How to Use Lightworks to Edit Video

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you are searching for an advanced video editing software tool then you will get some useful details here. Keep reading because the article below will introduce you with Lightworks 14.0 version - one of the most commonly used video editing tools.

System Requirements:

Lightworks 14 works perfectly on almost all operating systems whether it is Mac OS X, Linux or Windows. If you are thinking to install Lightworks 14 then check for the essential system requirements as below. It demands:

• Intel i7 chipset or anything faster than this.
• You must have at least 4GB RAM and higher than that is an edge.
• Two high-resolution type displays are essential with 1920x1080 ability.
• PCI Express type graphic cards- Best to have 1GB space or higher than that.
• Windows OS users need to have DierctX 9.
• A compatible sound card.
• Installation demands 200MB disc space.
• You will need a fast internet connection for installation.

Versions Comparison:

If you are new to the video editing world then the free license version of Lightworks can help you to do miracles. 

But the free version restricts users for output formats, you can access only MPEG4/ files for free. The best trick is to switch to Pro version of Lightworks that supports a wide range of export formats including Web-compatible file, AVI, MOV, XDCAM HD/EX, Blu-Ray, AAF, XML, OMF, Broadcast wave format and many more. 

You can purchase the license on monthly basis as well as the annual packages are available that include FX packages and Boris Graffiti.

Getting Started:

Here we are going to talk about “Fixed” layout based projects of Lightworks 14.0 version; it is a little different from the old flexible layout option. Follow the details below to get started with an interesting video editing project:

1. Creating a New Project:

Step 1: First of all you need to hit the “Create a New Project” link on the screen.

Step 2: One dialogue box will be opened on the screen where you need to enter new project details. Put the name of the project in the specified field and then select frame rate as per need. In case if you want to work for mixed frame rates then choose the ‘Mixed Rates’ option from the drop-down menu. Finally hit Create button.

Step 3: It will soon open a new project on your screen where you will also find a log tab.

4 Tabs on User Interface:

The LOG use to open four tiles on screen with unique features.

• The Viewers tile is available on the upper right portion of the screen and it contains Cue and Metadata markers below it.
• The Edit view contains various project assets on the upper left tile. It helps to view selected videos, edit timeline, control specific marked portions of videos and allows thumbnail dragging.
• VFX View helps to manage size of the viewer so that effect settings can be easily managed. It also assists in the alignment of titles and subtitles.
• The AUDIO View handles the audio waveforms at bottom of desktop and also helps to control Pan settings and assists in meter bar tracking.

2. Import Source Materials:

Step 1: Hit the local files tab.

Step 2: Now hit the places tab to move to the drive or folder whatever you require. Note that you cannot import files with incompatible frame rates to your project; the software will indicate it as an error with red mark.

Step 3: Choose your file import method from drop-down list. You can choose anything from: Create Link, Copy Local and Transcode options.

Step 4: Now click on your desired video clip that you want to import; if you want to import multiple files then use Ctrl/shift key for selections. Files can be brought to timeline using import option or via drag and drop tools.

As soon as you import your video files, the content manager itself switches to filer or bin that stores your selection.

3. Playback in the Viewer:

Step 1: You can either double click over list or simply drag the tile/list to viewer. Your selected clip will soon get opened in source viewer. The software will display clip name on top portion of the viewer.

Step 2: Now you can start playing your media file either by using keyboard shortcuts

Step 3: You can move through the selected media file with the help of red frame marker, it is available in indicator strip.

4. Adding Video to Timeline:

Go to the edit tab and then get your video clip to the content manager window. Simply drag it to the timeline. If you want to zoom the content then prefer to use the plus button from the upper left corner of the screen.

5. Edit Video Clips:

Step 1: You need to hover mouse around the cut that you wish to trim. Soon it will display white brackets and you need to clip the left button of the mouse over there.

Step 2: The brackets will display parts near cut in yellow color; it indicates that clip is now separated from cut.

Step 3: Now the viewer will change to Trimview mode where it will display clip frames that are on both side of cut.

Step 4: You need to hit the preview button that is below Viewer and it will soon start playing both videos in a sequence.

Step 5: When you want to exit from the Trim View then simply hit the close button.

Users can trim the incoming, outgoing clips and they can also move or slip cut. You can also slide the video clips and add few simple transitions to make things more attractive. It is also possible to edit audio portion of the clips and Mac and Window users can also use voice over features with audio mixers.

6. Exporting:

As soon as your editing task is complete, then you can easily export your video clip out of the software tool. To do this:

Step 1: Simply right click on the edited clip, sequence or timeline and from drop-down menu select the Export option.

Step 2: Choose your export format. It allows users to make selections between camera formats, media files, interchange, backup, targets, sub-menu headings and presents, etc.

Step 3: Now it will open up the dialogue box for export option with selected format type.

Step 4: Complete all the settings and then hit the start button.

If you find the Lightworks is hard to operate, you should try Wondershare Filmora, which is simple yet powerful enough to meet your daily video editing requirements. What's more, you can use the built-in effects or find some effects pack on Filmora Effects Store to make your video attractive and unique.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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