I’m currently struggling with CapCut to translate my videos into English via AI Video Translator. Until that’s resolved, I’ll provide texts in English.
CapCut: Blur Effect to Obscure Video Sections
Recently, I wanted to explain how to install a fast OpenLiteSpeed version of WordPress on Linode (Akamai). The domain is purchased and registered via Cloudflare. During the recording, I didn’t want to show information like the IP of the Nanode instance or certain areas of my Cloudflare account. Creating a new Cloudflare account or being extremely careful while recording my screen is cumbersome and still might expose confidential information. A simple solution is to blur sensitive video areas afterwards. CapCut is the cheapest and easiest solution I found. Although CapCut offers or recommends it, a paid subscription is not necessary in most cases.
Steps:
- Download CapCut via capcut.com (Mac or PC)
- After installation, ignore “sign in” or “join pro”
- Start CapCut
- Import the video to be edited via Drag and Drop directly into the timeline or via Import and then drag it to the timeline
- Position the slider at the beginning of the relevant video section and press Ctrl + B
- Position the slider at the end of the relevant section and press Ctrl + B again
- Click on this new clip and copy it via Ctrl + C
- Paste it via Ctrl + V and move it so that it lies exactly parallel over the copied section
- Go to Effects - search for Blur - and add the effect over the pasted section, adjusting its length to match the pasted section
- With the left mouse button held down, select the effect and the pasted section and right-click to “create compound clip”
- Use the slider in the timeline to find the area to blur
- Mark the new compound clip, click on “Mask” at the top right, select the form (e.g., Rectangle), and adjust size and position until the area to be blurred is completely covered by the blur effect
- Finally, export the video in the desired quality via “Export”
Be cautious of CapCut’s attempts to lure you into a paid version. If necessary, I recommend the monthly subscription via Apple or Google Pay, so you can easily deactivate it via your Apple or Google account. Managing payment plans through CapCut is confusing. Originally, I was excited about the AI video translation feature, but it was missing even with the Pro version. I mistakenly subscribed to an annual plan thinking it would replace the monthly plan and provide the translation feature, but I ended up with two active plans and still no translation feature.
Despite this subscription confusion, CapCut is user-friendly, packed with useful features, and highly recommended.
By the way, here’s how I name my files:
I want to understand what the file is about just by its name, even after a long time. Even if I switch to another operating system or lose tags and folders, I want to be able to orient myself. Ideally, even if everything stays the same (macOS, Finder, folders, iCloud, etc.), I want to see who created a file, which version it is, when it was made, which project it belongs to, and its content.
I start with the year, then the month, then the day, in the format “20240724” (July 24, 2024). Then an underscore (more compatible than “-”) and the top folder or project group, e.g., “mjmcomde” for a video file for my website mjmrozek.com/de. Next is the general topic: “capcut”. Then more specific: “blur”. Then the video version: “v01.1”. Finally, an identifier for the creator, here “mjm” for myself. So, the final name is “20240724_mjmcomde_capcut_blur_v01.1_mjm”.
With a list of a thousand such named files, I could search for “mjm” to see all the files I’ve created and sort them by name to get the chronological order.