Video editor · Updated November 1, 2026
What the video editor does
- Takes phone video and camera, DVR and dashcam files: MP4, MOV (including iPhone HEVC), AVI, WMV, MKV, MTS, MPG and DAV
- Reads when each video was recorded and which camera made it, and plays everything in the browser at up to 8x
- Fix the clock: pause on a frame where you know the real time, type it, and correct one clip or every clip from that camera
- Line up cameras: start one camera's clip right where another camera's clip ends
- Leave out parts with keyboard marks (I, O, X), and put any part back
- Reorder clips, rotate, and adjust brightness and contrast
- Your field notes appear on the video timeline at the moment you wrote them
The finished video
- The corrected date and time burned into the picture, second by second, in the corner, size and font you choose
- Your logo, and a small line naming each original file and camera so anyone can find the source footage
- A title screen filled in from the case, a date screen whenever the video moves to a new day, a closing screen, and your own text or photo screens (including slideshows of case photos)
- An option to remove all sound for a silent copy
- MP4, AVI, WMV or MPEG-2, in Full HD or 720p, and split into pieces of 650 MB, 2 GB or 4 GB when you need to
- Added to the case with its own SHA-256 fingerprint, ready to send on a secure client share link
Built to hold up in court
Every original is fingerprinted with SHA-256 when it's uploaded, and the server confirms the stored copy matches. Editing never touches those files: the export is made from the originals using only the changes you made, and each exported file gets its own fingerprint.
The Project Action Report (PDF) accounts for an export: each original's fingerprint, the time read from the file and the corrected start time, every part left out with the real times, picture changes, screens added, the export settings and output fingerprints, and the complete edit history with who did what and when.
Save still takes a full-resolution frame from the original, with the time-stamp on it, and adds it to the case's numbered Photo Log, dated the moment it shows.
Suggestions that save hours
PIwitness Intelligence looks through each video once and suggests stretches you may want to leave out: no movement for 20 seconds or more, too dark to see, blurry or shaky. Nothing is ever cut on its own. Suggestions you accept are marked that way in the edit history and the action report, so it's clear you reviewed them.
General-purpose video editors vs. PIwitness
| General-purpose video editor | PIwitness | |
|---|---|---|
| Time-stamp | Typed in by hand as a title | Drawn from each clip's corrected recording time, second by second |
| Wrong camera clocks | Not handled | Corrected by typing the real time at any frame |
| Several cameras | Lined up by eye | Lined up by time |
| Record of edits | None | Project Action Report with fingerprints and full history |
| Field notes | Kept separately | Shown on the timeline |
| Where it runs | Installed on one computer | In the browser, with the case, notes, photos and report |
Frequently asked questions
Does editing change my original video?
No. Originals stay exactly as uploaded, with their SHA-256 fingerprints. Exports are separate files made from the originals, and the Project Action Report lists every change.
Which video formats can I upload?
MP4, MOV (including iPhone HEVC), M4V, 3GP, WebM, AVI, WMV, ASF, MKV, MTS/M2TS, MPG/VOB, FLV and DAV DVR exports. PIwitness makes a copy that plays in any browser; the original is kept as uploaded.
My camera's clock was wrong. Can I fix the time-stamp?
Yes. Pause on a frame where you know the real time, such as a phone or GPS clock in view or an event in your field notes, and type it. Fix that clip or every clip from the camera; the change and how much it moved are recorded.
How long does an export take?
Exports run in the background, so you can close the page. A Full HD export typically takes between half and all of the video's running time, and PIwitness emails you when it's ready.
Can I remove the sound?
Yes. Tick Remove all sound and the export is silent. The originals keep their sound.
Is the video editor an extra cost?
No, it's included. Plans are $49 a month for Solo (up to 10 active cases), $99 for Professional (unlimited cases) and $199 plus $29 per investigator for Agency, or 20% less billed annually. Every plan includes every feature and a 14-day money-back guarantee. Videos count toward your plan's cloud storage.