“Good editing makes the film look well-directed. Great editing makes the film look like it wasn’t directed at all.”
– Victor Fleming
It’s the invisible art that turns raw footage into compelling stories. But what if you’re an aspiring filmmaker, a content creator on a budget, or just someone looking to polish up home videos? Must the lack of a hefty editing software budget clip your creative wings? Not at all.
Free video editing software is a beacon of hope for the budget-conscious creator. It democratizes the art of storytelling by making the tools for cinematic expression accessible to all. These software options offer a plethora of features, from basic cutting and trimming to complex effects and color correction.
In this blog post, we’ll dive into the best free video editing software that stands up to the task, ensuring your vision isn’t limited by your wallet. Lights, camera, edit!
1. DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is a solution that integrates editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics, and audio post-production in a single software tool. It speeds up the filmmaking process while still ensuring high performance and breathtaking output video quality.
Accordingly, DaVinci Resolve is undoubtedly a powerful software that allows you to take your work to the next level. The most impressive thing about this application is the editing interface divided into pages. Then, each site provides you with a dedicated workspace that includes tools for a specific task. It ultimately makes your post-production smoother and more comfortable.
Noteworthy features:
- Export video in high resolution to Ultra HD 3840 x 2160
- Advanced film color processing with HDR palette
- Integrated Fairlight technology for professional audio post-production
- Supports up to 2,000 tracks via Fairlight Audio Core
- Provides beautiful transitions and effects
- Brilliant and fast video cropping
- Intuitive and accurate audio trim with waveform
- The powerful Color Match feature allows users to set the source, adjust gamma and color area.
- Support for image stabilization, 3D tracking, reshaping, RGB mixing, and HSL color curve customization.
- Sync clips on the timeline, edit source slides, share the timeline independently to save time
- Edit videos, color correct, and share with colleagues
Available for: macOS, Windows, Linux
Pricing: free, $269 for DaVinci Resolve Studio
Best for: advanced editors, TV shows and commercials creators, film colorists.
2. WeVideo
Next, we would like to mention WeVideo. It is a free video editing software that is comprehensive and versatile. Moreover, there a lot of users choose WeVideo in education, business, and life.
On the one hand, individuals, merchants, and small businesses can use WeVideo to thrive their brands and boost performance. On the other hand, Teachers use video creation to engage students and foster creativity.
It includes fabulous favorable tools such as video editing, graphics, green-screen effects, screenplay, voiceover, special video effects, and many other features. On top of that, the most striking point is that you can use the WeVideo Online version directly on the web platform without installing it on your PC.
Noteworthy features:
- Export up to 4K Ultra HD video
- Edit photos and videos from your gallery
- Transfer videos from mobile apps to web versions comfortably
- Provide unique video themes and video quality upgrade filters
- Cloud-based application, allowing access anytime, anywhere, and from any device
- Hollywood style green screen effect
- Add titles and captions
- Add your music as background music
Available for: Chromebook, Windows, macOS, and mobile
Pricing: both free and paid packages starting at $ 4.99 per month
Best for: beginners, small business merchants, teachers
3. HitFilm Express
HitFilm Express is great support software that can help you edit videos smoothly and effectively. So, you can create splendid movies like a pro filmmaker.
With this app, you do not have to spend a lot to create cool CGI effects or make fascinating video footage. Thereby, Hitfilm Express promises to improve your film visuals and make stunning and influential scenes. Besides that, with an intuitive interface, HitFilm Express, without doubt, will allow your imagination and creativity to run wild.
Noteworthy features:
- Provide a wide range of powerful basic and advanced editing tools
- Clean up green screen footage with advanced chroma key, matte cleaning, spill suppression, and auto light wrap
- Integrate 2D and 3D tracking system
- Import, adjust, texture, animate, and render a 3D model
- Equipped with powerful color grading and correction tools
- Immerse in The Hitfilm Express compositor toolkit with over 410 effects and presets
- Offers unlimited Tracks and Transitions
- Supports diverse audio, image, and video formats
- Include free video tutorials and support
Available for: macOS and Windows
Pricing: free and $349 for the Hitfilm Pro version
Best for: intermediates, film students, gamers, YouTubers
4. Blender
Blender is a free and open-source 3D graphics software for creating animations, effects, artwork, 3D printed models, 3D interactive software, and video games. Consequently, it is a horrible software for building eye-catching animations and epic 3D movies.
Noteworthy features:
- Engine Cycles Render – provides super realistic rendering
- Prototyping, sculpting, UV – makes it easy to create, transform, and edit models
- VFX – allows you to import raw footage, track the scene, and see live camera movement
- Animations & Rigging
- Visual storytelling and drawing 2D and 3D graphics
- Polygon modeling and sculpting toolset – provide flexibility in character design
- Python – allows flexible adjustment of layout, colors, sizes, even fonts.
Available for: Windows, macOS
Pricing: free, open-source
Best for: animation film creators, 3D character designers
5. VSDC Video Editor
VSDC Free Video Editor is a video editing software that includes countless features to assist you in personalizing and unleashing your movie creations. Furthermore, it is a real-time and productive tool, allowing users to create large-size HD videos in a matter of minutes.
Moreover, the interface of VSDC Free Video Editor is friendly and effortless to use. Not only that, but the software incorporates a robust video effect store, allowing users to export videos to a variety of popular formats for sharing across multiple platforms.
Noteworthy features:
- Edit, process, and create new video files
- Remove green background with Powerful Chroma Key
- Support rich video, audio, and image formats
- Integrate tons of trendy sound, video, and transition effects.
- Customize images with blending modes, color correction, and Instagram filters
- Convert video and audio to different formats
- Save your edits and apply them next time
- Burn Video to DVD
- Tweak the quality and format of the videos: MP4, MOV, Flv, MP3, etc.
Available for: Window only
Pricing: both free and paid versions (VSDC Video Editor Pro costs $ 19.99)
6. iMovie
iMovie is the next piece of software I would like to recommend in this article. Firstly, it is an application developed by Apple that is only available to macOS and iOS users. Secondly, because iMovie is so simple to use, it is ideal for beginners or those who do not require professional video editing software. However, this software can be a challenge for users who do not know video editing in general.
Additionally, iMovie allows you to make one-of-a-kind trailers in the Hollywood style. It will make your film more intriguing and engaging than ever before. Thanks to iMovie, you will be able to create your videos in 4K and HD quality with a retro monochrome look, a classic western look, or a cool blue futuristic look.
Noteworthy features:
- Create Hollywood-style intros and trailers
- Create movies with resolutions of up to 4k
- Provide a variety of effects, backgrounds
- Include 10 unique filters for diverse styles
- Supports 80 movie soundtracks to customize and integrate to suit the video length
- Record, crop, and rotate videos
- Change the speed of the video
- Share videos directly with friends and family
Available for: macOS and IOS only
Pricing: free
Best for: trailer maker, intro, and outro creation
7. OpenShot
The next software on this list is OpenShot. It entices users at first glance because of its modern and stylish interface with two colors, black and gray.
If you are looking for free, multi-featured video editing software to create and edit HD videos to upload to YouTube or Facebook, OpenShot will not let you down. Eventually, it is one of the most straightforward editors to use and the quickest software to learn, allowing you to make a video within hours.
Noteworthy features:
- Support various video, audio, image formats
- Adjust the size, scale, crop, trim, capture, rotate video
- Offer unlimited layers and background songs
- Insert overlay image, watermark on video
- Watch video transitions in real-time
- Create a new title, subtitle, or choose from an existing template
- Provides extensive editing features for high-resolution videos
- Includes powerful curve-based Key Frame effect
Available for: Linux, macOS, and Windows
Pricing: free
Best for: intermediate editors, small businesses
8. Movie Maker Online
When it comes to the most widely used online video creation platform today, it is impossible not to mention Movie Maker Online. It is free software with a neat and sleek interface that is incredibly simple to use. Even if you are a novice, you should have no trouble using Movie Maker Online.
Above all, the most exclusive aspect of Movie Maker Online is the availability of all primary functions online. In other words, there is no need to register or download any software. You can do everything online.
Furthermore, this software piques the interest of the majority of users because it does not add watermarks or overlay ads to your final product. As a result, from now on, you can enjoy a highly personalized and authentic video.
Noteworthy features:
- Provide a rich stock of free music, photos, effects, and transitions
- Trim, merge, shorten and blur videos
- Vertically and horizontally mirror and rotate videos and photos
- Speed up the long and slow down the fun moments
- Add text to the video with different fonts, highlighting, transition effects
Available for: all devices and operating systems
Pricing: free
Best for: beginners, simple video editors
9. Lightworks
Lightworks, which has been around for over 25 years, is one of the earliest movie-making applications. Its powerful video editing tools have contributed to the success of classic films such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The King’s Speech, Pulp Fiction, The Irishman, and many others.
Accordingly, it is a professional video editing software for the computer that allows you to create movies in 720p resolution on Youtube. Furthermore, it has a minimalist interface, making this software exceedingly comfortable and easy to use.
However, the Lightworks Free version allows you to try it for seven days with full powerful video editing features.
Noteworthy features:
- The only narrative-based timeline built by editors
- Customized interface
- Fast video processing speed
- Support wildest multi-format video editing and exporting
- Fully integrated with the most basic and necessary features for video editing: cutting, joining videos, etc.
- Include hundreds of 2D & 3D titles and text animation effects.
- Add, play and edit music directly from Audio Network or Amazing Music Tracks.
- Easily share multimedia content and progress the video in real-time
Available for: Linux, macOS, and Windows
Pricing: free, $ 23.99 per month for Lightworks Pro and $ 389.99 for Lightworks for life
Best for: amateurs, short video makers, teachers
10. Shotcut
In addition to OpenShot, Shotcut is a famous and widely used open-source video editing platform currently. Shotcut gives users a diversity of tools for performing video editing operations based on adjusting each frame to improve image quality.
Thereby, you can add an intro, edit the bitrate, resolution, or file encoding, and optionally use filters to create video clips with high quality and vivid pictures and sound.
Noteworthy features:
- Edit Video based on advanced algorithms
- No file import is required – edit the original timeline.
- Support to import many image formats from Video frames
- 4K resolution support
- Color correction and layering with a three-dimensional color wheel (shadows, mids, highlights)
- Provide rich audio filters such as balance, bass & treble, bandpass, compressor, etc.
- Create, edit, save, encode and stream MLT and XML file
Available for: Linux, macOS, and Windows
Pricing: free
Best for: audio editors
11. Vimeo Create
Vimeo Create is a mobile app that allows users to record, edit, and upload videos to the Vimeo system directly from their devices. In other words, the highlight of Vimeo Create is the ability to create stunning videos from templates. Moreover, you can manage and grow products through integrated marketing tools, all in one app.
Vimeo Create also allows you to quickly convert your product listings and photos into videos within few minutes. It is eventually an excellent app for expanding your reach and raising brand awareness.
Noteworthy features:
- Provide over 1,000 templates for video ads, promos, tutorials, educational videos
- Access to an unlimited image stock library
- Include all the tools you need to add text, captions and create transitions
- Customize colors, fonts, layouts, etc. to achieve the desired style
- Allows uploading, launching pages from applications: Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut, MailChimp without much effort
- Promote video through several marketing-related features
Available for: Android and IOS
Pricing: free plan for 30 days and paid plans range from $7 per month and up to $75
Best for: entrepreneurs, marketers, and small business owner
12. Avidemux
AviDemux 2.8.1 is video editing software that allows you to edit and encode MPEG, AVI, and DivX files. AviDemux is so simple to use that even children can do it. As a result, this software is unsuitable for professional editing requiring several advanced features.
Noteworthy features:
- Simple trim, merge and encode video
- Supports most popular video formats
- Allow removing audio in video
Available for: Linux, BSD, macOS, and Windows
Pricing: free
Best for: kids, beginners, basic editing tasks, animation projects, gameplay video
13. Machete Video Editor Lite
Machete Video Editor Lite is the free Machete video editing software. The Lite version is intended to help you rapidly and effortlessly cut AVI and WMV video files.
Above all, Machete Video Editor Lite has a convenient and straightforward interface. As a result, even if you have never edited a video file before, you can edit them within minutes of downloading the program.
However, the disadvantage of this version is that it does not support audio file editing. Users are unable to add or replace audio streams.
Noteworthy features:
- Play and edit AVI and WMV video files
- Edit video with many handy functions: cut, copy, delete and paste video clips, save videos as separate files and insert a video file into another video file of the same format
- Extract and save shared video files
- Edit tags
- Take a video image and save it in bitmap format
Available for: Windows
Pricing: free
Best for: beginners, easy-task editors
14. EaseUS Video Editor
EaseUS Video Editor is a simple but effective video editing software that sparks everyone. This tool allows you to easily create your professional videos or home entertainment movies with amazing effects and transitions.
Additionally, EaseUS Video Editor helps you create whatever types of video you need, including a promotional video, a happy birthday video, a travel video, a recipe tutorial, or a vlog. It ultimately can help you capture every moment of your life vividly and creatively.
Noteworthy features:
- Provides outstanding full functionality: trim, split, rotate, mix audio, zoom, mosaic, text-speech exchange
- Include a cool collection of video filters and overlay effects
- Gives quick access to over 50 visual effects and transitions
- Add drag and drop features to save time on complex visual effects tasks
- Import and mix tracks like a pro
- Burn video to DVD or upload to Youtube, Facebook, Twitter
- Support all types of files and free video converters for Windows: MP4, AVI, WMV, MKV, MOV
Available for: Window
Pricing: free and EaseUS Video Editor License starts at $29.95 per month
Best for: vloggers, creatives, slideshow makers, suitable for all skill levels
15. InVideo
InVideo gives potential professional-looking, high-quality videos without minimal video editing skills. It is also one of the leading video creation platforms today that is popular and appreciated by businesses.
Moreover, InVideo can create promotional videos and media videos to help businesses promote their brands rapidly and effectively. InVideo has an impressive and elegant user interface. As a result, it is a perfect place for you to unleash your creativity to create super eye-catching videos and optimize your original ideas.
Noteworthy features:
- Offers 4000+ pre-made templates
- Includes over 8 million templates from the iStock library and over 1 million Premium templates from Shutterstock and Storyblock.
- Create videos in more than 70 languages
- Seamless control over the timeline
- Add animation with just one click
- Remove the background of the video
- Turn articles into videos
- Customize brand colors, logos, etc. on Brand Presets and add them with one click
Available for: Windows, macOS
Pricing: free and 2 paid plans: $15 per month for the business plan and $30 per month for an unlimited plan
Best for: video marketers, small businesses owners, teachers
Wrap up
Undoubtedly, video increasingly plays a vital role in the digital era. An appealing and elaborate video will help you stand out from the crowd. You now have a collection of videos but to create engaging videos, we need effective support software. However, if you cannot afford expensive videos, free video editing software is a viable option.
With a bevy of software for editing videos free, it is challenging to make a choice. Therefore, this article is ideal for you since it will reveal the best free video editors which are affordable and highly rated by previous users.
Even if you have never done it before, you will be able to create a gorgeous video in a couple of hours.
