What Programs Should I Have for Video Editing
The best video editing software in 2021
The best video editing software available today isn't powerful and feature-rich, but it's suitable for a variety of uses, from editing your holiday clips and YouTube videos to full-blown TV and movie content. In short, whether you're a professional video editor or an average punter looking to give your phone footage a slick finish, you're well catered for.
The best video editing software is nowadays pretty easy to use, even if you don't have any training or experience. That said, different tools aim at different levels of sophistication. So in this article, we'll explain which software is the best fit for you, depending on what you're looking to do with it.
The best video editing software isn't always cheap, but there are often discounts available. And the prices on this page constantly update in real time, so you can be sure you're getting the best discounts and any Black Monday and Cyber Monday deals that pop up between now and 26 November.
How to choose the best video editing software
Below, we've brought together the best video editing software for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, and explain which is most suitable for different levels of experience and budget.
Before each writeup, you'll find all the factual info you need you choose between them, plus we've included links to longer reviews for delving deeper. If you're only interested in mobile apps, though, then our guide to the best video editing apps will serve you better.
Once you've choose your video editing software, you need to make sure you have the hardware capable of running it. So you'll also find our guides to the best monitors for video editing, the best laptops for video editing and the best tablets for video editing a useful read.
Scroll down to find quick links to today's top 3 deals, followed by our full dive into the best video editing software.
The best video editing software: Our top 3
The best video editing software in 2021
The best video editing software for pro video editors
Specifications
Platform: Windows, Mac
Key features: Multi-cam editing, 3D editing
Free trial: 7 days
Best for: Video editing professionals, video editing students
Reasons to buy
+Industry standard +Powerful features +Constantly updated
Reasons to avoid
-Requires subscription
Alongside Final Cut Pro (see number 5 on our list), Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the two main industry-standard tools for video editing. It's routinely used by pro video editors for everything from YouTube videos to TV and movies.
These two giants are closely matched in features and sophistication, but Final Cut Pro is only available for Mac. Since Adobe Premiere Pro is available for both Mac and Windows, that makes it our pick as the best video editing software overall.
Premiere Pro supports 4K, 8K and VR formats. Its trimming and editing tools give you a high degree of precision and control. You can work on an unlimited number of video tracks, which can be imported from pretty much any source you can think of. Automatic sync makes it easy to handle multi-angle shots, and you get customisable keyboard shortcuts and great collaboration features.
If you subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud, you get access to Premiere Pro as part of the package, and you'll be able to use it seamlessly with other software, from the motion graphics tool After Effects to Adobe Stock for importing stock video clips.
However, even if you don't want other Adobe apps, Premiere Pro's still worth considering as a standalone app. You can take out a seven-day trial to make sure you like it before committing.
Like all Creative Cloud software, Premiere Pro is constantly being updated, and subscribers get all updates for free. The latest big update (version 22), announced at Adobe MAX in October, introduced Remix, a new audio feature to help you match music to a scene; Simplify Sequence, which lets you make a clean copy of an existing sequence; Auto Tone, a new one-click colour grading tool; and the ability to use Speech-to-Text without an internet connection.
For more details, check out our Adobe Premiere Pro review, as well as our guides to how to download Premiere Pro and the best Premiere Pro tutorials.
The best video editing software for everyday use
Specifications
Platform: Windows, Mac
Key features: Multi-cam editing, 360-degree video, motion tracking (and loads more)
Free trial: 30 days
Best for: Experienced filmmakers
Reasons to buy
+Powerful tool +Stacks of features +Choice of payment models
Reasons to avoid
-Tough for newbies
CyberLink PowerDirector 365 is a serious bit of consumer-level video editing software. It's long been available for Windows, and now it's been released for Mac users too. It's available either as a one-off purchase or a monthly or annual subscription, and both options are pretty cheap.
PowerDirector 365 isn't quite as powerful and feature rich as Premiere Pro or Final Cut X, it certainly comes close. Get cracking on the 100-track timeline and you'll soon find yourself making the most of lots of stabilisation and video correction tools, professional effects, multi-cam editing, motion tracking and surprisingly easy trimming.
There's 360-degree video editing as well, together with support for all the file standards and formats you can imagine. Then there's slideshows, screen recording, DVD menus, object design tools and more.
You get free and unlimited access to an extensive, royalty-free library of content from Shutterstock. And the latest version, released in September 2021, comes with AI-powered tools such as Sky Replacement, Object Detection, Speech Enhancement, and Wind Removal to speed up your workflow.
Conversely, this level of sophistication can make PowerDirector 365 a little challenging to newbies. However, there are lots of video tutorials to help to get you started. To learn more, read our Cyberlink PowerDirector review.
The best video editing software for beginners
Specifications
Platform: Windows and Mac
Key features: Video stabilisation, face detection, automatic motion tracking
Free trial: 30 days
Best for: Video editing beginners and enthusiasts
Reasons to buy
+Easy to use +Loads of features
Reasons to avoid
-Not as powerful as some tools -Not the fastest
Premiere Pro and some of the other options on this list are quite expensive, and also a lot of work to learn if you just want to edit some family video footage or your first YouTube video for fun. In which case, we'd recommend Adobe's Premiere Elements, which is the best video editing software for beginners.
Premiere Elements is a simplified version of Premiere Pro (number one on our list). But while that makes it cheaper and easier to learn, it's still very capable, with some high-end features including face detection, audio effects and bundled soundtracks.
The interface is very simple and visual, and you get all the video effects you need, including transitions, chroma-keying and opacity. You can develop quite a fast workflow by harnessing smart search functionality, video stabilisation options, and automated functions, such as motion tracking and smart toning.
In the latest version released in October, Premiere Elements 2022, you can now edit and export your video in social-friendly formats. There's also a new auto-reframing feature that lets you select a subject and then focuses 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.
Note, though, that Premiere Elements is not part of a Creative Cloud subscription, but for a one-off fee. There's also a 30-day free trial. For more details, see our Premiere Elements review and our comparison article, Adobe Premiere Pro vs Adobe Premiere Elements.
Decent video editing software for beginners using Windows
Specifications
Platform: Windows
Key features: Multi-camera capture and editing, colour controls, stop motion animation
Free trial: No, but 30-day money back guarantee
Best for: Beginners
Reasons to buy
+Super-simple to use +Varied features +Free effects, titles & templates
Reasons to avoid
-May be too basic for some
Pinnacle Studio isn't the best-known video editing software for Windows, but it's well worth considering if you've never edited video before. For a quite reasonable price, you get more than 1,500 effects, titles, and templates, six-track HD video editing, colour correction tools, a dedicated stop motion feature, time remapping and more. It's very easy to use too.
The latest edition, version 25, includes a host of new features including smart object tracking, 8K import, keyframe groups, new blend modes and new audio features. Overall, Pinnacle Studio sits somewhere between the more basic free tools and professional-level video editing tools, both in terms of price and capability.
This video editing software is available for a one-off fee and is subscription-free. And if you like it, you can always upgrade to one of the more fully-featured and professionally oriented packages, Pinnacle Studio Plus and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate. To learn more, read our Pinnacle Studio review.
The best video editing software for Mac
Specifications
Platform: Mac
Key features: Muti-cam editing, intelligent colour balancing
Free trial: 90-day
Best for: Video editing professionals, video editing students
Reasons to buy
+Versatile and powerful +Optimised for Mac +Generous free trial
Reasons to avoid
-No Windows version
Apple's Final Cut Pro is a highly capable and highly respected tool for professional video editing, that's used throughout the TV and movie professions. It was called Final Cut Pro X until Apple dropped the last letter as part of a November 2020 update.
The main thing that counts against Final Cut Pro is that it's not available for Windows. On the upside, it's subscription-free: you pay once, and once only.
With features including 360° video, HDR and advanced tools for colour correction, Final Cut Pro is optimised to get the most out of your Mac, and integrates nicely with other parts of Apple's ecosystem, such as your Photos or iTunes collections. Professionals particularly love the Magnetic Timeline, grouping tools, a wide range of effects, good organisational features and simple ways to add and edit audio.
Despite being so powerful and feature-rich, this video editing software is surprisingly easy to use. And there are lots of resources to help newbies get up to speed: see our roundup of the best Final Cut Pro tutorials for details.
When software is not subscription-based, that usually means you don't get automatic updates. However, in practice, every update to Final Cut Pro since its release has been made free to existing users. For instance, the latest release this month (10.6.1) introduced fixes for multiple file handling issues, such as a bug that could stopped users importing FCPXML 1.9 and 1.10 files.
Also take note of the generous 90-day trial period, which compares favourably with the miserly one-week trial offered by Premiere Pro. If you need more help choose between these two tools, read our article Premiere Pro vs Final Cut Pro. For full information, check out our Final Cut Pro review.
The best video editing software for mobile
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)
Reasons to buy
+Simple interface +Good for social videos +Interoperable with Premiere Pro
Reasons to avoid
-Less powerful than Premiere Pro
Going to be working on the move? Then check out Premiere Rush, which makes all the most important bits of Premiere Pro available on your tablet or phone. Available for iOS and Android, this is the best video editing software for mobile.
Premiere Rush offers a simpler version of the Premiere Pro interface, with large icons and panels that are easier to click on a small touchscreen. And while there this means fewer features, you still get all the basics, such as adding videos to the timeline through drag-and-drop and mixing in background music. (For all the differences, see our article Premiere Pro vs Premiere Rush.)
One of the best video editing apps around, Premiere Rush can be used as a mobile app in its own right, or in concert with Premiere Pro. For instance, when you're on a train, you could make some extra edits to footage you previously worked on at the studio on your desktop PC.
If you're a YouTuber who wants to make quick edits to your clips, Premiere Rush is good for that too. There are export options optimised for Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and more. Like all Adobe software, it's updated regularly. The most recent release this month, version 2.0, introduced unlimited exports on desktop, availability in additional languages, and thousands of new royalty-free sound effects and loops.
You can get Premiere Rush as part of the Creative Cloud, or subscribe to Premiere Rush alone. Alternatively, this month Adobe announced that subscribers to the Photography Plan would now be getting Premiere Rush for free.
So there's a lot of options there, and here's one more. There's also a free starter plan that includes access to the app, 2GB of cloud storage and unlimited free exports on mobile. That free version alone makes it among the best software for editing videos for YouTube. For more details, see our Premiere Rush review.
The best video editing software for Corel users
Specifications
Platform: Windows
Key features: Real-time effects, colour correction
Free trial: 30 days
Best for: Beginners, Corel users
Reasons to buy
+Easy to pick up +Relatively inexpensive
Reasons to avoid
-Too basic (and unusual) for pros -Unusual approach to layers
If you're a beginner who wants to get started with video editing software, it's worth checking out Corel VideoStudio Ultimate – particularly if you're already a fan of Corel's illustration and graphic design software, such as Corel Painter.
This solid and relatively cheap video editing software for Windows has a clear, visual interface that makes it easy to get started. Once you've mastered the basics, there are more powerful features to discover, such as motion tracking, 4K support, 360-degrees VR video support, a music library, multi-cam support, 3D text editing and thousands of effects.
The way Corel VideoStudio Ultimate works with layers is a bit different to other video editing software. And on the whole, it's not advanced enough to be considered a pro tool. However, for newcomers to video editing software, it offers very good value for a relatively low price.
To learn more, read our Corel VideoStudio Ultimate review, and our comparison of Corel VideoStudio Ultimate vs Adobe Premiere Pro.
The best value video editing software for hobbyists
Specifications
Platform: Windows, Mac
Key features: 4K support, built-in effects and titles
Free trial: Yes (with watermarks)
Best for: Enthusiasts
Reasons to buy
+Simple to use +4K support +Royalty free sound effects and music
Reasons to avoid
-Too basic for pros
For a surprisingly low price, Wondershare's Filmora offers a solid video editing tool for enthusiasts, or for those just getting started with video editing. It has an intuitive interface that's easy to use, whatever your level of experience.
There are a large number of handy built-in titles, effects and filters designed for YouTubers and the like, as well as a library of royalty-free sound effects and music to give your videos impact. You also get the ability to record your own media directly within the tool.
The most recent version (10.5.5) in July 2021 brought a handy new feature in beta. Template Mode uses AI algorithms to pick highlights from your footage and automatically creates the video for you. This update also introduces a Cloud Files feature, allowing you to synchronize multiple files and use them across applications.
The free version of Filmora includes all the same features and tools as the paid tool, but all your videos will have a watermark on them. To remove this, you can choose between paying for an Annual plan and taking out a Lifetime plan for a one-off fee. Alternatively, there's an Unlimited plan, which includes unlimited downloads from a stock library, and new effects each month. For more details, read our Filmora review.
The best video editing software for small businesses
Specifications
Platform: Browser
Key features: Templates, stock content, intuitive interface
Free trial: 30 days
Best for: Beginners
Reasons to buy
+Excellent templates +Lots of stock content
Reasons to avoid
-Limited use cases -Requires membership
YouTube rival Vimeo offers a paid-for service called Vimeo Create, which aims at helping businesses produce social media videos with zero experience, using pre-prepared video templates. There are millions of stock video clips, photos and commercially licensed music tracks available to use for free, and lots of built-in styles, which you can apply to your video at the click of a mouse.
As you'd expect, the software makes it easy to produce videos for a variety of aspect ratios (eg square, horizontal and vertical) to suit different social platforms. It all works in the browser, so there's nothing you need to download. Yes, it lacks the advanced features you'd see in full-blown video editing software. But what it's designed for, it does very well.
Vimeo Create is not sold as a separate app, but included as a part of paid-for Vimeo Pro, Business and Premium memberships. For more information, read our Vimeo Create review.
Which software is best for video editing?
Right now, Premiere Pro from Adobe tops our list of the best video editing software. This industry-standard, subscription-based tool is aimed at professionals and comes packed with sophisticated and powerful tools. And the new features announced at Adobe MAX this month show just how committed Adobe is to continually updating and improving it.
If you're more of a hobbyist, though, you're probably better off with our second choice, CyberLink PowerDirector 365. It's cheaper and easier to get started with, and it's available to buy via a one-off fee.
What is the easiest software to edit videos?
If you're just starting out 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 not such a steep learning curve, and it's cheaper too. Plus unlike most Adobe tools, it's available for a one-fee rather than a subscription.
Meanwhile, if you're a beginner who wants to edit videos on your phone or tablet, we'd suggest checking out Premiere Rush, which makes 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 easier to click on a small touchscreen. But you still get a range of useful features, such as adding videos to the timeline through drag-and-drop and mixing in music.
What is the best video editor for free?
If you have zero cash to spend, then our guide to the best free video editing software will give you lots of options. But bear in mind that many of these tools have serious limitations, such as ads, watermarks or limited features.
An alternative to these free-but-flawed tools is to opt for a free trial of one of the paid options that we list 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 video editing?
Learning to edit video isn't something that should intimidate you. If you've ever used any kind of app on web or mobile, you'll be able to use video editing software. You just have to start with the basics and build up 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 by the makers themselves. Check out our guide to Premiere Pro tutorials to get an idea of what's out there, and read our Premiere Pro tips for further pointers.
When is the best time to buy video editing software?
Discounts on the top video editing software products do come up every now and then. However, there are specific times of year that you're more likely to see slightly higher mark downs. Near the end of the year, during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, we've seen Adobe offer up to 40% off its apps, so keep an eye out!
Read more:
- The 5 best video editing apps for YouTube
- Video editing macOS: The best software
- The best laptops for video editing
Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. He is author of Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books. He was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine.
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What Programs Should I Have for Video Editing
Source: https://www.creativebloq.com/features/best-video-editing-software-for-designers