Edit Video: WeVideo

If you have already created a WeVideo account, you can login from WeVideo's main page. 

If you do not have an account, you can email library@uoguelph.ca to join the library's license, or create a free account from WeVideo's main page. 

Make sure that you are using WeVideo in Google Chrome (best) or Firefox (fair). WeVideo is not as compatible with Safari, Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer.

After getting access to WeVideo and creating an account, click on Classic to start a new video project.

Note: The Classroom option is a new feature and we are in the process of investigating it.

Option 1: Create a new edit

1. Click "Create New" in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
2. From the drop-down menu, click on the arrow next to Video. 
3. Select "Full-featured Editor". 

4. To change hte name of your video click "My Video" in the top banner beside the hamburger menu and edit the text. 

Option 2: Choose to modify a template

1. ClickTemplates from the navigation list on the left
2. Select the template you'd like to edit

NOTE: As a first step to learning WeVideo, editing a template may be a little overwhelming. We recommend starting with a blank project.

There are three main sections of the WeVideo editing page: The media pool, the timeline, and the viewing window.

1. Media Pool: This is where you upload your own media you would like to use in your project. Here is where you can also find stock footage, and other video elements such as text and transitions. 
2. Timeline: The timeline runs along the bottom of your screen, and it is where you edit all of your media together. 
3. Viewing Window: This is where you will be able to preview your video as you create it. The viewing window will show you what is in your timeline. 

1. Click on the folder icon (My Media) in the the media pool menu, and select the My Media tab
2. Click on the cloud icon labelled Import.

3. In the pop up window, you can drag and drop files or click Browse to Select.
4. All the media that you upload will be stored here in My Media.

1. Click on the video clip you have imported and it will appear in the viewing window to the right.
2. Drag and drop the clip from your media pool into your timeline to a Video row.

• Move the blue marker to the point where you would like to cut your clip and click on Split in the editing banner.

• Once cut, you can delete sections of the footage by clicking on the clip to select and then clicking delete on your keyboard, or clicking delete in the editing banner. 
  • Instead of deleting, you can also move around the order of the clips by dragging and dropping them to different positions in the timeline.

1. Click on Videos, Images or Audio in the main menu on the left side of your media pool.
2. Use the search bar to look for a particular video, image or sound effect.
3. Select the item you would like and drag and drop it into the timeline.
4. Edit and cut the clip the same way you do with your own footage.

1. Click on Text in the main menu on the left side of your media pool.
2. Scroll through the text options and select your desired style.
3. Drag and drop the text into the timeline.

• If you would like it to be an overlay on the video, place it in the text timeline above a video or image track.
• If you want it to have a blank background, make sure no videos or images are layered underneath your text track.

To edit text: 

1. Drag the outside edges of your text clip to lengthen or shorten the amount of time it appears in your video
2. Click Edit in the banner, or double click your text clip to open the text editor and make changes to the font, size and colour of your text.

Transitions are used between clips and images to provide a smoother and more interesting look to your video.

1. Click on Transitions from the menu on the left side of your media pool.
2. Browse and select the transition you would like to use. To preview the transition, click on it and it will display in the viewing window to the right of your screen.
3. Drag and drop the transition into the timeline between the clips you would like it to appear between. 
4. You can adjust the transition length and type by clicking on it in your timeline and adjusting the settings.

5. If the transition box is highlighted red when you are trying to insert it into the timeline, the transition cannot go there. It must go between two clips. It will turn green if it can be placed there. You will need to create a cut first before you can place the transition.

1. Add your green screen footage to Video Track 2 (it might be named something different, such as Text 1).
2. Add your background scene to Video Track 1. Make sure you have adjusted the background scene so that it matches the length of your green screen footage. Note: regardless of your track names, your background footage should always be placed on a track below your green screen footage. 

3. Double click the green screen footage to open the editor.
4. From the navigation panel along the left side of the screen, click the "Keying" tab.
5. Use the dropper tool to select the colour you would like to replace with the background, or enter the hex colour code #2aff08
6. Click "Save Changes"

1. Click on My Media from the media pool menu.
2. Click on the cloud icon labelled Import.
3. Import your audio file just like you would a video or image file. 
4. Drag your audio file from your media pool and drop it into the audio track in your timeline.

5. You can add additional audio tracks, like music or sound effects, by adding more tracks. 
6. You can also blend various sounds beforehand using a tool like Audacity and then importing only one audio file into WeVideo.

You can add additional audio or video tracks.

1. Click on the "+Track" button above your timeline in the editing banner.
2. From the drop-down, select the type of track you'd like to add: Video/Text or Audio. 

3. Your new track will appear in your timeline as the lowest track if it is for audio, or the highest track if it is for video/text.

4. To rename your track, click your track name and edit.

There are a lot of audio options within WeVideo.

1. Click on Audio in main menu on the left side of the media pool. 
2. Browse the free music and sound effects available on WeVideo.

3. Add your own music or sound effects to your video by importing audio files into My Media and dragging and dropping the clips into your audio timeline.
4. You can add your voice over track and then add additional audio tracks to include sound effects or music.

5. Change the volume of your audio track by adjusting the volume slider found underneath the track label.

6. To adjust audio to different levels within a track, click the Audio & Opacity arrow in the editing banner.
7. From the drop-down select "Show audio level". A blue line will appear at the top of your track indicating the volume level. 

8. Click along the blue line of volume to add control points to your audio. By clicking and dragging the control points up or down your audio will adjust volume levels according to the blue line. The top of the track equals 100% volume, the bottom of the track equals 0% volume. 

1. Upload an image into My Media, or select a stock image from the Images tab in the main menu.
2. Drag and drop the image into any of your video timelines.
3. Drag the outside edges of your image to change the length of time of the image in your video. 

How do I resize my image?

If your image has a width and a height that is different from your screen size, you may want to resize your image so that there are no black bars showing. This can make your video look more polished and professional.

1. Select the clip that you want to resize in the timeline. You will know it is selected because the border will highlight in purple. 
2. Double click on the image in your timeline to open your clip editor, or select Edit in the editing banner. 

3. In the clip editor transform tab, select fill to have your image automatically adjust to fill the viewing window. Alternatively, make use of the scale slider or scale number to zoom your image in and out. 

4. If you want to move your image within the screen view, you can click and drag the image in the viewing window, or adjust the position x and y axis numbers.

You can undo an action by clicking "Undo" in the editing banner or Command/CTRL+Z on your keyboard.

1. Select the clip that you want to add an effect to in the timeline.You will know it is selected because the border will highlight in purple. 
2. Click "FIlters" in the editing banner.  

3. A preview of the possible effects will be displayed, select an effect to add to the clip
4. You can choose to apply the chosen effects to this clip only, or to all clips. 

5. Click Apply

1. Place your stable image in the Video 1 track. The image which you will apply fading to will go in the track above.
2. Select the clip you would like to fade. You will know it is selected because the border will highlight in purple. 
3. Click on the Audio & Opacity drop-down in the editing banner, select Show opacity level. A green line will appear at the top of your clips. The line indicates the clip opacity level. 

4. Add points by clicking on the green line and move them up and down to control the opacity. A point at the top of the clip indicates 100% opacity, moving points downward reduces the opacity percentage. 

1. Go into the Text tab on the left hand menu, and select "see all" under "Special" 

2. Choose the Subtitle text box. Grab and drop the text box onto the Text track. 

3. To change the layout and size of the text, find the Subtitle text box in the track. Double click on the track to open the editor. 

4. Make sure to click the blue button labeled Done when you’re finished.
5. To adjust the length of time the text is visible, select the text track in the timeline and drag the end to the appropriate length. 
6. Repeat the process for each section of speech in the video. 

1. Click on the "Finish" tab at the top right

2. Confirm:
   • Video Thumbnail
   • Title
   • Type of export: Vide, Audio only or GIF
   • Resolution: SD 852 x 480 or HD 1280 x 720
   • Where you want to export your video, and whether you would like it to be public or private.
3. Click "Export". This will take a few minutes.

1. You will need to "Finish" your video first (see the export instructions above).
2. Select “Exports” from the menu on the left side of your dashboard to view your exported videos. 

3. Select the video you want to download, right click and select "Download" from the drop-down menu.

4. You can also double click to open your exported video, and select the Download icon below the video window. 

5. Your video will download to your device as an MP4.

Collaborative Projects is a WeVideo feature that allows multiple editors to work together on a single video project. When someone from your group is editing the project, the Collaborative Projects feature ensures that the project will automatically lock to prevent other group members from making changes to the project at the same time.

1. To create a new collaborative project, log in to WeVideo and click on Projects in the menu on the left side of your screen.
2. Click on the + button in the top right corner of the page to Create a New Project

3. Give your project a title and a description. Select "Collaborative" and click Next. NOTE: You must be part of a group to create a collaborative project. 

4. Select the group you want to add members from.

5. Select members from the group list, or search, and click Next.

6. You will have the option of importing media from your media folder to your new project. This step is optional, as you can add media to your project at any time. Click Next to continue.
7. Click Create Video to get started with your Collaborative Project

Note: If you do not see the collaborate feature when you go to do this, please contact the Media Studio directly so we can make sure you're part of a group.

A shared project means that members of the project can create their own videos, but cannot view or work on videos of another creator. If you are the person who created the project, you would be able to see everyone's projects, but everyone else would only be able to see their own. 

1. To create a new shared project, log in to WeVideo and click on Projects in the menu on the left side of your screen.
2. Click on the + button in the top right corner of the page to Create a New Project.

3. A screen will pop up where you can select your preferences for your new project. Give your project a title and a description. Select Shared and click Next.

4. Select the group you want to add members from, Select members/groups or share the project through a link. You must be part of a group to create a collaborative project.

4. Select members from the group list and click Next.

5. You'll have the option of importing media from your media folder to your new project. This step is optional, as you can add media to your project at any time. Click Next to continue.
6. Click Create Video to get started with your Shared Project.
7. Once you have created your project, the people you have added will be able to see all the media within the project folder and use it for their individual projects. Project media is where all members will be able to find the media they can use for their projects. When they create their projects, you will be able to see them all in the Edits folder. To share the link to this project, copy the project URL at the bottom of the menu on the left-hand side of your screen. You can also add members from your organization's list by clicking the silhouette icon above the link.
8. Once you have created your project, all members will have access to the projects page. On the projects page you can view the video edits in progress, exports, project media, linked resources and members.
9. You can create a new edit, change the project settings, add members to the project and copy a shareable link to the project by clicking on the icons in the top right corner of your project page. 

10. Select the Project Media tab to upload media into your project. 

11. When members of the project create a new edit, they will be able to access the project media in a new video edit by selecting My Media, then the Project tab.

You can start sharing a project with someone at any point during your creation process. 

1. Click on Projects in the menu on the left side of your screen.
2. Select the project you want to share from the list and click to open.
3. Click on the Add Members icon in the top right corner of your project screen to add members from a group to your project.

To find a project that was shared with you:

1. Click on "Projects"
2. Select "Shared with me" 

3. Click on the Project. You will then be able to see the edits in progress, as well as the videos that have been exported.
4. In the Exports tab, you can Right Click on a video and choose to Download or Add to a Gallery

Screen Recording enables you to record a video of your entire computer screen or a single desktop window. Any actions that you take on the screen (scrolling, clicking, etc) are recorded. Once you finish recording you can save the recording as a video, and use it within WeVideo.

Please note that Screen Recording is only available on premium accounts. The library has an educational license and a limited number of accounts are available for students, faculty and staff  each semester. Please contact the library for more information. 

Please also note that Google Chrome is required. Please ensure that you are using version 70 or above.

1. To begin, click on the Create New dropdown menu in your dashboard window, and select “Recording”. You can choose if you would like to record in a horizontal, square or vertical format.

2. You will be presented with three options: create a webcam recording, a screen recording, or both simultaneously. 
3. Select Screen, choose where you would like to save your recording in the drop-down menu, and click Next. 

4. You will be prompted to choose an audio source. Select the default (microphone array) and click next.

5. You have the option of recording the entire screen or just a specific open window. You also have the option to record a voiceover while recording. Select your screen or window and click on Share to begin.

6. You will know that it is recording when a small pop-up appears at the top of your screen with the options to stop sharing or hide.

7. When you are done recording, click on Stop sharing. You will then be able to preview what you just recorded. You can start over by clicking on Record New. If you are happy with your recording, you can click on save to immediately upload it to WeVideo.

8. Once the upload has completed, you can use your screen recording just like any other video file. If you would like to download the screen recording, you can export and download it just like any other WeVideo file.