Can the Windows Photos app make a video darker?
Not any more. The current Photos app only trims video, and its Edit in Clipchamp option opens Clipchamp for other changes.
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How to darken a video on Windows
Clipchamp, the video editor built into Windows 11, can lower exposure. For highlight recovery and blacks, use the tool on this page in Edge or Chrome.
To darken a video on Windows 11, open it in Clipchamp, drag it onto the timeline and select it. In the property panel on the right, open the Adjust colours tab and drag Exposure to the left. Raise Contrast a little if the result looks flat, then click Export and choose a resolution.
The Photos app that comes with Windows can no longer change a video’s brightness: it trims clips and sends you to Clipchamp for anything else. Clipchamp’s tab has Exposure, Contrast, Saturation and Temperature but no separate Highlights or Blacks, so a glaring sky can’t be pulled back on its own. The tool at the top of this page can, and it runs in Edge or Chrome without uploading the file.
Darken a video in Clipchamp
Add the video to Clipchamp
Open Clipchamp from the Start menu, start a new video and import your clip. Drag it from your media onto the timeline.
Open Adjust colours
Click the clip on the timeline. In the property panel on the right, select the Adjust colours tab (Microsoft’s US help calls it Adjust colors).
Lower Exposure, then check Contrast
Drag Exposure left until the picture stops glaring. If it looks grey, drag Contrast slightly right. The reset button in the same tab undoes both.
Export
Click Export in the top-right corner and pick a resolution such as 1080p. On a personal account the file saves to your Downloads folder.
What the Windows apps can and can’t do
- Photos (current): trims video only. Its Edit in Clipchamp option hands the clip over to Clipchamp.
- Photos Legacy: a separate download from the Microsoft Store with the old Video Editor. It offers filters, which change the look, but no exposure control.
- Clipchamp: Exposure, Contrast, Saturation and Temperature in Adjust colours, applied per clip, then a fresh export.
Clipchamp’s Exposure moves the whole range together, so it handles footage that is too bright all over. It struggles when only part of the picture glares, because lowering it enough for the sky makes faces too dark.
Darken a video on Windows in your browser
The tool at the top of this page works in Edge, Chrome and Firefox on Windows 10 and 11. It adds the controls Clipchamp doesn’t have: Highlights, Whites, Blacks and Gamma, a Levels histogram with a clipping figure, and an Auto fix that sets them from the clip.
- Drag your video from File Explorer onto the drop zone, or click it to browse.
- Press Auto fix (or A). For a glaring sky, choose Blown-out sky (or 3).
- Press B to cycle Compare through After, Split and Before.
- Press Ctrl+Enter to export, then D to download.
Nothing is uploaded, and there’s no account or watermark. See how to fix an overexposed video for help choosing settings.
Playback only? Use VLC
If you just want to watch a bright video more comfortably and don’t need a new file, VLC can darken it while it plays. It doesn’t remember the setting for next time. Our VLC guide covers both the playback adjustment and VLC’s conversion route.
Darkening videos on Windows: questions
Is Clipchamp free?
Clipchamp has a free plan that exports up to 1080p without a watermark. Some features and 4K export depend on your plan; check the current terms in the app.
Does Clipchamp have a Highlights slider?
Its Adjust colours tab has Exposure, Contrast, Saturation and Temperature, but no Highlights, Shadows or Blacks. Use the tool on this page for those.
Where does Clipchamp save the exported video?
With a personal account it is usually saved to your Downloads folder. Work accounts save to the project’s Exports folder in OneDrive or SharePoint.
Can I darken a video on Windows without installing anything?
Yes. Clipchamp comes with Windows 11, and the tool on this page runs in your browser with nothing to install.