An exciting video can help your brand succeed or be a pleasant surprise for your loved ones. But creating quality video content requires special software. Many video editing tools are paid, but there are also good free applications. And that’s great news for those just learning how to work with video.
Instagram stories, Facebook ads, or product videos on YouTube can all be created with free video editors with simple, homemade interfaces.
We’ve compiled a list of the best free video editing software for this article. Our list includes video editors for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The selection consists of mobile apps and software for computers and mobile phones. Everyone can find a convenient option for their purposes. Use them to create videos for yourself and your business.
The best video editors for personal computers
iMovie
Platforms: macOS, iOS.
Pros: Easy to use. There are desktop and mobile versions.
Cons: Limited features for power users.
Great tool from Apple for easy and convenient video editing. Intuitive to use. Not hard for beginners to learn how to work in it. Both desktop and mobile versions have a classic interface with an editing table, a handy media browser, and a built-in gallery of transitions, effects, and filters. There are ready-made templates for a variety of projects and rich export settings (including 4K).
Great for those who are just starting to work with video.
DaVinci Resolve
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Pros: Excellent color correction and intuitive interface.
Cons: A large set of features that can be confusing to the novice user.
DaVinci Resolve has a huge number of tools for picture and sound correction. The free version has a few limitations that the average user is unlikely to notice. Among them are the lower 4K resolution, the lack of collaborative work, and watermarking for some filters.
DaVinci Resolve has many professional video features. But its interfaces remain intuitive. The main features of the video editor are:
- Advanced trimming
- Multidimensional editing
- Colour correction
- Audio mastering.
The app also gives you the ability to add 2D and 3D titles to your videos. Ideal for complex projects.
Shotcut
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Pros: Support 4K HD resolution, 1080p video at 60 FPS
Cons: Unusual interface.
Nice open source editor. Can access all features without having to pay for an upgrade.
The interface is a little unfamiliar, but intuitive. This is probably because it was originally developed for Linux. But it is not difficult to understand. There are a lot of tutorial videos.
Shotcut supports a large number of video formats, including 4K HD. In addition to the basic editing features, there are transitions, combinable filters, and exporting not only to a given format but also to a specific device. Shotcut does not require you to import your video into the editor (handy if you are dealing with large video files). There are also three lossless video export formats. However, the files are large in size.
The editor is suitable for beginners and advanced users alike.
Lightworks
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Pros: Many features.
Cons: Difficult for beginners. Only supports 4K video in the paid version.
Very powerful professional video editor. There are many useful features even in the free version. There are many video tutorials for beginners.
Lightworks supports multi-camera editing, hardware-accelerated color correction, high-precision trimming, and other features that are only available in expensive programs.
Export options are limited to 720p or 1,080p when uploading to Vimeo. Support for 4K videos for YouTube and Vimeo is included in the paid version only.
OpenShot
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Pros: Open source, user-friendly interface. An unlimited number of tracks/layers.
Cons: Not many tutorial videos.
OpenShot is a cross-platform editor with a user-friendly interface and a long list of features. It’s good for beginners. OpenShot can work with various video formats, supports unlimited tracks, and has a nice gallery of transitions, filters, and titles.
All basic features are available: video and audio composing, creation of titles, including animated 3D, use effects and transitions, video rotation and distortion, and advanced timeline.
Great for users who are just beginning to work with video.
VSDC Free Video Editor
Platform: Windows.
Pros: Easy to use. A large set of features.
Disadvantages: Paid technical support. No version of the editor for macOS, or Linux.
This is one of the best free programs with a large set of features. VSDC Free Video Editor has tools for non-linear video editing, converting, adding effects, transitions, subtitles, sound, photos, and whatever else you want to add to your video.
VSDC supports color correction and stabilization and has a module for tracking an object within the frame and many effects. The program allows you to capture video from screen and external sources. The finished footage can be exported in 4K resolution and immediately uploaded to YouTube.
Unlike many free video editors, VSDC works perfectly with all known formats. It opens 4K and 120fps (GoPro and drones) and allows you to export in H.265/HEVC video – a codec that preserves the highest possible picture quality while keeping file size to a minimum.
In addition, VSDC has pre-configured export profiles: they allow you to set the best parameters for the selected device or social network in two clicks. As a result, you get maximum quality and minimum manual adjustments.
VSDC makes it easy enough to work in non-linear mode and places files on top of each other. You can drag and drop videos and images directly onto the scene, resize them and either blend them using blend modes or apply a picture-in-picture effect.
Most of the features are available for free, but to use some (e.g. masks) you’ll need to choose the paid Pro version.
Choose VSDC if image quality is important to you.
Blender
Platform: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Pros: Loads of features. Good technical support.
Cons: Takes longer to learn.
Blender is one of the best free and open-source video editing software. The editor lets you do basic things like cut and paste videos. As well as more complex tasks, such as video masking. It also lets you create 3D computer graphics. Blender backs up your projects throughout the runtime, so you can save your data in case of unforeseen events.
Because of its wide range of features, the editor is suitable for beginners and advanced users alike. It is best suited for more advanced projects that may include 3D animation.
Videopad
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Pros: Has direct export functions to YouTube and other social platforms.
Cons: Too simple an editor for more advanced users. After the trial period, some features will be limited (formats to convert, number of audio tracks, etc.).
Videopad is a feature-rich nonlinear editing program with an easy-to-understand interface. Videopad allows you to perform all popular operations from trimming and overlaying transitions to changing the speed and adding subtitles. Visual filters and drop transitions are available to help you add variety to your video. Additionally, color correction settings can be used to adjust brightness, contrast, gamma, and so on.
The developers have also added the ability to save GIF animation from fragments of video clips and the function of creating a slide show. At the same time, you can add filters and transitions, and superimpose music, thematic frames, borders, and text in the photo array.
The video editor lets you import content in more than 60 different formats, including panoramic and 3D video.
It’s ideal for those starting to experiment with video compositions.
Avidemux
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Pros: Simple and intuitive interface.
Cons: Limited set of features for working with video. Not suitable for professional use.
This is a very simple video editor that does basic editing very well. Avidemux is great for trimming and stitching videos. It allows you to perform these operations without re-encoding files and so saves time.
Basic tasks are available in the program:
- Convert video to other formats.
- Resize or trim videos.
- Add sound or music.
- Change the video speed.
Great for novice users to perform basic tasks.
HitFilm Express
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Pros: Suitable for professional use. Has built-in YouTube uploading.
Cons: May take some time to learn the interface.
HitFilm Express is a simple all-in-one program for novice users who want access to professional editing tools.
In addition to the basic functions (splicing, trimming, and audio editing), the program offers color correction and masking, support for panoramic video and chromakey, applying special effects to individual parts of the frame, and work with 3D objects. Finished materials can be exported in different formats with flexible settings. The free package contains more than 180 special effects.
KDEnlive
Platforms: Windows, Linux.
Pros: Simple and clear interface. Works well on weak PCs with little memory.
Cons: Only two video tracks are available.
KDEnlive is a powerful open-source video editor. Supports almost any format and can be exported in 4K. KDEnlive is a cross-platform product, so it can be considered an alternative to iMovie for Windows and Linux.
The program interface is simple and minimalistic. Even if you’ve never worked with a non-linear video editor before, you can easily find tools to crop videos, remove audio tracks, change audio and playback speeds, and apply standard effects. KDEnlive includes hardware acceleration, effects and transitions, and the ability to add color correction to videos. The application includes customizable shortcuts, themes, and an option to install plugins.
Only two video tracks are available in Kdenlive, but this will be enough to apply effects such as split screen and picture-in-picture for most users. Among the unique features of KDEnlive is the quick creation of a frame with a colored background to add a title, title, or transition between scenes. Kdenlive doesn’t have built-in text templates, but you’ll find them freely available on the product’s user forums.
Video editors for mobile devices
Magisto
Platforms: iOS, Android.
Pros: Good quality video processing with artificial intelligence.
Cons: Some operations are automated. This increases speed but reduces control over the creative process.
Magisto is a modern video editor with smart features. With it, you can create impressive, professional-quality social media videos in just a few steps. Choose your style, add your video and photos, choose your music from the built-in music library, and let the AI algorithms do the rest. The software will automatically edit and create your video. The process may take some time. It all depends on the quality and quantity of selected videos.
How does it all work? The app uses a kind of artificial intelligence to analyze the video and selects the most interesting moments. Of course, the algorithm does not always work, but in most cases, it gives very good results. It is worth trying!
Clips
Platform: iOS.
Pros: Fast and easy to use. There is a function of live headlines.
Cons: Developed only for iOS.
A simple app from Apple that’s perfect for creating short and funny clips to share on social media. Clips have all the basic features, sets of filters and effects, coolest stickers, as well as advanced titles and animated posters for all occasions. You can use this app to create videos for Instagram.
The coolest features are the ability to edit your background and give your content a comic book feel. The next great feature is Live Captions. just record a video and Apple Clips will automatically add captions as you speak (they sync with your voice). Once you’re done, go back and edit the titles to make sure they’re correct.
Great for Apple users who need a handy video editor for Instagram.
FilmoraGo
Platform: iOS and Android.
Pros: Suitable for basic video editing on a smartphone. No watermarks or time limits.
Cons: Works a little worse than desktop video editors.
A popular video editor contains all the editing features that professional studios are equipped with. Allows you to edit and process video on the go. In addition to the basic functions (trimming and splicing), FilmoraGo lets you apply thematic filters and other effects, add music and transitions and change the playback speed.
FilmoraGo is 3 simple steps:
- Select photos and videos from your gallery, albums, Facebook, or Instagram service.
- Create your own theme, add your favorite music, filters, titles, and even transitions.
- Save to your gallery or share instantly to Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, WhatsApp, YouTube, or email.
You can easily add themes, text, and titles to your videos. The desktop version has more features, but it’s pay-as-you-go.
How to choose the best free video editing software?
So, let’s recap and look at the video editing software that best suits your needs.
If you haven’t worked with video before, choose:
Avidemux, Openshot, VideoPad or iMovie
For advanced 3D animation projects:
Blender, HitFilm Express
For quick video editing on Instagram, suit:
Magisto, Clips
If you need color correction:
DaVinci Resolve
For smartphone:
FilmoraGo, Magisto, Clips
Use the free video editing software on our list to start creating great-looking movies today. Create cool memorials, product videos, and commercials that present your brand in a visually appealing way. And your amazing videos can easily be shared with friends via any social networking site.
