Video editing software on Windows.
Now there's a ton of options out there,
and there's been some new awesome players
that have entered the market over the last few years.
But for anyone considering options,
it can be pretty overwhelming to know where to start,
whether you're using the best software,
and what upgrade options you've got.
So after testing a heap of options, in this video
we're going to run through my recommendations
across every price bracket.
No matter what your budget is, whether you're just
getting started with video and you don't know where to begin,
you're considering an upgrade from your current software,
or if you've been editing for years
and just want to know that you're
using the best options that are out there for you,
then stay tuned.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, it's Justin Brown here from Primal Video, where
we teach you how to get better results with your video faster.
Now on to the software.
We're going to break this down into three pricing categories
so you know exactly where to look no matter
what your budget is.
First up, free software.
Now, the options here are just going ahead
in leaps and bounds.
Really for the free software that you can get now
you would have had to pay quite a lot
to get the same features not that long ago.
In this pricing bracket of free you've
got video editing software like Windows Movie
Maker, which technically isn't supported by Windows 10.
But you can still download it from Microsoft,
and it still works.
You've also got things like AVS Video Editor.
And now you've got new additions from DaVinci Resolve, HitFilm,
and Lightworks.
From testing all of these ,my clear three standouts are
DaVinci Resolve, HitFilm, and Lightworks.
They're all pretty comprehensive editing software,
and offer a high degree of flexibility
for new and intermediate editors.
I personally really liked the interface
and the way that DaVinci Resolve works,
as well as the really insanely advanced color correction
and color control that you have over your editing.
I really like HitFilm for its simplicity when
it comes to editing, but also its insanely advanced effects
and special effects features that it has.
Lightworks is also a really solid solution.
And it also works on Linux as well,
for all you Linux users out there.
One of the best things about these three pieces of software
is that they are all the lite or the cut down version
of the full professional suite, which means that if you start
out with one of these, and you really learn it, and really get
used to it, and really love it, then
you've got a clear upgrade path to the full professional
or full studio version of that software.
It's a tough call.
But if I had to pick a winner, my pick
would be DaVinci Resolve.
Now, I really like the interface.
It's really easy to use.
It's pretty intuitive.
I also really like how it sort of mimics Adobe Premiere.
One thing to be aware of though is
that DaVinci Resolve can be pretty picky as to what
file types it will handle.
And you may need to convert any of you
consumer grade footage into something more professional,
into a more professional codec, in order for DaVinci Resolve
to see and allow you to edit the files.
The next pricing bracket that we're going to look at
is the sub $199 pricing category.
We are talking US dollars.
And in this category there are a heap of video editing options
to choose from.
You've got things like Filmora, Corel Video Studio Pro Sony
Vegas Movie Studio Platinum, Cyberlink Power Director
Ultimate, Adobe Premiere Elements, Pinnacle Studio Plus
and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate, and Magix Movie Edit Pro.
So like I said, there's a heap of options here in this pricing
category.
Probably the biggest reason that you'd
want to look at these paid options over the free options
are that in most cases you'll get a full end
to end video editing solution without them being cut down
pieces of software.
So they won't have any features missing or things that you'll
have to pay to upgrade to use.
So Lightworks, for example, in the free category
has a limitation on where you can actually
export your files to, which is limited to Vimeo
at 1080p and YouTube at 720p.
So really they're your options.
If you want to export an actual file
you have to pay them for their pro version.
So once you're in this category there's none of that.
What you see is what you get.
What's you're paying for is a complete end to end solution.
You can do everything that you need
to do in here without needing to transcode your footage,
or convert your footage on the way through.
They'll accept a large range of formats.
They're normally really intuitive
and really easy to use without any limitations.
So there's no limitations on the files that you can export.
You'll also have features that they're starting to bring in,
like 360 VR editing as well, and full 4K video editing as well,
as well as a really streamlined editing process from import
right through to export.
And using things like GPU rendering as well,
which is where it's using your video card to offload
a lot of that rendering from your CPU to your video card
so you're getting a much quicker render time.
Now, from testing all of these, my top three standouts
are Adobe Premiere Elements, Cyberlink Power Director,
and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate.
Now, they're all quite comprehensive
and offer a huge degree of flexibility
for the new and intermediate editors alike.
I really like the interface and the workflow of Adobe Premiere
Elements.
It really just mimics Adobe Premiere Pro.
On Cyberlink Power Director, it's
awesome that it's just such a complete solution.
You can even do things like screen recording.
It supports 4K footage, which most of them
do in this category.
But the way that it processes the 4K footage, and just
the whole editing experience is really intuitive,
and really smooth, and really easy to edit in.
I also really like the editing workflow,
and the process of editing through Pinnacle Studio.
And it also supports things now like 360 video
as well, which is pretty cool.
Now, this one is a really tough one.
But if I had to pick one out of this category,
it would be Adobe Premiere Elements.
I just like the fact that you can upgrade to Adobe Premiere
Pro if you need to if you're outgrowing the capacity
of Adobe Premiere Elements.
But really my close second would be Cyberlink Power Director.
Now we're on to the final category,
which is everything above $199.
So in this category is really where
all your professional video editing packages
come into play.
The biggest difference that you'll
find in this category versus the previous two categories
is the level of performance, and the level of flexibility,
and the level of control that you'll get over your editing.
All of these packages will allow you
to get right down to the nitty gritty, frame by frame editing,
so you've got an insane amount of control
over your editing process.
You'll also be able to do things like import
a huge range of professional grade video files
and video codecs to edit from.
You'll be able to mix your frame rates,
and mix your different types of files
that you're going to bring in.
And you won't need to convert everything
before you start editing.
So in this category you've got things
like HitFilm Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Lightworks Pro,
Sony Vegas Pro, Magix Video Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro,
and AVID Media Composer.
Now, some of the packages in here, like Adobe Premiere Pro,
are only available on a monthly subscription.
You actually can't buy the latest and greatest version
as an outright one off purchase that you then own and can run
for as many years as you want.
AVID Media Composer and Lightworks Pro also
give you a subscription option.
But at the time of filming this, both of them
still have the ability to purchase the software outright
as well.
Now, from testing all of these, and to give you
my recommendations, it's really personal preference.
I mean, I've said that before.
But really at this level it's personal preference.
And really the best editors will be
able to jump from piece of software to piece of software.
Because at the end of the day they're
just tools to get the job done.
So the pricing in this category does range
from $349 for HitFilm Pro, right up
to $1,299 for AVID Media Composer.
Now, I've been using AVID for years.
But really it's not something that I
like to recommend because the learning code is huge.
It's not something that most people
can sit down and work out in an afternoon
and then start editing straight away.
Some people will be able to that, but most won't.
So my recommendations are based on usability, on features,
and for getting videos in and out quickly.
My personal recommendations would
be Adobe Premiere Pro takes the cake hands down,
closely followed by Sony Vegas Pro, and then HitFilm Pro.
Probably the biggest reason I like Adobe Premiere Pro,
besides the power and the control
that you have over your editing, is the ability
to edit pretty much any files that you like,
and to mix and match them in your timeline seamlessly.
So for a really quick recap, in the free category
my recommendation is to check out DaVinci Resolve.
In the sub $199 category my recommendation
is to check out Adobe Premiere Elements.
And in the $199 and above category
my recommendation is Adobe Premiere Pro.
So as you can see, there's a ton of options
out there, each with a slightly different workflow.
The best way to figure out what's
right for you is to trial a few of these and see what works.
And starting with these recommendations,
you really can't go wrong.
If you're looking to improve the quality and the speed
of your video editing, make sure to grab
our free guide running through the ultimate video editing
process.
There's a ton of tips in there to help you create
awesome quality videos faster.
And it's completely free.
Just hit the link on screen right now to grab your copy.
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