what's the best video editing software
on windows right now well this is our
2022 review of the leading video editors
for pc and as usual with these roundups
which are pretty much now an annual
thing so after a lot of research and a
ton of testing in this video i'm going
to share my top recommendations for all
types of video creators from free and
beginner friendly apps up to more
advanced and professional editing
alternatives and just like last time i'm
going to break this down into three
categories we're going to start off
looking at free video editing software
then move into video editing software
under 200
which will also include the free stuff
as well and then we're going to open it
up and include video editing software
above 200
but also include the sub 200 and the
free software in there as well so that
you know if you're prepared to spend
more than 200 for your video editing
software how that stacks up and how it
compares to video editing software under
200 and free stuff as well now i would
strongly recommend that you are sticking
around to hear out all the options so
that you know you're leaving here with
the best option for you and even if you
decide early on what your editing
software is you'll see what you could be
missing out on or what you could be
unlocking if you do move up to another
program or app but i want you to
remember that there really is no perfect
video editing solution they're all just
tools to edit video so your goal is to
try and work out what the best video
editing software is for you personally
for your skill set and for the types of
videos you're creating so this is where
i recommend once you've narrowed the
list down to a couple of different
options go ahead and grab the trial
versions and dive in and have a play
around so you can see which one is going
to be the best one for you moving
forward as an added bonus i'm also going
to share with you at the end three video
editing tips that are going to help you
edit faster no matter which video
editing software or app you pick all
right so kicking this off and diving
into free video editing software you've
got a lot of options in here but this is
where we haven't included anything that
isn't actually free or is going to
require you to pay after a certain
amount of time or is going to add a
watermark onto your video i'm not
classing any of those as free so all of
these options are things that you can
use and get good results with so in this
category you've got things like vsdc
hitfilm express shot card avid media
composer first davinci resolve caden
live open shot and video pad now after
trying and testing all of these top
options i've narrowed this down to my
short list of three which are open shot
caden live and davinci resolve open shot
is a really simple yet powerful video
editing tool that works on pc mac and
linux the overall interface is really
simple and really straightforward and
it's gonna be great for someone who is a
beginner to jump in and get editing
quick i'm definitely impressed with the
overall performance not just rendering
times and saving out your videos but
also the experience of scrubbing through
and playing through footage while you're
editing as well now as this is a more
basic and entry-level application you're
not going to find any of the more
advanced features that you will find in
more professional tools that we're going
to get too soon but you do have enough
control over things like adding titles
and some simple effects and transitions
and there's even keyframe based control
to help you really dial that in so this
is a great option for someone who is at
that beginner to maybe intermediate
level someone who doesn't need all the
bells and whistles and all the advanced
features and controls someone who just
wants to jump in and edit their videos
simply caden live is really a next step
up from that it is a much more
professional tool much more feature
packed and it's got a lot more of those
more professional features that you
would expect to see in things like
davinci resolve and even adobe premiere
so it's so awesome that they've packed a
lot of this into this open source
software as well just like openshot this
one will also work on windows mac and
linux but it does support a larger range
of file types and codecs and as i said
it's got a lot more pro tools and
features in there things like more
professional color grading tools and and
multi-camera editing functionality but
overall the interface and the experience
while it's not as simple and as
intuitive as open shot it's definitely
not overwhelming considering all the
features and things that are in there so
i'd say this would be a good option for
someone at that beginner level that is
wanting to learn something that has more
features and controls it's not be as
intuitive as an open shot so there is
going to be more of a learning curve
right through to someone at kind of an
intermediate borderline advanced level
someone who does want more features more
controls and access to more of a
professional video editing tool and then
davinci resolve is pretty much hands
down the most professional video editing
program out there on windows for free it
is ridiculous what they are giving you
access to for nothing this is literally
professional grade video editing
software the stuff that they use to make
hollywood movies and stuff with so in
terms of features and controls and
things you're getting in there this is
really pro grade stuff which does mean
that there's going to be a lot more of a
learning curve it's not going to be
anywhere near as intuitive as the
previous two options so if you are an
absolute beginner this probably isn't
going to be the best thing for you
starting out but it is something that
you could invest some time and learn and
definitely get up to speed with and
we've got links to editing tutorials for
a lot of these programs which i'll link
down in the description box below now
there is a paid version of davinci
resolve studio available as well but
this isn't what we're talking about here
you get a lot of those features really
the core functionality you actually get
access to for free in the free version
and for most people out there unless you
are an absolute professional you're
probably not going to need to upgrade to
the studio version but it really is
important to know that if you have an
older or a lower spec computer this
really isn't going to run too well for
you it really does need a proper video
card it really does need a fairly recent
powerful computer to give you the best
results with it so overall rounding out
this category if you're an absolute
beginner open shot is probably going to
be the best option for you it's a great
all-rounder if you're looking for some
more features on top of that but still
something that's fairly easy to use and
caden live could be the best option for
you whereas if you're looking for really
professional grade industry standard
video editing software you can't go past
davinci resolve but there definitely is
more of a learning curve so from this
category if i had to pick one overall
winner you really can't go past davinci
resolve just the same as this video last
year it is ridiculous what they're
giving you access to for free literally
professional grade tools so moving on to
the next category all video editing
software under 200 now typically what
you find when you're moving from free
software up to the paid options is that
you're generally unlocking more features
more power more performance and
generally a more polished and fluid
editing experience now i say typically
because i've already told you how
amazing davinci resolve is and it's
totally free so in this category you've
got things like avs video editor vs dc
pro adobe premiere rush mob avi filmora
wii video movie studio movie edit pro
magix movie edit pro adobe premiere
elements power director and filmora pro
now again from so much trying and
testing my short list for best video
editing software under 200
including the free stuff as well comes
down to wevideo filmora and davinci
resolve wevideo is an amazing online
cloud-based video editing solution where
you don't need to download and install
anything on your computer it literally
runs in your web browser meaning that
you can use it on low powered computer
or older computers as well and because
it's run in the cloud it makes it a
great tool for collaboration and working
with team that are remote as well moving
from different device to device now this
is one where i was a little skeptical
when i first tried it out a few years
back but it is insane how powerful and
how fast this is to edit in even if
you're using things like 4k videos
besides that one of the standout things
for me is that you actually don't need
to wait for your video files to upload
to the cloud for you to edit you can
start editing straight away and the
upload's going to happen in the
background so even if you're just trying
to jump in and do a really quick edit
wevideo is still a great tool for that
too plus there's also a ton of built-in
templates and effects and things you can
customize up as well now because it is
primarily run in the cloud it does mean
that that upload is going to happen so
you will still need to have decent
internet to upload your video files but
again just not going to slow down your
editing process at all now in terms of
pricing there's a few different options
i said that most people are going to be
looking at either the unlimited plan for
7.99 a month which will let you edit in
1080p or the professional plan for 19.99
a month which will give you access to 4k
video editing and more templates and
more stock footage but overall i think
it's a really solid option whether
you're an absolute beginner through to
sort of an intermediate level but also
if you're someone who doesn't have a
powerful computer filmora is another
great option that works on windows and
mac it's one that not that long ago i
really didn't think i would ever be
recommending this is one that's grown a
lot and it's now a really powerful
really awesome video editing application
in terms of usability and the overall
interface it is really easy to use it's
really intuitive yet it's also got a lot
of professional tools and features built
into it and this is one where i think
they've really nailed the performance it
is a really fast program it just feels
snappy everything just feels fast and
your export times and render times are
ridiculously quick and so how this
stacks up to something like caden live
which in terms of feature set and
everything would be very similar filmora
would be my pick hands down in terms of
overall performance and usability now in
terms of pricing there is a free version
it has a watermark on it so i'm not
talking about that i'm talking about the
paid version which you can currently
grab on a subscription for around 62 per
year or you can actually buy lifetime
access for around 90 which is awesome
for anyone who's not a fan of the
subscription model but overall filmora
is a great option for an absolute
beginner right through to an
intermediate level it's awesome it's got
some more of the advanced features and
things in there as well but it really is
for anyone who's looking for a fast
simple easy to use yet powerful video
editing tool and then again for those
people that are looking for a more
powerful solution and more advanced
features and controls that's where you
can't go past davinci resolve so
rounding out this category if you're at
the beginner to intermediate level
either we video or filmora are going to
be great options for you wii video if
you want to be editing in the cloud and
maybe you've got a lower spec computer
or filmora if you do want more advanced
tools and a more traditional editing
approach as well and for those of you
that are looking for the professional
stuff more advanced features and
controls it's where you really can't go
past davinci resolve so i've had to pick
one winner in this under 200 video
editing category again it's gonna go to
davinci resolve it's just crazy what you
get pro tools pro features
for free so then on to our third
category video editing software above
200 but also including the sub 200 and
the free video editing software as well
so this really is best video editing
software on windows no matter what your
budget is now again typically in this
category where you are paying more for
your software this is where you're
typically unlocking more advanced
features more advanced controls really
pro grade tools and more robust
solutions so in this category we've got
things like hitfilm pro camtasia adobe
premiere pro avid media composer davinci
resolve studio magix video pro vegas pro
and lightworks pro so shortlisting those
down and including and stacking them up
against the previous categories and
software that we've mentioned my
shortlist for best video editing
software comes down to wevideo filmora
adobe premiere and davinci resolve so
adobe premieres one we haven't spoken
about yet this is a really popular
option when it comes to video editing
this is used by a lot of video
production professionals a lot of
youtubers but also for the hollywood
movie stuff as well the overall
interface definitely isn't going to be
as intuitive or as easy to use and to
jump into as something like filmora but
really is in line with what you see in
more professional programs so the
overall interface is very similar to say
a davinci resolve to a final cut and
even avid there's a lot of similarities
with all the pro software now this is
another one that works on both windows
and mac and it is really easy to
transfer between the two and to work
with different editors that are using
different platforms i also really like
how easy it is and how powerful it is
working with the rest of the adobe suite
as well so if you're using things like
photoshop or after effects they all just
integrate and talk to each other so well
making it a good experience all round
now i have found from time to time it
can be a little unstable or can be buggy
which is never ideal especially if
you're doing corporate or client work as
well but you do get into the habit of
learning to constantly save your work
and make sure that backups are happening
so that is not a drama if it does happen
and really it's not happening for me
anywhere near as much as it used to not
that long ago in terms of pricing you
can't buy adobe premiere outright you do
have to jump on one of their
subscription plans so you can grab it
for either 20.99 per month just for
premiere or if you want to get it
bundled in with the rest of the adobe
products in their master suite then
that's going to cost you
52.99 per month so adobe premiere is
going to be a great option for someone
at that intermediate level right through
to advanced or absolute professional
given all the features and tools and
everything that's in there but it could
also be a good option if you are a
beginner if you are someone who does
want to invest the time and to go
through the learning curve of learning
something like this knowing that it is a
professional level tool so to summarize
my top options here and to say which one
is going to be great for who if you're
an absolute beginner right through to an
intermediate level wevideo is going to
be a great simple fast option for you
especially if you like the idea of
editing in the cloud or you're going to
be editing on a lower spec computer next
to that filmora would be a great option
again for a beginner through to an
intermediate level someone looking for
probably more features and more controls
than you would get in wii video and also
having that great mix of simplicity with
power and performance packed in as well
and then for those of you that are at
the intermediate to advanced and
professional level this is when you
really can't go past adobe premiere and
davinci resolve these are my top two
picks for pro grade software on windows
now both of these do have some standout
features and some pros and cons but as
for which one is going to be the best
one for you this is where i really
recommend if these are the ones you're
looking at that you're grabbing the
trial versions or the free version in
davinci resolve's case and jumping in
and having a play around and seeing
which one resonates with you seeing
which one is the most intuitive for you
and the fastest for you to edit and to
create your videos now for me my pick
and really my overall winner when it
comes to best video editing software
right now in 2022 does go again to adobe
premiere pro i really think it is the
complete package for someone at that
level as i said i love the way that you
can work with teams i like the workflow
i like how easily and how fast you can
edit once you know how it all works
together and i like how well it works
with the rest of the adobe tools as well
now obviously there's a big price
difference between adobe premiere and
davinci resolve being free but for me
this is something that adobe being my
top pick and the number one tool for me
it's a no-brainer for me to pay that
every month given what i'm getting
access to but again grab the trial
versions and try for yourself it is
ridiculous what they're giving you
access to for free in davinci resolve
and maybe next year who knows maybe that
takes out the top spot now earlier in
the video i said i'd also share with you
three video editing tips to edit faster
in any video editing application the
first one is to focus on cutting your
content down first a lot of people just
jump straight in and they start adding a
ton of effects and color grades and
stuff onto their footage to make it look
pretty but all they end up doing is
slowing down their editing workflow
because your computer or your device
then has to process all of that for
everything that you're doing so focus on
building out your story cutting down
your video first and then make it look
nicer afterwards tip number two is to
use stock footage you don't need to have
to go and film everything and create
everything yourself from scratch there
are amazing resources and libraries of
stock video footage that you can easily
download and add into your projects
making your videos more engaging helping
people watch them longer but also saving
your time from needing to go out and
film everything yourself our top two
recommendations for stock footage right
now are story blocks and art grid and
i'll have those linked down below and
tip number three is to start to learn
and to use the keyboard shortcuts for
your program this is probably one of the
fastest ways that you can speed up your
editing because you can just press one
key on the keyboard and it's gonna save
you moving the mouse around to click a
tiny little icon on screen or in some
cases you can press one keyboard button
and it's to save you three or four
actions or three or four clicks that you
would be doing with the mouse a great
place to start with this is looking at
the playback controls jk and l in most
video editing software but also if you
head up to the help area in your editing
software or do a quick google search
then you can usually find a full list of
all the editing shortcuts now those are
just three tips from our primal video
editing guide which is a link to
download your free copy on screen now
where we take you through the most
efficient way to edit your videos down
with minimal wasted time and rework so
don't forget to grab your copy and i
will see you in the next video