On the face of it, getting hold of the best video editing software is no easy task. There are loads of options out there, all boasting brilliant features and innovative add-ons. But the option that will suit a professional video editor won't necessarily be the best for the enthusiastic amateur. And what about free video editing software?
That's where this TechRadar guide to choosing the best video editing software comes in. We've used all the best (and worst) editors around and distilled them down to an easy-to-digest list of our favorites.
Below you'll see lists of both premium and free video editing software. So if you're ready for something advanced, opting for a paid product will get you high-end extras like 360-degree video support, motion tracking and multi-cam editing, but that's just the start.
The most impressive programs make your everyday tasks like cutting, trimming, combining and applying filters to clips as simple as possible - that's true regardless of whether you demand the absolute best video editor out there, or if you were hoping for free video editing software instead. Downloading an inferior option will lead only to frustration and a less polished finished product. The tools we've picked out for you in this guide are the very best in their class.
Keep reading to get the best of both worlds, with Adobe Premiere Pro leading the way as our #1 favourite
- Need the hardware, too? Discover the best laptops for video editing
The overall best video editing software
These premium video editors can't be matched - not even by the very greatest free options. The extra resources available to commercial projects help to refine the entire package, often bringing more accurate and configurable effects, an enhanced interface and a faster rendering engine. If it's the very best video editing software that you're after, then look no further than this quintet:
1. Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Dedicate the time to mastering Premiere Pro and reap the rewards
Platform: Windows/Mac | Free trial: 7 days | Upload straight to YouTube: Yes | 8K support: Yes | 360 support: Yes | Purchase type: Subscription
Huge assortment of filters
Subscription model won't be for everybody
Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry-standard video editor and getting the most from it will require an investment of time as well as cash, but if you’re serious about video then it’s well worth the effort.
There's a vast assortment of stackable audio and video filters, support for 360-degree and VR video, native support for a huge number of raw file formats, and the ability to work collaboratively with others. You can even start editing your videos before they've finished importing.
This kind of power doesn't come cheap and the monthly or annual subscription fee adds up, but the lack of a large initial outlay makes Premiere Pro surprisingly accessible. It's worth downloading a trial of the other video editors here before making a decision, but Premiere Pro is extremely versatile and the cloud-based model means you won't have to pay for upgrades as they're released.
Read our full review: Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Adobe Premiere Pro |From $20.99 (£19.97) per month
Like all of Adobe's single app plans, Premier Pro costs around $20/£20 per month when you sign up for a year. That's excellent value for such an impressive piece of software.
Like all of Adobe's single app plans, Premier Pro costs around $20/£20 per month when you sign up for a year. That's excellent value for such an impressive piece of software.
2. Apple Final Cut Pro X
A premium editor for Mac owners, with a unique interface
Platform: Mac | Free trial: 30 days | Upload straight to YouTube: Yes | 8K support: Yes | 360 support: Yes | Purchase type: Retail
Excellent file format support
High initial cost
This is a video editor aimed squarely at the professional end of the market, but it's not needlessly complicated. Its interface is a little different to most, and is built around a 'trackless' timeline that encourages you to organize elements into specific 'roles', such as voiceover, music and titles.
If you're looking for a video editor to pair with your drone, Final Cut Pro is an excellent choice. It supports raw video from all the major makes and models, and is regularly updated with additional profiles. It also supports 360-degree video editing (fast becoming mandatory for premium video editing software) and HDR, with advanced color grading.
Rather than adopt a subscription model like Adobe, Apple has chosen to make Final Cut Pro available for a one-off flat fee. It's relatively expensive, but includes all major updates and will work out cheaper than Premiere Pro if you keep using it over a couple of years. If you own a Mac and are torn between Apple and Adobe, we recommend taking the free trials of both for a spin before making up your mind.
Read our full review: Apple Final Cut Pro X
3. CyberLink PowerDirector
A video editor that puts premium tools within reach of newcomers
Platform: Windows | Free trial: 30 days | Upload straight to YouTube: Yes | 8K support: Yes | 360 support: Yes | Purchase type: Retail
Beginner and advanced interfaces
If Adobe Premiere Elements and Apple Final Cut Pro X are overkill for your video editing projects, take a look at CyberLink PowerDirector.
Although PowerDirector is a premium, feature-packed video editor, it's also very forgiving, and offers a gentle introduction to post production that won't faze complete beginners. The Magic Movie Wizard is the ultimate example, paring the task of combining and optimizing videos down to a few clicks. You'll achieve better results by spending a while in the timeline editor, but for anyone who just wants to quickly piece something together to publish on Facebook, it's ideal.
That's not to say that CyberLink PowerDirector is dumbed down, though; far from it. The software also offers a standard post production interface based around control panels and a timeline. It sometimes takes a little while to drill down to the finer controls, but every filter and option is extremely flexible once you start exploring. Perhaps most impressive of all, CyberLink PowerDirector makes video editing fun.
Read our full review: CyberLink PowerDirector
4. HitFilm Pro
If you're interested in special effects, HitFilm is the editor for you
Platform: Windows | Free trial: No time limit, but can’t export | Upload straight to YouTube: Yes | 8K support: Yes | 360 support: Yes | Purchase type: Retail
Superb for special effects
HitFilm Pro is a premium video editor that's a firm favourite with fanfilm makers - and with good reason. It's packed with tools for creating stunning special effects, but is accessible enough for home users.
One of HitFilm Pro's biggest selling points is the ability to tackle pretty much every aspect of video post-production within the editor. Animations, titles, audio editing and color grading are all accessible with a couple of clicks, but the interface is intuitively designed and never feels cluttered.
Unlike the other video editors in this roundup, HitFilm Pro supports importing and animating of custom 3D models, complete with simulated 3D cameras, custom shadows and dynamic lighting. There are also impressive particle effects, and superb chroma-keying to minimize annoying spill.
Read our full review: HitFilm Pro
5. Adobe Premiere Elements
A friendly introduction to video editing for complete beginners
Platform: Windows/Mac | Free trial: 30 days | Upload straight to YouTube: Yes | 8K support: No | 360 support: No | Purchase type: Retail
Automated tools for common tasks
You may soon outgrow it
Of all the premium video editors in this roundup, Adobe Premiere Elements is the most beginner-oriented. It's designed to make video editing as easy as possible, and even its Expert interface is extremely straightforward.
Unlike Adobe's premium software (like Premiere Pro), Premiere Elements is only available as a one-off purchase, so you aren't committed to paying a monthly fee to keep using it. It's also one of the most affordable video editors around, which is impressive for a huge name like Adobe.
Some video editors assume a certain degree of familiarity before you begin, but Premiere Elements is ideal even for total beginners. Its interface features large buttons, clearly labelled. There are also some excellent tutorials included to help bridge the gap between creating a video using wizards and using the more traditional multi-track timeline.
Read our full review: Adobe Premiere Elements
The best free video editing software
If you're a beginner, there are free video editors that will make the whole process as easy as can be and don't cost a penny. These user-friendly editors offer a gentle introduction to editing, so you'll learn the basics and be able to make the step up to a more advanced premium program when you're ready. We've picked our the five best video editing software choices below.
1. Lightworks
The best free video editing software available, for any level of expertise
Platform: Windows/Mac/Linux | Upload straight to YouTube: Yes | 8K support: No | 360 support: No
Real-time effects
Lightworks is an incredible tool that's published free with the noble aim of making professional quality video editing software available to everyone. As you would expect for such a powerful video editor, you won't be able to master it overnight, but that's certainly not something you could hold against it and hasn't stopped us naming it as our number one best video editing software on the web.
If you've tried other free editors you'll probably find that the interface is a little different to anything you're used to, but you can arrange the various controls and windows to create something that suits your way of working.
There's a paid version, Lightworks Pro, which adds the ability to export in formats other than MPEG, publish 4K video directly to YouTube, and export 3D videos, but the free video editing software includes everything else you need to make impressive videos.
Read our full review: Lightworks
2. Hitfilm Express
A powerful free video editor that's expandable if you outgrow it
Platform: Windows/Mac | Upload straight to YouTube: Yes | 8K support: No | 360 support: Requires add-on
Expandable via add-ons
Hitfilm Express is another video editor that promises pro-level features for free – and it delivers. The basic editor is very impressive, with advanced cutting tools, a great set of audio and video filters, layers and masking, compositing options, and chroma keying for creating green screen effects.
Additional tools are available for a fee, starting at £8.85 (about US$10, AU$15) for a pack featuring color-correction, exposure adjustment, split screen masking, and various creative filters. But the free video editor is well worth a look, too.
The downside of all this power is that Hitfilm Express is much more demanding than either Lightworks or Shotcut, which is the main reason it's dropped to third place. Make sure you check the technical requirements before downloading it to avoid disappointment.
Read our full review: Hitfilm Express
3. DaVinci Resolve
Premium quality software for advanced video and audio editing
Platform: Windows/Mac/Linux | Upload straight to YouTube: No | 8K support: Yes | 360 support: Requires add-on
Advanced color correction
DaVinci Resolve is a free version of a premium video editing suite, but as with Lightworks, it's so feature-packed you probably won't miss the few tools it lacks.
DaVinci Resolve is a professional-grade free video editing software, with intuitive interfaces for editing, color correction, audio mastering and exporting. Color correction is one of DaVinci Resolve's standout features, whether you want to adjust a whole video or just a selected part. There's HDR support, and you can work on raw files directly from your camera.
A few of the filters are exclusive to the premium DaVinci Resolve Studio, and there's a maximum export resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, but those are the only limitations. It's overkill if you just want to trim a video and upload it to YouTube, but for bigger projects DaVinci Resolve is hard to beat.
Full review coming soon
4. Shotcut
It might look unusual, but master it and you'll reap the benefits
Platform: Windows/Mac/Linux | Upload straight to YouTube: No | 8K support: No | 360 support: No
Intuitive interface
Shotcut is another professional-feeling free video editor that requires a little patience if you are achieve the results it is so capable of delivering. The slightly unusual interface can be put down to the fact that this started life as a Linux application, and little has changed in its conversion to Windows.
To start with, the interface may seem a little stark. You will need to not only load a video, but also choose which editing mode you would like to work in and which tools you'd like to use.
There's no getting away from the fact that Shotcut has a steep learning curve. It's possible to achieve some impressive results by simply applying one of its many filters to your video, but the real rewards will only be reaped by those willing to invest the time and energy in fully getting to grips with what's on offer.
Read our full review: Shotcut
5. VSDC Free Video Editor
A non-linear editor stacked with tools, with more added all the time
Platform: Windows | Upload straight to YouTube: Yes | 8K support: No | 360 support: Yes
Easy to master
Smart interface
VSDC Free Video Editor is highly capable, and can yield superb results. As a non-linear editor, it works in rather a different way to many other similar tools, letting you position clips and other elements on the timeline wherever you like and edit them there.
With the ability to not only work with multiple scenes and transitions, but also to add sprites and text to videos, you can create a professional-quality movie if you're willing to stick with VSDC's slightly unusual workflow – though its interface has recently had a total overhaul, making it look much more slick and modern. You can now detach the timeline too, which gives you lots of extra flexibility – particularly when working on multiple monitors.
VSDC's free video editing software lets you add extra artistic effects, including smoke. There's also a dedicated Instagram export profile and automatic image stabilization. You also get look-up tables (LUTs) for professional color grading, the ability to export footage at 120fps, and automatic alignment when dragging objects. An excellent choice for creative video projects.
Read our full review:VSDC Free Video Editor
More on this:
- On the go? These are the best video editors for iPhone and Android video editors
- Find out how to download YouTube videos
- Stay secure online with our pick of the best antivirus: free and paid
Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
The Rundown
- Best Overall:Adobe Premiere Pro at Amazon, “the cross-platform, uber-popular timeline-based video editor that’s long set the standard for video editing software.”
- Runner-Up, Best Overall:Nero Platinum 2018 at Amazon, “centralizes your media so you can organize, manage and play all your files in one place.”
- Best Value:Pinnacle Studio 21 Ultimate at Best Buy, “offers a host of post effects that put this thing way out of its price class.”
- Best for Macs:Apple Final Cut Pro at Apple, “treads the line between a consumer product and one for professionals who need powerful editing tools.”
- Best for Windows:Movavi Video Editor 14 Personal Edition at Amazon, “makes it fun and easy to create wonderful videos even for beginners.”
- Best for YouTube:Corel VideoStudio Pro X10 at Amazon, “with over 1,500 customizable effects, transitions, and titles, there’s something for everyone.”
- Best for Vloggers:Sony Movie Studio 13 at Amazon, “can directly upload to Facebook or other social media for fast sharing.”
- Best for Smartphones:Adobe Premiere Clip at iTunes, “perfect for creatives whose videos are bound for social media channels like YouTube and Instagram.”
- Best for Beginners:Corel VideoStudio at Amazon, “includes storyboard mode, which helps users draft the exact vision they have in mind.”
- Runner-Up, Best for Beginners:Magix Movie Edit Pro at Jet, “runs on most modern Windows machines, up through Windows 10.”
- Best for Professionals:Vegas Pro 15 at Amazon, “with an intuitive set of controls that takes the best of Final Cut, Premiere and others and merges them into one.”
Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Adobe Premiere Pro
The granddaddy of video editing, Adobe Premiere Pro is the cross-platform, uber-popular timeline based video editor that’s long set the standard for video editing software. Capable of tackling nearly any type of video format, Adobe’s software is ready to produce video for any type of professional production, including film, television and the Web. Premiere Pro offers enough horsepower to handle 360-degree virtual reality video to 8K footage all in native format. It can even import and export footage from competitive software such as Final Cut Pro.
While most professional-grade software can handle multi-cam editing, Premiere Pro goes one step beyond, handling as many sources as necessary with as many angles as required. The inclusion of the bundled Lumetri Color Panel allows advanced color adjustments to be handled with ease. Additionally, Adobe’s integration with After Effects and Photoshop adds even more reason for professional grade editors to choose Premiere Pro.
Runner-Up, Best Overall: Nero Platinum 2018
Even if you’re an amateur you can feel like a professional filmmaker with Nero Platinum 2018 video editing software. If you're looking for a program that goes beyond just video, Nero Platinum 2018 could be the multi-tasking master in your arsenal. This multi-faceted program allows you to create, edit, burn, convert, organize, stream and play back all kinds of media, including videos, photos and music. This version includes 18 new movie design templates, 18 new disc menu templates and 12 design templates that are made to complement vertically-formatted video from your smartphone. In addition to its great editing features and 4K quality, Nero Platinum 18 also centralizes your media, so you can organize, manage and play all your files in one place.
Best Value: Pinnacle Studio 21 Ultimate
Corel’s Pinnacle Studio 21 Ultimate gives you everything you’ll get with the standard copy of Pinnacle Studio 21, plus a host of upgraded features. It does everything the lower version will do: giving you seamless editing interface, the ability to work in full HD, as well as a great set of features for laying out a perfect story with video. But, it will also offer you a host of post effects that put this thing way out of its price class.
For starters, they’ve added in some crazy seamless morph transitions to help you blend together all the parts of your visual story. They’ve thrown in a pretty unique paintbrush filter effect that will work in tandem with already-shot video, letting you transform raw, live footage into living animations. Not only does Studio 21 Ultimate offer support for uploading 360-degree video but they’ve included a surprisingly intuitive set of trim, edit and control features for 360 video that will let you ensure your viewer gets the exact immersive experience you want.
Finally, rounding out their set of flagship additions, they give you the ability to include a motion-tracked image-blurring filter over the top of any element on the screen, meaning you can protect the identity of someone’s face, their license plate or anything else you’d prefer not to be in your final product.
Best for Macs: Apple Final Cut Pro
Apple’s Final Cut Pro X software falls into what we call the “prosumer” category because it treads the line between a product for consumers who want to up their video-editing game and one for professionals who need powerful editing tools. It lacks a traditional timeline-track interface, which is enough to scare some users off, but the software is intuitive and powerful nonetheless. It has great organizational tools like libraries, ratings, tagging, auto analysis for faces and scenes, and automatic color coding for track-specific clips, useful keyboard short-cuts and drag-and-drop media importing give Adobe’s Premiere Elements a run for its money. Unfortunately, you can't directly open projects from Final Cut Pro 7 or earlier, but there are many third-party plug-ins that will help you out there.
Best for Windows: Movavi Video Editor 14 Personal Edition
With Movavi Video Editor, it’s fun and easy to create wonderful videos even for beginners. Simply drop your media files onto the timeline and use the Windows-friendly editing tools to customize. Like most video editors, the Movavi Video Editor allows you to make basic changes to your clips by trimming, cutting and rotating them to any angle. With this software, however, you can also become your own movie producer by using multiple filters, transitions, titles, stickers and special effects. Show multiple videos on one screen with the picture-in-picture tool or freeze the video at any frame for added emphasis. Make video cards to send to family and friends or preserve vacation memories in a format people will actually want to watch. Automatically improve video quality with Magic Enhance, or manually adjust color parameters like brightness, contrast and saturation for better viewability. Movavi Video Editor even helps you minimize annoying motion distortion with the stabilization tool.
Best for YouTube: Corel VideoStudio Pro X10
When it comes to video editing for YouTube, almost every app does it well, but Corel VideoStudio Pro X10 does it better. With nearly every feature and tool that you need at your disposal (including transitions, effects, titles, templates and more), Pro X10 offers an outstanding array of production level value.
Support for 360-degree VR, 4K, Ultra HD and 3D media help round out the export opportunities available with Pro X10 and, while they may not all be supported by YouTube now, it’s good to know you have the capability for when they are. The user interface isn’t for beginners, but within a short amount of time, you’ll be a master at capturing, editing and sharing.
Added features such as time remapping for including slow motion, high-speed effects or freeze action are complemented by easily grouping or ungrouping clips on a timeline to edit in bulk or one at a time. With over 1,500 customizable effects, transitions and titles, there’s something for everyone. Even as the video itself is the focus, custom fitting your project with a soundtrack is handled well with custom-fit audio allowing your movies to both look and sound good.
Best for Vloggers: Sony Movie Studio 13
Sony Movie Studio 13 was made with the digital filmmaker in mind – once you’ve edited your video to your satisfaction, you can directly upload it to Facebook or other social media for fast sharing. Create video in beautiful 4K (ultra HD) XAVCS, or AVCHD to give your vlogs a high-production, professional feel. Movie Studio 13 Platinum is touch-enabled, too, so you can create and edit movies even faster using your PC’s touchscreen. With large, easy-to-use buttons, fewer menus and the popular Simple Edit Mode, Sony Movie Studio 13 makes video editing fast and easy, so you can keep up with the Internet’s viral pace. The software also comes with ACID Music Studio 10 and Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 to take your online media up a notch.
Best for Smartphones: Adobe Premiere Clip
Premiere Clip is your iOS/Android connection to Adobe’s most powerful editing programs: Premiere Pro and Premiere Elements. It’s part of the Creative Cloud ecosystem, which means you’ll need an Adobe ID to access it, but both the app and an account are free for all.
Premiere Clip is perfect for creatives whose videos are bound for social media channels like YouTube and Instagram. You can easily import video clips from places like your phone, Lightroom, Creative Cloud and Dropbox, and then use the app’s Freeform editor to trim or split clips, adjust exposure and highlights, add audio and more. And, of course, you can add filters, which is a given in today’s social media sphere.
Best for Beginners: Corel VideoStudio
Corel’s Windows-only VideoStudio offers an equally robust set of features comparative to Adobe or CyberLink’s product line. Right off the bat, it’s easy to see why VideoStudio is a great option: It offers support for 4K, 360-degree VR, multi-cam editing, as well as a large library of royalty-free music. Beginners will quickly learn to appreciate features such as 'checkmarks,' which can either let you know which clips you’ve already used or can apply effects to all the clips currently in your timeline at once. Additionally, voice detection helps you match subtitles to speech in your video clips.
Purchasing the full version of VideoStudio Ultimate X10 adds a whole extra set of options that beginners will quickly love, including multi-monitor support, easier title creation, and even stop-motion animation. Corel supports almost every output format imaginable, so it's ideal for sharing socially or for hosting online for the world to see. Another highlight for beginners is the inclusion of storyboard mode, which will help draft the exact vision they have in mind for a finished product without wasting hours and days on edits that may never see the light of day.
Runner-Up, Best for Beginners: Magix Movie Edit Pro
Magix is a bit of a sleeper as far as movie editors go, and honestly it does fall short in some of the higher level features that you’ll find in the big dogs like Final Cut and Adobe Premiere. But let’s start with the basics of what makes it great for a beginner, and that’s the fact that, well, it handles the basics really well. First off, it’ll run on most modern Windows machines, up through Windows 10, which is great for beginners because those people most likely won’t have the budget or desire to shell out for a Mac. So it’s software that will work out of the box for your affordable Windows machine. According to their website, the software has been going strong for 15 years, delivering upwards of 93 percent customer satisfaction on its iterations.
It starts with its simplest feature: a storyboard mode that allows you to lay out your narrative on a simpler, at-a-glance screen. That way if you don’t want to drill down to the details, you don’t have to get bogged down with all kinds of extra proprietary controls. But if you do want to drill down to a more detailed approach, you can do so with its Details mode that allows you to mix in 200 multimedia tracks, giving you seemingly endless possibilities for your project.
There are tons of in-program effects such as transitions, titles, credits, captions and even included audio scores, meaning you won’t get held up at any step of your editing process. There are panning and shift capabilities, high-quality post-processing zoom, as well as a plethora of color filtering plugins to give you the look you’ll need, even if the raw footage isn’t quite there. You’ll have the ability to export your movies in up to 4K resolution, and the software even supports 360-degree video projects. It’s a great powerhouse for beginners.
Best for Professionals: Vegas Pro 15
If you want something that is aimed more at the professional from a marketing standpoint, it couldn’t hurt to look into the Vegas Pro line. On its 15th iteration, Vegas has introduced a ton of new features, from hardware acceleration harnessing Intel QSV to a picture-in-picture OFX plug-in, all the way to a super intuitive new instant freeze frame option for referencing shots without stopping workflow. If you opt for the premium, upgraded package (which won’t run cheap), you’ll even get an exhaustive package of NewBlueFX fIlters to color your projects like a true Hollywood flick. What’s interesting about Vegas, and what we think gets overlooked, is they’ve attempted to give you an intuitive set of controls that takes the best of Final Cut, Premiere and others and merges them into one. Sure, it might not have the streamlined, Adobe CS-friendliness of Premiere, nor is it even compatible with Macs, but that’s OK. The workflow in this might just give certain users who can’t quite jive with the other guys a place to truly shine.
What to Look for in Video Editing Software
Platform - If you’re looking for a new video editing software package, you’ll want to look into whether if it is available for your platform before continuing to dig into it any further. Wake up sid movie. If you have a Windows PC or a Mac, check the software manufacturer's website to see if a version is available for your device.
Experience - Are you brand new to video editing or a seasoned professional? Some video editing software packages can feel extremely intimidating with an endless number of settings and dials. If you are new to the game, consider picking out a started solution from companies like Corel and Nero.
Price - Professional video editing software packages and cause hundreds if not thousands of dollars. If you are looking to edit videos of your family events, you most likely won’t need the features in the professional suites. If you’re keeping it simple, don’t spend over $100 on your software of choice.
- • Video Editor for Free
- 1.1 Free video editor for Windows
- 1.2 Free video editor for Mac
- 1.3 Free video editor for Linux
- 1.4 Free online video editor
- 1.5 Free video rotator
- 1.6 Free video watermark software
If you are new to the video editing world, a free video editing software can be the best choice for you. Although most free video editors are feature limited, they are easy to use and can meet almost all of your basic video demands like cutting, trimming, cropping, or rotating. Our top 10 list focuses on the best free video editing software for Windows we could find, and it will give you an overview of what you can expect from each video editor.
Are you also looking for video editors for Mac, Linux, mobile phone, or online? Check our latest post 36 Best Video Editors for All the Platforms.
Part 1: Choosing the Right Video Editor for Windows
As we mentioned before, there are so many video editing software [free & paid] available on the market, but how to choose the right video editing software especially when you are a newbie and want a free video editing software before you dig deeper?
- Interface: For a newbie, a user-friendly interface can help you save a lot of time from learning and getting familiar with the program. Some users like to use modern and intuitive free video editor, while others just like to use old style editors.
- Formats: Make sure the software you choose enables you to export common used formats like MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, etc, so that you can easily share your work on YouTube or other social media platform. Friendly reminder: generally speaking, MP4 is the most used format, so it is wiser to find a free video editor that supports MP4 at least.
Part 2: Best Video Editing Software for Beginners (Video Tutorial)
Wondershare Filmora9 - Recommended
You might find that the video editing software below are either too simple to meet your demends like audio editing and color correction, or too difficult to understand the workflow, then you should look at Wondershare Filmora9, which has significant improvement in overall performance, making the product faster, more powerful, and taking the user editing experience to a new level. It is perfect for helping beginners and intermediate users create stylish videos by providing an intuitive user interface and built-in effects.
- A wide support for different formats, including MP4, AVI, MOV, AVCHD, MKV and more.
- Enables you to crop, trim, cut, split and combine in a few clicks.
- Various top-tier video effects including motion elements, animated titles, royalty-free music, and transitions.
- Make your footage look like Hollywood film with color tuning tool
- Perfect your sound with audio keyframing, background noise removal, and an audio equalizer.
- Make exciting GoPro/action cam videos with precise speed controls, video stabilization, and fish-eye lens correction.
- Real-time rendering will keep your editing experience smooth, even if you’re working with 4K footage.
- Burn to DVD or upload to YouTube, or transfer to any popular portable devices.
How to Edit Videos with Wondershare Filmora9
Import Media Files
Import media files from your computer or cameras and smart phones, and directly drag-n-drop to the program.
Edit Your Video
Easily crop, rotate, split or cut videos on the timeline. Then add effects and filters to enrich your video.
Save & Enjoy
Save your video to different formats, or upload to YouTube, Vimeo, burn to DVD and more.
Best Free Video Editing Software Download
Part 3: Top 10 Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows
Free Video Editing Software
Level | Products | Input formats | Output formats | Pros | Cons |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
For beginners | Windows Movie Maker | ASF, AVI, DVR-MS, M1V, MP2, MP2V, MPE, MPEG, MPG, MPV2, WM, WMV | Windows Media Video (WMV) or DV AVI | Free, meets your basic editing demands | Service discontinued; No support for modern file formats |
VideoPad Video Editor | avi, wmv, mpv, divx and many more | WMV, AVI | Intuitive interface | Certain features become unavailable when using the free version of the software over a longer period of time. | |
Avidemux | AVI, MPEG, MOV, MP4, etc | AVI, MPEG, DIVX, XVID, MP4, etc | Has solid encoding options and its interface is user-friendly. | There are no video effects or transitions. | |
OpenShot | QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc | mpeg, avi, mp4, mov, etc | Free as well as powerful | Need to install add-ons if the OS you are using doesn't meet the software's system requirements. | |
VSDC Video Editor | AVI, QuickTime (MP4/M4V, 3GP/2G2, MOV, QT), HDVideo/AVCHD (MTS, M2TS, TS, MOD, TOD), WindowsMedia (WMV, ASF, DVR-MS), DVD/VOB, VCD/SVCD, etc | AVI, DVD, VCD/SVCD, MPEG, MP4, M4V, MOV, 3GP/3G2, WMV, MKV, RM/RMVB, FLV, SWF, AMV, MTV | Intuitive interface, friendly to beginners. | Technical support is not free. | |
For amateurs and pros | Kdenlive | QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc | mpeg, avi, mp4, mov, etc | Allows you to extend your capability with free add-ons. | No technical support. |
Blender | latest audio and video formats | .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM. | A lot of advanced features, perfect for advanced users | Learning curve is steeper for beginners; Very limited learning resources. | |
DaVinci Resolve | ARI, MTS, MXF, AVI, CIN, DNG, DPX, CDX, MP4, MXF, EXR, MOV | ARI, MTS, MXF, AVI, CIN, DNG, DPX, CDX, MP4, MXF, EXR, MOV | Stunning image quality. Color correction and audio editing are also excellent in Davinci Resolve. | Learning curve is steeper for beginners. | |
HitFilm Express | AVCHD, AVI, DV, MP4, MPEG, MOV, MMV | AVI, MP4 | Offers a wide spectrum of transitions and video effects | Feature limited while exporting video files, not friendly to beginners. | |
Lightworks | latest audio and video formats | mp4, MXF, Quicktime, AVI, mts, mpg, m2t | Has a free version | Not for beginners |
Ranked by skill level
1. Windows Movie Maker - Free Built-in Video Editor on Windows 7
Windows Movie Maker was once the world's most popular free video editing tool for Windows and users can make home movies by simple drag-and-drop. It contains features such as video effects, video transitions, adding titles/credits, audio track, timeline narration, and Auto Movie. Although Windows Movie Maker is built for Windows 7, and if you are looking for some free video editing software for Windows 8 or Windows 10, then you should skip Windows Movie Maker to use Microsoft Windows 10 Photos app. However, Windows Movie Maker has been discontinued by Microsoft, you can still find installation packages on some third-party authoritative download sites:
You can download Windows Live Movie Maker from Microsoft in File Hippohere.
Or download Windows Movie Maker 6 .
Or download Windows Movie Maker 6 .
After you finish video editing, you can share video directly to social media platform including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. If you don't know your computer's system requirement, you can try this one. However, you must know it won't upgrade anymore, so you are not able to enjoy some innovative and high video editing technology.
The Windows Movie Maker includes some features listed below:
- Input formats: ASF, AVI, DVR-MS, M1V, MP2, MP2V, MPE, MPEG, MPG, MPV2, WM, WMV
- Output formats: Windows Media Video (WMV) or DV AVI
- Advantages: Free, meets your basic editing demands
- Limitations: Service discontinued; No support for modern file formats; Lacks color correction tools, visual effects or any other advanced video editing options.
2.VideoPad Video Editor
VideoPad is a cross-platform software for beginners. Although the free version limits the video exporting options to just two file formats. The VideoPad's interface doesn't take much time to get used to, and it perfectly adjusted to the needs of inexperienced video editors.
This is an intuitive, feature rich and easy to use video editing platform. Beginners can enjoy easy editing with its drag and drop type timeline and the loads of transitions, effects and speed adjustment features make customization easier.
If you like to use transitions and have various video clips, VideoPad includes more than 50 transition effects. After applying transitions, you can also adjust video speed to make slow motion or fast speed video effect. For audio, you can also record narations to make your video more detailed, which is a bonus for game lovers. However, this free video editor can't be used to make slideshow, so just pass it if you really care this function.
Features of this free video editor you should know:
- Input formats: avi, wmv, mpv, divx and many more
- Output formats: WMV, AVI
- Advantages: Intuitive interface
- Limitations: Certain features become unavailable when using the free version of the software over a longer period of time.
3.Avidemux
Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports various file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs.
You can use it on Windows 10/7/8. As its interface is so clear, it lacks timeline, so you can't add filters and transitions. The whole design of Avidemux is that many functions are for practical use, not stylish purpose. If your needs is very basic, this free video editing software is a choice. For advanced video editing, it can't let you have more controls. The good thing is you can use it smoothly and learn it quicly if you are a new users in video editing industry.
Avidemux includes some features below:
- Imput formats: AVI, MPEG, MOV, MP4, etc
- Output formats: AVI, MPEG, DIVX, XVID, MP4, etc
- Advantages: Avidemux also has solid encoding options and its interface is user-friendly.
- Limitations: There are no video effects or transitions.
4.OpenShot
Another open-source video editor which offers basic video editing features like trimming and slicing. It also provide lots of transitions and audio effects to help you make simple videos.
This free video editor can offer you unlimited video tracks in timeline. You can add many videos and audio clips. It also includes tile templates and video effects, so if you want to have more touches on your video, this free video program can also help you.
For audio editing, you can use waveforms to visualize your audio. It includes more than 70 languages. This free video editor is updated regularly, so you can always use the lasted video editing technology. However, you need to fix bugs or problems on your own as it is an open source editor, and the video effects are also limited.
- Imput formats: QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc
- Output formats: mpeg, avi, mp4, mov, etc
- Advantages: Free as well as powerful.
- Limitations: Need to install add-ons if the OS you are using doesn't meet the software's system requirements.
5.VSDC Video Editor
It has tones of features and you can start for free. There is wide range of filters, overlays, transition effects and color correction abilities. This platform is designed to serve users with smooth editing experience so that even beginners can enjoy creative media projects. Thanks to its wide format support that helps to handle all popular media files with ease.
You can also use the build-in video converter tools to freely convert video/audio format to another format. It is a non-linear tool, which means you can place video clips in the timeline freely. You can also export your video to IG, FB and YouTube, which is powerful as a free video editor. You can also edit 4K and HD videos. For this point, not every free video editor can do.
- Imput formats: AVI, QuickTime (MP4/M4V, 3GP/2G2, MOV, QT), HDVideo/AVCHD (MTS, M2TS, TS, MOD, TOD), WindowsMedia (WMV, ASF, DVR-MS), DVD/VOB, VCD/SVCD, etc
- Output formats: AVI, DVD, VCD/SVCD, MPEG, MP4, M4V, MOV, 3GP/3G2, WMV, MKV, RM/RMVB, FLV, SWF, AMV, MTV
- Advantages: Intuitive interface, friendly to beginners.
- Limitations: Technical support is not free.
6.Kdenlive - Free and Open-source Video Editing Software
Kdenlive is an open-source video editing software which is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. This video editing software combines the simplicity of entry-level video editors with advanced video editing tools frequently used by experienced professionals.
As a free video editor, it is popular at first on Linux, but now you can also use it on Windows. It includes multi-track timeline to use, so you can import various video and audio clips onto timeline. For some special situation, say crash, Kdenlive can back up your file automatically, so no worries about file missing. From online forum and community, you can ask them questions if you have any questions, but sometimes you won't get answered as there is no support team.
- Imput formats: QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc
- Output formats: mpeg, avi, mp4, mov, etc
- Advantages: Allows you to extend your capability with free add-ons.
- Limitations: No technical support.
7.Blender - Free & Open-source & Professional Animated Film Toolset
Blender is the free open source 3D content creation which supports all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License. Blender has many advanced features, such as modifier-based modeling tools, powerful character animation tools, a node-based material, etc. and is one of the best video editors for both Windows and Mac.
As a beginner users, it is difficult to use as it is designe for pros. It is totally free to use and distribute. The interface is customizable and flexible color settings. On the other hand, if you a semi-pros or want to improve your video edting to a higher level, this free video editor is best for you. The thing is you need to spend many time and energy to learn it. You can have a try to see if you like it or not.
- Input formats: latest audio and video formats
- Output formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM.
- Advantages: A lot of advanced features, perfect for advanced users
- Limitations: Learning curve is steeper for beginners; Very limited learning resources.
Learn more about Blender >>
8.DaVinci Resolve - Free Professional Video Editing & Color Correction software
If you had access to the video editing pro level, then you must try DaVinci Resolve 14. Except for multi-camera editing, 3D editing, motion blur effects, and spatial noise reduction which are only available on the paid version DaVinci Resolve Studio, you can almost do any professional video/audio editing and color correction with DaVinci Resolve 14.
- Supported formats: ARI, MTS, MXF, AVI, CIN, DNG, DPX, CDX, MP4, MXF, EXR, MOV
- Advantages: Stunning image quality. Color correction and audio editing are also excellent in Davinci Resolve.
- Limitations: Learning curve is steeper for beginners.
9.HitFilm Express - Popular Free Video Editor & Compositor
HitFilm Express is a good alternative to Adobe After Effects, it offers users with many visual effect compositing options, and it lets you use semi-professional video editing tools for free. But beginners may find the software's interface difficult to navigate.
- Imput formats: AVCHD, AVI, DV, MP4, MPEG, MOV, MMV
- Output formats: AVI, MP4
- Advantages: Offers a wide spectrum of transitions and video effects.
- Limitations: Feature limited while exporting video files, not friendly to beginners.
10.Lightworks - Powerful Free Video Editor
Lightworks is a great free video editor featured with many video effects. It can edit up to 256 video, audio, and still image clips. But the user interface is very technical so many people find it hard to use. The pro version costs $25 a month.
Lately, it comes a new version 14.5. For more than 25 years, many movie makers use it as a professional tools to edit videos. You can use it to edit YouTube video and 4K films. Speaking of 4K, you can use proxy for smooth 4K video editing experience. If you want to edit 4K videos, this one is best for you.
- Imput formats: latest audio and video formats
- Output formats: mp4, MXF, Quicktime, AVI, mts, mpg, m2t
- Advantages: Well designed interface, many advanced features.
- Limitations: Not for beginners.
Check this video to see more best video editing software in the market!
This is the article about free video editing software for Windows, please check some free video editing for mac here. We do love to hear from you in the comment below if there are some other awesome free video editing software for Windows which are worth mention.