VSDC allows you, for instance, to apply Instagram-style filters, special effects like colour correction and blurring, and a mask tool for applying effects to part of a video. OpenShot (above) is another good choice in this respect, and has more features, but we found VSDC to be less laggy, and it still covers the basics well. VSDC is, in short, a great desktop tool for beginners. We were surprised to see that the free version has almost all the features of the Pro version, and there are no watermarks added. When we reviewed VSDC, we appreciated the flexible import and export options and found it particularly good for adding text, lines, charts and other special effects to a presentation. That's because it's specifically designed for people whose computers don't have all the newest internals and specs, so you won't find it crashing and freezing all the time (Note that there's no Mac version). If you're a beginner using an ageing, low-powered Windows PC, VSDC is the perfect choice. The best lightweight free video editing software Ultimately, I'd say Openshot is the best free video editing software for beginners wishing to avoid watermarks and ads. These things are common with open software of all kinds, but they are worth noting when you're choosing the best free video editor. Or when they did, they took a long time to apply, making the editing process frustrating. We experienced some lag, and the features didn’t always work the way they should. We did run into a few issues during the course of our review, though. We also had success in adjusting elements like brightness, contrast, colour grading, and gamma. And as OpenShot is open-source, there are none of the frustrating ads, watermarks, or promotions for paid upgrades that you find in most free video editing software. We appreciated the handy range of customisable title-card templates, too.Īll the usual options to adjust and enhance your video, including crop, trim, rotate, and resize, worked well for us in practice. We especially loved how you can stack an unlimited number of layers in your video, be they soundtracks, overlapping videos, or custom images. When we reviewed it, we found its minimalist drag-and-drop layer-based interface very easy to use, making it our top choice for beginners overall. With this, you get a full product for free, and there's a volunteer army of developers constantly working to improve it, at no cost to you. One of the best examples is OpenShot. Most free video editing software is created, ultimately, to tempt you into buying a paid version. The best amateur free video editing software However, there is a brilliant set of features built in to help you learn, including around 40 videos to teach you the basics. It is still easy to navigate but feels a bit clunkier. The Pro version unlocks everything at $12.99/£12.99 a month, and the Creator version unlocks fewer features at $7.99/£7.99 a month. The interface has also changed, and is no longer reminiscent of Adobe's Premiere Pro, but is darker and more imposing. If you're willing to pay, you can get rid of the watermarks. This isn't unusual, of course, but it does mean pros won't view this software as the viable option it once was, and Da Vinci Resolve is the only real free option for professional videographers. However, the rebrand to Hitfilm includes the introduction of two subscription tiers that mean the free version isn't quite as all-singing, all dancing as it was and is no-longer a genuine alternative to other paid-for tools.Ī huge amount of the effects are now watermarked if you are on the free version, across transitions, animation, colour grading and more. The best basic free video editing softwareĪnother good choice for professional video editors is Hitfilm (previously Hitfilm Express), which, before the update, we would have described as the Swiss Army knife of free video editing software. To learn more, see our full DaVinci Resolve review. If that's you, we'd suggest instead looking at entries 4 to 8 on our list. That said, while that interface is quite straightforward for anyone with editing experience, it would be quite a challenge for beginners to learn. All that meant that we didn't need to 'do an Adobe' by jumping around loads of programs to get our perfect video we could do it all within the one interface. When we wrote our full review, we loved Resolve's smart video stabilisation tool, for when you've got a shaky shot, and the built-in audio mixing, VFX and title-card-building modes also functioned brilliantly. Despite being free, Resolve is a feature-packed powerhouse, and for color grading Resolve, even the free version, is the best software tool available bar none. DaVinci Resolve is made by Blackmagic Design, which makes professional video cameras and hardware and has a deep history in professional colour grading.
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