How to Edit Videos in Photoshop: A Complete Guide

When looking for video editing software, which platforms come to mind first? We’d imagine that Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro are up there. Photoshop, on the other hand? Probably not so much.

While Adobe primarily released Photoshop for editing still visuals, you can also use the platform to create video projects. And if you’re new to video editing software, Photoshop is an excellent starting point for getting to grips with the basics.

4

This article will tell you everything you need to know about editing videos in Photoshop. You’ll learn about adding special effects, changing a video’s speed, and much more.

What Kinds of Videos Can You Edit in Photoshop?

Photoshop is suitable for editing all kinds of video projects. Thanks to its resizing tools,you can easily make content for YouTube videosand the like and later upload them in the recommended formats.

The platform lets you edit long-form video projects, but you can also create shorter-form content. As such, Photoshop is also helpful whenrepurposing content for social media networks like Instagramand TikTok.

Photo of the Photoshop CC app on a computer

Before we look at how to edit your videos in Photoshop, knowing how to import your footage and audio is a good starting point. To begin editing a video, you can drag the files you want to edit into the app.

Alternatively, you can import via the menu bar. Go toFile>Import; there, you’ll find several choices for doing so. If you’ve got footage you want to add to Photoshop from another device, you can go toImport Footage From iPhone or iPadinstead.

Screenshot showing how to import content on PS

Once you’ve imported your videos, you’ll see them in a timeline at the bottom of your screen.

How to Make Basic Adjustments to Your Video Footage in Photoshop

While the complex video tools are fun to use, you should get to grips with the basics before using them. Photoshop lets you make several simple changes to your video footage, such as cropping and adjusting colors. You can also add lens corrections, add tone curves, and much more.

Photoshop has several tools for adjusting colors. If you don’t want to do too much manual work, you can make automatic corrections. To do so, go toImage>Auto Color. You can also choose fromAuto ToneandAuto Contrast.

Screenshot showing color options on PS

If you want more control over your colors, go to the icon in the right-hand corner with four lines. Click on it, and a dropdown menu will appear; you can choose from theColor Wheel,Hue Cube, and various other workspaces.

If you go toWindows>Adjustments, you will find a wide selection of basic tools to edit your video with. For example, it’s possible to balance different colors—such as blues and yellows. Similarly, you can choose whether to manually or automatically adjust brightness and contrast.

Screenshot showing how to edit audio in Photoshop

How to Edit Audio

If you’re editing a video in Photoshop, you’ll want to know how you may tweak the audio as well. The platformdoesn’t have as many tools as Premiere Proin this respect, but you can still make simple adjustments.

To edit your audio, scroll down to theAudio Tracktab at the bottom. Here, you can click on the arrow at the end of your track to reveal its editing capabilities.

In the window, you can choose to mute your audio. Moreover, you can choose where in your video you can fade it in and out. If you want more advanced tools, you might want to adjust everything in Adobe Audition beforehand.

How to Trim Your Videos

You’ll probably find several parts of your video that you don’t want to keep in your final project. Doing so in Photoshop is pretty simple; first, you’ll need to go to the part of the video you’d like to take out.

At the beginning and end of the section you’d like to remove, click on thescissor iconin the timeline section. Afterward, it’s possible to select the cut clip and pressbackspaceon your keyboard to delete it.

If you only want to delete the beginning and end of a video, you can drag those ends until you’ve gotten rid of the bits you want.

How to Add Text to Your Videos

In addition to adjusting how your video looks, you might want to add special effects to your footage. Adding text is useful for being able to tell your story in more detail, and you can also use it to showcase interesting facts—such as information about a town or city you filmed in.

Adding text to a video in Photoshop takes very little effort. In the left-hand toolbar, you will find aTicon. Once you’ve clicked on the text icon, create a box on your video. At the top, you can adjust the font size, along with the font itself.

How to Edit Specific Areas of Your Video Footage

If you’veused Photoshop to edit still images, you’ll know how useful it is for tweaking specific parts of a picture. And if you want to use the platform to edit videos, you can do similar things.

Photoshop has several tools for editing specific parts of your video. If you go to theDodgetool, for example, you can brighten bits of your footage that you feel are too dark. Similarly, you can useBlurto blur different areas.

If you made an adjustment that you’ve decided you no longer like, you can useHistory Brushto restore the part that you edited. All of these tools are available in the left-hand toolbar.

How to Sharpen Your Video Footage

Do you feel like your footage is too blurry? If so, you can easily sharpen it. To sharpen your video, go toFilter>Sharpen. In that window, you can choose from several options—such as sharpening your edges or doing so for the entire video.

To increase the sharpness of your video, selectSharpenand pressControlorCommandandFuntil you’re happy with the end result.

you may also customize your sharpening settings by going toSmart Sharpen. Here, you can adjust the radius and percentage. Moreover, you can decide whether you want to remove lens blur, gaussian blur, and motion blur. Reducing the noise in your video is also possible.

Once you’ve finished editing your video in Photoshop, you’re ready to export your video. First, you’ll need to render it; go toFile>Export>Render Video. You can adjust several settings here, such as making your video ready for YouTube or Apple TV.

Click on theRenderbutton once you’ve edited your settings.

Editing Your Videos in Photoshop Is Easy

Photoshop might not be most people’s first choice for editing videos, but it’s a powerful tool that’s worth exploring. Having read this guide, you should have the tools you need to make adjustments to your footage and export it for your preferred platform.

Now that you’ve got all the information you need, why not let your creative juices flow and see what you can come up with?

Photoshop Express is the solution for photographers who are on the go.

I gripped my chair the entire time—and then kept thinking about it when the screen turned off.

Some subscriptions are worth the recurring cost, but not these ones.

One casual AI chat exposed how vulnerable I was.

If an AI can roast you, it can also prep you for emergencies.

Quality apps that don’t cost anything.

Technology Explained

PC & Mobile