Clip a live stream in Wowza Video

Clipping allows you to edit live stream recordings into shorter clips and save them as videos (VOD assets) while the stream is running live or after the stream is over. You can also stitch, which allows you to combine two or more live stream recording clips into a new video. A use case for the live clipping feature in Wowza Video is to create highlight clips from live events, such as sporting events or concerts, enabling quick sharing of key moments while the event is still streaming.

Important! To use the clipping feature for your live stream, ensure that recording is enabled during the live stream setup process. For more information, see Go live now setup page.

There are two types of clipping available in Wowza Video: 

• Quick mode – Creates clips along existing segments, which are typically 4 -10-second segments. If you don't need frame-by-frame precision in your clips, this is an efficient and inexpensive choice. 
• Precise mode – Creates clips by specifying start and end times, down to individual frames. While this mode offers precise control, the precision requires re-encoding the resulting clip, adding more encoding costs and time.

Clip editor overview

Clip and stitch use the Clip Editor. To access it, click Live streams in the navigation, select a live stream in the Live streams list, then click Clip on the Live stream details page.

See the Live stream details page to see how the Clip Editor interface functions for clipping and stitching. There are several tools and fields to master in the editor.

Clip a live stream recording in Quick mode

To clip a selected live stream recording in the Clip editor in Quick mode: 

1. Select Quick Mode at the top of the Clip editor for the live stream you need to clip. 
2. Drag and drop the recording onto your Reel area under the Quick and Precise button options.
3. Drag the handle (white, vertical line) on the left of the trim tool to set the start point (typically by 4 -10-second increments) and the handle (white, vertical line) on the right to set the end point (by 4 -10-second increments) to set the region of the recording you want to trim.

   Note: If your live stream has discontinuities, they are indicated by vertical red lines on the timeline, showing when and how long these interruptions occurred. Hover over these lines to view details about the discontinuity. When you use actual time-based timestamps, the start and end times cannot overlap with any discontinuity.

4. Click Clip as new video, configure relevant fields, then click Create clip. The newly-created video clip displays in the Videos list.

Clip a live stream recording in Precise mode

Note: A clip created using the precise mode incurs additional encoding time and cost.

To trim a selected live stream in the Clip editor in Precise mode: 

1. Select Precise Mode at the top of the Clip editor for the live stream you need to clip. 
2. Drag and drop the recording onto your Reel area under the Quick and Precise button options.
3. Drag the handle (white, vertical line) on the left of the trim tool to set the start point and the handle (white, vertical line) on the right to set the end point to set the region of the recording you want to trim.

   Note: If your live stream has discontinuities, they are indicated by vertical red lines on the timeline, showing when and how long these interruptions occurred. Hover over these lines to view details about the discontinuity. When you use actual time-based timestamps, the start and end times cannot overlap with any discontinuity.

4. Click Clip as new video, configure relevant fields, then click Create clip. The newly-created video clip displays in the Videos list.

Stitch live stream recording clips

To stitch clips in the Clip editor:

1. Select the live stream recordings from the list of Recordings in the Clip editor.
2. Drag and drop the recordings onto your Reel area under the Quick and Precise button options. You can add multiple recordings to the Reel and drag them on the Reel to rearrange them.

   Note: If your live stream has discontinuities, they are indicated by vertical red lines on the timeline, showing when and how long these interruptions occurred. Hover over these lines to view details about the discontinuity. When you use actual time-based timestamps, the start and end times cannot overlap with any discontinuity.

3. Click Clip as new video. The videos on the Reel are stitched together in the order they were arranged. The stitched and newly-created video clip displays in the Videos list.