The fastest way to slow down a video on iPhone

Open the Photos app, find the video you want to slow down, tap Edit, then tap the speed icon (it looks like a speedometer) in the toolbar at the bottom. Drag the slider left to make the video slower — you can choose from 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x (normal), 1.25x, or 1.5x speed. Tap Done to save your changes.

This method works on iPhone 13 and newer. If you have an older model, you'll need to use the Clips app or iMovie instead. The Photos app edit is the simplest route because the video stays on your phone and you don't need to import anything.

Key Takeaways

  • The Photos app lets you slow down videos directly without opening another program, and the change saves to your phone automatically.
  • You can choose from five preset speeds: 0.5x (half speed), 0.75x, 1x (normal), 1.25x, or 1.5x — you cannot set a custom speed in Photos.
  • Clips app and iMovie both let you slow down videos on older iPhones and give you more control over the exact speed you want.
  • Slowing down a video in Photos creates a new version; your original video stays unchanged.

Using the Clips app for more control

If the Photos app presets don't give you the exact speed you need, the Clips app lets you set any speed between 0.5x and 2x. Open Clips, tap the plus icon to create a new clip, then select the video from your library. Tap the video in the timeline, then tap the speed icon (the speedometer) and drag to your desired speed.

Clips is free and works on iPhone 11 and newer. The downside is that Clips is designed for creating short videos, so the interface is more cluttered than Photos. If you're only slowing down one video and don't need a custom speed, Photos is simpler.

Slowing down video in iMovie

iMovie gives you the most control and works on older iPhones. Open iMovie, create a new project, add your video to the timeline, then tap the video clip. Tap the speed icon and choose a speed from the menu, or tap Custom to enter any speed between 0.1x and 2x.

iMovie is free and available on iPhone 6s and newer. It's the best choice if you need very slow motion (below 0.5x) or if you're combining multiple videos. The trade-off is that iMovie takes longer to open and has more steps than Photos or Clips.

What happens to your original video

When you slow down a video in Photos, your original stays untouched. The app creates a new version with your edits applied. You can see both versions in your Photos library — the edited one will have a small "Edited" label underneath the thumbnail.

In Clips and iMovie, you're creating a new file entirely. Your original video is never changed. If you want to undo your edits in Photos, tap Edit again and tap Revert to go back to the original speed.

Exporting and sharing your slowed-down video

In Photos, your edited video is ready to share immediately — just tap the share icon and choose where to send it. In Clips, tap the share icon and choose Save Video to add it to your Photos library, then share from there. In iMovie, tap Done, then tap the share icon and choose your destination.

All three apps let you share directly to Messages, Mail, or AirDrop. If you want to upload to social media, save the video to your Photos library first, then open the social app and upload from there. Videos slowed down in Photos keep their original quality; Clips and iMovie may compress the video slightly depending on your settings.

Why your video might not slow down smoothly

If your slowed-down video looks choppy or stutters, the original video may have been recorded at a low frame rate. Videos shot at 24 or 30 frames per second will look less smooth when slowed down than videos shot at 60 or 120 fps. There's no way to fix this in the editing app — the smoothness depends on what was recorded.

If you're slowing down a video from another source (not recorded on your iPhone), check whether it was shot at a high frame rate before you edit. Videos recorded at 60 fps or higher will slow down much more smoothly than those shot at 24 or 30 fps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I slow down just part of a video?

Photos, Clips, and iMovie all slow down the entire video at once. If you need to slow down only a section, use iMovie — you can split the video into clips, apply different speeds to each one, and combine them back together.

What's the slowest speed I can use?

In Photos, the slowest is 0.5x (half speed). In Clips and iMovie, you can go as slow as 0.1x, which is one-tenth normal speed. The slower you go, the choppier the video will look if it wasn't shot at a high frame rate.

Does slowing down a video make the file bigger?

No. A slowed-down video takes up about the same amount of storage as the original. The file size depends on the resolution and length, not the playback speed.

Can I change the speed back to normal after I save it?

In Photos, yes — open the edited video, tap Edit, and adjust the speed slider back to 1x. In Clips and iMovie, you would need to re-edit the video or use the original file again.