Best Video Editing Software

Best Video Editing Software, Free Video Editing Software

The best video editing software isn't just for professional video editors and filmmakers. Anyone creating content for YouTube videos, home movies, or social media will find that it raises their game, allowing them to create slick and sophisticated content to impress and delight others.

However, the best video editing software for you will depend on what you need it for and what level of performance you need. Of course, anyone working in the TV and film industry wants the best, top-notch software. But if you just want to edit your holiday footage, it'll probably be overkill, and you'd prefer something a little more simple and easy to use.

Keeping this in mind, we have gathered the best video editing software for various uses and budgets. We've included tools that work on all platforms, including Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, and Android. If you're only interested in mobile apps, though, check out our roundup of the best video editing apps.

10 Best Video Editing Software Right Now

1. Adobe Premiere Pro

2. CyberLink PowerDirector 365

3. Adobe Premiere Elements

4. Pinnacle Studio

5. Final Cut Pro

6. Adobe Premiere Rush

7. Corel VideoStudio Ultimate

8. Filmora

9. Vimeo Create

10. Da Vinci Resolve Studio

1. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro PROS or CONS

PROS

• Industry-standard 
• Powerful features
• Constantly updated

CONS

• Requires subscription

Adobe Premiere Pro Specifications

• Platform: Windows, Mac
• Key features: Multi-cam editing, 3D editing
• Free trial: 7 days
• Best for: Video editing professionals, video editing students

Adobe Premiere Pro Overview

Adobe Premiere Pro is one of two industry-standard tools for video editing today. The second is Final Cut Pro (number 5 on our list), but Final Cut Pro is only available for Mac. Since Premiere Pro works on both Windows and Mac, we rate it as the best video editing software overall.

Premiere Pro is regularly used to create everything from YouTube videos to Hollywood movies, such as 2021 Oscar nominee Mank. It's also commonly used in the workflow of designers, animators, and VFX artists, and after testing it extensively ourselves, we can see why. When we reviewed the software, we found that it increased our productivity by dividing everything into separate workspaces, such as editing, effects, and audio. Each workspace helps manage a specific task, reducing distraction; We found this to be true when testing it on both Mac and PC.

The software supports 4K, 8K, and VR formats. Its trimming and editing tools give you a high level of precision and control. You can work on an unlimited number of video tracks (though we did fire up four 4K videos in our testing), which can be imported from any source.

In our review, we found automatic sync to work like a dream when you have multi-angle shots, and it's hard to blame the fine-tuning tools that make your videos stand out from the crowd. Huh. Plus you get customizable keyboard shortcuts and great collaboration features.

Like all Creative Cloud software, Premiere Pro is constantly being updated, and customers get all updates for free. Since the latest update in May 2022 (version 22.4), Smart Rendering performance has been improved and playback of Quicktime screen recordings has been simplified.

2. CyberLink PowerDirector 365

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 PROS or CONS

PROS

• Powerful tool
• Stacks of features
• Choice of payment models

CONS

• Tough for newbies

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 Specifications

• Platform: Windows, Mac
• Key features: Multi-cam editing, 360-degree video, motion tracking, AI tools
• Free trial: 30 days
• Best for: Experienced non-professionals

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 Overview

If you're not working as a full-time video editor, Premiere Pro may be overkill and you're probably better off opting for a middleweight tool. Based on our review, we rate CyberLink PowerDirector 365 as the best video editing software for non-professionals who have some experience in video editing.

Again it's available for Windows and Mac, and while PowerDirector 365 isn't as powerful and feature-rich as Premiere Pro, it's not far off. Meanwhile, its cost, either as a one-time purchase or as a monthly or annual subscription, is more affordable. Get cracking on the 100-track timeline and you'll soon find yourself making the most of tons of stabilization and video correction tools, professional effects, multi-cam editing, motion tracking, and surprisingly easy trimming.

There's 360-degree video editing, along with support for all file standards and formats you can imagine. Then there are slideshows, screen recordings, DVD menus, object design tools, and more. When we got our hands on it, we were impressed by the free and unlimited access to an extensive, royalty-free library of content from Shutterstock. When it comes to exporting our test piece, we liked the simplicity of clicking the production button, but there were many other, more complex options available as well.

The latest version, released in December, lets you add text or graphics that automatically follow the motion of any object, and features three AI-powered features: AI Audio Denoise, AI Video Denoise, and AI Dereverb.

Even with all these sophisticated features, PowerDirector 365 can still be quite a learning curve for beginners, for whom we'd recommend Premiere Elements (next on our list). However, for anyone who already knows a bit about video editing but doesn't need the top-flight Pro features of Premiere Pro, this is an excellent choice.

3. Adobe Premiere Elements

Adobe Premiere Elements PROS or CONS

PROS

• Easy to use
• Loads of features

CONS

• Not as powerful as some tools
• Not the fastest 

Adobe Premiere Elements Specifications

• Platform: Windows and Mac
• Key features: Video stabilization, face detection, automatic motion tracking
• Free trial: 30 days
• Best for: Video editing beginners and enthusiasts

Adobe Premiere Elements Overview

If you don't need to edit videos for work and you just want to do it as a hobby, the two tools listed above are more complicated than you need. Likewise, if you want to get into video editing but are completely new to it, they offer quite an intimidating learning curve. In both cases, we recommend Adobe's Premiere Elements, one of the best video editing software we've tested that is suitable for beginners and casual users.

As the name suggests, Premiere Elements is a simplified version of Premiere Pro (number one on our list). It's cheap and easy to learn, but it still has a lot of useful, high-end features including face recognition, audio effects, and a bundled soundtrack. Its interface is very simple and visual, and you get all the necessary video effects, including transitions, chroma-keying, and opacity. In our review, we found it possible to develop a faster workflow using features like its smart search functionality, video stabilization options, and automated functions like motion tracking and smart toning.

The latest version, Premiere Elements 2022, was released last October and includes several great new features. Now you can edit and export videos in social-friendly formats. There's also a new auto-reframing tool that lets you choose a topic and then focus on it throughout your video; A new easy-to-use video compression feature based on sliders; and the ability to view animated GIFs within the interface.

4. Pinnacle Studio

Pinnacle Studio PROS or CONS

PROS

• Super-simple to use
• Varied features
• Free effects, titles & templates

CONS

• It May be too basic for some

Pinnacle Studio Specifications

• Platform: Windows
• Key features: Multi-camera capture and editing, color controls, stop motion animation
• Free trial: No, but the 30-day money-back guarantee
• Best for: Beginners

Pinnacle Studio Overview

Using Windows and never edited video before? We have found Pinnacle Studio to be another good choice of video editing software to get started. Like Premiere Elements, it sits somewhere between more basic free tools and professional-level video editing tools in terms of both price and capability.

For a one-time payment, you get over 1,500 effects, titles and templates, six-track HD video editing, color correction tools, a dedicated stop motion feature, time remapping, and more. It is also very easy to use. The latest version, version 25, was launched last August and everything has been thoroughly updated. Highlights include smart object tracking, 8K import, keyframe groups, new blend modes, and new audio features.

5. Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro PROS or CONS

PROS

• Versatile and powerful 
• Optimized for Mac
• Generous free trial

CONS

• No Windows version

Final Cut Pro Specifications

• Platform: Mac
• Key features: Multi-cam editing, intelligent color balancing
• Free trial: 90-day
• Best for: Video editing professionals, video editing students

Final Cut Pro Overview

Along with Premiere Pro, Apple's Final Cut Pro is one of the industry standards when it comes to video editing software. It is used throughout the TV and movie businesses - at least by people using Macs, as there is no Windows version. One of the main reasons I'd choose it over Premiere Pro is that it's subscription-free: You pay once, and only once.

Professional video editors love Final Cut Pro (which was known as Final Cut Pro X until X was deprecated in 2020) for its magnetic timeline, grouping tools, a wide range of effects, good organizational features, and For simple ways to add and edit audio. , Other features include advanced tools for 360° video, HDR, and color correction. It's powerful and feature-rich, but when we reviewed it, we found

It is surprisingly easy to use. There are also plenty of resources to help novices up to speed: see our guide to the best Final Cut Pro tutorials for more.

As Apple software, Final Cut Pro is optimized to get the most out of your Mac. And as you might expect, it integrates well with other parts of Apple's ecosystem, such as your Photos or iTunes collection.

Every update has been made free since the release of Final Cut Pro. The latest release in April (10.6.2) has improved the clarity of speech by adjusting the background noise level through machine learning. This allows you to quickly locate media that appears more than once in a project using the highlighted clip range or timeline index.

6. Adobe Premiere Rush

Adobe Premiere Rush PROS or CONS

PROS

• Simple interface
• Good for social videos
• Interoperable with Premiere Pro

CONS

• Less powerful than Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Rush Specifications

• Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
• Key features: In-app motion graphics, 4K support
• Free trial: Free starter plan
• Best for: Enthusiasts (Premiere Rush alone), professionals (with Premiere Pro)

Adobe Premiere Rush Overview

These days, tablets and smartphones are so powerful that it's entirely possible to do pro video editing on the go. Based on our reviews, the best video editing software for mobile is Premiere Rush, which offers all the most important bits of Adobe's Premiere Pro available on tablets and phones.

Available for iOS and Android, Premiere Rush uses a simplified version of the Premiere Pro interface with larger icons and panels that are easier to click on a smaller touchscreen. That means fewer features, but you still get all the basics, like adding videos to a timeline and mixing in music via drag-and-drop. (For more on the differences, see our article Comparing Premiere Pro vs. Premiere Rush.)

If you're a YouTuber who wants to make quick edits to your clips, Premiere Rush is good for that too. There are customized export options for Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, and more. Meanwhile, if you are a professional, Premiere Rush integrates well with Premiere Pro. For example, when you're on the train, you can make some additional edits to the footage you previously worked on in the studio on your desktop PC.

7. Corel VideoStudio Ultimate

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate PROS or CONS

PROS

• Easy to pick up
• Relatively inexpensive

CONS

• Too basic (and unusual) for pros
• An unusual approach to layers

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate Specifications

• Platform: Windows
• Key features: Real-time effects, color correction
• Free trial: 30 days
• Best for: Beginners, Corel users

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate Overview

If you're familiar with Corel's illustration and graphic design software, such as Corel Painter, and you like the way it works, the best video editing software for you might be Corel VideoStudio Ultimate, which has a similar interface and general feel. is the approach. Like the rest of its software.

Generally, it is a good Windows-based video editing software option for beginners and casual users. It has a clear, intuitive interface that makes it easy to get started with video editing. Once you master the basics, you can explore more powerful features like motion tracking, 4K support, 360-degree VR video support, music library, multi-cam support, 3D text editing, and thousands of effects Huh.

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate is definitely not for everyone. The way it works with layers is a little different from rivals, and we found it a little irritating. This might not be a problem if you're not used to how it's done in other video editing software, but if you are, it can be a pain to adjust. Plus, overall, it's not advanced enough to be suitable for video editing professionals. However, for newbies, it offers great value.

8. Filmora

Filmora PROS or CONS

PROS

• Simple to use
• 4K support
• Royalty-free sound effects and music

CONS

• Too basic for pros

Filmora Specifications

• Platform: Windows, Mac
• Key features: 4K support, built-in effects, and titles
• Free trial: Yes (with watermarks)
• Best for: Enthusiasts

Filmora Overview

If you're new to video editing or only need to edit videos occasionally, Wondershare's Filmora is a great option at a very reasonable price. It benefits from an intuitive interface that should be easy to use for your level of experience. There are a large number of handy built-in titles, effects, and filters designed for YouTubers and social media users. There's a library of royalty-free sound effects and music to give the effect of your videos, and you can even record your media directly within the tool.

The most recent version (11.3) is released this month (May) and includes several improvements including speech-to-text, text-to-speech, support for HDR, an easier way to add subtitles to your videos, and more. An audio visualizer is included. ,

Filmora has a free version, but all of your videos will have a watermark, so it's only useful for learning video editing or trying out the tool. To remove watermarks, you'll need to remove either an annual plan, a lifetime plan for a one-time fee, or an unlimited plan, which includes unlimited downloads from the stock library and new effects every month.

9. Vimeo Create

Vimeo Create PROS or CONS

PROS

• Excellent templates
• Lots of stock content

CONS

• Limited use cases
• Requires membership

Vimeo Create Specifications

• Platform: Browser
• Key features: Templates, stock content, intuitive interface
• Free trial: 30 days
• Best for: Beginners

Vimeo Create Overview

Need to create social media videos but don't have any experience doing so? YouTube rival Vimeo offers a paid-for service that helps you do this quickly and easily without requiring any special skills. Vimeo Create offers a range of pre-made templates, so you just drag and drop your clips and you're there.

If you don't have your own content, you can also access millions of stock video clips, photos, and commercially licensed music tracks for free. It all works in the browser, and the easy interface allows you to create videos for different aspect ratios for different social platforms, such as square, horizontal and vertical. It's very basic and aimed at people who don't have any experience or inclination to learn to edit video from scratch, but we found it works for social media content.

Using Vimeo Create is free, but you'll need to pay for a Vimeo Pro, Business, or Premium subscription to save and share your videos.

10. DaVinci Resolve Studio

Da Vinci Resolve Studio PROS or CONS

PROS

• Sophisticated features
• Driven by AI
• Capable free version

CONS

• Too complex for non-pros

Da Vinci Resolve Studio Specifications

• Platform: Mac or Windows
• Features: GPU acceleration for rendering, export at 32K /120fps, advanced noise removal tools, facial recognition
• Free trial: No
• Best for: Pro video editors

Da Vinci Resolve Studio Overview

DaVinci Resolve Studio is the paid-for version of DaVinci Resolve, our #1 pick of the best free video editing software. The latter has a lot to offer high-end production professionals for no money... so why would you want to upgrade?

Well, first off, at only $295 that's not a lot of cash. You'll also benefit from GPU acceleration for rendering, which significantly speeds up your workflow, as opposed to just playback with the free version. Also, while Da Vinci Resolve can "only" export at 4K at 60fps, Da Vinci Resolve Studio can export at up to 32K at 120fps. Plus you get advanced noise removal tools, motion blur and blur effects, support for HDR color grading, facial recognition, object removal, Speed ​​Warp re-timing, and other sophisticated AI-powered tools.

If you're a professional working in the TV and film industry, Da Vinci Resolve Studio is well worth paying for, especially if you've already gotten to grips with the free version.

Best Video Editing Software FAQ

Which software is best for video editing?

Right now, Premiere Pro (opens in a new tab) from Adobe is at the top of our list of the best video editing software. This industry-standard, subscription-based tool is aimed at professionals and is packed with sophisticated and powerful tools. And the latest features, released in October 2021, show how committed Adobe is to continue to update and improve it.

If you're more of a fan, however, you're probably better off with our second choice, CyberLink PowerDirector 365 (opens in a new tab). It's cheap and easy to get started, and it's available for purchase for a one-time fee.

Which is the easiest software to edit videos?

If you're just getting started in the world of video editing and using a desktop PC or Mac, our top recommendation is Premiere Elements. It's a simplified version of the more powerful Premiere Pro, so there's no such learning curve, and it's also cheaper. Also unlike most Adobe tools, it is available for a fee rather than a subscription.

Which is the best video editing software for mobile?

If you're looking to edit video on your phone or tablet, we'd suggest checking out Premiere Rush, which offers all the most important bits of Premiere Pro available for iOS and Android devices. Its interface is nice and simple, with large icons and panels that are easy to click on a small touchscreen. But you still get several useful features, like adding videos to a timeline via drag-and-drop and mixing in music. It also integrates well with Premiere Pro, so you can work on the same footage on your desktop computer and move.

Which is the best video editor for free?

If you have zero cash to spend, our guide to the best free video editing software will give you plenty of options. But keep in mind that many of these tools have serious limitations, such as ads, watermarks, or limited features.

An alternative to these free-but-flawless tools is to opt for a free trial of one of the paid options we've listed above. This will enable you to explore your options before making a decision. Just don't forget to cancel your trial if you don't want to be charged!

How difficult is it to do video editing?

Learning to edit videos is not something that should scare you. If you have ever used any kind of app on the web or mobile, then you will be able to use video editing software. All you have to do is start with the basics and build your skills from there. Whatever video editing software you use, there are plenty of tutorials online to get you started, and often the best ones are provided free of charge by the makers themselves. Check out our guide to Premiere Pro tutorials to learn how, and read our Premiere Pro Tips for further pointers.

What do most YouTubers use to edit their videos?

Unsurprisingly, the most popular video editing software among YouTubers are iMovie, Final Cut Pro, and Premiere Pro. iMovie is a common choice among beginners and casual YouTubers, as it's free, already installed on Apple devices, and does everything you need for basic editing. However, if you're on Android, we'd recommend Adobe's, Premiere Rush.

Pro and semi-pro YouTubers, meanwhile, need something more sophisticated, and so most opt ​​for Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. For more information, read Best software to edit videos for YouTube.

How do you edit videos for Tiktok?

You don't need to be a video professional to edit videos for TikTok; Nor do you need video editing software. The TikTok app itself provides everything you need to create your own video, including editing your footage, adding effects and transitions, adding music or other audio clips, and posting it to TikTok.

Credit: CreativeBloq