Windows 11 includes a free and surprisingly full-featured video editor called Clipchamp that should meet the needs of just about anyone. And while this isn't well-documented, you can also use Clipchamp to create and edit audio files and export a video as audio.
Defaults
Clipchamp is included with Windows 11.
Clipchamp in Windows 11 requires you to sign in with a Microsoft account (MSA) (or Microsoft Work or School account, or MWSA). If you sign in to Windows 11 with an MSA, you will sign in to Clipchamp with that account automatically. If you sign in to Windows 11 with a local account, you will be prompted to sign in with your MSA.
Tip: Clipchamp is a web app and it's also accessible in any modern web browser. The web version supports signing in with an MSA or MWSA like the Windows 11 app, but it also supports signing in with a Google account.
Clipchamp is free and full-featured, but you can get additional premium functionality with a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium subscription or by paying for a standalone Clipchamp Premium subscription that costs $11.99 per month. With either subscription, you get:
Support for up to 4K video resolution, compared to Full HD (1080p) in the free version.
Free stock assets that expand on the free stock assets offered in the free version.
Premium filters and effects that expand on the free filters and effects offered in the free version.
Access to the integrated Brand kit with custom logos, colors, and fonts.
Tip: This chapter covers the Clipchamp features that everyone gets for free.
Clipchamp uses a project-based workflow. Each project consists of some combination of media assets--video, image, and audio files--that you provide and must be stored somewhere and Clipchamp-provided assets, text, transitions, branding elements, and more.
Clipchamp works with local storage, meaning storage devices attached to your PC, but you can also store projects and assets in your cloud-based OneDrive storage, which explains the MSA (or MWSA) requirement. There are trade-offs to both choices:
Local storage. You must maintain the files the make up the assets of a Clipchamp project. If you move or delete one of those files, Clipchamp can see or use it.
OneDrive. Your Clipchamp projects--including any assets you provide--take up space in your cloud storage but the content is available from any of your PCs or Macs or other devices on which you've installed a OneDrive client.
Tip: If you use a third-party cloud storage service like Google Drive with Windows 11, you can configure Clipchamp to use local storage and then choose a file system location that's synced with that cloud storage service so that your project assets and other data can be made available on any of your PCs, Macs, or other devices.
By default, Clipchamp uses local storage only, even if you sign in with an MSA. This occurs in a hidden folder of files that the app needs to function correctly and also contains temporary...
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