Basic Editing in the Photos App (Built-In, Free)

The Photos app on iPhone has surprisingly powerful built-in editing tools. No download needed — open any video and tap Edit.

  1. 1

    Open the video and tap Edit

    Find your video in the Photos app. Tap it to open, then tap Edit in the top right corner. The editing interface opens with the video timeline at the bottom.

  2. 2

    Trim the video

    You will see yellow handles at each end of the video timeline strip. Drag the left handle to set the new start point and the right handle to set the new end point. The yellow frame shows what will be kept. Tap play to preview your trim.

  3. 3

    Adjust exposure, colour and tone

    Tap the dial icon (adjustment wheel) to access controls for exposure, brilliance, highlights, shadows, contrast, saturation and more. Drag the slider for each. These are the same tools as for photo editing and work very well.

  4. 4

    Apply a filter

    Tap the three overlapping circles icon to see filters — Vivid, Dramatic, Silvertone, Noir and more. Tap any filter to preview it on your video. Drag the slider to control the filter intensity.

  5. 5

    Crop and straighten

    Tap the crop icon (overlapping corners) to crop the frame, change the aspect ratio, or straighten a crooked horizon. Pinch to zoom and drag to reposition within the crop.

  6. 6

    Tap Done to save

    Tap Done. Choose Save Video to overwrite the original, or Save Video as New Clip to keep both versions. Edits made in Photos are non-destructive — tap Edit → Revert at any time to go back to the original.

For More Advanced Editing: iMovie (Free)

iMovie is Apple's free video editor — download from the App Store. It lets you combine multiple clips, add titles and transitions, use music from your library, apply themed filters and export in up to 4K. It is genuinely capable for short films, vlogs and social content.

For social media video: CapCutCapCut (free) is the most popular video editor for Instagram Reels and TikTok. It has auto-captions, trending templates, music sync and one-tap style effects. Far more features than iMovie for social-style content.

Frequently Asked Questions

The built-in Photos editor does not support adding music. Use iMovie (free, from App Store) — tap the + to create a new project, add your video clip, then tap the audio icon to add music from your library or Apple's free soundtracks. CapCut also has extensive royalty-free music for social content.
The Photos app does not have speed control. Open the video in iMovie and tap the clip — a speed icon appears in the toolbar. Drag the slider to speed up (up to 2x) or slow down (down to 1/8 speed). CapCut also has speed ramping which creates smooth slow-motion to fast-motion transitions.