Just about every social media platform has its own editing tools. But for creators looking to test their skills and make their videos stand out, nothing can beat a dedicated editing app like CapCut. We even use CapCut for our own videos! It’s an incredible tool; you don’t need the paid version to edit your videos to perfection. Here are three of our favorite visual effects from CapCut, plus one editing tool you need in your arsenal. And they’re pretty easy too!
Overlay 🖼️
These first two effects fall under the Overlay feature in CapCut. And, we’ll be honest, Overlay can do a ton of awesome things! Once you learn how to use it, you won’t want to stop. Here are two things you can do with it.
Clone Yourself 👯♀️
We’ve all seen videos where creators have somehow cloned themselves and thought, how did they do that? Overlay! It’s actually pretty easy, and the hardest part might be the setup.
Cloning Yourself (in CapCut) ✅
- Find where you want to film. You should be able to comfortably fit two or three of you in the frame without overlapping.
- Set your camera on a tripod. It has to stay in exactly the same spot, so make sure it’s stable.
- Film one version of yourself. If creating a skit, say all of your lines in one go, making sure there’s plenty of time for the next lines.
- Cut the first clip and start filming a second. Say your lines, leave space for responses, and cut again. Repeat as many times as you need. For this example, we’ll stick with two clips!
- Once done, upload all your files to CapCut. Be sure to trim them down!
- Tap the second clip, drag it beneath the first, and hit the “overlay” button. This is where you can trim your video and adjust the timing to make sure your video is seamless.
- Now, tap “mask” then “adjust”.
- Tap clone, then “adjust”. This will let you blend your two clips, so you can clearly see both versions of yourself.
- Hit the export button and you’re good to post!
Watch a full tutorial here!
Who Do We Recommend This For? 👑
Anyone who creates skits will love this feature! Comedians came to mind immediately; think of how fun your next video could be if you get the timing right. This could also be a great intro for a tutorial video (like the example) or a fit check.
Magnifying 🔍
This one is a little more complicated, so just stick with us! If you’ve got overlay down from the first tutorial, you’re halfway home.
Magnifying Your Video ✅
- Record two clips, roughly from the same angle. The first should be the regular clip you want full screen (the thing you’re doing). The second clip should be the one you want to magnify- the thing you’re trying to show off.
- Import the clips into CapCut. Tap the second clip, drag it beneath the first, and hit the “overlay” button. This is where you can trim your video and adjust the timing to make sure the second clip pops up when you want for the desired time.
- Tap “mask”, then “circle” or any of the other shapes you want to use. Adjust the size and placement to ensure it’s where you want it, then click the check mark to save it.
- Review the magnified clip and adjust placement or duration.
- Once it’s perfect, tap the “keyframes” button (the diamond and plus sign just below the video). This is where your clip will blow up and magnify what you’re doing.
- To make the clip seem like it’s popping up (the really cool part!) scroll back to the very beginning of the clip and adjust it to be super tiny. Adjust the clip so it’s coming from where you want, then tap the “keyframe” button again.
- Review your video and adjust it until it’s perfect. Then export and get ready to blow your followers’ minds.
Watch the full tutorial here!
Who Do We Recommend This For? 👑
Anyone working on a tutorial – especially if you need to show off some details! You’ll just have to get an up-close shot of whatever you’re trying to show off. We can also see an artist using this to show off the tiny details they’re adding.
Writing On Your Video ✍️
This is a hard one to describe, but essentially you’re writing or drawing something on top of your video for your audience to see! There are a ton of different ways you can do this, but this is the easiest we could find.
Writing Over Video ✅
- Record your video. You can either mime writing on the screen or just take a video as normal. If you do mine writing on the screen, try to keep it short!
- Hit the text button on the bottom of the screen, then scroll all the way to the right to hit the “draw”.
- Find the right color and line style for your video. Feel free to play around!
- Write your message. For a clean effect, try to follow your hand if you mimed writing. If your message is long, try zooming in!
- Tap “animation”, then select “order in”. Adjust the time so it matches your hand and how quickly you’re “writing” in the video.
- Once you’re back in the main text editing screen, you can adjust the length of your clip.
- Review your video and make sure it’s picture-perfect. Once you’re happy, export it!
Watch a full tutorial here!
Who Do We Recommend This For? 👑
Honestly? Anyone! This is a great opening hook, and we can see it working for every community.
Bonus: Beats 🎧
This is less a visual effect than an editing hack. Have you ever tried editing a video to match the beat of a song, but you can’t get the timing right? The “beats” option is about to be your best friend.
- Tap the audio you want to match.
- Scroll to the button that says “beats”.
- Tap the “auto-generate” button. This will generate dots over each of the beats.
- Drag and adjust your clips so they match up with the dots. They should “snap” to them more easily!
- Watch your video to make sure it matches up. Export and post!
These are just four of the millions of things that you can do in CapCut. It can take a little time to master or discover all of them, but the more you try, the more you learn. And if you find CapCut’s features a little intimidating, get your feet wet with a few classic editing techniques.
Want some additional editing tips? Check out our how-to edit on Clapper article!