Quick Tutorial

Using OpenShot is very easy, and this tutorial will take you through the basics in under 5 minutes. After this tutorial, you will be able to make a simple photo slide-show with music.

Step 1 – Import media files

Before we can begin making a video, we need to import media files into OpenShot. Most video, image and music file formats will work. Drag and drop a few videos or images and a music file from your Desktop to OpenShot. Be sure to drop the files where the arrow in the illustration is pointing to.

Alternative methods to add files to your projects are described in the section Import Files. The “Show All”, “Video”, “Audio”, “Image” filters above the added files allows you to only see the file types you are interested in.

Step 2 – Arrange Videos and Photos on Timeline

Next, drag each video or photo onto a track in the timeline (as seen in the illustration). The timeline represents your final video, so arrange your photos in whatever sequence you want them to appear in your video. If you overlap two clips, OpenShot will automatically create a smooth fade between them, displayed by blue rounded rectangles between the clips. Remember, you can rearrange the clips as many times as needed by simply dragging and dropping them.

Step 3 – Add Music to Timeline

To make our creation more interesting, we need to add some music. Click on the music file that you imported in step 1, and drag it onto the timeline. If the song is too long, grab the right edge of your music clip, and resize it smaller (that will make it end earlier). You could also insert the same file multiple times, if your music is too short.

Step 4 – Preview your Project

To preview what our video looks & sounds like, click the Play button under the preview window. You can also pause, rewind, and fast-forward your video project by clicking the corresponding buttons.

Step 5 – Export your Video

Once you are happy with your project, the next step is to export your video. This will convert your OpenShot project into a single video file, which will work on most media players (such as VLC) or websites (such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc…).

Click on the Export Video icon at the top of the screen (or use the File > Export Video menu). Choose from one of the many preset export options, and click the Export Video button.

You should now have a basic understanding of how OpenShot works. Importing, Arranging, Previewing, and Exporting. Hopefully this tutorial took less than 5 minutes for you to complete. Please read the rest of this guide for a more detailed understanding of OpenShot, and it’s advanced features. Enjoy!