Like always, the competition is fierce. It's not easy to choose the very best free editing software especially when you've decided to go “free”. Still, the beginners should always start with free software. The tendency to blindly ape professionals and pick up expensive commercial software that you don't even need should be avoided. Also, free is not always bad. If you're only looking to edit your friend's 30th birthday, and not looking to add multi-track audios with multiple graphics and animation, these free filmmaking software are more than enough. In fact, some features are comparable with the best.
Let's First lay Out The Features That You Almost Always Receive:
- Ability to trim the videos from beginning to end
- Tie together multiple video strips
- Facility to combine photos, videos and audio files into one or more output files
- Add the basic transitions with the title screen
- Add the basic level of audio mixing
- Simple drag-and-drop features
- Timeline narration and auto movie features
- Some batch-processing capabilities for dealing with large numbers of files
It sure seems more than adequate for home use. If you are a beginner, pick a free version, and the job is done. Now that we've established what we need, let's move on.
Some Of The Best Free Editing Software In The Market Today:
- Windows Movie Maker is a free video-editing platform that can perform each of those basic tasks with a simple drag-and-drop. You can add effects, transitions, and inputs. The changes can also be modified using XML code. Windows movie maker is more than enough to edit and publish your videos on sites like YouTube and Facebook.
- VirtualDub is another powerful free video editing software for Windows platform. It's really good with many advanced features, like compression, video splitting, and the addition of multiple audio tracks. As a free movie editing software, performance is really good with batch processing capabilities.
- iMovie for Mac comes free with the Mac computer but there's a catch. There is a price for a lifetime upgrade. It's for you to decide whether you can call it “free”. Anyways, it's got a very friendly interface with the amazing ability to quickly share the video on the online platform. Like all Apple products, it's an easy product to use. There are certain disadvantages, like inability to import the MP4 files. Yet, it remains one of the best free editing software in the market.
- Lightworks is a great editor if you're looking to work mostly on YouTube files. It supports resolutions up to 4k. If you have a short film to edit, Lightworks is always a great choice. Once you're comfortable with the platform, you have the option to choose and upgrade to the paid version as well.
Making The Right Choice: Video Remix
There are other big names in the social media marketing niche as well. The sheer number of choices can make anyone go weak in the knees. This is an innovative space and the spectrum is wide. You can get anything, right from a free video editing app on your smartphone to highly customizable, cloud-based video editing platform called Video Remix that can create a personalized video product.
Conclusion
The best reason to go for these free software is you get to discover your passion before you spend any money on it. Remember the last time when you bought something with great enthusiasm and never really used it after the first week. It happens more often than not, right.
Avoid falling for the same trap again. If you're addicted to reading reviews and product comparisons, going through online tutorials, surfing all across the internet to know the exact meaning of the features, it can be all confusing. It's easy to get swayed when the filmmaker inside you pushes you to buy the most expensive film making software in the market. You need to ask yourself basic questions like:
- Are you just making videos for social platforms or home movies?
- Do you want to produce just another 4K video or you want to actually express creativity?
- Would you really want to explore the world of video editing?
Once you've answered these questions, options would be much clear. If you choose to stay on with the deep and inquisitive world of video editing, you'd want to stay forever. Not only would it fulfill your creative instincts, it's a great way to express your passions on screen. With each passing stage, it's important to take the time to understand the nuances of video and filmmaking.
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