Chaos Critters Tech Support: CapCut Video Editing Part 1

This week Tod walks you through how we edit videos using CapCut. We also have pictures of Crokell and Dante playing with each other. We end with a tip of the week and a small writing update.

Hi, Tod here today, it has been another crazy week of chaos and minions. Anna has been doing more dog training at home with both Dante and Crokell. Writing has taken a little bit of a back seat for her, as Anna decided to drop kick her laptop across the garage last week. (Hey, it just slide off the car when I put it there while was getting… something…)

So, we were investigating shock resistant small laptops Pro, tip there aren’t many that aren’t hefty and Anna resistant laptops are impossible to find. Therefore, I have taken control of the blog for a few weeks - BWAHAHA - while we wait for Anna’s new laptop to ship. The current screen is pretty much shattered and while she is sort of able work on it is… awkward for her.

This week’s question: what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to your computer?

Video Editing

Today, I will cover video editing using CapCut. I like CapCut since the operations are more intuitive for me - enough that we paid the ~$90 a year for Pro. Part 1 is too long to fit entirely in email - sorry about that.

Step 1: Starting the Project

When you open CapCut, you have the option to Create Project or use a project you previously worked on.

Clicking Create Project brings up the project window with the option to Import in the upper left. You can click Import or drag and drop the video onto Import. (If you are prompted choose to resize to fit the video.)

Then drag the video you added from the Import area to the bottom panel where it says “Drag material here and start to create.”

Now you are ready to start editing.

Step 2: Follow a Target

Now, we want to use a Pro feature called Camera Tracking. The purpose of Camera Tracking is to keep the source of the action in the center of the In the Video tab on the right, scroll down and click the checkbox next to Camera Tracking. I selected Body and hit Start.

The program will highlight shapes it thinks are human bodies on the screen. This ran until Anna turned in such a way the application did not recognize her. The program stops and lets you know it lost track of the object and prompts you to pick another one and hit continue. So, first I hit the split button on the bottom panel, to separate the segments.

Then I picked custom, highlighted Crokell and hit start.

I did this as necessary. Sometimes I tracked Crokell and sometimes the judge. This is one of those skills that you develop working with the AI, learning what it can do.

Once this is done, we go back to each segment. Under Camera Tracking, you’ll now have additional options. I picked “Fit to canvas” so the video would zoom in on the action.

Step 3: Edit the Cover

Now I want to edit the cover image. Click on Cover in the bottom panel.

Slowly and carefully run the mouse along the video on the bottom of the screen until the image is the frame you want as the cover. There is no clicking during this. Moving the mouse along the video activates a yellow stripe. Move the mouse up and off the video to quit selecting. (Hopefully, they upgrade this process in the future.)

Pick Edit from the screen that comes up. I zoomed in just a bit and hit Save.

Step 4: Adding Text

Now, we add some text. Click on the Text icon (shown in blue below) in the upper left panel. Move over Default Text and click the blue plus sign that says “Add to track” when you hover over it.

Adjust the text how you wish. Note, if you transform the size instead of changing font size, the background shadows on the text are also shrunk and will not fill the width of the screen. The busy image means we select a translucent white background and black text for the titles. Scrolling down in the Text → Basic tab in the upper right panel shows the Transform option, where I moved the text to the bottom of the screen.

Then in the bottom panel, I stretched the dark orange title box to show the same title for the entire video. I then added a second title at the top of the page.

Step 5: The Sound and the Fury

Now to add background music. Click in the upper left tab on Audio and then Music. I either look for really appropriate music - or something inappropriate. This has “Rocky Theme Song Hard Rock / Extreme Sports BGM” which seemed inappropriate for this video. I select that and hit the black and white plus sign to add it to the video.

I added it several times, dragging the clips into the same audio track.

You can drag and edges of the sound clips to shorten them to match the video.

Then I muted the original audio, since it was nothing but me giggling.

Step 6: Export

Click the Export button at the top right of the window. I usually pick all lowest quality, so as to reduce size. Even low is very good quality for a blog.

Next week I’ll cover some other tips.

The Video

And here is what we have so far.

Tip of the Week

When dealing with a superior foe, never give up. You might end up on top.

When dealing with a much smaller playmate, be willing to lay down and play on their level. It’s a lot more fun.

Writing Notes

I’ve got two chapters left in the “very light” first draft of the Nano-Sapiens novel. Then Anna takes each chapter and doubles or triples its length. And then we have a novel after I edit it.