There’s no escaping short-form video. From YouTube Shorts to TikTok to Instagram Reels, there’s no shortage of great content out there.
You know this because you’re a video creator. And it’s your job to create fantastic content that’s ready to go viral.
Did you know, though, that you don’t need fancy camera equipment to make a viral video? You can use your iPhone and SubMagic to create well-edited videos with music in no time.
Ready to learn how to add music to video on iPhone?
Let’s go! 🚀
Why Music is Crucial to Short-Form Videos
Before we get started learning how to add music to a video on iPhone, let’s talk about what makes a short-form video great.
Think about the kinds of content you see on YouTube Shorts and TikTok. Most of those videos are not full-feature videos.
Do they have tons of features to keep the viewer engaged?
Yup.
But they’re short in length. According to Statista, videos from small accounts are only about 38 seconds long, while videos from larger accounts average around 50 seconds in length.
And that means that you need to edit your video in such a way that the audience is immediately drawn to it. Especially since it’s common knowledge that most viewers decide within two seconds whether to scroll past a video or stay to watch it.
One way to keep your audience engaged with your video is to add music. Like an engaging visual at the start of your video, music helps to hook the viewer in audibly. Plus, music can help set the mood or the tone of the video. 🧡
Can You Add Music to a Video on an iPhone?
You don’t need fancy editing equipment to produce the perfect video. Your iPhone will do just fine. And here’s why.
Most iPhones (well, starting with the iPhone 6s all the way through the newest generation of iPhone) have the ability to shoot video in 4K.
4K resolution means there are 4,000 horizontal pixels that make up a high-quality image when you record your video. If you want your video to be really vivid and sharp, you’re going to want to film in 4k.
Or, if you don’t care about video quality or a lower-quality image is the vibe you’re going for, you can record in HD on your iPhone.
With your video recorded, it’s time to edit your clip and add music.
Can you add music to your video on iPhone? 🤔
The short answer is yes.
The longer answer is you are going to need a video editing app.
And guess which app is the best to edit a video on iPhone? 😎
The #1 Video Editing App
If you guessed SubMagic, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! 🔥
SubMagic is a web-based video editing app that you can use right in Safari. This means you don’t need to waste valuable storage space on your iPhone for yet another app. Instead, you can use that space to film more high-quality videos.
Truth be told, SubMagic is the only video editing software you need to create short-form videos that are sure to go viral quickly. And the best part is that it’s pretty easy to use. (You know, not that we’re bragging or anything.)
Let’s look at how you can use SubMagic to add music to a video on iPhone. 🚀
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How to Add Music to a Video on iPhone Using SubMagic
Adding music to your video on an iPhone is really easy. But let’s look at each step of the process one step at a time.
1- Record or Gather Your Video
I know, step one sounds simple. Clearly, you’re going to need to record some video.
But not all short-form videos are comprised of footage the video creator shot themselves/
Instead, short-form video can be a montage of videos from other creators and sources.
So, to begin, record and gather all of the videos you want to feature in the final cut and make sure they are saved to your phone. You’ll need them later.
2- Choose Your Music
Before we navigate to the SubMagic webpage, go ahead and choose the music you want to add to your video on iPhone. Knowing which music you want to use will help make editing easier later.
And a helpful tip, be sure to save your music to the Files section of your phone. This will make adding music easier when it’s time for that step.
3- Open SubMagic in the Safari Browser
Once you’ve chosen your music and you have your videos ready to go, it’s time to navigate to Safari.
On your homepage, tap on the Safari icon to open the web browser.
Once Safari is open, you can navigate to SubMagic by typing “SubMagic” into the search bar for a Google search or by typing “www.submagic.co” in the bar and tapping on “Go.”
For the sake of this example, I’m going to type the URL into the search bar.
4- Log in to Your SubMagic Account
If you do not yet have an account in SubMagic, now is the perfect time to sign up for a free trial! Tap the “Try for free” button in the upper right-hand corner to sign up for your account. Then follow the prompts on the screen to finish registering.
Or, if you already have an account, you’ll need to log into your SubMagic account. Tap the hamburger icon (the one with three horizontal bars) in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. In the drop-down menu, tap “Login”.
5- Tap to Upload Your Videos
Now, it’s time to upload your video. Tap your finger in the box that says, “Click or Drag/Drop to upload one or multiple videos at a time.”
Tapping the box will prompt you to choose your videos. You have the option to upload photos from your photo library, record a video to upload, or choose one from your video files.
For this example, I will choose a video from my photo library. But feel free to choose the option that works best for you!
6- Select Your Video Clips
With your photo library open (or your file manager), select the videos you want to edit. Once you’ve selected all of the clips you wish to upload, tap the “Add” button.
7- Name Your Project and Tap “Upload”
Now, choose a new name for your project and type it in the box. I’ve decided to call this project “Cassie— Week 1” because it documents my first week as a freelance writer. Be sure to choose a name that will help you remember what your project is about.
Then, select the language of your video and tap “Upload.” Depending on the size of your video, you may need to wait a few seconds before the upload is complete and captions are generated.
8- Add Music to Your Video
Now, it’s time for the fun stuff!
To add music to your video, tap on “Publish.”
Now, you have the option to add music to your video. Tap “Add music.”
Then tap the “Click or Drag/Drop your music” box to access your file manager. Remember the helpful tip from earlier? Select the music you want to add from the Files on your phone and tap “Open.”
Once your music is uploaded, click on the file and make sure it has an orange border around the music. Then tap “Apply”
9- Adjust the Volume of Your Music
If you want your music to drown your audio and be the main audio focus of your video, keep the volume slide in the position that it is in. If not, and you’d rather have your music as background music, slide the volume toggle to the correct volume.
10- Finish Editing Your Video
With your music ready to go, finish editing and adding cool features to your video.
With SubMagic, you can:
Play around with the SubMagic editor until you’re satisfied with your video. To see the changes you’ve made to your video and to hear the music you’ve chosen, tap the triangle “play” button on your video.
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11- Export Your Video and Upload to Your Socials
Great! Now you’ve got a quality short-form video that you’re ready to share with your audience. Tap “Export” in the upper right-hand corner to download your video to your phone.
Once your video has been exported, it is ready to download. Tap “download” to save your video to your phone.
Then, share it on your favorite social media platform. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #submagic, too. 🧡
3 Tips For Adding Music to Your Videos
Now that you know how to add music to a video on iPhone, let’s talk about music for a second. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when sourcing music for your videos.
Tip #1: Always Check if Your Music is Commercially Available
It’s never a good idea to grab any song and add it to your video. While it might be tempting to do that, you might run into legal issues.
Before adding music to your video on iPhone, double-check to make sure the song is commercially available and that you have the appropriate rights to use the music for content creation.
This is just good practice and a habit you should work on building.
Tip #2: Use Music to Set the Mood
Just like playing with filters to set the mood of your video, music can do the same thing. And choosing the wrong music can throw off the whole vibe of your video. Even worse, it can cause your audience to scroll right past your video without watching it.
Think about the vibe of the video you want to create, then choose music that best matches your vision. You don’t want to choose an upbeat song for a calming video. That would just be weird, trust me. 😉
Tip #3: Edit the Music to Fit Your Video
You know how some songs have a really great chorus, but the rest of the song is just kind of so-so? But it’s the chorus that catches your attention?
When you add music to your video, make sure you’re using the part of the song that catches the most attention. This will help make your video stand out to your audience.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Adding Music to a Video on iPhone (FAQ)
Can I use any song in my video?
No, you cannot use any song in your video. Some music is protected by copyright, and you need the appropriate permission to use it in your content creation. Always check the licensing rights of your music before you add it to your video.
Do I need to credit the artist in my video?
Well, this depends. Some artists require that you credit them for their work as part of the licensing agreement. If this is the case, you can credit the artist at the beginning or end of your video. Other artists do not require credit as part of the licensing agreement.
Be sure to check the licensing agreement to know how to credit the artist properly.
Where can I find royalty-free music?
There are various websites on the Internet where you can find royalty-free music. These music libraries are often organized by genre. So if you’re not sure what song you’re looking for, you can search the library by category until you find something you like.
Can I add music to my video directly in my iPhone’s video library?
No, you cannot add music to your video directly from your iPhone’s video library. While it’s true there are editing features in the Photos app, you’ll need editing software to add special effects to your video.
What is the best editing app to add music to a video on iPhone?
SubMagic, of course! Sign up for your free trial today!
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