Put It Together: Edit, Captions and Export

You have a shot list, images, a few clips and a voiceover. Now you put them together into one video. This is where it starts to feel real.

You will use Clipchamp on a computer, because the free plan exports in 1080p with no watermark and you may have made your voice there already. If you only have a phone, CapCut works the same way, and the steps are noted below.

What You'll Learn

• How to set up a vertical 9:16 project
• How to line up pictures with the voice, scene by scene
• How to make still images feel alive with a slow zoom
• How to add captions and quiet background music
• How to export a sharp 1080p file for Shorts and Reels

Step 1: Start a vertical project

1. Open Clipchamp and create a new video.
2. Click the shape button near the preview (it often shows 16:9) and choose 9:16. This is the tall shape for Shorts and Reels.
3. Click Import media and add your whole scene folder: images, clips and voice files.

On a phone (CapCut): tap New project, add your files in scene order, then tap Ratio and choose 9:16.

Step 2: Lay down the voice first

The voice sets the timing, so it goes first.

1. Drag the voice pieces onto the timeline in scene order: voice-01, voice-02, and so on.
2. Leave no big gaps between them. A tiny pause between scenes is fine.
3. Play it once. It should be about 45 seconds.

If you used one long voice file, that is fine too. Just drop it in and use the waveform (the wavy line) to see where each scene starts.

Step 3: Add the pictures above the voice

1. Drag each image or clip onto the video track above the matching voice piece.
2. Drag the edge of each picture so it starts and ends with its voice piece.
3. If a clip is shorter than its voice line, place a still image after it, or slow the clip down a little with the Speed setting.

If any picture is not vertical, select it and use Fill (or crop) so it covers the whole tall frame without black bars.

Step 4: Make still images feel alive

A still image that sits for six seconds feels dead. A slow zoom fixes that. This is the trick from the first lesson that saves your free video credits.

• In Clipchamp: select an image, open the Effects panel and pick a slow zoom effect. Use the same kind of zoom on most images so the movement feels steady.
• In CapCut: select the image, tap Animation, and choose a gentle zoom, or use keyframes to zoom in slowly from start to end.

Mix it up a little: zoom in on one image, zoom out on the next. Keep it slow. Fast zooms look cheap.

Between scenes, use simple cuts or a short crossfade. Avoid spinning or flashy transitions.

Step 5: Add captions

Many people watch Shorts and Reels with the sound off at first. Captions keep them watching.

In Clipchamp:

1. Open Captions in the panel on the right.
2. Click to turn on auto captions and choose the language of your voice.
3. Clipchamp writes the captions from your voiceover. Read through them and fix any wrong words.
4. Make the text larger and place it in the lower middle of the frame, but not at the very bottom, where Shorts and Reels show their own buttons and titles.

If your language is not in the auto caption list, you can type captions as text boxes or keep the voice without captions for that video.

For more control over caption styles, cutting pauses and adding extra footage, see the AI Video Editing micro course. This lesson keeps captions simple.

Step 6: Add quiet background music

Music adds mood, but it must not fight the voice.

1. Open the Content library (Clipchamp) or Audio (CapCut) and choose a free music track that fits: calm for a story, light and upbeat for tips.
2. Put it on the bottom track and cut it to the length of the video.
3. Lower the music volume a lot, to around 10 to 20 percent. The voice should be easy to hear over it.
4. Add a short fade out at the end.

Avoid paid or "premium" music marked with a badge. On free plans, premium items can block export or add a watermark.

Step 7: Watch it once, start to finish

Before you export, watch the whole video once on full screen. Check:

• The first 3 seconds. Is the hook strong? If not, start with your best clip.
• Timing. Does each picture change with its line?
• Captions. Any typos? Do they cover a face?
• Sound. Is the voice always clear over the music?
• Length. Between 30 and 60 seconds is ideal for this project.

Step 8: Export in 1080p

1. Click Export.
2. Choose 1080p. This is the free maximum in Clipchamp and CapCut, and it is sharp enough for any phone.
3. Save the file with a clear name, like mouse-and-lion-short.mp4.

When we checked, Clipchamp's free export had no watermark. CapCut's free export usually had no watermark either, but using Pro templates, effects or some AI features could add one or block export. If you see a watermark you did not expect, look for a "Pro" badge on something in your project and swap it for a free option.

Watermarks from generators: if your Kling clips had a watermark, it is still there in your final video. Decide in the next lesson whether that is okay for where you post.

Key Takeaways

• Start a 9:16 vertical project and import all your scene files at once.
• Lay down the voice first, then match each picture to its voice piece.
• Give still images a slow zoom so they feel alive without using video credits.
• Add auto captions in your language, check them, and keep them away from the bottom edge.
• Keep music quiet under the voice, then export in 1080p and check for unexpected watermarks.