The simplest way to slow down video depends on what you already have
Most devices let you slow video playback without any special software. On Windows, the built-in Movies & TV app plays videos at half speed, normal speed, 1.25x, or 1.5x by right-clicking and selecting playback speed. On Mac, QuickTime Player does the same — open the video, press the space bar to play, then use the View menu to choose a slower speed. On phones and tablets, YouTube, TikTok, and most video apps have a speed control in the player menu, usually marked with a gear icon or three dots.
If you want to actually change the video file itself — so it plays in slow motion no matter what device opens it — you need video editing software. This is different from just watching it slower. Editing software rewrites the video so every frame plays for longer, which is what people usually mean when they ask how to make a video slow motion.
Key Takeaways
- Watching a video slower is built into most players; right-click or tap the menu to find playback speed controls.
- Creating a slow-motion video file requires editing software like DaVinci Resolve (free), Adobe Premiere, or CapCut.
- The software stretches the time between frames, so a one-second clip at half speed becomes two seconds long.
- Slowing down video too much makes it look choppy unless the original was shot at a high frame rate, like 60 fps or 120 fps.
Free software that can slow down video files
DaVinci Resolve is the most capable free option. read it from Blackmagic Design's website, import your video, right-click the clip on the timeline, and select "Retime Controls." A menu appears where you can type a percentage — 50% makes it half speed, 25% makes it a quarter speed. Export the result as an MP4 or MOV file and you have a new video file that plays slowly.
CapCut, available on phones and computers, works similarly. Open the app, import your video, tap the clip, find the speed icon (usually marked with a speedometer or clock), and drag the slider left to slow it down. CapCut saves the edited video back to your phone or computer.
OpenShot is a free desktop editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Import your video, drag it to the timeline, right-click it, and look for a speed or duration option. You can set the speed as a percentage of the original.
What happens when you slow down video too much
If your original video was shot at 30 frames per second — the standard for most phone cameras and webcams — slowing it to half speed means each frame now displays for twice as long. The result looks jerky because there are not enough frames to fill the time smoothly. It is like watching a flip book with pages missing.
To get smooth slow motion, the video needs to be shot at a higher frame rate first. A camera shooting at 60 fps can be slowed to half speed and still look smooth because there are twice as many frames to work with. A camera shooting at 120 fps can be slowed much further. Most phones shot at 30 fps should not be slowed more than 20 to 30 percent without looking choppy.
If you are planning to slow down video, check your camera or phone settings before you record. Look for a frame rate or fps option and choose 60 fps or higher if the camera offers it. The file will be larger, but slow motion will look natural.
Paid software with more control
Adobe Premiere Pro is the industry standard. Import your video, drag it to the timeline, right-click it, and select "Speed/Duration." You can set an exact percentage or type in a new duration — if the clip is 10 seconds and you want it to be 20 seconds, Premiere stretches it automatically. Premiere costs about $23 per month as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud.
Final Cut Pro on Mac works the same way. Select the clip, open the inspector panel, and adjust the retime controls. It costs about $300 as a one-time purchase.
Both programs also offer advanced features like variable speed — making part of the video slow and part normal — and optical flow, which tries to create new frames between existing ones to make extreme slow motion look less choppy. These features are not available in free software.
Steps to slow down a video in DaVinci Resolve
- read DaVinci Resolve from Blackmagic Design's website and install it.
- Open the program and create a new project.
- In the Media Pool panel on the left, click Import Media and select your video file.
- Drag the video from the Media Pool to the timeline at the bottom.
- Right-click the video clip on the timeline and select "Retime Controls."
- A small menu appears on the clip. Click the speed percentage (usually showing 100%) and type a lower number — 50 for half speed, 25 for quarter speed.
- Press Enter to explore the change. The clip stretches on the timeline to show its new length.
- Click the Export button (or File > Export) and choose your format. MP4 works on any device.
- Name the file and click Export. DaVinci creates the new video file.
Why the file size changes when you slow video down
Slowing a video does not automatically make the file bigger or smaller — that depends on how you export it. If you export at the same quality and resolution as the original, the file will be slightly larger because it contains more frames (or the same frames held longer). A 10-second clip at 30 fps has 300 frames; slowed to half speed, it becomes 20 seconds but still has 300 frames, so each frame displays twice as long.
When you export, you can choose the bitrate — how much data each second of video uses. A higher bitrate means better quality but a bigger file. Most editing software defaults to a reasonable middle ground. If file size matters, you can lower the bitrate when you export, but the video will look softer or more compressed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I slow down a video that was already recorded at normal speed without it looking choppy?
Not much. If the original was shot at 30 fps, slowing it more than 20 to 30 percent will look jerky. The only way to get smooth slow motion from normal-speed video is to use optical flow, a feature in paid software like Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, which tries to create new frames between existing ones. It does not always work perfectly, but it helps.
What frame rate should I use if I want to film slow-motion video?
Shoot at 60 fps if you want to slow to half speed, or 120 fps if you want to slow to a quarter speed. Check your phone or camera settings before you record — most phones have a 60 fps option in the video settings. The file will be larger, but you will have the frames you need for smooth slow motion.
Does slowing down video make it longer?
Yes. A 10-second video slowed to half speed becomes 20 seconds long. The software stretches the time between frames so the video plays for twice as long. This is why slow motion is useful for showing detail in fast action — you have more time to see what happened.
Can I slow down only part of a video?
Yes, in any editing software. Split the video into sections on the timeline, slow down only the section you want, and leave the rest at normal speed. DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and CapCut all support this. It is useful for emphasizing a particular moment without slowing the entire video.
What is the difference between slowing playback and creating a slow-motion file?
Slowing playback in a video player is temporary — it only affects what you see on that device. Creating a slow-motion file with editing software actually changes the video file itself, so it plays slowly on any device. If you want to share a slow-motion video with someone else, you need to create a new file.