Mastering Music Magic: A Comprehensive Guide to Adding Music to CapCut

CapCut has rapidly become a favorite among video editors, offering a powerful suite of tools right at your fingertips. One of its most compelling features is the ability to seamlessly integrate music into your projects, elevating your videos from simple clips to captivating stories. Whether you’re creating content for social media, crafting a personal vlog, or editing a professional presentation, the right soundtrack can make all the difference. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the various ways you can add music to CapCut, providing you with detailed steps and tips to unlock the full sonic potential of your videos.

Understanding CapCut’s Music Integration

Before we jump into the how-to, let’s quickly understand how CapCut handles music:

* **Built-in Library:** CapCut offers a vast library of royalty-free music and sound effects that you can readily use in your projects. This is a great option for users who want a quick and easy solution without worrying about copyright issues.
* **Local Music Import:** CapCut also allows you to import your own music files directly from your device, giving you the flexibility to use your preferred tracks.
* **Sound Extraction:** You can extract audio from other videos, which is useful for using sound effects or particular dialogue snippets in your projects.
* **Voiceover Recording:** CapCut lets you record voiceovers directly within the app, enabling you to add narration or personalized commentary.
* **Sound Effects:** CapCut offers a selection of sound effects that can be added to specific scenes to enhance the impact of your video.

Step-by-Step Guide: Adding Music from CapCut’s Built-in Library

Using the built-in library is the most straightforward method, perfect for beginners or those who need a quick background track. Here’s how to do it:

1. **Open Your Project:** Launch the CapCut app and open the project you’re working on. If you don’t have a project yet, create a new one by tapping the “New Project” button and importing your video clips.

2. **Locate the “Audio” Option:** At the bottom of your screen, you’ll see a menu bar with various options. Look for the “Audio” icon (it usually resembles a music note) and tap it.

3. **Select “Sounds”:** After tapping the audio button, a popup menu will appear with several options. Choose “Sounds” which will take you directly to CapCut’s music library.

4. **Browse the Library:** The music library is organized into categories, such as “For You,” “Trending,” “Travel,” “Relaxing,” “Cheerful,” etc. You can also use the search bar at the top of the screen to find a specific genre or track title. Scroll through the lists, and listen to the previews by tapping the play icon next to each track. Pay attention to the small label on each track indicating its usage permissibility. Generally, music labelled as “Free” can be used without any constraints. Be mindful of copyright restrictions if you plan to post your video publicly.

5. **Add the Music:** Once you’ve found a track you like, tap the “+” sign next to its name to add it to your project. The music track will appear as a separate layer on the timeline below your video clips. CapCut automatically positions the music clip at the beginning of your project timeline. You will probably need to reposition it and resize it.

6. **Adjust the Music Volume and Positioning**: Once the track is added you can now adjust it. Tap the audio track and a menu bar with tools will appear.

* **Volume Adjustment:** Tap the “Volume” option to change the loudness of your track. You will notice a slider and moving it to the left decreases the volume and to the right increases the volume. Typically, the background music is kept at a lower volume than the primary audio within the clip.

* **Adjust the Track Position:** To move the track, tap and hold the track and move it along the timeline. If the music starts too soon or too late, use this function to sync it with your videos.

* **Trim the Music:** If the music is longer than you need, tap the track and then tap “Split”. You can then remove the extra section of the track by selecting the part you do not need and hitting “Delete”. You may need to split it in several parts and rearrange it.

* **Fade In/Out:** To prevent abrupt starts and ends, you can use the fade in/out feature. Tap “Fade” and adjust the fade durations.

7. **Preview Your Video:** After making these adjustments, play your video to ensure the music is synced well with your visuals.

Step-by-Step Guide: Importing Local Music Files

If you want to use your own music, here’s how to import local audio files from your device into CapCut:

1. **Open Your Project and Access the Audio Menu:** Just as before, open your project in CapCut and tap the “Audio” button located on the menu bar at the bottom of your screen. Then select “Sounds”.

2. **Tap “From Device”:** In the sound menu, you will see three options: Sounds, Copyright, and From Device. Tap “From Device”. CapCut will ask to access your media, accept it to continue.

3. **Browse Your Files:** You’ll now be taken to your device’s file browser, where you can locate the music file you wish to use. Supported file types include MP3, M4A, WAV, and other common audio formats. Navigate to the folder where your audio file is stored.

4. **Select the Audio File:** Tap the audio file you wish to add to your project. The file will automatically be imported and will appear as an audio layer in your project timeline.

5. **Adjust and Edit the Music:** Just as with the built-in music, you can adjust the volume, position, trim the track, and add fade-in/out effects using the tools available in CapCut after selecting the track.

6. **Preview and Finalize:** Preview your video to ensure the imported music plays as you want it to.

A Note About Copyright

It is extremely important to be mindful of copyright restrictions, especially when importing local music for public use. Using copyrighted material without proper licensing may lead to your content being flagged or removed, especially on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. If using licensed music, make sure to follow the terms and conditions of that license. CapCut also has royalty free music. If you are not sure of the track copyright, always use royalty free music.

Step-by-Step Guide: Extracting Audio from a Video

Sometimes, you may want to use the audio from another video. CapCut has a feature allowing you to extract this audio with the following steps:

1. **Open Project and Select “Audio”:** As always, open your CapCut project, and tap the “Audio” button.

2. **Select “Extracted”:** On the popup menu select “Extracted” This option allows you to select a video clip from which to extract the audio.

3. **Choose a Video Clip:** You will then be prompted to select a video from your phone’s storage. Select the video which contains the audio you wish to use.

4. **Extract and Use the Audio:** Once selected, CapCut will extract the audio from the video and place it on a new audio track on the timeline of your project.

5. **Adjust and Edit:** You can edit this extracted audio track in the same way as other audio tracks – adjusting volume, positioning, triming, and fading.

Step-by-Step Guide: Recording Voiceovers

Adding a voiceover can greatly enhance your videos, allowing you to provide context, narration, or personalized comments. Here’s how to record a voiceover in CapCut:

1. **Open Your Project and Select “Audio”:** Open your CapCut project and tap on the “Audio” button, the same way you did to add any music track.

2. **Select “Record”:** Instead of “Sounds”, you will see the option “Record” at the bottom of your screen. Tap “Record”.

3. **Prepare to Record:** CapCut will ask for permission to access your microphone. Once granted, you will see a countdown, after which the recording will begin.

4. **Start Recording:** Speak clearly into your device’s microphone as the video plays.

5. **Stop Recording:** Tap the “Stop” button to end the recording. Your recorded voice will appear as a new audio layer on the timeline.

6. **Adjust and Edit:** You can adjust the position, volume and trim the recording as needed. You can also use effects to adjust the recorded voice.

7. **Preview Your Video:** Play the video with your voiceover to ensure it is aligned correctly.

Tips for Effective Music Integration

Here are a few tips to help you enhance your videos with music effectively:

* **Match Music to Mood:** Choose music that complements the tone and mood of your video. Upbeat tracks work well with happy, energetic content, while calmer tracks suit emotional or reflective videos.
* **Use Sound Effects:** Don’t just rely on music, try adding sound effects to enhance specific moments in your video. A whoosh, a bang, or a laugh track can all be appropriate in the right contexts.
* **Keep it Subtle:** The music should enhance, not overpower, your video. Avoid using loud, distracting music that competes with dialogue or narration.
* **Sync with Visuals:** Try to sync music with transitions or important visual changes to create a more immersive and dynamic experience.
* **Experiment with Volume:** Adjust music volume appropriately to make it audible, but not overwhelming. Balance the different audio levels in your video.
* **Use Fades:** Always use fade-in and fade-out effects, so there are no jarring starts or endings of your music tracks. A gradual fade in or fade out will make the music sound more professional.
* **Layering Audio:** Be aware that CapCut allows you to layer audios. You can add background music, over which you can add voiceovers and sound effects.

Conclusion

Adding music to your CapCut videos is a straightforward process that can dramatically improve their quality and impact. Whether you use the built-in library, import your own files, extract audio from videos, or record voiceovers, CapCut provides the tools you need to create captivating content with well-integrated sound. By following the steps outlined in this guide and keeping the tips in mind, you can elevate your video editing skills and bring your creative vision to life. Now it’s time to experiment and see what incredible videos you can create with the power of music in CapCut! Enjoy your creative journey!