- This is our 2023 roundup
of the best video editing software for Mac right now.
After a lot of research and testing,
I'm gonna share my top recommendations.
Whether you're looking for free, beginner-friendly options
up to advanced pro-level video editors on Mac,
I've got you covered.
Now, this is likely gonna be a shorter
and a very different video
to when we've created these in previous years
and it's so cool to see how much the video editing landscape
has actually changed in this time.
So my recommendations right now
are actually the simplest that they have ever been.
For most people, I actually don't recommend
a lot of the options that I used to.
So my picks now
for the top two video editing software on Mac
go to CapCut and DaVinci Resolve
and you can actually get both of them for free.
So I'm gonna give you the rundown on both of them
but also cover off why these two
and why they're so powerful.
But I'm also gonna look at why I'm not recommending
the other options over these two anymore.
So CapCut is a really easy to use,
yet really powerful video editing application
that works on Mac,
it works on Windows,
and there's also an Android
and an iPhone version of this too
'cause it actually started out as an app first.
And I think that's actually part of the reason
that it helps make CapCut so powerful on desktop
is that it's really taken the overall approach
from the smaller screen, the mobile versions first,
which means it's incredibly intuitive
and really easy to use.
So someone who is an absolute beginner can jump in here,
start playing around, figure it out,
and be able to create something pretty amazing
without much time and effort.
There's also so many different transitions
and effects in here,
but not just the average stuff
that you find in something like iMovie,
like a basic wipe, a basic star wipe.
There's actually some really cool
and really usable ones in here
that will help you level up your video creation
and your storytelling.
And there's also a lot
of AI tools and effects in here as well.
Things like an amazing background remover
that works incredibly well.
So you could remove the background
without needing to go ahead and use a green screen.
For color correction, there's a lot of presets
and filters and things that you can apply
but you can also customize them up
to really help you dial in
the look and feel that you're after.
Now, these are definitely not pro-grade tools,
so if you're after those,
the next option's gonna be the one for you,
but there's more than enough in here
to, again, help you create something amazing
with minimal effort.
Now, another thing I absolutely love
that they've got in here now
is adjustment layers.
So you can essentially add this blank layer
on top of your videos
and you can apply things to it, add adjustments,
and those adjustments will flow through
to just the clips that are underneath that adjustment layer.
This makes it really powerful and really fast
to be able to, say, apply an effect or a color grade
to a bunch of clips really, really quickly.
And this is something that you would normally only find
in much more professional
video editing tools and applications.
There's also things like built-in video stabilization
like motion tracking
and even noise reduction
to help you clean up the audio in your videos.
And again, it's all really intuitive.
It's easy to find.
It's easy to add into your workflow.
I mean, there's even this feature in here
where you can type out text
and it will read it back to you
in different natural sounding voices
or it'll even sing it back to you.
♪ Primal Video ♪
- Now, in terms of the downsides
or the things you need to be aware of,
I would personally would steer clear
of the music selection in here.
A lot of video editing tools and apps and things
will give you music that you can use in your videos,
but then a lot of them you could end up
with copyright strikes, copyright claims on YouTube
if you're going to use that music.
So as a general rule,
I'd much prefer to see you actually own
the license to the music,
and that's why we use Epidemic Sound
and why we use Artlist
as our top two places to get music for our videos
because we know that the license piece is totally handled
and we're not gonna have any problems in the future.
But in the case of CapCut here,
it's actually got a lot of copyright music in here,
meaning that you're gonna get flagged on YouTube
really, really quickly if you are using that stuff.
But they've got it in here
because CapCut is actually made
by the same company, ByteDance, who also make TikTok.
So not only is this an amazing tool to make TikTok videos,
it's also an amazing video editor in general,
but there are some extra features and things
that if you are creating TikToks,
then yeah, you could use the copyright music,
make your TikTok,
and you're not gonna have a problem with licensing
if that's where you're gonna upload it to.
Now, the other thing with CapCut being owned
by the same company as TikTok
is that there are concerns around the terms of service
and if there's questionable stuff in there
like there is with TikTok,
is that also the case with CapCut?
Now, this is definitely not my area of expertise,
but apparently CapCut and TikTok are actually banned
in places like India already.
But I'm not saying this to scare you,
just to make you aware.
I still use CapCut. I love CapCut.
It is installed in all of my devices
and I think what they're giving you access to for free
is absolutely incredible.
So CapCut here is obviously replacing
a lot of the different recommendations and things
that I had previously.
Things like iMovie.
This beats iMovie in almost every way.
It's easier to use, there's more stuff built in,
and again, it's the same price, it's free.
Filmora is another one
that I do think now CapCut is a better solution all round
for most people out there.
But again, which is the best one for you
is gonna come down to your skillset,
the videos you are creating,
what's gonna resonate and work the best for you.
That's the important stuff.
Video editing apps and software,
they're just a tool to edit video.
So your goal is to find the one
that is easiest for you to get the job done,
to make videos,
the one that allows you to be as creative as you can be
without being held up or limited by the software.
So that's where my top two recommendations here
of CapCut and DaVinci Resolve,
these are gonna cover off the bases
of most people that are out there making videos.
So CapCut, an amazing free tool,
great for someone absolute beginner through to intermediate.
If you are looking for the more advanced stuff
or you're gonna create really complicated videos
or you're someone that wants access
to all pro-grade features,
then that's where DaVinci Resolve
will be the option for you.
So DaVinci Resolve is an incredible
pro-grade video editing tool
that works on Mac, works on Windows,
there's a Linux version,
and there's also now an iOS or an iPad version too.
And when I say this is pro-grade software,
literally Hollywood movies and stuff
are being edited and produced on this.
Now, just like CapCut,
there is a version of DaVinci Resolve that is 100% free.
All you need to do is create a free account
and you can download it, you can use it,
and for most people, there's very minimal limitations.
Now, one of the things I love about DaVinci Resolve
which makes this really, really powerful
is how they break down the program into different pages,
into different sections of the editing process.
So you can jump between these different pages
and access different tools as you are creating your video.
So you've got pages or an area for media.
So all of your video editing assets and everything
are in there.
You've then got the Cut page,
which is where you can start to compile your footage,
start to build out your story,
edit down a bunch of footage really, really quickly.
Then for further refinement and actual video editing,
you jump across to the Edit tab
and this is really where I end up spending most of my time.
But then beyond that,
and this is where DaVinci Resolve
gets really, really powerful,
is that you've got your Fusion tab,
which is essentially your motion graphics, your animation.
Think of this like Adobe After Effects built in here.
That's what the Fusion tab is.
You've then got Color,
which, again, is an amazing tool just in its own right
and stuff that people who aren't even editing
in DaVinci Resolve
will take their projects from other editing applications
here into DaVinci Resolve,
into this Color tab area,
to color grade, to process,
to bring the look and feel of their video,
their movie, their documentary to life.
This Color area is absolutely amazing,
and it's actually where DaVinci Resolve started
was just this color stuff.
Next one across is Fairlight,
which is all things audio.
Again, another pro-grade tool
that really does stand on its own two feet
and is used by audio professionals
even if they're not doing the video stuff.
And then the last one, Deliver,
this is where you can export and save out all of your stuff.
So I know it sounds like a lot
and it might be overwhelming
but you don't need to know it all.
You don't need to be using it all.
For me, primarily I'm just hanging out in the Edit page
and that's enough for me.
That does everything I need and so much more.
And this is where over the past few years,
DaVinci Resolve has actually become now
really, really popular
because of these amazing features and tool sets
that cover a wide range of use cases and professions
and it's so easily accessible for anyone to jump in,
start learning this stuff,
and move right through to be a professional.
They've added some really cool new features recently
and some AI stuff too.
Things like voice isolation,
which is incredibly powerful at removing background noise,
really cleaning up your audio,
whether it was recorded in an echoey environment.
It's gonna process all of that and make it sound amazing.
There's also some really powerful
tracking and masking features in here now too,
which when you first see them in action,
especially if you've been doing this stuff manually before,
it'll just blow your mind how good this stuff is.
But in terms of overall editing, it is intuitive.
It is easy enough to use.
No, it's not at the same level as CapCut,
but if you're comparing this
to something like Final Cut or Adobe Premiere,
you'll feel just at home jumping into here
because it's gonna feel familiar to you.
It's almost like they've looked at Avid,
they've looked at Premiere, they've looked at Final Cut,
they've taken bits and pieces from each
and really just melded them
into something pretty amazing here.
They've also improved dramatically
the way you work with teams or work collaboratively
on your editing projects,
either through their own cloud service
or even just transferring projects.
It's all much, much simpler now
and I'd actually now use this over Adobe Premiere
if I am working with teams.
Now, it's definitely worth noting here
that you will need to have a fairly recent computer,
a fairly powerful computer,
to be able to use this well.
So if you're gonna try and use this
on an older low-powered computer,
it's probably not gonna work
and it's probably not gonna be a great experience for you.
So definitely check out their system requirements,
and I'll have those linked in the description box below.
Now, in terms of pricing,
as I said, there is a free version,
which is incredibly powerful,
which is gonna probably suit most people
that are watching this.
But there is also a paid studio version for $295
and that unlocks some more advanced features
but also more power, more integration,
with your video cards, with your computer hardware,
to help you process and render and edit in a more fluid way.
So for years now, Final Cut has been our top pick
when it comes to best video editing software on Mac.
We're kind of ingrained in Final Cut a little bit
with templates, with workflows, with shortcuts.
So for right now for the business,
it makes sense for us to continue with that.
But yeah, if we were starting again,
hands down, DaVinci Resolve.
So this isn't to say now
that Final Cut or Adobe Premiere are bad.
It's just if you're looking at the overall package,
what you're getting access to,
that entire suite of software
and how well it works together
without jumping into separate apps or separate tools,
but also just for video editing alone,
and knowing that the free version
is gonna be more than enough for most people,
and for those that do want to pay and upgrade
and get more performance out of it,
that it's a one-time fee and not an ongoing subscription,
it makes it a pretty compelling offer.
But of course, it makes sense
if you already have an Adobe subscription,
if you're already paying for Photoshop
or you're already using After Effects in your workflow,
then it would likely make sense for you to use Premiere
because, again, they are so similar.
Okay, so rounding this out,
if you are a beginner to intermediate,
CapCut is gonna be the tool for you.
If you're someone who just wants to do fast, simple edits
with a bunch of effects and controls and stuff in there,
then look at CapCut.
On the other hand,
if you're someone who wants pro-grade tools,
literally industry standard software,
or you're someone who wants to have access
to some of those features
without needing to become a full professional,
just to know that you've got that creative control
and the features and stuff there,
but also have access
to a next-level professional video editing tool,
then DaVinci Resolve is going to be your pick.
Now, irrespective of which program you end up with,
the fastest way and the most effective way
to edit your videos down
is if you're following a clear process.
Check out the video linked onscreen
where I take you through our editing process,
which is gonna make everything super simple for you.
And also check out in the description box
I've got links to DaVinci Resolve
and CapCut video editing tutorials
to help you get up to speed fast.
I'll see you in there.