﻿Which desktop-based 360 video editing software should you use? Choosing a video editor is one
of the most crucial decisions you'll need to make as a 360 video creator, both in terms of
money (either upfront or the long-term cost) as well as time in the time you invest in getting
good at them. So, in this video, I'll compare the top four desktop-based 360 video editors,
diving deep into the pros and cons of each, and ultimately which ones I recommend for whom.
To celebrate the launch of my brand new 360 video 101 course, I'll be sharing this paid
course lesson with you completely for free, so you can get a taste of what you'll find inside
the full course. And yes, it does include in-depth beginners guides and reframing
tutorials using the top programs I recommend in this video. So, without further ado, the
four contenders are Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and Insta360 Studio.
These four programs can not only reframe 360 videos into flat 16x9 videos but also have the
ability to edit your 360 videos as 360 videos for VR. While there are other options on the market,
these four are the best and most feature-rich when it comes to editing 360 videos. So,
let's go through them one by one, starting with Insta360 Studio.
Insta360 Studio, which is a free software made by Insta360. The pro’s of it are:
It's easy to use. Insta360 Studio is designed with a simple and user-friendly interface,
making it easy to pick up and reframe 360 videos in minutes. It's one of the only 360 video editing
softwares that is specifically designed for trimming and reframing 360 videos as its sole
purpose. Therefore, you can expect the best and quickest reframing experience with it.
It has low to medium system requirements. Insta360 Studio does not require a powerful computer to
use since it works with lower resolution proxies, which are automatically generated
by Insta360 cameras to help speed up editing. It's cost-effective. Insta360 Studio is 100% free,
at least to anyone who owns an Insta360 camera, making it accessible to anyone who
wants to dabble with 360 video reframing without investing in a full-featured video editor.
The cons of using Insta360 Studio are: It has limited features compared to the
other three programs on this list. Insta360 Studio has a much more limited range of features and is
missing a bunch of important ones that are crucial for editing longer videos. This includes editing
multiple clips into the same timeline, adding effects and titles, adjusting audio levels,
and manual color correction. For this reason, it can only be used for reframing clips one at
a time. This may or may not change in the future. The next con, it has limited format support. As
mentioned, Insta360 Studio specializes in the 360 video format. Meaning if you want
to also edit regular videos from non-360 cameras, you'll need to use a different editing software.
Overall, Insta360 Studio delivers a great experience for 360 video
reframing, and for a completely free software, it is a must-have for any 360 video creator.
Up next is Adobe Premiere Pro. The pros of using Premiere Pro are:
Firstly, it’s versatility. Premiere is a versatile software that can be used for a variety of video
editing tasks, including 360 video editing as well as non-360 videos, which is essential for
anyone making any kind of video professionally. It has a robust suite of editing tools. Premiere
Pro has a wide range of advanced editing tools that can be used to create highly customized
video edits, including using as many audio and video clips as you like. You can add effects and
professional titles, editing sound with a high degree of control, as well as color correcting
using the Lumetri color correction panel. The next pro is keyframing 360 videos. While
it's not always as quick and responsive as Insta360 Studio, you can create keyframes
with a high level of customization easily using the GoPro FX Reframe plugin. Premiere allows for
high-resolution exports, while other editors sometimes cap out at 4K. Premiere allows you
to export your videos as large as you like, which is especially handy for VR videos where
you're exporting at resolutions of 5.7K and up. Premier has an Inbuilt 360 viewer. For projects
that you are intending to be in 360, you can edit your clips as 360 videos and be able to
look around them without having a timeline filled with equirectangular videos, which don't visualize
the immersive experience very well in comparison. Another pro of Premier Pro for Insta360 owners is
the no stitch workflow. When you download Insta360 Studio, you'll also be prompted
to download a Premiere plugin, which allows you to drag your INSV files directly into Premiere,
completely bypassing the stitching step, saving you a lot of time in your workflow.
The cons of using Premiere for reframing 360 videos are:
Firstly there is a steep learning curve: Premiere is a powerful software with a
wide range of features, which can make it difficult to pick up quickly, especially
for new users. If you're a seasoned editor, though, the learning curve is much simpler.
Premier has higher system requirements. This mean that it requires a powerful
computer with a high-performance CPU and GPU to run smoothly, which can be a barrier
to entry for users with older computers. The next con is the cost. Premiere is not
a free software and requires a monthly subscription to use, which does add up
over time. In my opinion, it's worth it, but it's still something to be aware of.
Next up we have DaVinci Resolve which is a color correction software turned video editor by the
camera company Blackmagic. The pros of using DaVinci Resolve for reframing 360 videos are:
It's free and gives you access to most features of a fully-fledged video editor,
which is pretty amazing. It supports multiple formats,
including 360 videos and non-360 videos. Well, it, at least, lets you change the timeline's aspect
ratio to 2:1, which is the equirectangular 360 video format, meaning you could potentially use
it for all of your video editing needs. It has a full suite of features,
just like Premiere Pro. DaVinci Resolve has a comprehensive suite of editing features,
including multi-track video editing, music and sound editing, text effects, and, of course,
color correction. DaVinci is also an advanced color correction tool and has the best color
correction ability of all software, as it did start primarily as a color correction tool.
Finally, you can reframe 360 videos 100% inside of DaVinci Resolve using the Karta VR plugin,
and it's actually really good. I'd say as good as the GoPro FX Reframe plugin for Premiere since it
allows you to produce advanced animations around your 360 videos as well as smooth transitions in
between keyframes. It is a little bit harder to pick up than the GoPro FX Reframe plugin,
however, so in terms of ease of use, just be prepared for a bit more of a learning curve.
The cons of using DaVinci Resolve are the steep learning curve:
While the interface of DaVinci is user-friendly, just like Premiere, it has a lot of features and
tools that can be overwhelming for beginners. It’s resource-intensive. DaVinci requires a
significant amount of computing power, which can slow down your
computer if you have limited hardware. The next con is export quality. While you can
get most features with the free DaVinci Resolve download, one big limitation is that your exports
will be limited to 4K for reframing 360 videos this is okay. Since your end result is unlikely to
be any higher than that anyway. But for VR videos when you are exporting at much higher resolutions,
using the free version of Resolve will significantly reduce your export quality,
which is where the cost becomes a con as well as a pro. To unlock higher resolution exports and other
higher level features you'll need to pay a few hundred dollars for DaVinci Resolve studio. For a
professional video editor this is expected but it is a bit steep for beginners just starting out.
Also DaVinci doesn't currently have an inbuilt 360 viewer. If you are editing your 360 videos for VR,
then you're going to have to purchase subscriptions of expensive third-party
plugins in order to get just basic VR playback. Otherwise, even if you do upgrade to the paid
DaVinci version, you'll still be editing the equirectangular videos, which aren't really
optimal for creating an immersive experience. Finally, there's Final Cut Pro by Apple. The pros
of using Final Cut Pro for 360 video editing are: It has an intuitive interface. Final Cut Pro has
an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy to pick up for both beginners and more
experienced users. That said, it still has some pretty comprehensive editing tools,
including multi-track editing, advanced color correction, audio editing, text graphics,
and more, just like Premiere and DaVinci it also has multi-format support. Being able to edit both
regular videos and 360 videos, Final Cut Pro is highly 360-friendly, especially for VR. Not
only can you set up your timelines as 360 video timelines at high resolution, but you can also
easily view back your videos in 360 and adjust other factors like the horizon and orientation
with potentially the fastest response time of any program. This makes it a great candidate
if your sole use case is 360 videos for VR. It also features a generally fast performance.
Final Cut Pro is faster than both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve as it's made by Apple and better
optimized for the Mac platform, which means it can run quickly and smoothly on most Mac computers.
The cons of using Final Cut Pro for reframing 360 videos are firstly the cost. It's a few
hundred dollars upfront, and this can be prohibitively expensive for some users.
Final Cut Pro is Mac-only, which means if you have a PC, it won't be an option. While I do like
the fact that Final Cut recognizes 360 videos as 360 videos without having to tell it that that's
what you've imported, the inbuilt reframing tool, however, is a bit on the basic side,
and you also can't customize the transitions. So it really isn't anywhere near the level of
the other three programs in terms of reframing. So, which one should you choose? All four editors
are viable options. As with any investment, it's essential to consider what you can comfortably
afford. Paying years worth of subscription fees for software you only use occasionally
can be hard to justify. On the other hand, going for a completely free software with
significant limitations could hinder your work when you can afford a paid editor that's better.
Therefore, it's best to pick the editor with the most amount of features and least limitations that
you can also afford. To help with this decision, let's compare the pricing of each software.
Firstly, Insta360 Studio is completely free, which makes it a no-brainer download for all
Insta360 camera owners. While you can't edit multiple clips with it, you can use it solely
as your reframing tool used in combination with any of the other three editors.
Next we have DaVinci Resolve, which also has a free version with a wide range of editing
capability. If you're only planning on making reframed 360 videos and happy to work within
the 4K limit, then DaVinci really is a no-brainer since it delivers so much for literally no cost.
If you're shooting 360 videos for VR, however, and want to export your videos above 4K,
then it will cost 295 USD to upgrade to DaVinci Resolve Studio, which also
includes additional features such as Motion Graphics, Advanced Audio editing, and more.
Moving on to Final Cut Pro and the pricing model is also a one-time purchase price of
299 USD. This purchase includes all updates and new features that get rolled out from year to
year. Final Cut will be the best choice for beginners who are on a Mac and want a simple
video editing experience that performs well on a wide range of Mac computers. However, it doesn't
offer much over DaVinci, aside from generally faster performance and that immersive VR viewer.
Finally, there is Adobe Premiere Pro which is a monthly or annual subscription starting at
20.99 USD per month for an annual subscription of Premiere alone. Alternatively, you can have
it included within the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, which is currently 54.99 USD a month and includes
20 plus other Adobe products such as Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects, Audition, and more.
The downside of the subscription model is that you have to keep paying for it year after year and it
turns your overall amount spent from hundred to thousands after several years of subscribing.
The main pros of choosing Premiere are one, It's less money upfront if you go on a month-to-month
basis compared to Final Cut Pro or the paid version of DaVinci. Two, you do automatically
get all future updates and added features, and they do update all of their programs constantly
with amazing new features and tools that make both video and photo editing better. And three,
my personal opinion, Adobe offers the best products when it comes to video and photo editing.
Premiere is really nice to use once you get the hang of it, and it will allow you to create
professional-looking content quickly and easily. In terms of 360 video, it offers a fantastic
experience for both reframing. Here, as you can see, I edited my entire 360 video 101 course
inside of it, which is filled with reframed 360 videos that I was able to get great results with.
Also it has a decent VR editing experience that is second only to Final Cut Pro and will be a great
option for anyone editing the immersive medium. That said, the subscription model does add up over
time, so only consider subscribing if you're working professionally and easily have enough
money coming in to justify the subscription cost. I've personally been using Premiere for around 10
years, and it has been my go-to software for editing my YouTube videos, my online courses,
and my 360 videos, both as reframed and for VR. That said, if you're just starting out
and don't want to invest in software yet, I'd recommend using Insta360 Studio for reframing,
especially shots that have movement and motion blur, since you can't easily get the same effect
with the simple workflow inside of any other program. And I'd use it in combination with
the free version of DaVinci Resolve to edit your clips together, add titles, music, and graphics,
as well as the reframing aspect. For shots that don't need speed or motion blur effects, then once
you're at the point where you want higher quality exports and more video editing features, that's
when you want to consider switching to either the paid version of DaVinci or Premiere Pro.
Personally, Premiere still wins for me since it is the more 360 video-friendly editor. However,
if you only ever intend to reframe your 360 videos, then DaVinci Resolve will do
a good enough job, and there's no need to pay for it. It really just comes down to
your personal needs and budget, so it's up to you how quickly you want to invest
more for more functionality or whether the free tools are enough to get the job done.
I hope you got value from this video, and don't forget the key to creating amazing
360 videos isn't just about which tools you use but how to use the right tools to get the
best results. My 360 video 101 course not only has in-depth guides on DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro,
and Insta360 Studio, but it also shares all the technical and creative techniques you'll need to
get professional results every time. So, if you're ready to fast track your progress and tap into my
eight-plus years of 360 video knowledge, simply follow the link below to join the full course.