Getting Started with MoviePy: Cutting, Trimming, and Merging Videos in Python

Python has become a versatile language for many tasks, and video editing is no exception. One of the most popular libraries for video editing in Python is MoviePy. It allows you to easily manipulate video clips, add effects, create transitions, and more. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the basics of cutting, trimming, and merging videos using MoviePy. By the end, you will have a good understanding of how to get started with these fundamental video editing tasks!

 

 

Installing MoviePy

Before we dive into the code, let’s make sure you have MoviePy installed. If you haven’t installed it yet, you can do so with the following command:

pip install moviepy

Now that we have MoviePy installed, let’s get started with editing some videos!

 

 

Cutting a Video

Cutting a video means selecting a specific portion of a video clip to keep and discard the rest. MoviePy allows you to easily cut a video by defining the start and end times in seconds.

Let’s start by loading a video and cutting a part of it.

Example: Cutting a Video

from moviepy.editor import VideoFileClip

# Load the video file
video = VideoFileClip("sample_video.mp4")

# Define the start and end times (in seconds)
start_time = 10  # Start at 10 seconds
end_time = 30  # End at 30 seconds

# Cut the video from start_time to end_time
cut_video = video.subclip(start_time, end_time)

# Save the cut video
cut_video.write_videofile("cut_video.mp4")

 

Explanation:

1. VideoFileClip("sample_video.mp4"): This loads the video file.
2. subclip(start_time, end_time): This method cuts the video between the specified start and end times.
3. write_videofile(): This saves the new cut video to a file.

In this example, the video will be cut from 10 seconds to 30 seconds and saved as cut_video.mp4.

 

 

Trimming a Video

Trimming a video is similar to cutting, but it refers to removing a portion from the beginning or the end of a video clip. You can trim the video by specifying the duration you want to keep.

Example: Trimming a Video

from moviepy.editor import VideoFileClip

# Load the video file
video = VideoFileClip("sample_video.mp4")

# Trim the first 5 seconds and the last 5 seconds of the video
trimmed_video = video.subclip(5, video.duration - 5)

# Save the trimmed video
trimmed_video.write_videofile("trimmed_video.mp4")

 

Explanation:

1. video.duration - 5: This gives the video duration minus 5 seconds, effectively trimming the last 5 seconds.
2. The result will be a video that starts at 5 seconds and ends 5 seconds before the original video’s end.

In this case, the trimmed_video.mp4 will be saved, excluding the first and last 5 seconds of the original video.

 

 

Merging Videos

Merging videos involves combining two or more video clips into one. MoviePy makes this process simple with the concatenate_videoclips() function.

Example: Merging Multiple Videos

from moviepy.editor import VideoFileClip, concatenate_videoclips

# Load the video files
video1 = VideoFileClip("video1.mp4")
video2 = VideoFileClip("video2.mp4")

# Optionally, trim videos if necessary
video1 = video1.subclip(5, 15)  # Trim first video from 5s to 15s
video2 = video2.subclip(0, 10)  # Trim second video from 0s to 10s

# Merge the two videos into one
merged_video = concatenate_videoclips([video1, video2])

# Save the merged video
merged_video.write_videofile("merged_video.mp4")

 

Explanation:

1. concatenate_videoclips([video1, video2]): This function combines the two video clips into one.
2. We used subclip() to trim the videos before merging them (this is optional but often useful).
3. The final merged video is saved as merged_video.mp4.

 

Handling Different Video Sizes and Resolutions

If your videos have different resolutions, you may want to resize them before merging. Here’s an example of how to resize the videos to the same resolution:

# Resize both videos to have the same resolution (e.g., 720p)
video1 = video1.resize(height=720)
video2 = video2.resize(height=720)

 

 

Final Thoughts

Now you know how to:

• Cut a specific portion from a video.
• Trim the start and/or end of a video.
• Merge multiple videos into one.

These are just the basics of what MoviePy can do, and there’s a lot more you can explore, such as adding text, applying video effects, working with audio, and much more.