Summary
- Video editing is becoming a necessary skill
- Many new video editors cater to special niches
- You can get both light and professional editing software for free
In this modern age, leaning basic video editing is becoming much less something just for experts, but rather, a skill that we must all possess. More and more of the content consumed online is video and therefore, you need to know how to edit videos if you are going to make a name for yourself online.
Selecting the best video editing software means asking yourself the following questions: What is your end goal? Do you want something that exports directly to social media platforms? Do you wish to put together clips or do you want to add other effects? Do you want something for small videos or large, FHD footages?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you can then view your options.
OpenShot
OpenShot is an award winning editing software which works on all computer OS- Windows, MacOS and Linux. The software offers unlimited tracks, meaning you can splice together videos, add background audio and add effects. You can fade, bounce, slide and animate anything on frame to make the video pop.
Clipchamp
Owned by Microsoft, Clipchamp is a video editing software that is targeted specifically to content creators. The software lets you edit your video to the specifications of the social media of your choice.
It is a lightweight app with user friendly interface that makes editing videos for your socials fun. You also get free and paid for stock footage for those moments when you don’t have footage to pass your point across.
Lightworks
With over 30 years’ experience in video editing, you know you are getting quality with this software.
Lightworks is a little more complex than some other editing software, but once you get going, it stands out due to its keyboard controls and cutting tools which can cut down large volumes of footage. You also get color correction and built-in video effects.
DaVinci Resolve
If you are looking for something heavy and more professional, then DaVinci Resolve is for you. It is preferred by professionals because it allows you to work faster and with the camera’s original image quality. In DaVinci Resolve, you combine editing with color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post-production.
However, this is a heavy software so ensure your computer has enough storage and processing power (minimum Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7, with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB storage).