Obscuring portions of a video

[The_Nugget]

Does anyone have any suggestions for PC (not Mac) software, preferably free that I can use to obscure portions of a video.

I need to black out or obscure text from some screen recording in some mp4 video files. Multiple blackouts may be required in bits of the video for multiple bits of text. The text moves to different positions in some portions of the video so I will need to change the bit being obscured at various edit points.

I have tried using PIP in iMovie on iPad but it’s not flexible enough for what I need.

I have googled but free software can be a bit of a crap shoot so wondered if anyone has used and can recommend something?
Thanks.

[thecremeegg]

I use Hitfilm Express quite a lot and it's decent enough for a free bit of software.
This video shows how to use the censorship feature - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr9UPlLJO-M
Not sure if it's in the free version or if you have to buy that bit, sorry!

[TPSA7514]

You mean like pixelate bits

[The_Nugget]

TPSA7514 said:

You mean like pixelate bits

Yes. Multiple bits in the same video

[Bacardi]

The free version of Resolve will easily do this in the color tab. You can add a power window to the area, track any movement and then blur/pixelate just that area. However, there might be a steep learning curve if you are not familiar with node editing and the software requires a lot of GPU performance to run smoothly.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davincir...

Free download at the bottom of the page. You can download the manual on the support pages.

[The_Nugget]

thecremeegg said:

I use Hitfilm Express quite a lot and it's decent enough for a free bit of software.
This video shows how to use the censorship feature - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr9UPlLJO-M
Not sure if it's in the free version or if you have to buy that bit, sorry!

Thanks, I had a quick go at this last night. Seems it will do what I need, although the complexity defeated me without the manual but I’ll persevere!

[The_Nugget]

Bacardi said:

The free version of Resolve will easily do this in the color tab. You can add a power window to the area, track any movement and then blur/pixelate just that area. However, there might be a steep learning curve if you are not familiar with node editing and the software requires a lot of GPU performance to run smoothly.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davincir...

Free download at the bottom of the page. You can download the manual on the support pages.

Thanks, I have no experience with that so will give it a miss unless it becomes a last resort!