How to Edit Video on Samsung Phone | Built-In Tools Explain It All

Editing a video on a Samsung phone is free and straightforward using the built-in Samsung Video Editor inside the Gallery app or, on newer models, the powerful Samsung Studio app included with One UI 6.

Your Galaxy phone likely shipped with two heavy-hitting video editors already installed — no subscription, extra download, or watermark required. Samsung Video Editor lives inside the Gallery and handles trims, music, filters, and text in a few taps. For the Samsung Studio app, which comes with One UI 6 and up, you get multi-track editing, export format choices, and a more professional interface. The trick to good edits is knowing where each tool lives and one setting that protects your original footage.

Editing with the Samsung Video Editor (Gallery App)

The Samsung Video Editor is the fastest way to trim a clip or add background music. It’s available on every Galaxy phone running Android 10 or later (One UI 2.0+). The steps below are from the official Samsung support guide, so they match what you’ll see on screen right now.

1. Open the Gallery app and tap the video you want to edit.
2. Tap the Edit icon (the pencil in the bottom toolbar).
3. Trim: Tap the Trim icon (scissors). Drag the white handles at the bottom of the timeline to set your start and end points.
4. Transform: Tap the Transform icon (crop/rotate). Use the Rotate button to change orientation or the Flip button to mirror the video.
5. Filters: Tap the Filter icon (magic wand). Swipe through the options, then tap a filter to preview it. Tap Save in the top corner to apply it.
6. Decorations: Tap the Decorations icon (smiley face). Choose Draw, Stickers, or Text to add captions or graphics. For subtitles, select Text, type your caption, and drag it into place on the preview.
7. Audio: Tap the Audio icon (music note). Select Add background music to pick a track from your device. Use the volume sliders to balance the original video audio against the music track.
8. Save: Tap Save in the top-right corner to overwrite the original, or tap the three-dot menu and choose Save as copy to keep your original untouched.

The Gallery editor exports video at up to 4K resolution, which covers most needs for social sharing or archiving. If you need more control over the final file size or format, the Samsung Studio app is the next step.

Using Samsung Studio (One UI 6 and Newer)

Samsung Studio is a full timeline-based editor included with One UI 6. Samsung rolled it out starting with the Galaxy S23 series in late 2023 and extended it to the S22, S21, and A53/A54 series throughout 2024. You’ll find the app under the name Studio in your applications menu — no separate download required. If you don’t see it, your phone hasn’t received the One UI 6 update yet, and the Gallery editor remains your tool.

1. Launch the app: Find and tap Studio in your apps list.
2. Tap Start a new project.
3. Select the videos and photos you want in your timeline, then tap Done.
4. On the main editing screen, you can trim clips by dragging their edges, split a clip, add text overlays, insert stickers, and layer audio tracks on separate timelines.
5. When you’re finished, tap Done at the top left.
6. Tap the three-dot menu (top right) to rename your project or Change size/format.
7. Under format, choose H.264 for the widest compatibility with social media and older devices, or H.265 (HEVC) for smaller file sizes at the same quality. Tap Save movie to render the final video.

How to Avoid Two Common Samsung Editing Mistakes

Two errors account for most of the frustration people run into. The first is overwriting the original file. Tapping Save directly replaces your source video with the edited version, which you can’t undo. Always tap the three-dot menu and select Save as copy to preserve your original.

The second is getting clipped audio or poor sound balance. When you add background music in the Gallery editor, the default mix often favors the added track. Before tapping Save, tap Audio and drag the Video audio slider to a higher level so the original sound (voice, ambient noise) stays audible over the music.

What About Google Photos and Third-Party Apps?

If Samsung’s editors don’t cover your needs, Google Photos offers a solid no-install fallback. Open a video in the Google Photos app, tap Edit, and you’ll find Auto Enhance, Stabilize (reduces shakiness), and Audio Eraser (reduces background noise). It’s lighter than Samsung Studio but useful for a quick polish.

For professional-grade work — multi-layer effects, keyframes, color grading — apps like CapCut and LumaFusion are popular among Galaxy users. CapCut is free with a generous feature set and runs well on most recent Samsung phones. LumaFusion costs a flat fee but offers a true non-linear editor tier that Studio doesn’t match yet.

Samsung Video Editor and Studio cover everything most users need. For the Gallery editor, the single most useful habit is saving a copy instead of overwriting. For Studio, the main decision is picking H.264 over H.265 when you’re sharing the video anywhere besides your own Samsung device — it eliminates playback headaches at a minor file-size cost.