There is an incredible number of people who create their own video content nowadays, whether they are YouTubers, bloggers or just fans of their hobby. We all had to start somewhere, and for some beginners, it can be really difficult to find the right tool for editing their work after hours of shooting, especially when a lot of video tools are paid (and it’s not for pennies) which must certainly discourage a lot of starting enthusiasts.
For this case, we have prepared a list of the best free video editing software available for download right away on either Windows, Mac or even Linux.
Lightworks – The professional editor for everyone
(Download: Windows, MacOS, Linux)
Probably the best free video editor on scene at the moment. Lightworks proud themself by being part in editing some really great Holywood movies such as Pulp Fiction, Moulin Rouge, The Wolf of Wall Street, Shutter Island, The King’s Speech, 28 days and more.
Among its best features, we can count professional-level colour correction, GPU-accelerated real-time effects and support an endless list of video formats. It also offers other essential video editing tools for importing, trimming, video timeline, EQ presets rendering effects, exporting video to multiple formats etc. With the free version you can, however, export videos to MPEG-$ with 720p (HD) resolution.
The interface design is not the most up-to-date, however, it is not really a deal-breaker as we mostly aim at the functionality of the professional video editing software like this one.
Another reason why Lightworks is a good choice for you is the fact that given the open-source nature of the software and steep learning curve associated with the freemium product, the program’s forums are more bustling than most.
Lightworks is on top of our list thanks to its most advanced, fully-featured video editing tools. The software is, however, focused on a bit more tech-savvy users which can use its full potential.
The good thing, though, is that if you really get to like to work with this Free editor and you decide to go for the Pro version, it’ll only cost you £17.99 p/m or £119.99 per year.
iMovie
(Download: Mac OS, iOS)
One of the best free video editing software is also the most consumer-oriented video editors out there – Apple’s iMovie. The iMovie is bundled with all new Macs and offers great practicality to regular users.
The new version of the app also allows 4K video clips to be imported and edited from a range of external devices such as smartphones or GoPro cameras and offers a tidy, attractive and easy to navigate interface. The ability to start editing on an iPhone or iPad and finish on a Mac makes it even more effective.
iMovie supports drag-and-drop of files directly on the timeline, allowing you to arrange them freely in any order. You are also able to see the result’s preview in real-time as well as when adding any effects such as themes, text, filters, music or voice-overs before exporting them directly to any desirable format.
iMovie also features a basic audio editor, built-in green-screen effects or to make cool movie trailers with various transitions and end credits. It is not a professional-like software, however, it will be sufficient to most who wish to edit home videos or their minor projects.
Blender
(Download: Windows, MacOS, Linux)
Blender is a free and Open Source software used by many for its video editing, animation, rendering and 3D sculpting tools. It is a valuable tool to all beginner-advanced animators or developers making animated clips, movies or game graphics. As for its video editing features, Blender lets you perform cuts and spliced in your video on its intuitive timeline, add masking or colour grading to make your video look even better.
It also features audio mixing, grease pencils, a live preview, many filters and transitions to squeeze the most of your video.
There are also literally tons of tutorial videos available online on either personal blogs or YouTube to get you on the started easily. The learning curve may however be a bit steep for absolute beginners and learning by step-by-step tutorials might be essential. It is, however, still one of the best free video editing software out there, which will prepare you for professional editing, shall you follow this path in your career.
Shotcut
(Download: Windows, MacOS, Linux)
Shotcut is an excellent video editor for at-home hobbyists who want a simple, highly customizable interface and as much compatibility as possible. It supports most (literally hundreds) of output video formats and makes it easy to capture and use the video right from your computer with up to 4K resolution support. Additional editing tools such as cross-fade, scopes, filters, pitch correction, and audio mixing, are also included in Shotcut.
This editing tool has an elegant and easy-to-use interface. If you think that the interface is too simple, you can customize it by adding more panels to the different resources you need for your project. Professional editors will surely enjoy this feature when working on complex projects.
