How to trim and edit videos in Photos for OS X

Posted April 10, 20159 yr

Don't let the name fool you, Photos for OS X also stores all your videos.

Whether you synced them from your iPhone or iPad using iCloud Photo Library or imported the manually, all your movie moments are right there alongside your images. Editing, however, is a different story. While you can trim videos in Photos for Mac, that's about all the editing you can do. For more, including titles, traditions, and other effects, you have to escalate to iMovie.

How to trim a video in Photos for OS X

If you started or stopped recording a little too early or late, it's easy to remove the excess from the begging or end of your video.

Launch Photos for OS X on your Mac.
Find a video you want to edit.
Double click on the video to make it fill the Photos app.
Hover your mouse over the video to reveal the control overlay.
Click on the cog icon to show options.
Click on Trim.
Drag the yellow handles on either side to trim from the beginning or end of the video.
Click Trim to confirm the change.

How to reset the trim on a video in Photos for OS X

If you trim a video and later regret it, don't worry, the edit in non-destructive and the original video can easily be restored.

Launch Photos for OS X on your Mac.
Find the video you want to revert.
Double click on the video to make it fill the Photos app.
Hover your mouse over the video to reveal the control overlay.
Click on the cog icon to show options.
Click on Reset Trim.

How to edit a video from Photos for OS X in iMovie

If you want to add transitions, titles, or other effects to your video, or if you want to cut or mix it up with other videos, you'll need to use iMovie.