mode:
- Select Precise Mode at the top of the Clip editor for the video you need to clip.
- Drag the handle (white, vertical line) on the left of the trim tool to set the start point (typically by 8-second increments) and the handle (white, vertical line) on the right to set the end point (by 8-second increments) to set the region of the recording you want to trim.
- Click Clip video or Clip as new video.
Warning! If you click Clip video, Wowza Video trims the video based on the start point and end point and the resulting video overwrites the source video. This action cannot be undone. If you need access to your source video later, ensure you store a copy of it first.
- If you select Clip video, a confirmation displays. Click Clip video. The video clip displays in the Videos list.
- If you select Clip as new video, configure it, then click Create clip. The newly-created video clip displays in the Videos list.
