Adobe Express Icon

Adobe Express is free to use and browser-based. However, users will need to create an Adobe account to access this tool. Using your UNCW email may give you access to premium features.

Adobe Express offers several options for making graphics, editing photos, and creating presentations. Originally designed for K-12 learners, Adobe Express is a great introductory software for digital media tools and is designed to be very user-friendly.

The best way to learn these tools is to explore and experiment within them. This resource may guide through the basic step-by-step of video editing in Adobe Express.

All official Adobe Express Tutorials can be found here.

Adobe Express Dashboard

Navigate to express.adobe.com. You may be prompted to log in. It is important to note that Adobe Express updates frequently, and this may change the display of your dashboard and alter your navigation. You may have to explore a little before finding the tools you need.

Your dashboard may consist of a top bar navigation of popular apps. A search bar will provide quick examples of templates which users can alter and customize for their needs.

Templates, along with your projects (Your Stuff), can be also located on the left edge of the screen under a blue circle with a plus sign in the center of it. This blue circle icon is also a button to create a new project in Adobe Express from scratch.

Often users may need to do something small, such as remove a background or resize an image. These tasks are known as "Quick Actions" and are the first options at the bottom center of the Adobe Express dashboard. The QR code generator is particularly useful.

A screencapture of Adobe Express dashboard, showing search, basic options, and quick actions.

Scrolling further down on the Adobe Express dashboard page reveals project types by file format. Clicking these options can select the type of project you want to make and will provide optional templates to use. Below that is the "Ways to Create" section, which also offers project types of create from scratch.

Selecting Video will open a blank video project page for you to work in.

A screencapture of Adobe Express dashboard, showing different file formats and other ways to create different types of projects.

Video Editing in Adobe Express

>Adobe Express Official Tutorial: Getting Started with Video Editing in Adobe Express

>Adobe Express Official Tutorial: How to Start a Video from Scratch

>Adobe Express Official Tutorial: How to Time Objects or Text within Your Video

Selecting the Video option under File Formats will open the Video Window and automatically expand the templates panel on the left side of the screen. This panel can be closed or expanded using the icons in the upper right corner of the panel. Templates are a great way to start with a video by using existing layouts and designs, which you can customize with your own content.

At the bottom of the video screen is a blank panel where you can "drag and drop media to get started". You can also click the "Add Media" button to open a file browsing window to search and select for images, video, or sound files on your device. Or start with a blank timeline by selecting the "Start from Scratch" button.

A screencapture of a blank video project in Adobe Express.

Selecting the "Start from Scratch" option, the timeline transforms into a traditional timeline layout seen in other video editing software applications. This is useful as it helps beginner users get familiar with an industry standard view of video editing. If you have to learn or adapt to other video editing software later, experience with this timeline can help make learning a new software a little easier.

The top black bar on the page had a temporary file name and also indicates by the cloud icon on the left hand side of the screen that the project will autosave to your account on the Adobe cloud. Clicking the "Untitled" text in the top bar will allow you to rename your project.

A screencapture of a blank video project in Adobe Express. The timeline is highlighted.

Clicking on the plus sign on your timeline also provides options to add media.

A cropped screencapture of a video project in Adobe Express showing a highlighted "add media" button with a window with "upload from device" and "add blank scene" options.

Uploading media into the timeline may take some time. The larger and bigger your file is, the longer it may take to process. The orange icon in the top left of your media preview represents that media is uploading into Adobe Express. The wheel icon in the upper right hand corner of your media means it may be processing or loading into Adobe Express.

A cropped screencapture of an imported video of a boat on a lake in Adobe Express.

The length of your timeline will adjust to the length of the content you add. The default timeline will usually be around 5 seconds long.

A cropped screencapture of a video imported to the timeline of Adobe Express.

Adding Text

>Adobe Express Official Tutorial: How to Add Text to Video

To add text, select the text option on the left hand side of the screen.

A cropped screencapture of a text panel in Adobe Express.

The text panel provides several options for text.

A cropped screencapture of a text panel in Adobe Express.

Selecting one of the default "Heading" text options can reveal further customization options.

A screencapture of a text panel in Adobe Express. A text box is visible in the media preview area with "add your title" highlighted.

Clicking on the color of the text will change the color of the text. Customizable features are clickable and provide several options. This includes changing the font, text size, and alignment.

On the timeline, text is added as another layer above the video content.

A cropped screencapture of a text panel in Adobe Express. The text color option box is visible. The text on the media preview has been changed to white and says "Adventure".

Clicking and dragging the text box will allow it to move around over your media. Additionally, pink "guidelines" may appear to help you keep your text centered.

A cropped screencapture of a text panel in Adobe Express. A pink line cuts through the media preview, demonstrating a centering placement feature for the text.

Audio

>Adobe Express Official Tutorial: How to Add Audio to a Video

On the bottom of the timeline at the base of the page you will see an option to "Add Audio". Selecting this option opens a panel on the left side of the screen. This panel provides existing music add-ons, an option to upload your own audio content, and an option to record your own narration.

A screencapture of a media panel in Adobe Express. The panel displays the music tab options.

If recording your own audio, you may have to allow permissions for Adobe Express to access your microphone. This will allow you to record straight to your Adobe Express video timeline.

A cropped screencapture of an record to timeline panel in Adobe Express.

When Audio is added to your timeline, it will appear below your video layer. When the Audio track on your timeline is selected, options for adjusting your audio may appear in the Audio panel on the left hand side of the screen.

A screencapture of an audio panel in Adobe Express.

Cutting or Splitting Media

>Adobe Express Official Tutorial: How to Trim Clips and Scenes

To shorten clips on the timeline, you can select the media you would like shortened, then click and drag the edge of the media to your desired length. The edge of the selected media may appear shaded with a white bar on it, indicating it is adjustable. When hovering your mouse over the end of a selected piece of media on the timeline, you may also notice it turns into a horizontal line with two arrows.

To cut or split clips, a splitting tool is available above the timeline on the left hand side, next to a caption tool. Moving the marker on your timeline to a desired location and clicking the split tool (or right click and select split) will divide the clip in half. Selecting the half of the clip you don't want and pressing delete on your keyboard will also remove the unwanted split part of your media.

A cropped screencapture of a timeline with video, audio, and text in Adobe Express.

Captions

On the top of the timeline to the left side is a captioning icon. Clicking this icon will open the Caption panel on the left side of the screen. Languages and source of the captioning (which media layer from the timeline) may be selected to auto-generate captions.

Please note: Captions should be reviewed carefully, and may be inaccurate. Always double-check your auto-generated captions for timing and accuracy.

A screencapture of a generate captions panel in Adobe Express.

Saving

>Adobe Express Official Tutorial: How to Export A Video

In the top bar of the window, select File. Under this menu are options to rename your project, copy it (duplicate), resize, etc. To save the file to your local device drive, select Download.

A cropped screencapture of the File menu options in Adobe Express.

Alternatively, you can select the Download option in the top bar on the right side of the screen. A second window will appear on the right side of the screen. This window will have options for your video format and size. Note that MP4 is the easiest and most compatible video file format for uploading to websites or sharing. Additionally, please note that the longer and larger a file size is, the longer it may take to download.

A cropped screencapture of the download options in Adobe Express.