Whether it is a quick training exercise or the latest TikTok dance craze, short videos have become an integral part of the mobile always-on digital society. To meet this ever-increasing demand, Microsoft has added a new video making application to Windows 11 22H2 called Clipchamp.
Like Mail, Paint and other free basic apps in Windows 11, the personal version of Clipchamp is a functional video editor. Clipchamp is not designed to outperform other full-featured third-party apps, but it will help you create and edit simple and effective professional-looking videos without overwhelming you with the bells and whistles often associated with dedicated video editing applications.
SEE: Home video setup: What you need to look and sound professional (TechRepublic Premium)
How to use Clipchamp in Windows 11 22H2
After the installation of Windows 11 22H2 onto your PC, you will see Clipchamp in the list of applications found on the Start Menu (Figure A), where you can treat it just like any other application in the list. If you plan to use Clipchamp often, it would be a good idea to pin it to the Start Menu or the Taskbar.
Figure A
When you start Clipchamp for the first time (Figure B), you will see a familiar Windows 11-style application screen, highlighted by a significant list of popular video templates.
Figure B
The easiest way to start a video project is to choose one of the templates, which will provide you with various templated parts you can use to create your own video. As you can see in Figure C, the YouTube Clipchamp template offers intro and outro ideas, effect samples and other presentation ideas that you can use to build your own video.
Figure C
Whether you choose a template, or choose to start with a blank slate, the next screen (Figure D) will present you with a relatively standard storyboard interface common for video editing applications. For our example template, we have chosen the Top 5 Countdown list.
Figure D
As you can see, the template shows you all the various parts associated with the production of a simple countdown list video. Users can just follow along and replace the template examples with their own video footage.
Clipchamp also offers access to free stock videos that you can use to enhance and add to your video productions. This free stock includes footage for special events like birthdays and the change of seasons, as well as background imagery like landscapes and colorful geometric patterns.
The free version of Clipchamp includes an example brand kit that users can modify and use in their videos. With the brand kit, you can ensure that your name, logo, address and other brand information is included in all your videos.
Requirements for using Clipchamp in Windows 11 22H2
The Clipchamp that is available to all users of Windows 11 22H2 is the free personal version; a more full-featured version of Clipchamp is available as an upgrade. The upgrade version of Clipchamp (Figure E) costs $11.99/month and includes more access to stock videos, additional brand kit templates and enhanced access to special features and effects.
Figure E
Access to any version of Clipchamp requires users to log in to the application with a valid Microsoft account. As far as I can tell, there is no exception to this requirement. Users who do not maintain a Microsoft account will be locked out of Clipchamp.