- This is our 2022 roundup
of the best free video editing software on Mac and PC.
After putting all the leading software
without watermarks to the test,
we're gonna run through a short list of the top options,
as well as my pick for the best free video editor right now.
Now, as we're going through a scroll down,
let me know in the comments
what's your favorite free video editing software
right now and why.
Now a really quickly upfront,
I wanna say that all the options we're covering off
in this video are full featured video editing programs
with no watermarks or no critical editing limitations.
So you can edit and save out your videos
with no issues in these options.
Okay, so option number one is iMovie.
Now this one is Mac only
as it comes pre-installed on your Mac.
And it is a really popular option
for video editing software on Mac.
And that really comes down to how easy
and how intuitive it is to use.
It's probably got one of the simplest interfaces out there.
So someone who is an absolute beginner
and never edited before can really jump in
and quickly figure out what's going on
and start editing their videos in iMovie.
Compared to some of the other options I'm about to cover,
iMovie is much more limited in terms of the effects,
the video formats, and the color correction controls
that you've got.
But this doesn't mean
that you can't get great results in iMovie.
There's some really big YouTube channels
and content creators that just use iMovie
for all of their stuff.
But if you do start with iMovie
and you are hitting the limits,
then there is a clear upgrade part to the big brother
or the more professional application, Final Cut Pro,
where the two of them do share a lot of similarities.
So it is easy to move from iMovie to Final Cut
if you're hitting the limits.
But overall, iMovie is a great option
for someone who is an absolute beginner
and doesn't need all the extra advanced stuff.
Option number two is OpenShot.
And this one works on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
It's completely open source,
and it's got an amazing community and dev team behind it,
keeping it updated and adding new features all the time.
It is another one that's very easy to use.
It's probably not as simple as iMovie,
but it also does have some more advanced features
and tools than iMovie has.
Now depending on which computer you're using this on
and how powerful it is,
it can be a little clunky.
Personally, in my experience,
I've used it on both Mac and PC,
and it's worked fine for me.
But I have heard of people having issues
with it running slowly for them.
Just like iMovie, one of the biggest limitations
with OpenShot is around the filters and effects
and the controls and stuff in there.
It does have very limited color correction tools.
But if all you need is the basic stuff,
then it could be a great option for you.
So I'd say OpenShot is great, again,
if you're someone who is at that beginner level.
Option number three is VN Video Editor.
And this is kind of a bit of a newcomer
when you're comparing it
to a lot of the other options we're covering here.
This one will work on Mac.
It also works on iOS and Android
'cause it's an app as well.
And they do say on their website it works on Windows,
but there is kind of a bit of a workaround
to get it to work on Windows.
Now, personally, I'm a massive fan of VN Video Editor.
I really love what they're doing.
I love that they've really just ported their app
from iOS and Android over to the Mac,
and I guess to Windows as well.
Because the approach from editing
on the app is something that is totally different
when you're comparing it to,
say, regular video editing programs.
And this new approach and this new interface is something
that is really easy to use,
it's really intuitive,
but it also makes your editing really fast and fun.
Unlike iMovie and OpenShot,
in VN Video Editor, there's a ton of effects,
ton of presets, ton of filters,
so you do get a lot more control over your editing
and the look and feel of your videos.
And because this one works on so many different devices,
you can actually share your projects between them.
So you could, say, start your project on your iPhone
and then you could AirDrop it over to your Mac
and finish editing on the Mac version of the app.
And personally, I think that's huge
if you are someone who is creating content on the go.
Now one thing to be aware of
that has caught me out a couple of times,
this is definitely not a deal breaker.
But when you do start a new project,
it automatically creates a little title screen
like a credit screen that goes at the very end
of your video.
So you wanna remember to remove that
or it's gonna save that with your video.
But overall, I'd say the VN Video Editor is great
for someone an absolute beginner level,
never edited before,
you'd be able to jump in and get up to speed quick
right through to someone at kind of that intermediate level,
someone looking for more features, more control
but doesn't necessarily wanna jump
into a full featured professional program.
Option number four is Kdenlive.
Now this is another open-source solution
that'll work on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
You could think of this like OpenShot
but much more advanced.
It's also got a similar layout and style
to traditional professional tools like Adobe Premiere.
So learning and mastering this,
you're easy to move between different,
more professional applications as well.
But comparing this to OpenShot,
it's definitely a much more professional option.
It also means it is more complicated
or there is a higher learning curve than, say, OpenShot,
but that's because there is more advanced tools
and features and everything in there.
But overall, in my experience,
the overall editing and moving around the timeline
and everything is really, really fluid, really fast.
And it's so awesome to have in there
a lot of the more professional tools.
Like even the color grading tools
and things that they give you in there,
they are really next level on what you would expect
for free open-source software.
So Kdenlive would be a great option
for someone at that intermediate to more advanced level,
someone looking for more of those advanced tools
and features and things
but isn't necessarily looking for the most advanced
or the most professional tools out there.
That brings us to option number five,
which is DaVinci Resolve.
This is another one
that we speak about a lot on this channel.
It works on Mac, Windows and Linux,
and this is hands down
the most professional free video editing software out there.
This is legit, professional,
Hollywood-grade movie style stuff.
It wasn't that long ago that it was mainly used
just for finishing or for color grading,
but it's now a full production tool.
Not only it isn't an amazing video editing tool,
but it also has professional-grade audio tools
and even motion graphic tools built in too,
think Adobe Audition and Adobe After Effects all included.
Now in terms of usability and the overall interface,
this is another one where it is easy enough to learn
and to get up to speed with,
but it's definitely more advanced
than all the other options mentioned.
And that's because it really does pack in
a ton more advanced features and controls.
Again, this is legit professional-grade software.
Now there is a paid version of DaVinci Resolve available,
DaVinci Resolve Studio,
which does give you higher than 4K UHD resolution support,
more hardware acceleration,
and extra effects, and those sorts of things.
But I'd say that most people probably aren't gonna need
that stuff, and you'll be able to get away just fine
with the free version.
Now one thing you do need to be aware of, though,
is that you will need somewhat of a recent
or more powerful computer.
This is definitely a resource-hungry program.
And if you're trying to run this
on an older dinosaur of a computer,
it's either not gonna install or open
or you're gonna run with some trouble.
So you do need a fairly powerful system.
But overall, DaVinci Resolve is really gonna be great
for someone at that intermediate level
right through to someone at advanced or even pro level,
given all the features and tools
and everything you get access to.
Now just like anything really where you're jumping in
and trying to figure everything out for the first time,
it is gonna take you a little bit to get up to speed,
no matter the tool or the application.
So we have a full step-by-step editing tutorial helping you
with DaVinci Resolve,
which I'll link up in the cards,
but also for a lot of the other tools
and programs we've mentioned in this video,
which I'll link in the description box below.
Okay so rounding this out,
if you're someone who is an absolute beginner,
then you definitely wanna check out iMovie or OpenShot
or even VN Video Editor.
If you're someone who's looking for something
a little bit more advanced than, say, iMovie or OpenShot,
then VN Video Editor would be a great all roundup.
Whereas if you're someone at that intermediate
to advanced level or you're really someone
who's looking for more of those professional-grade features,
then that's where Kdenlive
or DaVinci Resolve are gonna be the ones for you.
So out of all of these, my preference,
my number one top pick goes to DaVinci Resolve.
Again, it's just ridiculous
what they're giving you access to in here,
literally professional-grade tools for free, it's amazing.
But I will say a very close second goes to VN Video Editor.
I love what they're doing.
I love that it's cross platform,
so it works on your phones and iPads and stuff as well,
but also that it's good fun to edit in,
and yeah, another one where you're like,
"How is this free?"
So now that we've run through my top picks
for best free video editing software,
if you wanna see how these free options stack up
against the paid options out there,
then check out the video that's linked on screen
for Mac and PC.
And don't forget to check out
our video editing walkthroughs,
which, again, I'll link in the description box below.
I'll see you in the next video.