Can You Edit Videos on YouTube?: The Ultimate Guide

If you’re creating YouTube videos, there’s rarely something more annoying than finding a mistake in a video you have already uploaded. YouTube doesn’t offer a feature that lets you replace a video in a link, so you can’t fix the mistake in your video editing software without having to re-upload to a completely new URL, but there is a certain amount of tweaking you can do within YouTube Studio. Read on to find out how you can edit videos on YouTube.

Why you should make YouTube videos

Creating YouTube videos and building an audience can be a lot of fun. If you have a story you’re keen to tell, it’s a perfect platform to host your content and engage with your audience. That story could be as simple as sharing tips on how to declutter your home, or it could be as impactful as teaching others how to act on climate change. There’s space for every aspect of conversation and an audience looking for insightful content, so if you spend the time making good quality videos, they will come.

The same can be said about your business. Building a YouTube channel can have an excellent impact on your brand, introducing new people to your service or products and spreading your message far and wide.

Using video editing software like Pinnacle Studio to create your YouTube videos will increase the quality of your content as you can refine edits, add music, graphics and color filters, and generally have much more control over the final output than if you were simply uploading something straight from the camera. But how do you edit videos on YouTube once you have uploaded them? For that, you’ll need to jump into YouTube Studio.

How to edit videos on YouTube

YouTube Studio is a useful tool within your YouTube account that lets you tweak videos even after they’ve been posted. You can use it to cut out the beginning, middle or end of a video without having to re-upload it, and the views, comments and URL will stay the same.

This is especially useful if you have spotted a mistake within a video, such as a few seconds of accidental black screen left at the end or in the middle. It’s easier and faster to edit the video in YouTube than jumping back into Pinnacle Studio, re-exporting and re-uploading. Bear in mind that YouTube Studio will only let you trim videos — you won’t be able to adjust cosmetic effects like filters, graphics, or add additional footage. So it’s always best to make sure you are completely happy with your video before uploading it to YouTube.

As of August of 2022, here’s how to use YouTube Studio to trim your videos:

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
  2. Select Content from the menu on the left.
  3. Select the video you want to edit.
  4. In the menu on the left, select Editor.
  5. Select Trim & Cut. A blue box will appear around the timeline of the video.
  6. If you want to remove the start or the end of the video, simply reshape the blue box. Anything left outside it when you proceed will be removed from the video, shortening it at either the beginning or the end.
  7. If you want to remove a section from the middle, select ‘New Cut’. A red box will appear within the blue box. Reshape this by dragging it to the left or the right and choose the section you would like to remove.
  8. Click Save to proceed.

You can preview your edits by hitting Preview, and if you want to be specific you can enter the timecode to remove more precise sections of the video.

Once you are done, simply save the video and your changes will be reflected in the video in the same link on YouTube.

Use Pinnacle Studio to edit your videos

Although YouTube Studio can be used to trim or remove sections from your video, and it also includes an option to add music from a library, that’s pretty much all that’s available to users. Software like Pinnacle Studio is considerably more powerful and versatile when it comes to editing videos, unlocking a wealth of options like motion graphics, audio mixing and color grading. It gives you far more control over your YouTube video creations and is nearly always a better option for editing videos than using YouTube Studio.

Use YouTube’s editing tools sparingly

Building a YouTube channel can provide plenty of benefits whether you are an individual creator or a company looking to increase its brand and reach. Video editing software like Pinnacle Studio is a versatile tool for editing and refining your videos, and should always be your first option. But if you need to trim the beginning, middle or end of a video that has already been posted, YouTube Studio lets you tweak your video without impacting the URL or metrics. Download Pinnacle Studio today to get started.

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