How to Add MP3 Music to a YouTube Video?

By Jean Sommer

i Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

Adding music can add entertainment value to any YouTube video. Professional moviemakers don't play music as they record video. They add it after the video is shot, during the editing process. You can add MP3 music to your next YouTube video using video-editing software in a few steps.

Step 1

Open your video-editing software. For Mac, iMovie comes in the iLife suite. For Windows, you can download Windows Live Movie Maker if it is not already installed on your computer. More advanced video-editing software is available for purchase, but the free software will work fine.

Step 2

Import your video into the editing software. The free software makes it easy by searching for your videos. For iMovie, click on the "File" menu and click "Import." You can add video from your Mac or from a camera. Click on the "Add Video" button on the home toolbar in Windows Movie Maker. Using the file menu and selecting "Import from device," you can add video directly from a camera.

Step 3

Edit your software. If you wish to add clips together, trim sections or change any other features, do this before you add music. You will want to make the music fit the video, not the video fit the music.

Step 4

Add music to your video. Click on the File menu, then "Music and Sound" in iMovie to select the MP3 that you want to add. In Windows Movie Maker, select the "add music" button on the home toolbar.

Step 5

Edit your music. Crop and arrange the music with your video. Both software versions have sound editing features.

Step 6

Post your completed video to YouTube. You can save a file and upload it using a Web browser, or you can use the auto-upload included with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. The auto-loader is a one-button way to have the video posted directly to your YouTube account.

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