Use Windows 10’s superb new video-editing tools

What you need: Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Time required: 40 minutes

Microsoft

has recently updated Windows 10’s ‘Films & TV’ app, adding several useful editing tools. As well as trimming your video, you can now annotate it, which is great if you need to describe or highlight a section of

your video. The app also lets you create slow-motion videos and capture stills from specific points in your video. What’s more, you can now use it to cast videos from your PC directly to your Smart TV to watch them on a larger screen.

STEP 1 To use the updated app, you first need to make sure you’re running the latest version of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Open the Start menu, then click the settings (cog) icon at the bottom left. Next, click ‘Update & Security’ at the bottom, then click ‘Check for updates’. You’ll either see a message telling you your PC is up to date or the latest updates will begin downloading. After that’s complete, click the ‘Restart now’ button 1 to install the updates. STEP 2 Open your ‘Films & TV’ app. You’ll see it now has three tabs: Explore 1 lets you watch trailers and buy/rent TV shows and films; Purchased 2 contains the items you’ve bought or rented; and Personal 3 contains all the videos stored on your PC. If you don’t see these tabs, it means you still need to update the ‘Films & TV’ app. To do this, open the Microsoft Store 4 , click the three dots at the top right, ‘Downloads and updates’, then click ‘Get updates’.

STEP 3 Reopen the ‘Films & TV’ app, click the Personal tab and select the video you want to play. The arrows to the right 1 and left let you play the following or previous video in your library. Click the Edit button 2 to see a range of editing options. ‘View in Photos’ 3 lets you play the video within the Photos app (where you’ll see options to share your video). ‘Edit in Photos’ 4 has four tools. Clicking any of these opens your video in a new window with the relevant editing tools. Click Trim 5 . STEP 4 You’ll see two white markers at either end of your timeline 1 . Drag the blue marker 2 to where you want your video to start. Press the spacebar to play/ pause your video from that point. When you’re happy with your new starting point, drag the white marker to it 3 (you’ll see your video’s new length 4 ). Click anywhere on the timeline near the end of your video to see a blue marker, then repeat the process to trim the end. When you’ve finished, click the ‘Save a copy’ button 5 . All your edited files can be accessed in the Personal tab. STEP 5 The Edit button’s Draw tool lets you annotate your video. Anything you add will appear for a few seconds before fading away. First, move the timeline slider 1 to the point where you want to add your annotations. At the top, you’ll see three pen tools 2 , an eraser 3 , an anchor tool 4 , and the ‘Save a copy’ button 5 . STEP 6 All three pen tools (‘Ballpoint pen’, Pencil and ‘Calligraphy pen’) work in the same way. Clicking one displays a colour palette 1 and a slider to change the pen’s thickness 2 . You can then scribble on your video 3 . A blue marker 4 indicates where you’ve made your marks. If you want to remove anything, click the Eraser tool 5 , then click whatever you want to remove. To remove all marks, click the Eraser tool, click the dropdown menu below it, then click ‘Erase all ink’.

STEP 7 The pen tool is great for highlighting something when the video is steady. However, most videos (especially those taken on a phone or tablet) tend to be shaky. This is where the Anchor tool can help. For example, if you want to flag up something specific in your video (in our screenshot the building at the centre), the Anchor tool will keep your annotated marks around the flagged-up item – even if your footage is shaky. First, draw around the item you want using any of the pen tools 1 . STEP 8 Next, click the Anchor tool 1 to see a small circular anchor icon. Move this in front of the item you want to highlight, then click it (it turns blue 2 ). When you move your cursor to it, you’ll see an ‘Ink is Attached’ pop-up message. Now play your video and whatever mark you’ve drawn will remain around the item for as long as it’s on screen. The blue markers on your timeline 3 indicate where you’ve added marks to your video. When you’re happy with your annotations, click the ‘Save a copy’ icon 4 . ATEP 9 Next, click ‘Create slow motion video’ in the Edit menu. In the window that opens, move the slider at the top 1 to set your speed (to the right to slow it, to the left to speed it up). Now position the blue markers on your timeline 2 to select which part of your video you want to play in slow motion. The white markers 3 let you trim your video and the spacebar lets you control playback. When you’re happy with your edits, click the ‘Save a copy’ button 4 . STEP 10 Finally, click the Edit button again

1 , then click ‘Save photo from video’ 2 . You’ll see your video with a blue slider on the timeline. Move the slider to the point where you want to capture your still, then click ‘Save a photo’ at the top right. The app has other useful features. Click the Mini View button 3 to see your video in a small window that you can click and drag to anywhere on your screen (useful if you want to watch the video while doing something else). Click the three dots 4 for options to zoom into your video and to cast it to devices, such as a Google Chromecast or a smart TV. ●