Microsoft Clipchamp can be accessed in the browser and via its Windows app. In both cases it uses web technologies behind the scenes.
When you’re working on a video editing project, this usually involves loading media files such as video clips, images and audio tracks from your computer or your online storage into the app.
Since Clipchamp is a web-based video editor, you might ask yourself if these media files are getting uploaded to an Internet server when you load them into a project.
A hybrid between local processing and cloud storage
The answer is that Clipchamp works without uploading media files to the cloud for editing and exporting, making the experience much faster and more convenient. This is a noteworthy difference to how other video editors are set up.
Specifically, key elements of the video creation process run locally on your computer, not online. This includes
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all previews of the video while you’re editing,
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the process of exporting completed videos so you can save the finished file.
Other elements of the application do involve uploading your media files:
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In Clipchamp’s personal version, if you enable the content backup feature, your media files get stored online.
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Also in the personal version, if you choose to share files with our support team for investigating a troubleshooting question, your files get uploaded to the support team.
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In Clipchamp’s work version, your media files and project information are automatically backed up in your work OneDrive/SharePoint account.
In Clipchamp for personal accounts, your media files don't get uploaded to a server for processing. They get processed locally on your machine and don't leave your computer unless you decide to use one of the sharing options or Content Backup.
This is the case when you use Clipchamp in the browser as well as when you use it in its desktop app for Windows, which uses browser technologies at its core.
It means that the processing of editing projects works a bit like a hybrid between a desktop and an online application where the browser is the platform that Clipchamp runs on.
If videos don't get uploaded for processing, how does Clipchamp know my old project information?
The editor saves project data such as editing progress information, titles, or media file names in your Clipchamp account, but not the associated video, audio, and image files you added (unless you enable content backup).
Instead, our system accesses these files locally on your computer when you log in and open the project (or if it can't find the files, it will ask you to locate them).
Why do I need to save an exported video?
When you select the Save button after exporting an editing project, the file gets saved to a folder on your computer from the temporary local cache it was stored in behind the scenes.
When you save the video or refresh the app, those temp files get deleted automatically by the browser after some time.
In Clipchamp for work accounts, your media files are processed on your local machine for editing. Media files are also backed up by default to your OneDrive or SharePoint work account so that you can easily open video projects from other computers or share with colleagues if you wish.
You will see a status indicator at the bottom of the My Media panel when your media is being backed up to OneDrive or SharePoint. It is technically possible to export an edited large media file before this upload is complete and you can keep editing your video during the upload as well.
Be sure to let the upload complete if you wish to share the video project with a colleague or access that project from another computer.
When you open an existing project, Clipchamp downloads the media files that are in the project from your OneDrive or SharePoint folder into your local computer's temporary storage. To achieve this, Clipchamp uses browsers’ storage capabilities including IndexedDB.
This is the case when you use Clipchamp in the browser as well as when you use it in its desktop app for Windows, which uses browser technologies at its core. It means that the processing of editing projects works a bit like a hybrid between a desktop and an online application where the browser is the platform that Clipchamp runs on.
Key parts of the editing and video processing happen "on the client", i.e. on your local computer, other parts such as retrieving input media files, storing completed videos, and saving editing progress make use of your work OneDrive or SharePoint account. In there, you'll find a folder that contains:
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A .clipchamp file, containing the technical data about your editing project incl. editing progress, project structure, and more.
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An Assets folder, containing the media files you added to the project.
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An Exports folder, containing the completed video files you exported.
If videos don't get uploaded for processing, how does Clipchamp know my old project information?
The editor saves project data (e.g., edit information, titles, file names, project structure) in the .clipchamp file that is part of the OneDrive/SharePoint folder Clipchamp creates when you start a project. Your associated video, audio, and image files are stored in the project's Assets folder and don't get moved elsewhere online for processing.
Instead, our system retrieves these files from your OneDrive account to save them temporarily in your local cache while you work on a project or accesses them locally in your computer's temp storage if there are cached file versions available already when you open a project. If Clipchamp can't find the files, it will ask you to locate them.
Why do I need to save an exported video?
When you select the Save button after exporting an editing project, or keep the default exporting setting enabled, the finished video gets uploaded to your OneDrive/SharePoint and you can also save it to a folder on your computer from the temporary local cache it was stored in behind the scenes.
After you save the video or refresh the app, those temp files in the local cache get deleted automatically after some time.
