Trim
How to trim and compress a video on iPhone
Quick answer
In Compress Video tap Trim Video, drag the handles to keep only the part you need, tap Save, then tap Compress. Size scales with duration, so cutting a 60-second clip to 15 seconds removes about three quarters of it before compression even starts.
Photos can trim too, but the trimmed part keeps the original bitrate, so a 4K clip stays heavy. Trimming and compressing together gets you a small file in one pass.
Trim in Photos vs trim in Compress Video
| Photos → Edit | Compress Video | |
|---|---|---|
| Cuts duration | Yes | Yes |
| Lowers bitrate / resolution | No | Yes |
| Shows final size | No | Yes |
| Keeps original | Optional | Always |
Trim and compress a video
One app, one pass.
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1
Open the clip
Pick the video in Compress Video.
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2
Tap Trim Video
Drag the start and end handles; the selected length is shown above the timeline. Tap Save.
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3
Compress
Open Compress settings, pick resolution, frame rate and audio, tap Compress.
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4
Save
Check the new size and tap Download Compressed.
Do it in Compress Video
Free on the App Store. Pick the clip, tap Compress, save the smaller copy.
Questions people also ask
Can I undo a trim?
Yes. Tap Original to go back to the untouched clip; the source video is never changed.
Compress Video saves a new, smaller copy of your video. The original stays untouched until you delete it. Upload limits of third-party services change; check the service if a file is close to its limit.