CapCut for beginners: your first edit

Step 1

Pick a version and install CapCut

CapCut has a free plan with the basic tools, and new users can start a 7-day free Pro trial with no credit card (availability varies by region and platform). For editing from scratch the desktop app is the most comfortable: CapCut lists support for Windows 7 or above (Windows 10 recommended) and macOS 10.14 or above. How the versions differ for a beginner:

• •desktop: the best fit for the timeline and precise cuts;
• •browser (CapCut Online): nothing to install;
• •phone: quick clips and template search; the desktop app has no template search, only a small set of built-in templates.

💡 Start on one device and don't jump between versions: their interfaces differ, and the confusion will eat half your evening.

Step 2

Create a project and import your video

On the home screen choose Create project, then click Import and pick files from your computer. You can also drag files straight onto the timeline. Prepare your material before editing:

• •put all the footage, music and images for the clip in one folder;
• •name files so you can tell what's inside from the name;
• •decide up front where the video will live: vertical for Reels and Shorts or horizontal for YouTube.

Step 3

Cutting: remove everything extra

Editing is mostly cutting. Put the playhead where you want the cut and click the Split icon in the toolbar above the timeline, or press Ctrl + B on Windows. Select the piece you cut off and delete or move it. Splitting doesn't erase anything from the source file: CapCut only divides the clip into segments. What to cut first:

• •pauses and filler sounds at the start and end of every phrase;
• •repeated takes: keep one, the best;
• •anything that doesn't serve the point of the clip, even if the shot is pretty.

💡 Watch the clip from start to finish after every few cuts. Cuts that look fine on the timeline often feel jumpy on playback.

Step 4

Frame format, text and captions

To fit the video to a platform, select the clip and click Crop in the toolbar above the timeline: crop freely (Free) or pick a fixed aspect ratio such as 9:16, 3:4 or 1:1. Then add text and captions: CapCut can automatically generate captions from the speech in your video. Check before export:

• •what matters in the frame (faces, text, product) isn't cut off after cropping;
• •auto captions are proofread: speech recognition slips on names and terms;
• •the text is readable on a small phone screen.

Step 5

Export and your first mini project

Click Export in the top-right corner and choose the resolution, format and frame rate. The desktop app exports up to 4K (3840×2160) at 60 fps if your source footage supports it. If 2K or 4K are greyed out, your project is probably set to 1080p: change it in the project settings, ideally before you start editing. To export only part of the timeline, set In and Out markers with the I and O keys. Final exercise: a 30-second clip about your project or process, taken all the way to a file.

💡 The CapCut watermark usually comes from a template's ending clip, not from the export. Scroll to the end of the timeline, delete the branded outro and check every track for logos.