In the digital age, anyone can become a video producer – simply with their own smartphone. Video editing and post-production are also easy with the mobile app FilmoraGo. Now learn in the tutorial article and in our online course how to edit videos on your smartphone and create professional overlays!
Your goal: Produce good videos with little effort
In the digital age, more and more people have their smartphone constantly with them. This makes it increasingly easy to quickly shoot a video and provide it to customers or participants of online courses.
Benefits of video editing on a smartphone with FilmoraGo
Of course, you can shoot your videos on a smartphone and later trim and edit them on a computer or laptop. However, in everyday life, this often proves to be more cumbersome and time-consuming than editing videos on a smartphone. Nowadays, small devices are capable of a lot, and it is worth giving smartphone editing at least a chance.
These are the advantages of video editing on a smartphone compared to editing on a computer:
The video editing is simple and quick
You can cut videos independently of location from anywhere – even on the go
The video editing is very cost-effective
All information about shooting videos with your smartphone can be found on our information page – from concept to application in the online course:
Creating videos for online courses – super easy with your smartphone
1st advantage of video editing on a smartphone: Easy and fast editing
Our most valuable resource is the time we have available. The less time you have to spend as a trainer or coach dealing with technical functions, the more time you have for supporting your participants.
For the vast majority of your videos, you only need a few functions – such as trimming at the beginning and end of the film. Many desktop video editing programs have a multitude of functions that you probably will never use, which distracts you from the essentials. With our preferred editing software for smartphones, FilmoraGo, the range of functions is limited, making it quick to comprehend.
2nd advantage of video editing on a smartphone: Location-independent editing
Maybe you belong to those of us who are often on the go and greatly appreciate being able to work while traveling. With FilmoraGo, you can edit videos on the train or in your hotel room and upload them directly. No more waiting between filming and video editing!
Konstantin, founder and managing director of blink.it, belongs to this group of people who travel a lot and therefore want to do as much as possible directly on their smartphones. During his last stay in Berlin, he shot a short video from his hotel room in which he shares his experiences and tips with you:
3rd advantage of video editing on a smartphone: Cost-effective editing software
Lastly, another great advantage of editing your videos directly on your smartphone: You can test for free whether you like this type of editing. The FilmoraGo software places a watermark on your videos in the free version, which is not a problem for initial tests. If you want to use the videos for professional purposes, it is worth purchasing the full version for about 3 euros.
Disclaimer: We do not receive a commission from FilmoraGo but recommend the software based on our positive experience and the benefits mentioned above. Do you know another program that works equally well or better? Then feel free to leave us a message!
In this link, you can get FilmoraGo for Android and in this link for Apple devices.
Yes, but – is the quality sufficient for videos on a smartphone?
The question of all questions when it comes to videos on a smartphone: Is the quality sufficient for my purposes? Based on our experience, the answer is 95% – Yes, it is. As long as you don't want to shoot exclusive promotional films but instead have your focus on authenticity and content, you are on the sunny side with shooting and editing videos on a smartphone!
In the next paragraph, you will learn which functions are available to you with our recommended software FilmoraGo.
Always there, simple and cost-effective – With the smartphone, you can not only shoot your videos but also edit them directly.
Your first steps for video editing on a smartphone
So, how does video editing with FilmoraGo work, and what can you do with this software? Here’s an overview of all the functions we recommend for video editing:
Import and export videos
Trim videos from the front and back
Combine multiple videos
Overlay images on the video
Add floating transitions
You can do a few other things with the FilmoraGo software, but the five functions mentioned above are, in our experience, the most useful.
1st function with FilmoraGo: Import and export videos
It always starts with the import and ends with the export: Even these basic functions are sometimes not self-evident without instructions and can take time. In FilmoraGo, at the beginning of each project, you have the option of creating a new video (editing) or continuing with a saved video.
When importing video files, you start with FilmoraGo by clicking the “create new video” button.
When you click on “create new video”, you just need to select your raw file of the previously shot video and confirm.
At the very end of your editing, you save your video and export it – for example, simply back to your saved videos on your smartphone or directly to YouTube, Facebook, or other programs:
When exporting video files, you have the choice with FilmoraGo whether to save the file on your smartphone or upload it directly to an external program.
2nd function with FilmoraGo: Trim videos from the front and back
If you, like Konstantin, often record a video of yourself alone, you always have a part at the beginning and end of your recording that you probably want to cut: Namely, the seconds when you walk to the smartphone camera to press start and stop.
With FilmoraGo, this is very simple; just tap on “edit” and then on “trim clip”. Then you can drag the “Trim Slider” to the point where you want to cut your video. Check if you have selected the right spots and confirm with “okay” – done!
Konstantin shows you in the online course exactly where to click for the individual steps when trimming your video.
3rd function with FilmoraGo: Combine multiple videos
Another helpful function is merging several videos. You need this if you want to combine different video formats or if you simply shot a part of the video again. No matter what – you can combine two or more different video files with FilmoraGo as follows:
First, open one of your videos and then click on “Add Video” at the bottom right (see image above). Then select the corresponding second file and confirm with “next”. Now you will see two videos in your lower bar.
Now go to the right column and click on “Transitions” and choose which transition you want between the two videos. Save your changes, and you have created a new video from two individual video files!
The image shows you below the two individual videos and in the left column that you can choose a suitable transition by clicking on “preset”.
4th function with FilmoraGo: Overlay images on the video
Next is the useful function of integrating still images into your video. For this, you select the tool “PIP” under “edit” in FilmoraGo. This is an abbreviation for “Picture in Picture” – that is, image in image.
Select the suitable image and adjust it to the right size. You can overlay it fully across your video or add it small at a desired position. The latter is sensible if the viewer should be able to see both your video and the chosen image simultaneously.
For the “Picture in Picture” (PIP) function, Konstantin selects an image from his smartphone and then drags it to the desired spot in the video.
Finally, select at which point in the video you want to show the image, play the video for testing, and save it again at the end!
5th function with FilmoraGo: Add floating transitions
In conclusion, Konstantin introduces a function in the course that trainers and coaches can make good use of for their online courses: By digitizing a graphic (for example, a hand-drawn image) and then inserting it into the video, you can make even more abstract processes tangible for your viewers.
With FilmoraGo, you create a “Picture in Picture” again, but this time you select a graphic with a transparent background – for example, a digitized drawing that you have edited as shown in Konstantin’s online course. Like the overlay of images, you can have the graphic displayed at a certain point in the video for a desired duration.
Tip: With the free apps introduced by Konstantin in the online course, you can quickly try out this function and make your video more exciting.
To embed a graphic in the video using FilmoraGo, Konstantin first needs to digitize the graphic, then import it into the video, and drag it to the desired position.
Extra tip from us: The blink.it rocketday
What is better than reading texts and better than watching video tutorials? Exactly, a personal introduction to the topic with practical exercises! That’s why we created the blink.it rocketday: In the 1-day workshop, you'll create professional short videos with individual support and receive direct assistance in post-production on PC or Mac.
And by the way: We also offer the rocketday internally in your company.
Start now with simple videos on your smartphone!
We could talk for hours about the topic of video – but nothing beats firsthand experience. Just try FilmoraGo and check, using Konstantin's tips, if simple video shooting and editing is sufficient for your purposes. Have fun!
