Free video-editing software: 4 Microsoft Clipchamp tools you should take a closer look at

Clipchamp is a free video-editing tool that Microsoft recently added to Windows 10 and 11. To help you get to grips with it, we've rounded up some key features.

The tech giant has a history of including video-editing tools with its operating systems, ever since 2000's Windows Me came with Movie Maker. Its latest offering, Clipchamp, is great for creating eye-catching videos – and it can even generate movies from raw footage using AI.

Below, we explore the Clipchamp features that matter the most. Plus, we've got advice for users who would rather revert to the older, pre-installed editing software on Windows.

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1. Time-saving templates

At a glance: Clipchamp's pre-installed templates are based on common themes and save you starting from scratch.

Automated movies are fine, but if you want more control over the finished article, you can edit videos manually. Instead of starting with a completely blank timeline, try one of Clipchamp's built-in templates as the basis for your video.

The main Clipchamp window shows thumbnails for various templates such as 'YouTube' and 'Birthday'. For more, click the Templates tab in the left-hand pane. You can view further examples of templates for each category by clicking See all. Alternatively, if you're looking for something specific, select the Search templates box at the top and type a keyword – 'Holiday', for instance.

Click on a template's icon for a preview of the style it offers – once you've found one you like the look of, choose the Use this template button. The template and all of its assets will be downloaded and opened in the timeline window for you to use and edit.

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2. Use AI to edit your video

At a glance: Come up with a title and style for your project ,and the AI assistant will use your clips to create a draft.

To get started, launch Clipchamp and click the Create a video with AI button towards the top of the app. The Auto compose four-step wizard will open.

Type a title for your video in the box – 'Our Holiday', for example. Then add the clips you want to use; either select the Add your own media box and browse for your video files, or open up the yellow FIle Explorer folder and drag and drop them. When you're finished, click the Get started button.

Next, you'll be presented with a suggested style such as 'Vibrant', 'Minimal' or 'Playful'. If you don't like the look of one, click the thumbs down icon to see another. Choose the thumbs up icon and Next when you're happy. Choose an aspect ratio (landscape or portrait) for your video as well as a length. Make your selections and click Next.

You'll be able to preview the automatically generated video on the right (click the Play icon under the main image). If you don't like the selected music, select the Music icon on the left to choose an alternative. Press Export when you're done. The finished video will be saved to your Downloads folders.

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3. Make manual edits – transitions, filters and more

At a glance: Editing your own content instead of relying on AI gives you more freedom and Clipchamp has a host of tools to help.

From Clipchamp's Home screen, click the Create a new video button. Whether starting from scratch or using a template, you'll need to add your clips. Select the Import media button at the top of the left pane and browse for your videos.

Once you've added the clips you need, drag them from the Your media pane to the timeline under the preview window. Selecting a clip in the timeline will reveal green handles at the start and end. Click and drag these to set each clip's in and out points to cut unwanted footage.

Tools, including transitions, live on the left side of the app window. To try them out, select the Transitions tab, then click and drag the transition you want onto the join between two clips on your timeline.

Similarly, on the right of the app window, there are tabs for Effects and Filters. Choose a clip in the timeline, click the tab for the category of the effect you want and select the icon for an effect to see how it'll look.

Click the Play button under the preview window at any time to see how your new creation is taking shape.

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4. Export options for sharing your video

At a glance: You can use Clipchamp's export settings to pick between video dimensions and file types.

Once you've completed the manual editing process, you can create a new video file of your finished film and share your work online.

With your timeline open, click the Export button and you'll be offered a selection of video quality options. The highest available for free users is 1080p (4K export requires a paid subscription) and will give you a HD video file.

Choose the quality setting you want and Clipchamp will begin to build the edited movie. As it does so, you'll also see a screen offering options for naming your movie and uploading it to cloud storage services, such as OneDrive or Google Drive, or online-video sharing sites, such as YouTube and TikTok.

When Clipchamp has finished compiling the clip, you'll find it in your Downloads folder – to find it, type Downloads in your search bar or head there via the yellow File Explorer folder.

Alternatively, restore old Windows editing tools

Microsoft recently removed video-editing tools from the Windows 10 and 11 versions of its Photos app, encouraging users to switch to Clipchamp.

If you don't fancy learning a new app or prefer the previous tools, you can get these back if you want. Work your way through these steps:

1. Open the Photos app and click the Settings (cog) icon in the top left.
2. Scroll down and you'll see a Get Photos Legacy button – select this and you'll be taken to the Microsoft Store.
3. Select the Get button to download the app for free.

Once the app is installed, you can launch the Photos Legacy app and click the Video Editor tab to start your editing.

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Additional reporting by Tom Morgan.