The simplest way to slow down video

Most devices let you slow a video down without installing anything new. On a phone or computer, you open the video in the built-in player, find the playback speed control (usually marked 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x, 2x), and select a slower speed. This works for watching, but the slow-motion video is not saved — when you close the player, it goes back to normal speed.

If you want to save a video that actually plays slower, you need to use editing software. This software rewrites the video file itself so that every device plays it at the slower speed you chose. The process is the same across most programs: import the video, select it on the timeline, find the speed or duration control, lower the speed, and export the result as a new file.

The software you use depends on what device you have and how much control you want. A phone app takes five minutes. Desktop software takes longer to learn but gives you more choices about how the slow motion looks.

Key Takeaways

  • Playing a video slower in your built-in player does not save the change — the file stays the same speed.
  • To save a permanently slowed video, you need editing software that rewrites the file and exports it as a new video.
  • Phone apps like iMovie, CapCut, and Google Photos can slow video down in minutes without learning complicated tools.
  • Desktop software like DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro gives you more control but requires more time to learn.
  • Slowing video down makes the file larger and the video longer, so check your storage space before you export.

Slow motion on your phone

On iPhone, open the video in the Photos app, tap Edit, tap the three dots, and select Duplicate. Then tap Edit again on the duplicate, tap the speed icon (it looks like a speedometer), and drag the slider left to slow it down. When you are done, tap Done and Save Video. The original stays unchanged, and a new slower version saves to your library.

On Android, open Google Photos, select the video, tap Edit, tap Tools, and select Speed. Drag the slider to the left to slow down the video, then tap Save. Like iPhone, this creates a new file and leaves the original alone.

If you want more control, read CapCut (free on both iPhone and Android). Open the app, tap New Project, select your video, tap the video on the timeline, tap Speed, and drag the slider left. You can slow it to 0.1x (ten times slower) or speed it up. When you are done, tap Export and choose your quality. CapCut also lets you add text, music, and transitions while you slow the video down, all in one app.

Slow motion on Windows or Mac

DaVinci Resolve is free and works on both Windows and Mac. read it from blackmagicdesign.com, install it, and open it. Click New Project, name it, and click Create. Then click Import Media and select your video file. Drag the video from the media panel onto the timeline at the bottom.

Right-click the video clip on the timeline and select Change Clip Speed. A window opens with a speed slider. Drag it left to slow the video down — 0.5 is half speed, 0.25 is one-quarter speed. You can type a number directly if you know exactly how slow you want it. Click OK when you are done.

To save the slowed video, click the Deliver tab at the top right. Under Render Settings, make sure the format is set to H.264 (this works on any device). Click Add to Render Queue, then click Start Render. DaVinci Resolve writes a new video file to your computer. This takes longer than phone apps — usually several minutes depending on how long the video is and how slow you made it.

Slow motion in Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro costs money (part of a Creative Cloud subscription), but it is the industry standard for video editing. Open Premiere Pro, create a new project, and import your video by going to File > Import. Drag the video onto the timeline.

Right-click the video clip and select Speed/Duration. A dialog box opens. Change the Speed percentage to a lower number — 50% is half speed, 25% is quarter speed. You can also type a specific duration if you know how long you want the final video to be. Click OK.

To export, go to File > Export > Media. Choose H.264 as the format (it plays on any device), name your file, and click Export. Premiere Pro renders the new video file. The process is similar to DaVinci Resolve but with more options for fine-tuning the output.

Why slowed video takes longer to export

When you slow a video down, the software has to do extra work. A video is really a series of still images shown very fast — usually 24, 30, or 60 images per second. When you slow it to half speed, the software either shows each image for twice as long, or it creates new images in between the ones that already exist to fill the gaps smoothly.

Creating new images takes time. The software analyzes each frame, looks at the next frame, and calculates what should appear in between. On a phone, this happens in the background while you wait. On a desktop, you start the export and the software works until it finishes — you can usually do other things while it renders, but it will slow your computer down.

The slowed video file is also larger than the original. A one-minute video slowed to half speed becomes a two-minute video, so it takes up more storage space. Before you export, check that you have enough free space on your device.

When to use slow motion in real situations

Slow motion works well for sports footage, where you want to see the details of a movement — a jump, a swing, a collision. It also works for nature videos, product demonstrations, and any moment where something happens too fast to see clearly at normal speed.

Slow motion does not work well for talking. If a person is speaking and you slow the video down, their voice becomes distorted and hard to understand. If you need to slow a video with dialogue, consider slowing only the video part and keeping the audio at normal speed — most editing software lets you do this by right-clicking the audio track separately.

Test your slowed video before you share it. Play it back at full quality on the device where people will watch it. Sometimes slow motion that looks good on your phone looks choppy on a computer, or vice versa. If it does not look right, you can always re-export at a different speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I slow down just part of a video?

Yes. In DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro, you can split the video into sections by right-clicking on the timeline and selecting Split Clip. Then slow down only the sections you want. Phone apps usually slow the entire video, though some let you select a time range.

What speed should I use for slow motion?

Start with 0.5 (half speed) and watch it back. If it is still too fast, try 0.25 (quarter speed). Most slow-motion videos fall between 0.25 and 0.75. Anything slower than 0.1 usually looks unnatural unless you are trying for a specific artistic effect.

Does slowing down video reduce the quality?

Not if you export at the same resolution as the original. The software does not throw away pixels — it just shows them for longer. The image stays as sharp as it was. If you export at a lower resolution to save space, quality will drop, but that is your choice, not a side effect of slowing down.

Can I undo slow motion after I export?

Not easily. Once you export a slowed video, it is a new file with the slow speed baked in. You would have to import the original video again and export it at normal speed. Always keep your original file, and export the slowed version as a separate file with a different name.

Why does my slowed video look choppy?

This usually happens when the original video was recorded at a low frame rate (like 24 fps) and you slow it down a lot. The software cannot create smooth in-between frames from limited data. Try a less extreme slow-down, or look for a setting in your software that increases frame interpolation — this makes the software work harder to create smoother motion.