How to remove background noise from a YouTube video?

Shotcut and CapCut are pretty limited when it comes to noise reduction, they do basic stuff but it won't really solve your traffic noise problem 😅 I'd suggest checking out DaVinci Resolve instead (free and really powerful for that) or Audacity if you just want to work on the audio separately - there's tons of tutorials on how to use the noise gate or noise reduction with these tools. But honestly the best solution would be to try filming in a quieter place or with a directional mic if you can, I've noticed in photography that the best solution is usually to control what you're capturing rather than fixing it up afterwards 📸 good luck with your channel!

Shotcut has a decent noise reduction filter (Essential Sound in the audio filters), but CapCut is more limited if you need serious audio work. You've also got DaVinci Resolve which is free and honestly way better for cleaning up audio, you should check that out first - it's what I'd use if I needed it, it's worth spending 20 minutes learning how it works.

Shotcut has a noise reduction filter that works pretty well, but CapCut is really limited for that. Personally I'd recommend checking out Audacity (it's free and you can process the audio before putting the video back together) or ffmpeg if you want something more powerful, otherwise try DaVinci Resolve in the free version which also has good denoising tools.

Background noise is annoying, I get it. Shotcut has a Noise Reduction filter that works pretty well for constant sounds like traffic, but CapCut on desktop isn't as powerful for that. If you really want good quality without spending anything, try Audacity (free) - you just export the audio from your video, do the noise reduction there, then reimport it. Otherwise there are also free plugins for Shotcut that do decent work, you just gotta tinker with it a bit.

First off, it really depends on what kind of noise you've got - is it constant and regular noise (like air conditioning or traffic) or more like random spikes (neighbors shouting)? Because noise reduction works way better on constant stuff than on random peaks.

Honestly if you really want to get rid of the noise without breaking the bank, I'd say try Audacity alongside whatever you're using instead of just Shotcut or CapCut. It's free, you load your video (well, the audio part), you select a bit of just the noise (without your voice), you go to Effect > Noise Reduction and let Audacity learn the noise pattern. Then you apply it to the whole clip. It's simple and it actually works pretty well for constant noise. And DaVinci Resolve (the free version) also has some honestly decent audio filters, with Fairlight that lets you do more detailed audio cleanup.

Then there's also the honest but unglamorous solution: improve your sound recording at the source. Like film your tutorials when it's quieter, get your mic closer to your mouth, or invest in a decent little mic (30-50€ seriously makes a difference). Because even with the best noise reduction, if your base signal is trash, you're gonna lose clarity in your voice. What's your setup like right now?

I'm gonna tell you something people often forget: before looking for magic filters, it's better to reduce noise at the source. When I have to shoot plumbing tutorials, I always try to film when it's quieter or I use a directional mic to capture just my voice and not everything else. As for post-processing, DaVinci Resolve is free and it does real work on noise, unlike CapCut which is too basic for that. Shotcut is honestly in the middle, it can help a bit but don't expect miracles if you've actually got a lot of traffic noise.