Intro to Clipchamp Workshop

00:00:04:15 – 00:00:19:14 — Facilitator
Welcome to our Clipchamp workshop. Today we’ll cover how to start a project, gather and import media, build a timeline, splice and layer clips, and enhance videos with titles and music.

00:00:19:14 – 00:00:43:10 — Facilitator
We’ll also look at recording and editing directly in the Clipchamp interface—voiceovers, and even text-to-speech. We’ll touch on effects and transitions, and finish with exporting and sharing. Exporting is especially easy through Clipchamp’s connection with Microsoft.

00:00:58:00 – 00:01:18:08 — Facilitator / Participants
Facilitator: For those just joining: what are some pros and cons of instructional video?
Participant 1: Students can rewatch and target areas they need, which improves efficiency.
Participant 2: I use videos mainly as topic intros. My class is 100% asynchronous; videos let me introduce material without using live class time, and students arrive prepared.

00:01:50:00 – 00:02:11:06 — Participants
Videos provide context and personalization compared to sending students to a random video with no framing. They’re also useful for whole-class feedback on assignments—helpful for visual and auditory learners.

00:02:36:01 – 00:03:12:04 — Participants / Facilitator
Participant: Reading long blocks of text can be hard; video provides an accessible alternative.
Participant: Tone matters in feedback—video captures tone better than text.
Facilitator: Great points—lots of reasons to use video.

00:03:12:04 – 00:03:50:02 — Facilitator
So, what is Clipchamp? It’s a free, browser-based video editor—very beginner-friendly and straightforward once you learn the tools.

00:03:50:02 – 00:04:39:12 — Facilitator
When signing in, use your work or school Microsoft 365 account (your Columbia email). We’ll import media from Microsoft Cloud/OneDrive, and the work/school version has differences from personal accounts (templates, resources). Using the work/school account ensures we’re all on the same interface with shared media access.

00:04:39:12 – 00:05:15:10 — Facilitator
Before we dive in, let’s download the sample media we’ll use—it takes a minute. From the Clipchamp home screen, click Create new video to open the workspace. We’ll cover each panel in detail shortly, but first let’s get media importing.

00:05:19:04 – 00:06:11:02 — Facilitator
In the Media pool, click Import → OneDrive, then navigate via Quick Access to the CORE intranet Document Manager → Other Documents → Center of Excellence → Media Files. Select the three videos for today; they’ll download into the project.

00:06:11:02 – 00:07:17:00 — Facilitator
While those load, here’s a quick sample of what we’ll build. We’ll walk through the interface:

• Timeline (bottom): where we arrange video, audio, text, and images on tracks (like layers). Top tracks appear in front; audio typically sits on lower tracks (e.g., background music beneath dialogue).

• Viewer/Monitor (center): preview of your edit.

• Media panel (left): your imported files (recordings, images, music).

• Toolbar (far left): project-wide tools (text, transitions, templates). When you select a clip on the timeline, clip-specific tools appear on the right.

00:07:17:03 – 00:08:57:06 — Facilitator
Project-wide actions live on the left; clip-specific controls are on the right after selecting a timeline item. We’ll practice these as we edit.

00:09:20:05 – 00:10:08:01 — Facilitator
Let’s build the title first. Open Stock media (Clipchamp’s built-in library of images/videos/music/graphics; some assets are paid, many are free). Search “person at computer,” then drag a clip onto the timeline to create your first video track. Press Space to play.

00:10:08:01 – 00:11:00:01 — Facilitator
Now add text: open Text in the left toolbar. Pick a style with a background box for readability over video. Drag it onto the Viewer or timeline. If it lands later in time, drag the text clip left, or click the trash-can gap icon to snap it to the start.

00:11:00:01 – 00:12:06:02 — Facilitator
Type a title (e.g., “Clipchamp Workshop”). Position it (rule of thirds works well—bottom-left). Apply brand font/colors: with a Business account you can load a Brand Kit (colors, logos, fonts). Paste the Brand Kit link in the brand settings to add Columbia College fonts (e.g., Raleway bold) and colors (Columbia blue/red).

00:12:06:05 – 00:12:55:01 — Participant / Facilitator
Participant: Can we import the Brand Kit into PowerPoint?
Facilitator: It’s saved in the 365 ecosystem, so you may be able to reuse it across apps. I’ll look into specifics.

00:13:45:15 – 00:15:16:13 — Facilitator
Back to our title: with the text selected, use the Fade control (top-right) for a subtle 0.5s fade-in/out. Play from the start to preview.

00:15:58:06 – 00:16:58:03 — Facilitator
Let’s add our camera recording (talking head) after the title. Drag it to the timeline; it should snap to the end of the title. If the recorded video doesn’t fill the frame, you can scale it; or change the Background color (top bar) for a cleaner look. For Columbia blue, use hex #003258.

00:21:00:10 – 00:22:09:02 — Facilitator
Trim awkward silence at the start of the talking-head clip:

• Method 1: Drag the clip’s edge handle inward, then delete the gap (trash-can icon).

• Method 2: Place the playhead at the cut point, click Split (scissors) or press S, select the unwanted portion, and Delete. Use Ctrl+Z to undo if needed.

00:22:27:08 – 00:24:08:06 — Facilitator
Next, we’ll introduce a screen recording and do picture-in-picture:

1. Find the moment you say “I’ve got my screen recording here,” then drag the screen-recording clip to the timeline so it aligns with that point.

2. Split the talking-head clip at that point (S).

3. Move the talking-head segment above the screen recording track.

4. Resize/reposition the talking-head in a corner.

00:25:01:03 – 00:26:26:07 — Facilitator
Add a Crossfade transition between clips (left toolbar → Transitions → Crossfade). Keep it subtle—about 0.5s.

00:26:38:00 – 00:27:27:00 — Participants / Facilitator
Participant: Seeing the instructor builds connection and engagement.
Facilitator: Agreed—having a face on screen can make instructors feel more accessible to students with questions.

00:27:27:00 – 00:28:23:07 — Participants / Facilitator
Participant: Could an avatar replace the instructor video?
Facilitator: A real face is usually more engaging than none, but a still image or animated icon is better than nothing if camera video isn’t possible.

00:28:29:08 – 00:30:22:14 — Facilitator
Syncing the screen recording: They weren’t recorded simultaneously, so trim the dead space at the start of the screen recording. Find where the cursor first moves (around 00:29:13 in this demo), split and delete the earlier portion, and restore the transition if needed. Extend the clip handle if you trimmed too much.

00:30:23:01 – 00:31:14:15 — Facilitator
On-screen labels: Add a heading text object as a visual cue when you introduce key terms (“Timeline,” etc.). Style it with brand font and Columbia red. Add 0.5s fades in/out and extend the text clip to cover the entire explanation segment.

00:31:34:13 – 00:33:22:10 — Facilitator
Use on-screen text to direct attention (e.g., place “Timeline” near the timeline). Extend the clip by dragging its handle to match how long you discuss that element.

00:33:38:01 – 00:35:28:06 — Participant / Facilitator
Participant: Should beginners trim before adding layers/text to avoid losing transitions or alignment?
Facilitator: Best practice: sync first, then trim early, then add transitions last. If you trim, select all relevant layered clips together so they stay in sync.

00:35:50:02 – 00:38:57:06 — Facilitator
Demonstration: Trim out a stumble by selecting both the screen and talking-head tracks, splitting at the same points, and deleting the middle. Zoom in (Ctrl +) if you need to reveal the gap delete icon.

00:38:58:02 – 00:41:20:08 — Participant / Facilitator
Participant: Does Clipchamp automatically remove “ums”?
Facilitator: There are two tools:

• AI Suggestions (icon near scissors): can condense pauses/awkward bits, works best on a single video track.

• Transcript editing: Generate a transcript, then delete words (e.g., fillers) directly in text; Clipchamp removes those portions from the video. Works best when you have one main video track so it doesn’t desync with other layers.

00:41:23:02 – 00:49:16:08 — Facilitator
Captions/Subtitles: Generating a transcript lets you auto-create subtitles and adjust their style. You can also export an SRT for platforms like YouTube to keep captions as a separate, editable file. Transcript editing is a fast way to clean up speech when using a single source track.

00:49:32:01 – 00:47:18:06 (time cross-referenced) — Participant / Facilitator
Participant: My Teams class recordings expire when linked in Moodle. If I edit in Clipchamp and export a file, will it stay?
Facilitator: Yes. Export a video file (not just a link) and upload it to Moodle; files persist. Alternatively, upload to YouTube and link from Moodle.
Participant (Patrick): You can also build a library of stock clips (e.g., assignment intros, recurring instructions) and reuse them in new projects to save time.

00:50:02 – 00:53:36 — Facilitator
Music: Use short stings for intros/transitions. Avoid full-length background music under long dialogue—looping can be distracting. Add fade-in/out (e.g., 0.5s in, 2s out) and balance levels (e.g., music ~30–35%). Raise dialogue volume cautiously to avoid clipping.

00:54:17:02 – 00:56:35:12 — Facilitator / Participants
Record & Create: Clipchamp can record your screen, camera, and audio; text-to-speech supports multiple voices/languages. You can replace noisy dialogue by re-recording short segments. Translation for TTS exists in many AI tools; try it and share results.

00:56:57:15 – 00:59:00:07 — Facilitator
Exporting: Click Export (top-right). Choose resolution based on your source (1080p is standard; 4K only if you shot in 4K and need it). Name the file and choose a save location—OneDrive is convenient for sharing and Moodle uploads. Personal accounts include a direct YouTube upload option.

00:59:00:07 – 01:00:12:11 — Facilitator
Recap: We covered account types, importing media (local/OneDrive), timelines (trim/split/arrange), text and music, transcript/captions, and exporting. We didn’t get to text-to-speech narration in depth today, but it’s worth exploring next time.

01:00:12:11 – 01:01:30:12 — Facilitator / Participants
If you’re working on a project and get stuck, reach out to the Center of Excellence/Academic Services—we can book 1:1 support to realize your vision.
Thanks for attending—this was my first workshop, and I appreciate your time and patience. Have a great evening!