- What's the best video editing software
for Mac right now?
Well, this is our 2022 review
of all the leading video editors for Mac.
And as usual, with these roundups,
which are now pretty much an annual thing,
after a lot of research and a ton of testing,
in this video, I'm gonna share my top recommendations
for all types of video creators.
From free and beginner friendly apps and programs
up to the more advanced
and professional editing options as well.
And just like last time, I'm gonna break this overview down
into three pricing categories.
The first one is all the free options.
The second one is everything under $200,
including the free options.
And the third category is software priced above $200.
Now for this one, I'm also gonna include the software
that is under $200 and free as well
so you can leave here knowing
if you're going to purchase video editing software,
how does the paid stuff and the more professional stuff
stack up to what you can get
at a lower price point or even free.
So you're leaving here
with the best possible option for you.
So make sure you stick around to hear out
all the options, because if you are someone
who's looking to start out in one of the lower brackets,
you'll know exactly what you can be unlocking
if you do jump into the higher categories too.
And really quickly, I want you to remember
that there really is no perfect video editing software.
It's gonna come down to you,
your skillset,
what's gonna be easiest for you
to edit your videos down,
and what types of videos you're actually making.
So the best play here is once you've got your short list,
pick a couple of them and go and download
the trial versions, dive in, have a play,
and see how they work for you.
Because at the end of the day,
there's a lot of overlap
and they're all just tools to edit videos.
Now, once we're done with my recommendations,
we're gonna wrap up with three quick video editing tips
that you can use to level up and speed up
your editing in any application.
Okay, so first up, free software.
Now, typically what you would find
with free video editing software
is that there's a bunch of restrictions
or watermarks, or it's not really free,
or they're not really that good.
But don't worry.
Anything that I'm gonna mention in here
does not include a watermark
and is gonna be a full featured video editor for you.
So in this category, you've got things
like iMovie, Shortcut, HitFilm Express,
DaVinci Resolve, Lightworks,
Avid Media Composer First,
VN Video Editor, OpenShot, and VideoPad.
So from all of the trying, testing,
researching to shortlist those down,
my top picks go to iMovie,
VN Video Editor,
and DaVinci Resolve.
iMovie is probably the most popular editing software on Mac
because of the price tag of being free
and because it comes installed on your computer.
And that's not to say that it's bad in any way,
it is actually a really good option for someone
who is an absolute beginner
or someone looking to do simple edits
fast and easily.
The overall interface is really intuitive.
It's simple, it's easy to find stuff.
And you've got a lot of basic transition and effects
and everything included in there as well.
Now, iMovie is really the cut down version
of the bigger brother video editing app,
Final Cut on Mac,
but the two of them do share a lot of similarities.
So if you are looking for something
with a clear upgrade path
to something more professional,
then iMovie could be a great option.
Moving into Final Cut,
yeah, it's gonna be a bit more overwhelming,
but you will feel somewhat at home
coming from iMovie, or at least you won't feel
like you're starting again from scratch.
Next up is VN Video Editor.
This is one of my personal favorites.
I think these guys are really pushing
the editing space with their approach.
So this one originally started as an iOS and Android app,
and they're really just remade it again
so it will work on desktop as well.
But what I really like is they brought that approach
from editing on a smaller device
over onto your computer,
meaning that you don't need to dive into menus
upon menus to find stuff.
It's all a really intuitive,
really easy to use interface,
and you've literally just got buttons across the bottom
for all the stuff that you're going to use most.
This makes it so fast to edit.
And it's a totally different approach
to how most video editing software approach editing.
There's a ton of built-in effects and transitions.
And I really like the level of control you get
over adjusting the colors
and the look and feel of your video.
But overall, probably the biggest standout thing for me
is how fast and how powerful this app is.
I've literally given it some crazy professional footage
and it's just cut it like butter.
And then building on from that craziness
is DaVinci Resolve.
This is hands-down the most professional
video editing software on Mac for free.
It is absolutely ridiculous
what they are giving you access to
for nothing.
This is literally professional video editing software
that people use to create Hollywood movies
and that kind of stuff.
So in terms of the tools and features and stuff in here,
these are literally professional grade tools.
You're gonna have so much control over everything
to really be able to dial in your edit
in a frame by frame level.
But also there's dedicated areas in the software
for audio creation and audio control,
for motion graphics and animation,
and even a specific area
just for color grading and color correcting.
And that's really where DaVinci Resolve got its name
is as a finishing application for movies
and things where people would come in
and color grade their videos.
Now, given that it is a professional tool,
the overall interface and everything
is not gonna be as easy to use
as iMovie or as VN Video Editor.
If you are someone who is an absolute beginner,
there is going to be a learning curve for you.
We've got tutorials for a lot of the software
that we're mentioning in here
showing you how to edit in those applications.
So those will be linked in the description below.
One really important thing to know, though,
if you are using an older computer
or it's not a very powerful computer,
DaVinci Resolve probably isn't going to work
too well for you.
It is something that is CPU and GPU intensive.
So you will want to have a decent computer
to have it running really, really well.
So to round out this category,
if you're someone who's just off to something basic,
something that's gonna work quick,
something that you don't need all the bells and whistles,
then iMovie or VN Video Editor
would be the pick for you.
VN is gonna be a great all rounder.
Even if you are someone who is more
at that intermediate to advanced level
because of the extra controls that you have in there.
But if you are somebody who's looking
for the most professional toolkit
and really looking for pro grade software,
then that's where you can't go past DaVinci Resolve.
So for me, my personal winner in this category,
it is gonna go to DaVinci Resolve,
just how it did last year.
It is ridiculous that they're giving you access
to pro grade tools for free.
So the next category then is the sub $200 category,
all video editing software under $200,
including the free stuff as well.
Now, normally what you find
when you start to pay for editing software
is that you're unlocking all features of that software.
So less restrictions, more features,
and generally more performance
and overall better editing experience,
because VN Video Editor and DaVinci Resolve
that I mentioned in the previous category,
they kind of give you that for free anyway.
But that's not most editing software.
So in this category of sub $200,
you've got things like Filmora and FilmoraPro,
Adobe Premier Rush, Movavi,
WeVideos, ScreenFlow,
Adobe Premier Elements, Lightworks Pro,
and PowerDirector.
So my shortlist for this category then
comes down to WeVideo,
Filmora, VN Video Editor,
and DaVinci Resolve.
So WeVideo is an amazing online
cloud-based editing solution.
It's not like any of the other options we've got here.
There is no need to download and install
anything onto your computer.
It literally just runs in your web browser.
Meaning it's a solid option for anyone
who maybe doesn't have a really powerful computer.
And because it's all run online,
this makes it an amazing option
for working collaboratively
and working with remote editors or remote team.
This is also great if you're moving from computer
to computer or between different devices,
because you don't need to transfer
and copy off all of your footage,
it's all managed in the cloud.
But one of the standout features for me
is that you still don't need to have
an amazing internet connection.
Even if your internet connection isn't the fastest,
you can actually start editing your videos down
instantly while they're uploading in the background.
It's pretty crazy to see just how easy
and just how fast it is to edit in here.
Again, even if you're using 4K video footage.
Now, in terms of pricing, there's a few different options,
but I'd say that most people are gonna be looking
at the unlimited plan for 7.99.
Or to access the 4K capabilities
and all their premium templates,
then that's when you want to look at the professional plan
for 19.99 per month.
Filmora is another great option
that works on both Mac and PC.
Again, it's got a really easy to use,
really intuitive interface,
making it easy for really anyone to jump in
and to start editing.
It packs in a lot more features
and a lot more advanced tools and things
than something like iMovie,
but it's definitely not at the level of a DaVinci Resolve.
But I was actually surprised at the level of control
that you do get over things
like color correction and color grading,
that you'd normally only see tools like that
in more professional programs.
And for something at this price point,
that's pretty awesome.
I'm also pretty impressed with the overall performance.
Not just the export times,
which are ridiculously quick,
but also the general editing
and general timeline performance.
Just scrubbing through clips and everything,
it all works seamless.
Now, in terms of pricing,
we're not talking about the free one here.
The free one has a watermark
and I don't recommend it.
I'm talking about the paid version here,
which you can purchase for either around $52 a year,
or you can buy it outright
as a one-time purchase for just under $80.
So if you're someone
who is against the monthly subscription thing,
then it's awesome that you can buy it outright.
But overall, to round out this category,
if you are someone who does have a lower spec computer
or you're someone who wants to edit in the cloud,
then WeVideo is your choice hands-down.
If you're someone at that beginner to intermediate level,
this is where VN Video Editor or Filmora
could be the perfect options for you.
And again, if you're someone who is looking
for the most professional video editing software out there,
the free version of DaVinci Resolve
is going to be your pick in this category too.
So to narrow this down and pick one winner
from this short list, again, my top pick
is gonna go to DaVinci Resolve.
I feel like I'm just gonna say this a lot.
It is ridiculous what they're giving you access to
for free.
Literally professional grade tools.
So that brings us to category number three,
where we include everything above $200.
So essentially this is best video editing software on Mac,
if you're happy to spend upwards of $200,
what are your options, including the sub $200
and free options as well.
And typically what you would find
in this $200 plus category
is where you're unlocking a lot more
of the professional video editing suites.
Where you're getting the most amount of performance,
the most amount of control and tools and everything
to really allow you to get fully creative
and to dial in your edits
and get super specific
with what it is you're creating.
And again, I say usually
but we've already seen DaVinci Resolve taking out
the first two categories, and it's free.
So new ones in this category above $200,
we've got things like hit HitFilm Pro,
Camtasia, Final Cut Pro,
DaVinci Resolve Studio, the paid version,
Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer,
and Lightworks Pro.
So from all of those, my short list in this category
of really best video editing software on Mac
comes down to WeVideo, VN Video Editor,
Filmora, Final Cut Pro,
Adobe Premier Pro, and DaVinci Resolve.
So for the ones we haven't looked at yet,
Final Cut Pro is an amazing option
for video editing on Mac.
It runs so well because Apple
not only makes the software,
it also makes the hardware too.
And the two of them just work so well together.
This is the one that we said is really iMovie on steroids
or the big brother of iMovie.
That was actually only a few years back
that I totally dismissed this
as a solid video editing option as well.
I thought it was more of a toy
or iMovie plus
than professional grade software.
And that was back when I was editing full-time
using Avid Media Composer.
I really thought that final cut was a bit of a joke
and nothing in comparison.
So it did take me a little while to come around,
but this is now one that I absolutely love.
Some of the standout things for me,
especially coming from Avid
and from Premiere specifically,
is that it crashes nowhere near as much
as a lot of other editing software.
It is ridiculously fast.
Not just insane rendering times,
which in some cases, we'll just hit export
and with the background rendering that's already happened,
the file is literally just saving out
instead of rendering, which is crazy,
but also in the timeline and the actual editing performance.
it is amazing how much more fun it is to edit
when you can do everything seamlessly
and everything just flows and works as it should
without needing to lower playback qualities
or having everything glitch and buffer
while you're editing.
I also really like the timeline editing approach
with the magnetic timeline,
where you can just pick up clips
and everything stays in sync.
Again, this is something that I didn't like at first,
coming from Avid, coming from Premier
because they don't do that.
But this is something that once you start to use it
and you see how powerful it actually is,
you kind of miss it
when you go back to the other programs.
And in terms of pricing, this one
isn't a monthly subscription.
It is a one time purchase of 299 USD,
which is awesome.
So I've owned it for quite a few years now,
and I've not had to pay another cent
and I'm still getting updates
as they add more and more features.
So another good one for those of you
who don't like the subscription model.
And Adobe premier pro is another really popular option.
Again, it packs in all the pro features and tools
and things that you would expect.
And it's another one that people use
for literally top level video production projects.
I really like the workflow in Premiere
for working with teams and working with people remote,
where you are sending big projects and things around.
The Adobe Cloud makes that really, really simple.
And I also really like the color grading tools
and effects and things that you have in there.
I would say that they are next level
on what you get inside of Final Cut.
But the overall timeline performance,
and again, this is gonna come down to your computer
and the files that you're using to edit,
it's good, but after you use something like Final Cut,
it is pretty hard to go back
because you will miss how fluid and how fast
everything is in comparison.
Now, Adobe Premiere Pro
does work on both PC and Mac
and all the project files and everything
will work seamlessly between the two operating systems.
But probably the biggest standout thing for me
with Adobe Premier Pro is how well it works
with the rest of the Adobe tools,
the rest of the Adobe suite,
things like Photoshop and After Effects.
The integration between them all is awesome.
You can literally drag and drop
in an After Effects composition
without needing to save it out,
without needing to render it,
and it will show up as if it's a regular video
inside your Premiere timeline.
And then if you need to make a change to it,
you can literally open up After Effects
directly from within Premier.
So if you're someone who's already in the Adobe ecosystem
and using some of their other programs as well,
the integration here is awesome
and will save you a ton of time.
In terms of pricing, the only way
you can access Adobe Premier Pro
is on a subscription.
So you can grab just Premier for $20.99 per month,
or you can grab it as part of the Adobe Master Suite,
where you're getting access to everything
for 52.99 a month.
But overall, in Premiere, while the performance
and everything is really, really good,
what I've found is that Final Cut
is a lot more stable, it doesn't crash as often.
And the performance in Final Cut is really next level.
So to round out the options in this short list,
if you are someone who has a low spec computer,
or someone who wants to edit in the cloud
just using your web browser,
WeVideo is the best option for you.
If you're someone who's a beginner
through to that intermediate level,
then Filmora or VN Video Editor
are going to be my top two picks for you.
And then if you are someone who's at that intermediate
to advanced level or someone looking
for all the advanced features,
the controls, the level of customisability
and someone who really wants to dive
into the nitty gritty of creativity
and what you can do when you're editing,
then you really can't go past Final Cut Pro,
Adobe Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve.
And really at that point,
if you're deciding between those three,
it is gonna come down to your budget.
But also, as I suggested earlier,
I would strongly recommend grabbing the trial versions
of each and having a play around
to see which one works better for you,
for your skillset, and for the videos
that you're creating.
Because while they all are tools to edit video down,
they will tackle it with a slightly different approach
and tool set.
But for me personally, my number one pick
is gonna go to Final Cut.
I really like how fast it is,
how easy it is to use,
and how well it works with Apple's hardware,
and just how much more fun and easy
it makes video editing.
But again, comparing that to what you're getting access to
inside of DaVinci Resolve, it's just crazy.
It's amazing that they're giving you access
to these pro level tools for free.
So it is one that I'm closely watching
and who knows next year,
I might be telling you that my number one pick
is DaVinci Resolve.
Now, earlier in the video I said
I'd share with you three video editing tips
to help you edit faster in any video editing software.
Tip number one is to focus on editing
your content down first.
Too many people jump straight
into making the videos look pretty.
They're adding color grades and effects and things on.
All this does is slow down your computer or your device,
because then every time you play back through it,
it's gonna render and process all of that stuff.
So focus on cutting your story down first
and then make it look nice afterwards.
Tip number two is to learn the keyboard shortcuts.
This is something that's gonna speed up
your video editing dramatically.
With any video editing software
there's keys that you can press on the keyboard
and they're gonna save you three or four mouse clicks
or multiple steps in doing something.
So to find out the keyboard shortcuts,
it's normally under help in your editing application,
or you can Google keyboard shortcuts
and your video editing software name,
and you'll be able to find the list.
Some great ones to start off looking for
would be your playback controls,
which in most software is J, K and L on the keyboard,
but also look for ripple edit left
and ripple edit right,
and you'll thank me when you see how fast they are.
And tip number three is to not think that you need
to create everything yourself.
You don't need to go and learn Adobe After Effects
to create all your own custom motion graphics.
You don't need to go and film
all your B-roll or overlay footage yourself.
There's services like Storyblocks and VideoHive
that have an amazing library of footage
and motion graphics and animations
that you can use in your videos,
literally just drag and drop
and to customize up as you need.
This is gonna save you so much time.
And in a lot of cases,
it's gonna give you a better outcome
than you trying to create something
or go and film something yourself.
Now, those are just three tips
from our full video editing process guide,
the Primal Video Method,
where we take you through step-by-step
the most efficient way to edit your videos down
with minimal wasted time and rework,
making the whole editing process
much more fun and much easier.
There's a link on screen now
to grab your free copy of that guide.
And don't forget, we've got tutorials
linked to a lot of these programs
in the description box below.
I'll see you in the next one.