The 8 Best Free Video Editing Software | Free Video Editors For All Your Projects

The 8 Best Free Video Editing Software | Free Video Editors For All Your Projects

With the best free video editing software, you can design picture-perfect clips that are waiting to be shared to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or anywhere else, with no hideous watermarks or frustrating time deadlines.

There are free video editing software out there that not only come with the most essential yet necessary tools but also possess powerful features and even a few extra bells and whistles.

Finding the best free video editing software alternatives may seem like a daunting responsibility, but we are here to assist.

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We’ve assembled the most beneficial of the best out there so you won’t have to experiment with every single video editor yourself.

Various of the software packages beneath will let you perform important post-production tasks like applying green screen filters, trimming clips, and adjusting the playback speed.

And, if you’ve never edited or compiled a video before, you’ll find these free video editing software to be convenient and effortless to get to grips with.

The Best Video Editor Overall

Adobe Premiere Pro

For a small monthly sum Premiere Pro offers outstanding value for money. It is NOT a free video editing software.

It’s the industry-standard video editing program, used by the pros. It’s also really simple to use and get the hang of.

It’s not free like the alternatives below, but if you’re earnest about your videos, you should seriously contemplate biting the bullet and moving for Premiere Pro.

Lightworks

Operating System: Windows, macOS, Linux

Lightworks is the best free video editing software for anyone who needs to create professional-quality movies and videos without spending a penny.

While it still can’t be deemed a match for a program like Adobe Premiere Elements, it sustains multitrack video.

It is a non-linear editor, so the quality of your video won’t be reduced while being processed.

With Lightworks, you’ll discover all sorts of high-end features that are frequently only available with valuable packages such as Final Cut Pro.

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These involve the ability to import and render video in the background, and to preview video outcomes in real-time.

The one drawback is that determining how to use Lightworks can take some time as the interface is fairly complicated.

You can drag various editing windows throughout to free video editing software to create an almost unlimited number of layout variations and fix custom keyboard shortcuts to speed up your editing jobs.

You can easily download and install Lightworks for free on Windows, Mac, and Linux devices.

If at a later time, you want you to want to invest in an enhanced experience, you can upgrade from the free video editing software to Lightworks Pro.

With this upgraded version, you’ll be capable of exporting your projects in various formats, create 3D masterpieces and upload directly to YoutTube.

HitFilm Express

Operating System: Windows, macOS

Similar to Lightworks, Hitfilm Express is a free-to-use video editing software that strives to make a professional editing encounter available to everyone.

This free video editing software is available for amateurs and experts likewise.

With this free video editing software package, it’s simple to trim clips, adjust colour balance, and export your projects in separate video formats.

But the Hitfilm Express feature set travels way beyond that.

You can additionally use this free video editor to set green screen chroma keys, build custom video masks, and carry your footage to the next level with a range of 3D compositional tools.

Although first-time users of free video editor might feel it to be a little confusing, the HitFilm Express user-interface will be well-known to anyone who’s worked with an advanced video editor before.

There are only two tiny drawbacks to this free video editor.

The first is that it’s technically commanding, so you’ll require a PC or Mac with a compelling processor to operate it.

And, secondly, the installation method is unnecessarily complicated.

To get admittance to the Hitfilm Express software, you’ll need to share a link to its developer, FXhome, on social media.

Shotcut

Operating System: Windows, macOS, Linux

Shotcut is a Refreshingly clean-looking free editing software. Shotcut started as a free video editor on Linux and was ported over to Windows and Mac machines after it had previously been about for a few years.

This improvement journey has resulted in a somewhat odd-looking user interface, but Shotcut is still one of the most useful free video editors you can download instantly.

Some features of the free video editing software Shotcut system are easy and instinctive, such as the process of dragging media files to add them into your project.

Nevertheless, there’s no uncertainty that there’s a steeper knowledge curve with this video editor than most.

For instance, you’ll have to configure your display by combining the modules you require.

But once you get the feel of Shotcut, you’ll realise why this free video editor has garnered such a large clientele.

The best Shotcut characteristic is a comprehensive selection of filters that can be applied to audio and video content.

Once attached, you can layer and customise filters of this free video editing software to accomplish the precise effect you’re watching for.

Movie Maker Online

Operating System: Windows, macOS, Linux (in browser)

It is an online video editing tool that you can use anywhere.

The Movie Maker Online is a free video editing software that operates in your browser.

To edit a video, you simply require to upload it to an advanced vertical project timeline where you can crop videos and images and combine filters or transition consequences.

Other free video editors posted here are software packages that can be installed and run on your computer.

Nevertheless, these aren’t the only types of free video editor software accessible.

There are many great browser-based accessories also, and Movie Maker Online is one of those.

The big benefit of an online editor is that you can reach it from any desktop device, and there’s no obligation to bother about content storage.

Another big reward is that your computer specs don’t matter as much, the life of your hardware doesn’t matter when utilising an online free video editor as everything occurs in the cloud.

Suppose you want to enhance your video or movie with music or still images.

In that case, Movie Maker Online provides you access to a large archive of royalty-free photographs that can be embedded into your project’s timeline with just a single click.

VSDC Free Video Editor

Operating System: Windows

VSDC Video Editor used to be recognised as one of the clunkier free video editing programs.

It is Free software with multi-monitor support.

Thankfully, the newest edition of the software has a dramatically advanced interface with a fresh-looking dark theme and the capacity to detach different windows, perfect for editing with more than one monitor.

Similar to Lightworks, VSDC is a non-linear free video editor that’s capable of competing with more costly video editing packages.

It arrives in both free and premium editions, and there are pleasingly fewer advertisements for free users to subscribe.

The only serious annoyance is that the free video editing software variant lacks multiple colour chroma key tools and can’t be used for resolutions above 1080p.

VSDC supports loads of helpful video editing functions, including sprites, animations, transitions, watermarking, blending, overlaying, and masking.

Another impressive feature is a free video stabilisation mechanism, which is great if you need to enhance the quality of shaky clips captured on smartphones.

Other Free Options To Try

Adobe Spark

If you need to trim a video and don’t mind the watermark, Adobe Spark can get the job done quickly and easily online.

The basic version is free to use, but you’ll need a premium account to remove the watermark and perform more advanced editing tasks.

EZGif

When you require to crop a video to a particular aspect ratio, this uncomplicated online tool could be just what you require.

It’s not becoming for very large files, but you can fix the dimensions, choose from a list of presets, and place the crop area yourself.

Why Should I Care About Free Software?

Video editing is the new rock’n’roll. Where children used to daydream of being rock stars, now they visualise of being YouTube vloggers.

Meanwhile, the video has converted the lingua franca of the internet, from video response and viral clips to indie films glossy corporate presentations.

The one thing they practically all possess in common is editing.

That could be manageable trimming to cut a clip at the appropriate place, or it could include mixing multiple clips together, changing the soundtrack and appending a whole bunch of special effects.

To do these jobs you’ll require a free video editing software app.

Which Programs Do Most Youtubers Use?

Generally, talking YouTubers manage to go for simple, effective, and affordable apps or free video editing software apps.

One of the most useful free apps is Lightworks, which you can procure for Mac, Windows, and Linux devices.

It has combined YouTube exporting and a collection of really impressive real-time impressions.

It looks absolutely terrifying contrasted to something like Microsoft Photos, but it doesn’t take prolonged time period to learn, and it’s a really useful editing app.

There are lots of other good alternatives too. HitFilm Pro has a free version but additionally offers a compelling professional version.

The free app DaVinci Resolve is very beneficial, especially on colour improvement, and while the VSDC Free Video Editor lacks the device acceleration of paid-for editing apps that’s not an issue if you’re not in a busy operation environment.

Which Programs Do Professionals Use?

That depends on your interpretation of ‘professionals’ and the industry or sector you’re considering of. Go to Hollywood or a major TV studio, and the editing’s nearly certainly being done in Avid Media Composer Ultimate.

In Indian film studios, ad agencies, and businesses making YouTube films you’re more inclined to view Apple Final Cut Pro X, or Adobe Premiere Pro CC and associated apps such as a motion graphics and visual effects app, Adobe’s After Effects.

See above for how strongly we consider those. These are very, very beneficial tools intended to run on very, very reliable computers.

Should I Pay For A Premium Option?

To declare the blindingly apparent, premium video editors tend to possess powers that free ones don’t.

Those services tend to come in the framework of support and resources.

Resources to develop apps that squeeze the greatest performance out of high-end device, resources to develop better outcomes, resources to improve show-stopping bugs, resources to ensure the app works on the latest hardware, resources to polish the interface and generate help files and how-tos and all the other stuff you’d anticipate from professional software.

But of course, that happens at a cost – $300ish for Final Cut Pro X, for instance.

If you’re a pro, time is cash, so you pay money to save time, whether that’s the time it demands to render your footage or the event you can’t afford to spend screaming “WHY GOD, WHY?” when the app doesn’t do exactly what you require or crashes mid-edit.

Free apps are aimed at a more humane and less troublesome kind of user.

That’s not to assume they can’t do exceptional things. They can. But they frequently take a hand-holding procedure that focuses on the basics and doesn’t give you passage to the minute detail.

They might take a good-enough passageway to performance preferably than a “Steven Spielberg needs this NOW!” no-compromise approach and their consequences may be more manageable than the pro ones.

It can be. Movies made in Apple’s iMovie have overcome crowds at film festivals across the years, and some people have performed perfectly good movies applying just it and an iPhone.

There are many average free video editing software apps out there, but there are a few things to contemplate.

Performance, particularly encoding and transporting, isn’t perpetually up there with the big hitters, and you’ll often discover that features are only accessible if you buy in-app purchases or aren’t there at all.

Some stick a gigantic watermark over everything you output; few provide any technical support.

Pro-level features are rarely offered because these apps aren’t created for video pros.

It’s deserving being a bit pedantic here and differentiating betwixt free commercial software and free open-source software.

The former is frequently a cut-down variant of a full product granted for free in the hope you’ll purchase its big brother.

The latter is normally a full product made accessible by individuals or teams of volunteers with no expectation of any monetary reward.

While open source performances can sometimes lack the polish and user-friendliness of commercial software, they may well address all the features you require without requiring you to waste any money.