You’ve been there. You hit record, talk for twenty minutes, and then realize the first six minutes were just you coughing and trying to get the lighting right. Or maybe you've found a massive livestream and you just need that one perfect thirty-second clip to share on X or Discord. Honestly, knowing how to cut YouTube videos is the difference between a professional-looking channel and a cluttered mess that nobody wants to watch. It's not just about trimming the ends; it's about pacing.
Most people think you need a massive $50-a-month subscription to Adobe Premiere Pro just to slice a video in half. You don't. Seriously. YouTube has built-in tools that are actually decent now, and there are browser-based options that don't require a PhD in film editing. But there's a catch. If you use the wrong tool, you end up with "re-encoding" issues where your 1080p video suddenly looks like it was filmed on a potato from 2005. We’re going to avoid that.
The Built-In YouTube Editor: When to Use It (and When to Run)
If the video is already live on your channel, the YouTube Studio Editor is your best friend. It’s located in the "Content" tab of your Creator Studio. You just click the pencil icon on your video, then hit "Editor" on the left sidebar. It’s surprisingly robust for a free, browser-based tool.
You can trim the start and end, or—and this is the part people miss—you can "Blur" sections or use the "Trim & Cut" feature to take out chunks from the middle. This is a lifesaver if you accidentally showed your email address on screen or if a copyright claim hits a specific song in the background. Instead of deleting the whole video and losing your view count, you just snip that part out.
But here is the reality: it's slow. Like, really slow. Once you hit "Save," YouTube can take hours to process the change. During that time, viewers will still see the old version. Also, you can't really do "fine" editing here. If you need to cut on a specific syllable or do a fast-paced jump cut, the Studio Editor will frustrate you to no end. It's a blunt instrument, not a scalpel.
How to Cut YouTube Videos Before You Upload
If the file is still sitting on your hard drive, please, for the love of your CPU, don't upload it first. Use something local. For Windows users, the "Photos" app (which replaced the old Movie Maker) has a basic trim tool that works fine. Mac users have QuickTime.
In QuickTime, you just go to Edit > Trim. It’s that simple. You drag the yellow handles and hit save.
The problem with these "default" apps is they often force a "Save As" which can lead to massive file sizes. If you want to get nerdy, look into LosslessCut. It’s an open-source tool that lets you cut videos without re-encoding. This is the "pro" secret. Most editors re-render the video, which takes time and loses a tiny bit of quality. LosslessCut just changes the metadata of where the file starts and stops. It’s instant. Literally. You hit export and it's done in one second because it’s not "processing" anything—it’s just slicing the data.
Why Pacing Matters More Than the Cut Itself
Look at MrBeast or any top-tier creator. They don't just cut out the "umms" and "ahhs." They use cuts to create a "B-roll" flow. When you are figuring out how to cut YouTube videos, you should be looking for the "dead air."
- The Breath Gap: Most people leave a half-second of silence before they start a sentence. Cut it.
- The "Eyeball" Rule: If the visual hasn't changed in 5 seconds, cut to a slightly zoomed-in version of the same shot. This is a "jump cut" and it keeps the brain engaged.
- The Transition Trap: Don't use star wipes. Don't use fancy 3D flips. A "hard cut" (just one clip touching the next) is almost always better.
Using Online Third-Party Cutters
Maybe you don’t own the video. Maybe you’re making a reaction video or a compilation. Websites like Kapwing or Clideo are popular. They’re easy. You paste a URL, move the sliders, and download.
But I have to be honest with you: most of these sites have a "catch." They either put a giant watermark over your video or they limit you to 720p unless you pay. If you’re doing this for a hobby, fine. If you’re trying to build a brand, a watermark is a death sentence for your credibility.
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A better way? Use VLC Media Player. Most people think it’s just for watching movies. If you go to View > Advanced Controls, a red record button appears. You can play a YouTube video (if you’ve opened the network stream) and just "record" the part you want. It saves it directly to your "Videos" folder. No watermarks. No subscriptions. Just a bit of a learning curve.
Cutting for YouTube Shorts (The 9:16 Problem)
This is where people get tripped up. Cutting a horizontal video into a vertical Short isn't just about the length; it's about the frame. If you just trim a 16:9 video to under 60 seconds, it’s still a "Long" video in YouTube's eyes if the aspect ratio is wrong.
To properly cut a video for Shorts, you need to "crop" it. In the YouTube mobile app, there is a "Create a Short" button directly under many videos. This is the fastest way to do it. You select a 60-second segment, and YouTube handles the formatting. However, you lose control over the "center" of the frame. If the action moves to the left, the Short might just be showing a blank wall.
Professional editors use CapCut. It’s become the industry standard for a reason. You can use the "Auto Reframe" feature which uses AI to follow the person talking so they stay in the center of the vertical 9:16 frame. It saves hours of manual keyframing.
Technical Hurdles: Why Your Audio Might De-sync
Nothing is worse than a video where the lips move and the sound comes a second later. This usually happens when you cut a video that has a Variable Frame Rate (VFR).
Most phones record in VFR to save space. When you put that into a "heavy" editor like Premiere or even some online cutters, the software gets confused. It expects a steady 30 frames per second, but your phone gave it 28.5, then 31, then 29.
If you notice your audio drifting after a cut, you need to run your video through a program called Handbrake first. It’s free. You just check the box that says "Constant Quality" or "Constant Framerate." It "flattens" the video so any cutting tool can handle it without making the audio go wonky.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make
One of the biggest mistakes is "cutting too close." You want to leave a tiny bit of "handle" space—maybe two or three frames—before and after the speech. If you cut exactly when a person starts talking, it can sound clipped or jarring.
Another one? Forgetting the "J-cut" and "L-cut."
- J-Cut: The audio from the next clip starts before the video does.
- L-Cut: The audio from the current clip continues even after we’ve moved to the next visual.
These are the "invisible" cuts that make a video feel like a movie instead of a slideshow. Even if you're just learning how to cut YouTube videos for a simple tutorial, using an L-cut to show a screen recording while you’re still finishing your sentence makes the transition feel seamless.
Final Steps for a Clean Export
Once you've made your cuts, the export settings are your final boss. For YouTube, you want H.264 or HEVC (H.265). If you’re using a tool that asks for "Bitrate," aim for at least 8-10 Mbps for 1080p and 35-45 Mbps for 4K.
Don't over-complicate this. If the tool has a "YouTube Preset," use it. The engineers at Google have already told the software companies exactly what their servers like to ingest.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your existing videos: Go to your YouTube Studio and find a video with a high "drop-off" rate in the analytics. Use the built-in Editor to trim the "intro fluff" that might be causing people to click away.
- Download LosslessCut: If you do a lot of "screen recording," this tool will save you gigabytes of space and hours of time.
- Practice the "S" key: In almost every editing software (Premiere, Resolve, CapCut), "S" or "B" is the shortcut for the blade tool. Stop mousing over to the menu; learn the hotkey and you’ll cut videos five times faster.
- Verify the Aspect Ratio: If you're cutting for Shorts, ensure the final file is 1080x1920, not 1920x1080. If you get this wrong, it won't hit the Shorts feed.