How to Trim Videos When Uploading to Sermon Shots

Overview

The Trim on Upload feature in Sermon Shots allows you to select and upload only the specific portion of your sermon video that you want to create clips from. This powerful feature saves time, reduces upload size, and helps you focus on the most impactful moments of your message.

Benefits of Using Trim on Upload

• Faster uploads: Upload only the content you need instead of entire sermon recordings
• Storage efficiency: Save space by trimming out announcements, worship segments, or other non-sermon content
• Improved workflow: Start with pre-selected content for more efficient clip creation
• Better focus: Work with just the sermon portion without distractions

Extracting Sermons from Full Service Recordings

When you upload a video to Sermon Shots, you can use our trim feature during the upload process, which saves your credits since only the trimmed portion counts against your hours.

The trim function is designed to help you remove unwanted parts of your service like worship segments, prayers, announcements, etc., while keeping the entire sermon intact. Having the complete sermon gives you better AI-suggested clips and prevents issues like abrupt beginnings or endings in your content.

For best results, we recommend aiming for 20-40 minutes of actual sermon content when trimming. This sweet spot gives our system enough material to find those "Amen moments" while not using excessive upload hours.

Important Note: The clip editor itself is designed specifically for creating short social media clips (30-40 seconds and no more than 60 seconds for best viewer engagement), which is why you'll hit a 2:30 limit when trying to save longer content.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Start Your Upload

1. Log in to your Sermon Shots account
2. Click the "Upload Video"
3. Select the source for your video: YouTube, Facebook, Dropbox, From This Device
   

Step 2: Access the Trim Tool

Once your video begins uploading, you'll see a preview screen with the trim controls:

• A video timeline appears below the preview window
• Two trim handles (markers) are visible at the beginning and end of the timeline
• The new Start Time and End Time are displayed
  

Step 3: Set Your Trim Points

Setting the Start Point:

1. Play the video or scrub through the timeline to find where you want your sermon to begin
2. Click and drag the left trim handle to your desired start time
   

Setting the End Point:

1. Navigate to where you want your sermon to end
2. Click and drag the right trim handle to your desired end time
   

Step 4: Preview Your Selection

• Click the "Play" button to watch your selected portion
• The new Start Time and End Time are displayed
• Adjust the trim points if needed by dragging the handles again

Step 5: Confirm and Upload

1. Once satisfied with your selection, click "Trim & Upload"
   
   
2. The system will process only the selected portion
3. You'll see a progress bar showing the upload status
4. Once complete, you'll be directed to the clip creation interface
   

Tips for Effective Trimming

Before You Upload

• Review your sermon recording beforehand to note approximate timestamps
• Consider which sections contain your key messages
• Identify natural break points (e.g., after announcements, before closing prayer)

During Trimming

• Leave buffer time: Include 5-10 seconds before and after your main content
• Use keyboard shortcuts:
  • Spacebar: Play/Pause
  • Arrow keys: Frame-by-frame navigation
  • Shift + Arrow: Jump 10 seconds
• Check audio levels: Ensure your trim points don't cut off important audio

Troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I re-trim after uploading?
A: No, trimming must be done during the initial upload. You'll need to re-upload to change the trim.
Q: What's the minimum/maximum trim duration?
A: We recommend a minimum of 20 minutes for the AI Suggested Clips to be generated. 
Q: Will trimming affect video quality?
A: No, trimming doesn't re-encode your video. The quality remains exactly the same.
Q: Can I trim multiple sections from one video?
A: Currently, you can only select one continuous section. For multiple sections, upload separately.
Q: Is the original file saved? A: No, only the trimmed portion is uploaded and stored in Sermon Shots.

Best Practices

1. Plan your trim points before starting the upload process
2. Use high-quality source videos for best results (1080p max)
3. Keep your audience in mind - trim to highlight the most engaging content
4. Save key timestamps from your original video for future reference

Related Articles

• How To Get Started with Sermon Shots (Tutorial Video)
• How To Leverage Social Media For Your Church
• FAQs for File Size Uploads (Videos, Photos, Logos)

Need more help? Contact our support team at contact@sermonshots.com or visit our Help Center.