Can You Edit YouTube videos After Uploading? (The complete guide)


Have you ever uploaded a video to your YouTube channel and noticed something was wrong?

Maybe a delay in the transition or a wrong detail mentioned in the video?

There could be a thousand reasons why you’d want to edit your YouTube video after uploading it.

You could just delete the video, edit it and upload it again… right?

But what if the video is high in search results and has a lot of views? 

Do not panic, as there is hope.

I recently uploaded a video to my YouTube channel and realized that I forgot to cut the extra footage towards the end of the video.

The ending seemed bland, and if someone were to watch my video for the first time, they would think I was a beginner.

I jumped online to see if there was a way to fix the problem, and this is what I found out!

Can you edit YouTube videos after uploading them? Yes. Thanks to the YouTube Studio video editor, you can do minor editing to your already uploaded videos. It’s not as feature-rich as downloadable video editing software, though. Still, you can use it to edit parts of your uploaded video right on the platform!

YouTube Video Editor is a real boon because you can easily trim parts of your video after uploading.

With YouTube Video Editor’s built-in tools, you can easily make basic edits to your videos.

But why trim your videos AFTER and upload them? 

Read on to find out why.

Why you should edit your video after uploading it

YouTube Studio’s video editor lets you trim various parts of your already uploaded YouTube videos.

This will help you remove parts you forgot to remove during the editing phase.

YouTube does not want creators to make significant changes to published videos, especially if the video has already been viewed. 

The reason is that uploading a new video to replace an old one while keeping the features of the previous video could mislead users and YouTube’s algorithm.

However, the website understands that sometimes artists make honest mistakes, or someone who appears in the uploaded videos asks to remove them from the video. 

Therefore, any YouTube creator can remove sequences from their videos without resetting the video metrics.

It’s worth noting that according to Google, you can not save changes to your edited video if you have over 100,000 views and are not enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program.

Let us see if YouTube Video Editor lets you edit videos you have uploaded in the past.

Can you edit YouTube videos you have already uploaded?

YouTube Editor lets you edit videos directly on the YouTube platform, including those already published or shared.

YouTube Studio is a valuable tool for organizing your videos, playlists, and other content on YouTube. 

You can also use statistics to see how your channel and individual videos are doing.

And although YouTube Editor is a simple tool compared to other video editing programs, the ability to make small changes to your video after uploading is a lifesaver for many video producers.

We know you can edit videos you have recently uploaded to YouTube, but does it work with YouTube videos you have already uploaded?

Can you edit YouTube videos that have already been uploaded? Yes, you can! With the 2017 YouTube Editor Update, creators can make minor edits to their uploaded YouTube videos without changing the URL or metrics!

This is a handy feature for people who do not want to miss out on views of their already uploaded videos and want to edit part of the video.

Read on to find out how you can edit YouTube videos you have already uploaded without changing the URL by uploading them again or resetting the video’s metrics.

How to edit already uploaded YouTube videos using YouTube video editing software

With YouTube video editor, you have the option to edit your videos after uploading.

These edits include:

  • Removing sections at the beginning, middle, or end of the video.
  • Adding a blur effect to hide objects in the video.
  • Add or replace the audio with royalty-free music from the YouTube Audio Library.
  • You can also add watermarks and logos to your videos.

Learn how to edit YouTube videos after uploading them:

1. Sign in

The first step to editing uploaded/published YouTube videos is to sign in with your Google account.

2. Locate the video you want to change.

After you sign in, you can access all your published videos. Go to My Channel > Select YouTube Studio.

When you click on the Videos button, you will get a list of all your published videos. 

Select the video you want to edit.

3. Make changes to YouTube videos.

When you click the video you want to change, you’ll see all the information, including the title, description, viewability, etc. 

Selecting “Editor” on the left side of the screen will take you to the YouTube video editor interface.

Now you can trim the existing YouTube video by adjusting the sliders on the timeline.

4. Save

When you are satisfied with the modified video, you can now save it.

Now that you know how to trim your already uploaded YouTube video let us find out if you can add or replace music in an uploaded YouTube video.

Can I add music to an uploaded, edited YouTube video?

As mentioned in the section above, you can add music from YouTube’s royalty-free music library to your already uploaded YouTube videos.

It’s easy to change the audio or music file in your YouTube video. There are several reasons why you might want to change or add audio, such as:

  • You want to add background music.
  • YouTube has blocked your music track because it violates copyright law.

Let me show you how easy it is to change or add music to your video from the 150,000+ free music tracks available on your YouTube account.

  • Start in the same editing area where you left off when editing your video. 
  • Find the music note and select it from the drop-down menu.
  • When you click the blue audio button, you’ll be taken to a screen where you’ll see various audio files to choose from.
  • Select an audio track from the YouTube library. You can sort the results by genre, mood, and length.

When you find a tune you like, add it to your video and save it. 

  • After clicking “Save,” the sound will be added to the video.

Now that you know how to add and replace audio in your already uploaded YouTube video let us see how you can blur objects using the YouTube video editor.

How can I blur parts of an uploaded YouTube video?

Blurring objects is straightforward with YouTube Video Editor.

You may want to blur parts in your video to hide information that is better left unpublished.

Blurring parts in your uploaded video is not a difficult task because YouTube Video Editor lets you quickly add custom blur fields in your uploaded video.

Follow the same steps as cropping and adding music to a YouTube video and get to the YouTube Video Editor interface.

After that:

  • In the Timeline area, select ” Blur segments of your video” and then click “Face Blur.” 
  • The video is then automatically processed by YouTube, which looks for prominent faces.
  • When processing is complete, select the face/object you want to blur and click Apply.
  • By manually changing the start and end timestamp of the blur effect, you can vary the length of time over which the effect takes effect. 
  • You can also manually change the size of the blur effect so that it fits perfectly on the face/object you want to blur.
  • When you are satisfied with the effect, click Save. 
  • If you want to remove the blur effect, click the Trash button next to the timestamps or select Discard Changes to delete all effects.
  • Alternatively, you can choose Custom Blur and manually select a shape to cover an object.

Now you know how to make the edits allowed by YouTube Video Editor. 

Let us see what else you can change on an uploaded YouTube video without changing the video URL and metrics.

What else can you change on an uploaded YouTube video?

There are many things you can edit in an already uploaded YouTube video.

We already know that you can do the following with the YouTube video editor:

  1. Trim sections of the already uploaded video.
  2. Add music from the YouTube library.
  3. Blur faces/objects.

In addition to these edits, you can also:

  • Add cards with text to your videos.
  • Change the video description to add or remove hashtags, affiliate links, etc.
  • Add keywords.
  • Change/customize the thumbnail of the video.
  • Add your logo or watermark to the video using YouTube Video Editor!

Conclusion

YouTube Video Editor is a lifesaver!

If you find mistakes in your videos that you would like to leave out – YouTube Video Editor’s small editing features can help you improve your video!

The most significant advantage of this feature is that the URL of your video will remain unchanged, and the video will continue to be viewed even after editing.

However, there are not nearly as many editing options as a full-fledged video editor like Wondershare Filmora or Adobe Premier Pro.

Note that you can not save changes once your videos have more than 100,000 views.

Unless you are a member of the YouTube Partner Program.

Nick Sinclair

Nick Sinclair, a gaming aficionado since the Commodore 64 era, studied Creative Computer Games Design in university before founding his own gaming company. Discovering a passion for content creation, Nick now helps gamers squeeze every drop of fun out of their favorite gaming hardware

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