How to split video files with VSDC Free Video Editor

Video editing can be exciting! But sometimes all you need is just quickly split a video into multiple files or split scenes into shorter parts to compose a more dynamic story.

Depending on your goals, this task can be performed differently. Do you need extra high precision because you’re trying to catch a particular moment on the footage? Are you planning to export the fragments as separate files? Or are you splitting the footage to just apply different effects to its parts?

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how split a video for any purpose using VSDC Free Editor.

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Method 1: Split a video file into 2 parts in one click

Here is the simplest way that will suit you if you aren’t looking for high precision. Just select the file you want to split by clicking on it. Then place the cursor to the point where the first fragment should end, and the second should begin. Click the “Split into parts” razor-like looking button located in the top “Cutting and Splitting” menu – you’ll instantly see how your video file turns into two separate fragments placed one after another on the timeline.

Method #2. Splitting by markers during video file export

Sometimes you may need to split a video into multiple parts after all the effects have been applied to the entire file. In this case, we recommend using the splitting tool at the export level.

After you add a video file to the scene and perform all the editing you were planning to, select the "Export project" tab on the ribbon command bar. In the top menu of the program, click the "Set markers" button – a separate window will pop up as illustrated below. Locate as many markers as you need at the points where you want the file to be split. Click "Apply changes" when ready.

Staying in the same Export tab, go to the Additional settings tab (bottom menu) and check the “split by markers” box. Then choose the format you want your videos to be and click the "Export project" button. As a result, you’ll get as many video fragments saved to your PC as you’ve created using markers.

Method #3. Splitting a single video file into multiple scenes to apply different effects to each one

If you want to apply different effects to separate parts of your footage, you can split a video file and place each fragment into an individual scene. For this purpose, add a file to the timeline and click on it with the right mouse button. Choose “Properties” from the dropdown menu – you’ll see the Properties window sliding in from the right side of the program interface. Scroll down and click the light-green "Cutting and splitting" button.

The same “Cutting and Splitting” window will pop up, and you’ll be able to place markers in the positions where you would like to split the file. Once you’re done, click the "Apply changes" button. The program will split the video file by markers automatically, and all the parts will be placed on the timeline one after another.

Now you can apply different video and audio effects to each part of the file. In the end, you can either export the movie as a single file or save each scene as a separate file.

Here is how to do it. When you go to the Export project tab to save your video, open the Additional settings tab in the bottom menu and deselect "Join scenes to single" if you want to have the scenes exported separately, or leave the box checked if you want to export the entire movie as a single file.

Hopefully, you now have a better idea on how to split a video in VSDC Free Video Editor. Feel free to message us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to learn more editing tricks for creating amazing video projects.

Here are 3 more tutorials you may be interested in:

• How to crop borders of a video
• How to add text to your video
• How to create a picture-in-picture video effect in a couple of seconds