How to Cut a Video in the Middle on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to quickly edit footage directly on the device. Whether it’s removing the extra start of the video before sending to the messenger or cutting the best moment from the long recording for storytelling – the system’s regular tools allow you to do this in seconds.

The modern MIUI shell and the newer HyperOS offer a built-in video editor that hides powerful functionality. Many users are in the habit of looking for difficult ways to download dubious applications from the store, even though the tool is in the standard gallery. In this article, we will discuss the editing process in detail so that you can create clean and accurate video clips without losing quality.

The main advantage of embedded tools is that when you use the system editor, the rendering process is faster, and the risk of artifacts or sound dissynchronization is minimal, cutting a fragment becomes an intuitive operation, accessible even to beginners who first took a smartphone.

Use of the built-in editor in the gallery MIUI and HyperOS

The first and most logical step is to go to the native Gallery app, where Xiaomi developers have put the basic but effective tools for working with media files, and to get started, open the right video and pay attention to the bottom control panel, where all the necessary buttons are hidden.

Click on the "Change" button (usually a pencil or a slider) and you'll see the editor interface, and it's important not to confuse the framing function (change frame boundaries) with the time-trim function. We need the second option that allows you to manipulate the duration of the video.

At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a timeline with sliders on the edges, and they're standard at the beginning and end of the file, and your task is to move the left slider to where the piece is supposed to start, and the right slider to where it's supposed to end, and the area between the sliders is usually lit up, and the parts that are cut off are darkened.

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If you accidentally moved the slider in the wrong direction, don't panic. Just tap the Cancel button (back arrow) in the corner of the screen to cancel the last action without losing the original file.

Once you've selected the right area, the system will suggest you save the result. It's critical to choose the option "Save as a copy" or "Save a new one" so you don't overwrite the original file if you don't like the result. The original video will remain unchanged on the album.

Precise pruning: working with frame-by-frame accuracy

It is often difficult to catch the exact shot from which the action should begin, and the movement of the finger on the screen can be inaccurate, especially on large diagonals of Redmi Note smartphones. To solve this problem, the editor provides a function of fine-tuning.

When you get close to the right moment, release your finger and pay attention to the area around the sliders, and when you press the slider itself, or when you move it very slowly, the scale of the timeline increases, and this allows you to shift the edge of the trimming literally one frame, providing surgical accuracy.

Detail is important for professional work with Android video. If you are preparing content for social networks where the score is in a fraction of a second, use the timeline zoom function (if it is available in your version of firmware) or simply move your finger with a minimum amplitude.

Also worth mentioning is the split feature, which is that some versions of the MIUI have a Split button that allows you to cut the video at the point where the play cursor is, into two separate parts, which is convenient if you want to cut the piece out of the middle, removing the beginning and the end separately.

Alternative methods: third-party applications for Android

The in-house editor is good for quick tasks, but if you need more complex editing, such as overlaying filters, text or transitions, it's worth turning to specialized apps.The Google Play store offers a variety of solutions that work great on the Snapdragon and MediaTek processors used in Xiaomi phones.

One of the market leaders is the CapCut or InShot app, which provides advanced timeline capabilities, where you can not just crop a video, but add multiple layers, change the playback speed of a cut piece or overlay music.

• 🎬 CapCut: Ideal for TikTok and Reels, has powerful automatic cropping and speech recognition tools.
• ✂️ Video Cutter: A simple application specializing in fast clipping and gluing without transcoding (in some modes).
• 🎞️ KineMaster: Professional multi-track editing tool suitable for complex projects.

Using third-party software has its advantages, but it is worth remembering the consumption of resources. Rendering video in a third-party application can take longer and heat the device more than working with a native gallery.

Preservation of quality and file formats

One of the main questions users are concerned about is whether video will lose quality after cropping. Using the built-in editor Xiaomi system tries to keep the original parameters: resolution, bitrate and frame rate. However, any transcoding (rendering) can theoretically lead to minimal, invisible image degradation.

If you use the Save as a Copy feature, the original file remains intact, and the new file is created with the same characteristics, and problems can arise if you change the aspect ratio (crawl the image) or apply filters, in which case the video is reprocessed by the CPU matrix.

For most users, the difference in quality will be subtle, especially on a smartphone screen. However, if you plan to display video on a large TV or monitor screen, it is worth checking the result carefully. Digital artifacts (squares, blurring in dynamic scenes) can appear when compressed strongly.

Removal of fragments from the middle of the roller

The situation when you need to cut a piece from the middle (for example, remove a pause or an extra word) is solved a little differently than just trimming the ends. In the standard Xiaomi gallery, there may not be a direct function to cut the middle with one click, so the method of two trimmings or splitting is used.

The first way is to cut the video sequentially, and you cut it so that only the first part remains (until the unnecessary fragment) and save it as File 1. Then you open the original again, crop the second part (after the unnecessary fragment) and save it as File 2.

The second way is more elegant, but it requires a "Separate" function, so you put the cursor in front of the unnecessary piece, press "Separate," then move the cursor to the end of the unnecessary piece, press "Separate" again, and remove the middle segment, and the remaining parts automatically stick together.

⚠️ Attention: When you remove fragments from the middle of the audio track is also cut.If there was a speech or an important sound in the removed area, this can create a sharp, unnatural transition (jump cut) in the rest of the video.

To glue the two pieces together (if you used the method of saving separate files), you can use online services or the applications mentioned above like InShot, where the Merge function is very convenient. Just add File 1 and File 2 to the timeline sequentially.

Common problems and their solution

Despite the simplicity of the interface, users sometimes face difficulties. One of the common problems is the file format. If you shot a video in HEVC (H.265) or high resolution 4K/8K, the built-in editor may suggest converting the file before you start work, which will take time.

Another problem is memory shortage: video processing, especially high resolution, requires free space on the internal drive, roughly the size of the original file, and if the memory is clogged, the saving process can be interrupted.

• 📉 Save error: Check vacant storage space. Release at least 1-2 GB.
• 📹 No sound after cropping: Make sure you don't hit the audio track when framing or select the "Video Only" mode».
• 📱 Editor closes: 'Maybe RAM is lacking.' Close background apps before editing begins.

It is also worth considering that some formats derived from messengers (for example, clipped videos from WhatsApp with an unusual aspect ratio) can be edited with distorted proportions.

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Always make a copy of the video before editing.This golden rule will save your nerves and original memories in the event of a bug or program crash.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)