- Best Free Montage Editor
- What Is The Best Software To Edit Videos For Free Download
- Best Free Video Editing Software Windows 10
I’m doing YouTube for past 7 years, and while going from 0-250k subs, I’ve gone through several video editing software. I started with free Windows movie maker, then tried a couple of intermediate ones, like Power Director, Sony Vegas, and finally, once I got my Mac, I settled for Final Cut Pro.
Download Final Cut Pro (30 days free trial) Wrapping Up: Best Video Editing Software. If you are looking for a basic video editor t hat gets the job done quickly, then g o for shotcut (Windows) or iMovie (if you have Mac). For more balanced video editing program, I would suggest PowerDirector. VSDC Free Video Editor not only provides ready-made profiles for exporting to social networks, but also offers you to upload your video directly to YouTube right from the app without switching windows or tabs. Built-in DVD burning tool The editor comes with a DVD burning tool, allowing you to easily burn the results of your work to optical discs.
- HitFilm is the best free 360 editing software for classic videos. Moreover, it shows great results when working with 360° videos and correcting lens distortion from action cameras. Recently, the video editor has been updated and now it supports export in 4K 60 fps.
- Sep 28, 2020 Machete Video Editor Lite is another wonderful free video editing software that runs only on Windows computers and laptops. It is available in two versions — free and paid. In the free version, it supports only two video formats, including AVI and WMV. The paid version costs $19.95 and gives access to audio editing and supports a number of.
So, everything in this article comes from my experience of using each and every video editor for years. However, if you looking for a more in-depth guide, you should skip this article. Here I’ll write more about the overall working of video editor – like which one should you pick. If you want to see what format and codec does a video editor support, you can always check the spec sheet on their website.
In case you are in a hurry and don’t have time to read the entire article, then check out the following video on best video editing software for YouTube
Related: 8 Places to Find Free Music For YouTube Videos
Rank Video Editing Program
Now, when it comes to video editing, different people have different needs. Some people just want to combine a few clips and call it a day. While others want total control over the editing process like advanced color correction, magnetic timeline, keyboard shortcuts, chroma key, etc.
So, to make things simple, I’ve divided this video into 3 parts.
Entry level video editing software – where the most you can do is – join or split two clips, add background music, and a little bit of video animation. This is for the people who want to make basic slide shows. You can run this software on almost any entry-level computer or even notebook.
Intermediate video editing software – where you can do a little more than just combining two clips; like text animations, cool transition, and support for layers. This is good for the people who are looking at a decent video editor for YouTube. Although, you need a mid-range laptop or computer to run this program smoothly.
Advanced video editing software – these video editors are powerful and stable enough for producing an entire movie. They pretty much have every feature, you’ll ever need from a video editing software. But these perks often comes with a steep price and a bit of learning curve.
So, let’s try to pick up some of the best video editing software from each category.
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Entry level video editing software
Does window movie maker still work?
A lot of tech blogs on the internet still suggest Windows movie maker as the best video editor for beginners. But, unfortunately, those days are gone. As of 2017, Microsoft has not only ended the support for Movie Maker, but it’s also no longer available for download. And yes, I even tried downloading it from other sources, and it doesn’t work.
1. Shotcut
Name mangler 3 6 walkthrough. It’s the closest alternative to Windows Movie Maker. But unlike movie maker which only work for Windows, shotcut also works for Mac and Linux.
But how good is it?
Well, I’ve tested this app on Windows, so I’m going to speak about that only, but overall, the app is decent. The first time you open the app, there is just one big screen window. No timeline or library options. But, after watching a couple of tutorial videos, I was able to make it work.
Just like any traditional video editing software, on shotcut, first, you import your clips by dragging and dropping them in your library and then move them to your timeline. Basic options like trimming and joining two clips are there. You can also change playback speed, add layers (not supported in Windows Movie Maker), background music or voiceover and a few text transitions.
Price – Free
Platform – Windows, Mac, Linux
2. iMovie
If you are rich enough to have MacBook or an iMac, then look no further than iMovie. It’s a free video editor that comes pre-installed on your MacOS. The best thing about iMovie is that it’s so intuitive, that even a fairly computer literate person can understand all features of iMovie in hardly 30 mins.
When you first launch the app, it asks you whether you want to create a movie from the pre-built template or do everything from scratch. In the first option, you just have to drag and drop your files and iMovie will take care of everything, from transitions to music, everything. But for the most part, you want to start with the second option i.e. no themes.
If you search for ‘how to edit youtube videos‘ on YouTube, you’ll find many popular YouTuber with millions of subscribers who still use iMovie for all their work. So, it’s safe to say iMovie has all the basic features you can expect from a video editor. I can even put iMovie in the intermediate video editing software.
However, there are few shortcomings, one – it’s only available for Mac, there is no way to run it on Windows, and second, being a Mac propriety it doesn’t work well with all audio/video format. For instance, you can not import the .avi file directly in iMovie.
Price – Free
Platform – Mac only
Intermediate video editing software
3. Movavi
I see Movavi as a polished version of shotcut. The reason I used the word polish is that, unlike shotcut, Movavi is a bit more intuitive, has more features and comes with a price of $40.
I’ve done a detailed video on Movavi, so I won’t explain its features in depth. But what I really like about this app is that it has a simple interface with somewhat advanced features, like modern text animations, transitions, chroma key, playback speed, etc.
Best Free Montage Editor
The only complaint I’ve with Movavi is that there is no option to import media in the library. So, everything you import goes directly to your timeline, which makes it difficult to work with larger projects.
Overall, if you want to get a decent video editor for the budget, then Movavi is a good mixture of simplicity and features.
Price – Free
Platform – Windows, Mac
4. Filmora
If you need a more powerful video editor then Movavi, then try FilmoraGo. When it comes to features, it has pretty much same as Movavi but while using the software, it felt more robust than Movavi.
It comes with all the basic features such as – magnetic” timeline, cut, trim, transitions & effects, etc. The best part about using Filmora 9 is that you can use all the features of the software for free, but the rendered video has a watermark which you can remove with $59 license.
Price – Free to test with watermark
Platform – Windows only
5. PowerDirector
If you need a more powerful video editor then Movavi, then try PowerDirector. It’s available for Windows only (sorry Mac users) and cost somewhat around $70 after discounts.
I’ve used PowerDirector for full 2 years, before switching to macOS and if I recall correctly many popular YouTubers like Tim Scholfield still uses power director to this day.
PowerDirector has all the advanced features, that you’ll ever need. Like – trim, cut, join, layer supports, animation, video effect, etc. You name it and PowerDirector has it. They have recently also added support for 360 videos and 4k, which, most video editor in this category does not do.
Overall, if you are looking forward to investing in some long-term video editor, which is easy to learn, has all the basic features and doesn’t require an extremely powerful system, then PowerDirector makes sense.
Price – Free
Platform – Windows only
6. DaVinci Resolve 12.5 by Blackmagic
Honestly, I’ve not thoroughly used DaVinci Resolve, as it was released after I finally settle for Final Cut Pro on Mac, but I did test it with few of my YouTube videos and they were good.
Da Vinci resolve is like a dream come true for video editors who need a powerful video editing program for free. This program is a lot powerful and feature-rich than PowerDirector and is still available for both Windows and macOS for free.
So, what’s the play here?
Well for one, Da Vinci Resolve is built for professional video editing, which is why it requires a powerful system to run. Even my fairly powerful Windows PC (with 8GB of RAM, i5, and a dedicated Graphics Card) was not powerful enough for DaVinci Resolve. The program did hang a couple of times, and rendering took ages.
When it comes to features, Da Vinci resolve has all the advance feature you’ll ever need in a video editor. They are pretty heavy on color correction part, as they have a separate option for this.
But then, how are we getting a professional video editing program for free? What’s the catch?
Well, first of all, the app is freemium. The latest version is Da Vinci Resolve 14, which is paid, however, Da Vince resolves 12 is free and it has almost every feature you’ll get in the paid one.
The reason, they are offering a solid video editing program for free is because they want to compete the big players like After Effects and Final Cut Pro. And before they do that, they first need a good user base. Especially the students, who are willing to learn this program. Kind of like why Adobe tolerates Photoshop piracy. Let it for free now and make money from the organization later on.
But anyway, my point is, If you are looking for a robust video editor for free, then Da Vinci Resolve is your best bet, though, do remember, you need a powerful system to run this program.
Price – Free
Platform – Windows, Mac, Linux
How to download Da Vinci Resolve for Free?
Like I said, only the 12 version of Da Vinci Resolve is free and finding them is not that easy. If you have a Mac, then you get DaVinci Resolve 12.5.6 from the iTunes (it’s free) or for Windows and Linux, head over to their official website, scroll down to the bottom and look for the DaVinci Resolve 12.5, it should be free. You might have to fill your email address before downloading it, which is totally fair in my opinion. Duplicate photos fixer pro 2 9 x 12.
Advanced video editing software
7. Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere is the de facto standard when it comes to video editing. Almost every advanced video editor who works on Windows environment uses Adobe Premiere Pro for their editing needs.
Although the program is available for both Window and Mac, I don’t find it well optimized for the Mac version. And it’s also pretty expensive. With the creative suite, Adobe Premiere Pro cost around $240/year (yup the price is too high)
Now, there are thousands of features in Premiere Pro and there is no point in talking about it because if that thing exists, it might already be present in Premiere Pro. But I personally find Adobe Premiere Pro not intuative.
I personally believe, Final Cut is better than Adobe Premiere Pro, however, both these video editing program target 2 entire separate markets. We’ll come to FCP in a while, but for Premiere Pro, here are 2 main reasons, you want to learn it.
- It gives you more control on each frame as we see in-game theorist channel
- If you have plans to stay inside the Adobe ecosystem, like Illustrator, and After Effects, etc. Because then you can directly import the project file from After Effects to Premiere Pro.
Price – 240$/year
Platform – Windows, Mac
Download Adobe Premiere Pro (30 days free trial)
8. Final Cut Pro X
A lot of people ask for my video editing system in the YouTube comments. And well it’s Final Cut Pro. I’ve used FCP for the past 2 years, and I’ve no plans to switch anytime soon. I can go on and on with its features. But the real reason why the creator chooses FCP over anything is else is Rendering time. The hardware-software optimization is so good that everything runs like butter. There is not even a save project option since it autosaves everything.
That said if you have macOS, and looking for a long term video editor, hen FCP is the best program for crisp yet simple video editing. It’s also much cheaper than Premiere Pro, and cost only $300 for a lifetime.
Export calendars pro 1 9 2019. Price – 300$ one time fee
Platform – Mac only
Download Final Cut Pro (30 days free trial)
Wrapping Up: Best Video Editing Software
If you are looking for a basic video editor that gets the job done quickly, then go for shotcut (Windows) or iMovie (if you have Mac). For more balanced video editing program, I would suggest PowerDirector
And if you need more control on every aspect of editing then go with Adobe Premiere Pro. Or FCP if you have Mac and need something that just works. I personally use FCP on my iMac and I’ve no plans of switching to anything else, soon.
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Are you getting started in filmmaking or video editing? Consider these free editing programs to round out your toolkit and improve your creative workflow.
If you’re just starting out in your editing, videography, or directing career, you might feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless programs, techniques, and types of videos out there. With hundreds of different career paths down multiple branches of the filmmaking tree, which one is best for you? If editing interests you, don’t bust out your wallet just yet. There are plenty of free, nonlinear editing programs available. Not only is this list perfect for first-time editors, these programs also offer experienced editors a chance to see what other programs are out there to widen some horizons.
Let’s start by taking a look at the accessibility and price points of the free options available.
Wondershare Filmora
Whether you’re working on Windows or with a Mac, Filmora is perfect for anybody new to the art of editing. Taking a clip from your Downloads folder and dragging it into your timeline is simple with this intuitive program. There are no free trials or subscription requirements. Filmora is simply a basic, free editing app for users who don’t usually deal with giant project files or complex multiple timeline workflows. But, for what it’s, it works very well.
Download here.
iMovie
If you’re working on a Mac, you’re in luck. iMovie has been around for over twenty years. It was the first program I used when I cut my little documentary film in middle school. It’s reliable, intuitive, and free! What iMovie does right is present video editing in the most basic way possible — your workspace is about the clips you’re using, your timeline, and a preview window. If you’re new to video editing, there’s no more intuitive video editing software to start with than iMovie.
Download here.
DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve 16 is going to be your best option for beginner- to intermediate-level editing. If you’re moving on from iMovie or something like Filmora, you should use this program. There’s a paid “Studio” option for Resolve, but this free version is a perfect introduction to the Resolve universe, and it can prepare you for more involved, complex editing. Aside from the standard specs most NLEs offer, there’s no beating DaVinci’s color grading program.
If you happen to choose DaVinci Resolve and aren’t sure where to start, try checking out Lewis McGregor’s (certified DaVinci Resolve Trainer) library of Resolve tutorials, as well as articles over at PremiumBeat. These videos cover everything from importing clips to editing audio to hitting export.
Download here.
Free Trials
Final Cut Pro X usually offers a free thirty-day trial, but as of March 2020, they are currently offering a 90-day free trial. Three months is a real steal, and it’s enough time to figure out if you’re a Final Cut convert or if you want to default to completely free software like DaVinci. If you work with the program enough and develop some practical skills as an editor, you’re going to want to upgrade to the paid program. It might hurt, but Final Cut does offer a one-time payment fee instead of a subscription-based platform, like Premiere Pro CC.
Now, Premiere Pro also offers a “Free Trial,” but it only lasts seven days. While this is enough time for you to experiment on a project, you’ll have to make the call on whether or not you want to keep using this program. If you’re curious about editing in Premiere Pro, check out Part One of our two-part series below.
Phone Video Editing Apps
So, the iMovie app for your phone is actually a good, reliable way to quickly edit phone-captured video on-the-go. If you shoot footage or have clips saved to your phone, this app is perfect for quick, on-the-fly editing. Another app that you could consider is the FilmoraGO app. Once again, Filmora is here to save the day and teach you the basics.
What Is The Best Software To Edit Videos For Free Download
Now, for more options and a greater variety of capabilities and processing power, these apps and programs aren’t free, but they certainly cost less than the desktop version of the software you’d be editing on.
Side note: Premiere Pro does offer an app — Rush — but it requires a Premiere subscription. You can watch a full tutorial on using Rush here.
Learning the Programs
Once you’ve downloaded your free editing program, the first question you may ask is: How do I use it? How do I build my timeline and complete my story? The biggest asset available to filmmakers, in this day and age, is YouTube. YouTube is your best friend and will guide you into the video editing abyss — a lucrative, lonely abyss. It offers tutorials on just about everything.
There are plenty of avenues and experts that post daily on basic and advanced filmmaking tips and tricks — whether that means giving out free assets and video elements for your motion graphics or providing sound effects on the house. For a look at how clips work together on a timeline to tell a story, check out our breakdown of some of the most important cuts any editor should know, regardless of your experience.
This post was originally posted in January of 2018. We’ve updated it to reflect changes in the industry.
Top image via SFIO CRACHO.
Interested in checking out more resources (and opinions) on video editing? Here are a few more avenues to consider.
Best Free Video Editing Software Windows 10
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