Here is how to cut a video on iPhone in the Photos app: open the video, tap Edit, drag either end of the frame viewer to set a new start and stop time, tap Done, then choose Save Video or Save Video as New Clip (Apple Support). Photos only trims the beginning and end, so a pause, an "um" or a retake in the middle needs a different app.
If your take is a talking-head product video, you can upload a raw take and get the first clip cut free, no card. The rest of this article covers the Photos steps, the iMovie steps for cutting the middle, and the cut count for one 4-minute take.
Trim a video in Photos
These are Apple's steps for the built-in app. They take about 30 seconds on a short clip.
- Open the Photos app and tap the video.
- Tap Edit.
- Drag the left end of the frame viewer to where the video should start.
- Drag the right end to where it should stop.
- Tap Done.
- Choose Save Video or Save Video as New Clip.
Save Video keeps only the trimmed version. Save Video as New Clip keeps both the trimmed version and the original.
Undo a trim
Open the video, tap Edit, then tap Revert and choose Revert to Original. Apple notes that a video saved as a new clip can't be reverted to the original. On a new clip, Revert to Original undoes other edits such as filters, but it won't bring back the original length (Apple Support).
For a raw take you might cut again, pick Save Video as New Clip. The original stays untouched.
Get cleaner trim points
- Touch and hold a trim handle to expand the timeline for finer edits (MacPaw).
- Photos doesn't show how long the trimmed result will be while you trim (MacPaw). Check the original length first if you are aiming for 45 seconds.
- The shortest trim Photos allows is 0.5 seconds (CopyTrans).
How to cut a video on iPhone when the bad part is in the middle
Photos can't do it. Filmora and CopyTrans both say Photos trims the start and end only (Filmora, CopyTrans). iMovie is Apple's free app that can remove a section from the middle.
- Open iMovie. Tap +, then Movie, pick the video, and tap Create Movie.
- Tap the clip in the timeline.
- Scroll the playhead to the start of the bad section.
- Tap Actions (the scissors), then Split.
- Scroll to the end of the bad section and Split again.
- Tap the unwanted segment in between, then tap Delete.
- Repeat for every bad section.
- Tap Done, then Share, then Save Video.
iMovie always exports a new file, so the original stays intact. The export back to Photos can take a minute or two.
Pinch open the timeline to zoom in before you split. A clip in iMovie can't be shorter than 0.3 seconds (Descript).
A workaround without iMovie
Save the first part as a new clip in Photos, then repeat on the original for the next part (MacPaw). You end up with several separate files. Photos can't merge clips, so joining them needs iMovie (Descript).
Worked example: one 4-minute take and a week of posting
The take: a 4:00 phone recording of a product video for a $30 item. It has a false start, long pauses, "um"s, one full retake and a spoken "Clip 2" slate. The goal is a 45-second clip. The cut counts and minutes below are estimates for a typical messy take. Time yourself on your own takes.
Photos only
Photos can drop the false start and the sign-off. Say that is 0:20 at the front and 0:15 at the back. The take goes from 4:00 to 3:25. Every pause, "um", retake and slate in the middle is still there, and you are 2:40 over your 45-second target.
iMovie
Each removal takes one Split at the start, one Split at the end and one Delete. That is 3 actions. Assume this take needs about 30 removals, which is 60 splits and 30 deletes, or 90 actions. A take like this might need anywhere from 25 to 35 removals.
At about 30 seconds per removal (scrolling, zooming in, splitting, deleting), that is 15 minutes. Add 1 to 2 minutes to export. One take costs about 16 to 17 minutes by hand.
If you would rather skip those 90 taps, upload that raw take and get the first clip cut free, no card.
Scale it to a week
Post 3 takes a day, 5 days a week. That is 15 takes.
| Per take | Per week (15 takes) | |
|---|---|---|
| iMovie removals | about 30 | about 450 |
| iMovie actions | about 90 | about 1,350 |
| Time trimming by hand (estimate) | 16 to 17 minutes | about 4 hours |
Put a $30 product on it
Assume a 10% commission. That rate is made up for this example and has nothing to do with any TikTok rate. Check your own rate for each product in your affiliate dashboard. At 10%, a $30 sale pays $3.
At 16 minutes a take, 15 takes cost about 4 hours of your week before anyone buys anything. At $3 a sale, 10 sales is $30. No clip is guaranteed a single sale.
A third way: this site's editor
You upload one raw take from your phone's camera roll or your computer, and get back a cut clip. The editor cuts pauses, filler words such as "um", retakes, and spoken "Clip N" slates.
The finished clip is 1080×1920 (vertical 9:16) with sound in sync, ready for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. A take can be up to 5 minutes long and up to 2 GB.
The editor does not add captions, music, b-roll, effects or transitions. If you want those, add them in another app after the cut.
Three gotchas with trimmed videos
- The date resets. Save a trimmed video as a new clip and its creation date becomes the export time. GPS data may be dropped too (CopyTrans). If you sort your takes by date, keep that in mind.
- Sharing compresses video. Trimming doesn't lower quality. Sending through iMessage, WhatsApp or email does compress it. Use AirDrop or a cloud link to move full-quality takes between devices (CopyTrans).
- Files expire. Uploaded videos are deleted 7 days after upload and finished clips 30 days after they are made, so download your clips. Apple's own guide to editing on iPhone, iPad and Mac is at Apple Support.
More creator workflows are on the blog.
Film your next take and upload it as is. Your first clip is cut free, no card needed.