Editing a video can be a fun and creative process, and little decisions can have a big impact. From arranging your video clips to choosing good background music, making thoughtful choices can bring out the best in your footage!
The right music can especially help you tell your story, your way. But finding these tracks can be a long process, especially for beginners.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to choose music that suits your videos and share some tips to help you find amazing music tracks in Microsoft Clipchamp.
How to select background music for your video
Choose your video goal and format
To get started, identify the purpose of your video and the message you want to convey. Do you want to entertain viewers, teach a skill, or drive action with marketing? Your answer to this question will help you determine the format of your video—whether it’s a vlog, tutorial video, or promo video.
The background music for a promo video could be an upbeat track to create interest and stand out. However, a tutorial video would need a subtle tune that doesn’t distract from the step-by-step instructions.
Decide how you want viewers to feel
It’s easy to think your favorite pop song would make the perfect soundtrack for a product launch video–but ask yourself if viewers would enjoy it. Video creation is a great chance to evoke a viewer’s emotions, so put yourself in their shoes.
Music lends energy to the video–that’s why they say music can set the pace of your video. The rhythm of the music can give a sense of speeding up or slowing down your video’s narrative. A slow track can create a relaxed feel for viewers, while a fast-paced track with beats can create excitement. Preview the song while the video clip is playing to get a feel for how the song impacts the perceived pace of your video.
Consider voiceover needs
Does your video have dialogue or require a voiceover? Then you’ll need to make sure the music volume doesn’t drown out the speaking.
A demo video would be an example of a video format where the voiceover is key. If there’s audio that explains the product or service, choosing instrumental background music would be a good way to keep viewers focused.
Pro tip
If your video includes dialogue or voiceover, make it accessible and easy to follow by adding subtitles. Use the AI-powered auto captions tool in Clipchamp to create captions in over 80 languages. Learn more.
Pick a platform
If you’re planning to post your videos on social media platforms, be mindful of copyright laws. While some platforms provide access to trending music libraries in their apps, unlicensed use may lead to having your video removed, especially on YouTube. Choose royalty-free music to post videos worry-free.
How to find the perfect music in Clipchamp
Clipchamp has an endless library of free and premium royalty-free stock music that’s suitable for both commercial and personal use. Whether you’re looking for a happy track for your slideshow video or cinematic music for your travel video, we’ve got the tune for you.
Our high-quality audio collections are categorized by genre, moods, video formats and special events. You can explore the collections here or inside the video editor.
To find audio tracks inside Clipchamp, navigate to the Content library tab and select the Audio option. Next, easily discover music using our intuitive search bar and click on any track to preview the tune. When you find the music track you want, simply drag and drop it into your video editing timeline and save your video. Watch the full tutorial here.
Pro tip
You can also search for music by instrument (“acoustic guitar”), occasion (“Christmas”) and video format (“intro”).
Try different styles of music to find what works best for your video needs. Learn more about video editing in Clipchamp in this helpful guide.