Trim a Kaltura Video


Overview


Kaltura provides a web-based video editor that you can use to trim your video (that is, remove parts of it). 

These instructions apply to all Kaltura users (instructors, students, and staff with active directory credentials). Anyone can edit their videos!

Videos can be trimmed in both Canvas as well as MediaSpace. 

Critical Concepts


Prerequisites

Things to Keep in Mind

Known issues

Steps to Take


Feel free to watch the video tutorial below, or read the text instructions further below.

There are three main steps involved in editing a video. If desired, use the list below to jump to the section you need:

  1. Enter the Kaltura video editor
  2. Make your edits
  3. Save your changes

1. Enter the Kaltura Video Editor

The Kaltura Video Editor is available in both Canvas and MediaSpace. Follow the instructions below that apply to where you are attempting to perform your edits.

In CanvasIn MediaSpace
  1. Log into Canvas.
    1. Go to https://canvas.ucsd.edu
    2. Enter your active directory credentials.
  2. Within Canvas, click My Media in the left navigation.
  3. Locate the video whose captions you want to edit, and click the pencil icon in its row.
  1. Log into MediaSpace.
    1. Go to https://mediaspace.ucsd.edu
    2. Click the profile icon at the top right of the page and select Login.
    3. Enter your active directory credentials.
  2. Click the profile icon again and select My Media.
  3. Locate the video in question, click the kebab on its row (three dots), and select Edit
  1. The "Launch Editor" button.Find the video in question in your list of media and click the pencil icon on its row.
  2. Click Launch Editor next to the video preview.

A screenshot of the Kaltura edit page with the "launch editor" button circled.

2. Make Your Edits

An annotated screenshot of the "scrubber" in the Kaltura video editor.There are three main types of cuts that you can make. Feel free to use the links below to jump to the section you're interested in.

You can manage all three of these functions with the little box that appears above the cursor in the timeline after you click it (called the "scrubber"). Note that there are a couple ways to perform each kind of cut, but we'll just address one way in each section below. 

 

Setting a New Start Point

If you want your video to start later, this is the easiest way to do it. You might want to do this if you took a moment to open your PowerPoint presentation, centered yourself on camera, or maybe because the recording has some dead space at the beginning.

A screenshot of the scrubber with the left bracket icon circled

  1. Under the video preview, click on the timeline where you'd like your video to begin. (For more precision, zoom in on the timeline using the "Timeline Zoom" slider on the lower right side of the window.)
  2. On the blue-ish box just above where your cursor is on the timeline, click the icon that looks like a left bracket (" [ "). The timeline before your cursor should become grayed out.

Setting a new end point

Setting a new end point is just removing a section at the very end of your video. This could be when your lecture is done and students are asking questions at the podium, when you're trying to find the "stop recording" button on your screen, or if you just want to tighten up your video. 

A screenshot of the scrubber with the right bracket icon circled.
  1. Under the video preview, click on the timeline where you'd like your video to end. (For more precision, zoom in on the timeline using the "Timeline Zoom" slider on the lower right side of the window.)
  2. On the blue-ish box just above where your cursor is on the timeline, click the icon that looks like a right bracket (" ] "). The timeline after your cursor should be replaced with diagonal gray lines.

Removing parts of your video in the middle

There may be points in the middle of your video that you want to remove. To do this, you essentially have to create three separate clips in the video: the part before the section you want to remove, the section you want to remove, and the part after the section you want to remove. After creating these separate clips, you just delete the middle part. 

A screenshot of the scrubber with the scissors icon circled.
  1. Locate the point on the timeline that's the start point of the clip you want to remove and click on it. (For more precision, zoom in on the timeline using the "Timeline Zoom" slider on the lower right side of the window.)
  2. Click the scissors icon ("Split") in the blue box above your cursor on the timeline. This turns your existing video into two separate clips.
  3. Click on the timeline where the end point of the portion of the video you'd like to remove is.
  4. Click the scissors icon ("Split") in the blue box above your cursor on the timeline. Now your video is divided into three clips: the beginning, the part in the middle you want to remove, and the end.
  5. Click on the clip in the timeline that you want to remove to select it. The selected clip will have a yellow outline around it.
  6. Click the trashcan icon above the timeline. The selected clip should be replaced with diagonal gray lines, indicating it's been removed.

After making any edits you'd like to make, you're ready to save your changes. 

3. Save Your Changes

  1. Click Save or Save a Copy.

"Save" vs "Save a Copy"

What's the difference between "Save" and "Save a Copy?"

In most circumstances, we recommend that you click "Save a Copy." Though it adds another entry to your "My Media," it feels safer to have the original intact just in case. Be sure to employ a good naming and/or tagging scheme so you can tell which one is the edited version.

For podcasts: if you're asking your students to visit the podcasting site to view your recordings, any changes you make in the Kaltura video editor will only be reflected on the podcasting site if you click "Save." The podcasting site currently shows ONLY the original copy of the video that was created.

  1. Enter a name for your new clip.
  2. Wait for the changes to be saved and click OK.
If you still have questions or need additional assistance, feel free to contact us at kaltura@ucsd.edu.