Need help editing video on Dropbox

Question

Need help editing video on Dropbox

This is on 9.3.1, brand new Pro.

I need to take a mp4 video currently on Dropbox. I can play the video just by clicking on it in the Dropbox app.

What I need to do, and I've downloaded six pieces of software from the App Store unsuccessfully, is seemingly very simple: I need to trim the video. Just remove some parts. Then the edited version has to go back on Dropbox. Anybody know how to do it? Someone who knows for sure how to do it?

I'm willing to pay for the software. But will it work?

Many thanks for any help you can give me.

iPad Pro, iOS 9.3.1

Posted on Apr 3, 2016 4:28 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 3, 2016 4:46 AM in response to Danielbeisenberg

Seems Pinnacle Studio can do this.

But have never used this app.

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/publicsite/us/products/studio/ipad/

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Answer 2

Demo

Level 10

166,747 points

Apr 3, 2016 5:39 AM in response to Danielbeisenberg

Have you tried iMovie? I know nothing about editing movies, but I know that you can export a movie from DropBox into iMovie. I was able to split off a few frames at the beginning and save my work and there is an option to a save to DropBox.

http://www.apple.com/ios/imovie/

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Answer 3

Apr 3, 2016 10:18 AM in response to Georg Portenkirchner

Thanks for the tip. I downloaded it but if it will do this (I seems like it should) I could not figure out how, not even with the tutorials and help files, which tell me lots of things about how to merge music tracks and the like. I downloaded the file from Dropbox 3 times, and I can see it in the program, but cannot figure out even how to do the most basic editing tasks.

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Answer 4

Apr 3, 2016 10:23 AM in response to Demo

Opening Dropbox, I cannot find any way to send a file to iMovie. Opening iMovie, I cannot import anything from Dropbox. These are the latest versions of both programs. In the App store, the description of iMovie says nothing about Dropbox. I checked the link you provided.

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Answer 5

Demo

Level 10

166,747 points

Apr 3, 2016 4:15 PM in response to Danielbeisenberg

With the video open in DropBox, tap the Share/action icon in the upper right. Then tap on the Open In option, and then select Copy to iMovie.

In iMovie, tap the Movie Project and then tap the action icon at the bottom of the screen and select Save to DropBox.

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Answer 6

Apr 3, 2016 6:05 PM in response to Demo

This got me part of the way. In Dropbox, on the export menu, iMovie wasn't there. But there was the option to save it to mu camera roll. That means I can reexamine all the different pograms exam. When I open the video fron Camera roll, the export to iMovie option appears.

But then in iMovie itself, I can't figure out how to trim the file. There is an icon for Trim - a scissors cutting through a 35mm film. When I click on it a timeline bar opens at the bottom. Nothing on the screen to press will trim anything. I need instructions on what to do at that point.

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Answer 7

Apr 3, 2016 6:37 PM in response to Danielbeisenberg

I found some iMovie instructions which said to press Done after using the bar to mark a clip.

When I did that, the program hung.

If I open the standalone iMovie app, I can open the file from the Camera Roll, but you can edit only one way - i.e., you can remove the Beginning or the End of the file, but not a section in the middle. This makes it almost useless.

Then you can't make multiple edits and then save thr file. You have to save it for every edit. And it won't save, it hangs.

Something I'm misunderstanding? I have uninstalled and reinstalled iMovie

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Answer 8

MichelPM

Level 10

81,525 points

Apr 3, 2016 11:47 PM in response to Danielbeisenberg

Maybe these links can help you navigate iMovie on iOS

http://help.apple.com/imovie/ipad/2.2/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ExsUBTwMkwU

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Answer 9

Apr 4, 2016 4:51 AM in response to MichelPM

Thank you for taking the time to send these. They both confirm that you can trim the beginning or the end, but not the middle. (I need to remove problem sections from videos of lectures.)

The Apple how-to says nothing about how to edit anything not shot on the same iPad you're editing with, unless the video is on iCloud. I have the iCloud app, but opening it there is no way I can find to move anything there that is not there already. (Apparently Docs and some other apps will save to iCloud.) Opening the video in Camera roll, I cannot find any way to move it or copy it to iCloud.

The Youtube video is about OS 8 and an earlier version of iMovie, but I watched it anyway. Leaving out details, I end up with "This clip cannot be saved at this time. Please try again later."

I'm willing to buy a thirs-party app, in fact spent $12.95 on one which doesn't help either, and I'm trying to get a refund via the App store form for reporting problems. But I'm not going to buy anything else unless I know it will work.

I edit audio files all the time with minimal problems. I use Voice Record Pro, though there are other programs. I can open from Dropbox or Google Drive, and export the result right back to them. I can make multiple cuts anywhere, then save the result only when I'm done doing all of them. It doesn't seem logical that there's no way to do the same with a video clip.

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Answer 10

MichelPM

Level 10

81,525 points

Apr 4, 2016 5:28 AM in response to Danielbeisenberg

I am trying to remember how I just edited my last two movies I shot with my digital camera and edited on my iPad in iMovie.

Have you just tried looking for the sedtion in iMovie and on the timeline area, take your finger tap once to start tye edit from wherever point you need to start, slide your finger to where ever the end of the edit is to highlight that section,,then hit the delete key ob the keyboard?

For some reason I remember doing something like this when I needed to cut out a section out of the middle of my video because Ieft my camera in record mode and it was recording the ground while I was moving and I needed to delete it out.

I remembered/figured this out.

My last edited video is still being kept inside iMovie on my iPad 2, so I went and did some trial and error to remember what I did

On the timeline double tap on the timeline where you want the edit to start

A series of commands appear. Tap Split to create a split point.

Go to the end of the your edit OR you get cut/edit in smaller chunks, if you like by choosing the Split command, again, to set a split point for the end of your edit.

If you tap anywhere between the Split points you can delete all of frames between the split points off of the timeline.

Not just from the beginning or end.

This was how I was able to do edits in between in iMovie for iOS.

Try it, let me know if this worked for you.

Good Luck!

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Answer 11

Apr 4, 2016 5:43 AM in response to MichelPM

The problem with using the delete key is that it isn't there. It is only available if the keyboard comes up, and that only happens if the cursor is in the right kind of field.

Re your second suggestion, I tried again, but tapping in the timeline, or within a clip I selected by dragging the lines in from both ends, did not produce a menu; nothing happened.

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Answer 12

MichelPM

Level 10

81,525 points

Apr 4, 2016 5:46 AM in response to Danielbeisenberg

slight update.

On the timeline double tap on the timeline where you want the edit to start

A series of commands appear. Tap Split to create a split point.

Go to the end of the your edit OR you get cut/edit in smaller chunks, if you like, by choosing the Split command, again, to set a split point for the end of your edit.

If you tap anywhere between the Split points, a yellow/gold color band wraps itself around the video frames that are in between the two split points.

Thenyou can delete all of frames between the split points off of the timeline by tapping on the Delete/Trash icon to the right in the timeline area.

So, this is how you edit video footage from inside of the video using iMovie for iOS.

Not just edit from the beginning or end of a video.

If you make a mistake, there is an undo/redo icon (and upside down "U" with an arrow on it) that lets you do multiple undos/redos.

This was how I was able to do edits in between in iMovie for iOS.

Try it, let me know if this worked for you.

Good Luck!

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Answer 13

MichelPM

Level 10

81,525 points

Apr 4, 2016 5:53 AM in response to Danielbeisenberg

You need to double tap a frame on the timeline to bring up the edit options.

The edit start point and end points need to line up on the vertical marker that's on the timeline.

That is where iMovie is going to place the split points.

Whatever frame lies on the timeline's vertical marker is where any of the edits take place

And it's not the delete key, but the Delete/Trashcan icon to the right side of the timeline, my bad.

This works!

Try it, again!

I am using the latest iMovie for iOS and my iOS version is iOS 9.2.1.

Good Luck!

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Answer 14

MichelPM

Level 10

81,525 points

Apr 4, 2016 6:04 AM in response to Danielbeisenberg

I did some more research for you to get more familiar with how iMovie and video editong works and how iMovie works on the iPad.

If you have iBooks on ypur iPad, launch it, tap on Featured Books option in the bottom of the iBooks app.

Then in the upper right search window, typr in iMovie for iPad.

There will be a few eBooks there that you can decide which ones to purchase and download to iBooks on your iPad.

I am sure these books will be a big help tto you and theses books may cover more than what Apple has supplied in the help links that I have provided to you.and what was in the video link I supplied, also.

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Answer 15

Apr 4, 2016 6:09 AM in response to MichelPM

There's no delete/trash can.

I don't see frames. In iMovie, when I tap the "scissors" icon, I get at the bottom a white bar, with yellow at both ends. I can drag those. There's a cursor line that I can drag too. But absolutely nothing I touch or double click does anything at all. I'd send you a screen shot if I knew how to send it.

THis is using 9.3.1 and the version of iMovie I just reinstalled from the app store. Makes no difference if on ipad Pro or on iPhone 6 plus.

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