what's the best video editing software
for windows right now in 2021
well here's our roundup of the latest
options with our picks for the best
video editors in every category from the
best free software
to paid and professional options with
everything that you need to know to
decide
what's right for you hey it's justin
brown here from primal video where we
help you grow an audience and scale your
revenue
with online video if you're seeing value
in this video
make sure you're giving it a thumbs up
it really makes a huge difference
and all the links to everything we
mentioned in this video you can find
linked in the description box below
let's jump into it now video editing
software updates and changes so fast
that we end up creating videos like this
every 12 months for both
mac and windows and each time there is a
ton of trying and testing to figure out
what our top recommendations are
and this year is no different we've
spent a ton of time trying and testing
the latest options
to share with you what our current
recommendations are for best video
editing software on windows
and just like last time i'm going to
break this overview down into multiple
pricing categories including free
paid and more professional software so
that you can see what's available
at each of the levels you can hear our
recommendations and if you're starting
out in one of the lower brackets
then you can know exactly what you'll be
unlocking if you do jump to a higher
bracket
and while you're watching through make
sure to let me know down in the comments
below
what video editing software you're using
right now and what your number one pick
is
for best video editing software on
windows in 2021
and once we're done with my
recommendations i'm also going to share
with you three quick editing tips to
help you level up your video editing
no matter which software you're using
okay so the pricing categories we're
going to break this down into category
number one is free software that one's
pretty self-explanatory
that's all of the free software options
out there now the second category is sub
200 so all video editing software under
that 200
price point now this will also include
free video editing software in here as
well because if you're gonna spend money
you may as well see what your free
options are going to be compared to the
paid ones as well
and the third category is all video
editing software over
that 200 price point but also including
free software options as well so
regardless of what you're going to be
spending on software
how things stack up to the free options
as well giving you overall
the best video editing software
available to you
paid or free in each one of those
categories now there's one more really
important thing i want to share
and that is in my opinion there is no
perfect solution there is not one
take home winner that is going to be the
best piece of video editing software for
everyone out there video editing
software is just a tool
to get the job done a tool to edit your
videos down so what might be the best
for you
could be something that's totally
different to someone else so when you're
going through these here out
all the options to see which one is
going to be the best for you for the
types of videos you're going to be
creating for your skill set
and for the amount of features and
control that you need or may not need
and then my goal for you at the end of
this
is to shortlist a couple of different
options down that fit your needs
and where you're at and go and download
the trial versions of them and have a
play
and see which one is going to be the
best fit for you right now
that is the most important piece don't
just jump in to a piece of software
because someone else you saw is using
that
if that software is not going to be a
fit for you then it's going to make the
whole editing process
really really painful for you all right
with that out of the way the first
category we're going to look at
is free video editing software now in
here we've got software like
vsdc the free version hitfilm express
shotcut avid media composer first and
davinci resolve
now from trying and testing all of those
my top three picks
go to vsdc free hitfilm express and
davinci resolve
vsdc is a great option it packs a punch
in terms of features
but also it's not going to overwhelm
someone who is at that beginner level
it's got a pretty intuitive interface so
even if you've never edited before
you'll be able to get up to speed
relatively quickly
figuring out where everything is but
also you're not going to be limited in
your creativity
because of all the features and stuff
that's in there there is a paid or a pro
version available as well which does
unlock
more advanced features but most of the
core functionality you actually get
access to in just the free version
hitfilm express is another great option
with again a fairly intuitive interface
i'd say that
compared to vsdc hitfilms probably got a
more intuitive easier to use
interface but hitfilm express is also
not just for video editing
it's also got a ton of extra
functionality built in for motion
graphics and special effects and those
sorts of things as well
now in terms of actual video editing a
lot of the core functionality that you
will need
is unlocked and available to use inside
of hitfilm express
paying to upgrade to the pro version is
obviously where you can unlock
everything or i really like that they've
given you the option here to pay to
unlock
certain features or certain functions
just the ones that you're going to need
instead of paying for the full amount
for the pro version
so you might find the hitfilm express
does everything that you want
and if you want some of those additional
features you can just pay for the ones
that you want
or you've got the option to unlock all
of them in the pro version
but even just the free version as a
video editor it's a super powerful
option
and the third one davinci resolve is
hands down the most professional most
advanced video editing software out
there
for free and in some cases it's actually
a lot more powerful than a lot of the
paid options that are out there as well
so it's ridiculous
what they are giving you access to for
free with davinci resolve
this is actual professional grade
software that people are using
to create hollywood movies and
documentaries and those sorts of things
now in terms of usability this
definitely isn't the most
intuitive interface there is going to be
a learning curve
for you to get up to speed using resolve
especially if you're someone that may
not have edited before so what we find
is a lot of people hear that this is a
great option
and they'll dive in and they're just
overwhelmed now we do have a tutorial
taking you through how to edit and how
to get up to speed
in davinci resolve i'll link that up in
the cards but really if you're someone
who is looking for all of those advanced
features
controls and professional tools then you
really can't go wrong with davinci
resolve
now one thing to be aware of with
davinci resolve is it's probably not
going to work too well if you do have an
older computer
it is very resource hungry it does like
the newer more powerful computers for it
to be able to run well so
if that's you if you've got an older
computer then resolve may not be the
best option
for you so rounding these out if you're
an absolute beginner
never edited before right through to
someone sort of at that intermediate
level
then i would say that either vsdc or
hitfilm are probably going to be the
ones for you
i'd say that most people are probably
going to end up resonating more with
vsdc
unless you are someone that does need
access or want access
to some of those more advanced features
in terms of special effects and motion
graphics and for those of you that are
at that intermediate to advanced level
or someone that's maybe at the beginner
level but wanting to learn and to
practice on
really industry standard software then
that's where davinci resolve is going to
take the cake
so from all of those if i had to pick
one winner it is going to go hands down
to davinci resolve it is ridiculous what
you're getting access to
all the tools and functionality in there
literally professional grade software
for free so yeah davinci resolve takes
out the free category okay now we're
going to jump into the next category
which is the sub
200 category all video editing software
under the 200 price point and yes again
this
includes free software options as well
now typically what you would find in
this category when you're actually
paying for software instead of the free
options
is that you're unlocking more features
more functionality more performance and
in a lot of cases
a better more intuitive interface but i
have to say typically
because some of the free options are
absolutely amazing and they do beat out
a lot of the paid options
so in this category we've got software
like avs video editor
vsdc the pro version adobe premiere rush
mob avi plus filmora wii video
vegas movie studio 16 magix movie edit
pro
adobe premiere elements cyberlink
powerdirector
filmora pro and lightworks pro now from
trying and testing all of these
my top three in this category go to
wevideo filmora and davinci resolve
wevideo is a really powerful video
editing solution that's a little
different
to a lot of the others because this one
you actually don't need to download and
install
anything on your computer literally runs
in the cloud it runs in your web browser
so that you don't need to have a super
powerful computer it also means that you
can easily move between different
computers
or even work with team members remotely
or editors remotely
without needing to move all of your
video footage or all of your editing
projects
once it's uploaded into wevideo anyone
you give access to
can help you work on those projects now
when i first used wii video i was
totally blown away with how
easy it is it's got an amazing really
easy to use interface
but also how powerful it is and how easy
it makes even editing
4k footage which a lot of computers and
a lot of programs struggle with
and one of the other cool features with
wevideo is that you don't need to wait
for your files to upload to their
platform before you can start using them
and editing them in your project you can
actually start working using those files
while they upload in the background now
in terms of pricing there's a few
different options but i'd say the ones
that most people are probably going to
fall into
will be the unlimited plan at 7.99 per
month
or for 17.99 per month on the
professional plan
you can unlock a ton of video assets and
stock footage and music and things
in your subscription as well now filmora
is another one that not that long ago
i never thought that i would be
recommending and saying how awesome it
is
it has come a long way and is now a
great option for video editing it's got
a really clean easy to use interface and
it packs in a ton of features
that you normally only find in more
professional video editing software as
well
so an example of that is the color
correction tools and the overall
timeline
editing performance and editing tools
that you have access to
it's really awesome to see them
integrated into filmora at this level
now in terms of pricing you can either
purchase filmora outright as a one-time
fee for 69.99
or you can jump on an annual
subscription for 39.99
which will continue to get you access to
upgrades when they come out
so rounding out this sub 200 category if
you're someone who's using an older
computer or a computer that's not too
powerful or you're someone who's looking
to edit in the cloud and work remotely
with editors
easily then that's where wevideo is
going to win hands down
it's going to be great if you're someone
right from absolute beginner through to
that intermediate level
because it does have a really intuitive
interface it's going to be easy to get
up to speed and editing in there
and likewise with filmora that's also
going to suit anyone at that absolute
beginner level right through to
intermediate
someone who doesn't need all the
advanced features and controls
but someone who is just looking for a
great all-rounder a good mix of
intuitive easy to use interface powerful
video editor with a great feature set
that is going to serve most people out
there and then again for anyone that is
looking for those
more advanced features and controls the
professional stuff
the professional level software that's
where again goes hands down to davinci
resolve
but know that it doesn't have an easy to
use intuitive interface
so it will have a learning curve for you
to get up to speed in there
now again for this category if i had to
pick one winner it's again going to go
to davinci resolve it is just insane
what they're giving you access to
for free i know i'm starting to sound
like a broken record but if you're
someone who is serious about
editing professionally or editing and
having access to
professional grade features then davinci
resolve is an amazing offering
for free and that brings us then to the
third category for 200
plus video editing software now to be
fair in this category if you were going
to spend
more than 200 on video editing software
you also have the option to spend
less than 200 or to access free software
as well so in this category
not only have we opened this up to all
video editing software above 200
it's also going to include all video
editing software
under 200 as well so that you can leave
watching these recommendations knowing
that you have the best one for you
regardless of what you're spending now
again typically in this 200
plus pricing category this is where you
would be accessing
professional grade software the most
advanced features the most
functionality the latest and greatest
and most powerful stuff
when it comes to video editing but as
you've seen there are a few outliers
like
davinci resolve that pack a punch for
free so in this category we've got
software like
hitfilm pro camtasia adobe premiere
pro avid media composer davinci resolve
studio the paid version
magix video pro x vegas pro and edius
and from once again trying and testing
all of those options
my top picks go to wevideo filmora
adobe premiere and davinci resolve now
adobe premiere pro is probably one of
the most popular video editing
applications out there right now it'll
work on both mac
and pc and this is something that is
used for top level productions
right down to people editing their
youtube videos there is a ton of
features and functionality and effects
and tools and everything in here
professional-grade stuff but i will say
it's actually implemented in a fairly
user-friendly way
in terms of interface it's not going to
be as easy for a beginner to jump in
as it would be with something like
filmora or wii video
but i do prefer the overall interface
and usability in premiere
when comparing it to resolve now in
terms of pricing you can only access
adobe premiere on a subscription basis
so you can either pay 20.99 for just
adobe premiere per month
or you can get access to adobe premiere
as part of the adobe master suite so
accessing all of the adobe products
for 52.99 per month now that's one of
the standout things for me with premiere
is how well it works and how well it
integrates
with the rest of the adobe programs so
bringing in graphics and things from
photoshop
or working with graphics and animations
inside of after effects
is literally all drag and drop it's
literally all seamless integration
which just works so well all right so
rounding out this category of
essentially best video editing software
on windows
irrespective of the cost i would say if
you're an absolute beginner
right through to an intermediate level
wii video is going to be a great option
for you especially if you're someone
that's using a low-powered computer
or someone who wants to work with teams
and collaborate easily in the cloud
then wevideo is a great option for that
filmora will be a great option for
someone again
at that absolute beginner level right
through to intermediate
or to someone that's looking just to
edit fast without necessarily need to
get
bogged down in an overwhelming interface
or need access to more advanced features
and controls
and for those of you then at that
intermediate to advanced level people
who are looking for
the most amount of professional grade
features literally professional tools
for editing video
then it is going to come down to davinci
resolve and adobe premiere pro now
ideally what i'm recommending here
is that you're having a play with both
so you can download the free version of
davinci resolve
you can download the trial version of
adobe premiere pro
links are in the description below and
just seeing which one is going to tick
more of the boxes for you
based on where you're currently at and
your skill level the types of videos you
want to make
and also which one is the most intuitive
and easiest for you to get up to speed
and using
now if i was to pick one winner from
this category best video editing
software on windows in 2021
it is still going to go to adobe
premiere pro i really love the interface
i really love how well it integrates
with the rest of the adobe programs and
ecosystem how easy it is to link your
projects with adobe after effects and
photoshop
but also to work with people who are
remote and work with teams that are in
different countries premiere makes that
really easy as well
so even though davinci resolve is such
an amazing offering and it's free which
is
ridiculous my number one pick is still
adobe premiere pro
who knows where this will end up next
year the rate that they are implementing
and growing davinci resolve
is again amazing so i'm looking forward
to see what happens next
now earlier in the video i said i'd also
share with you three quick tips to help
you edit faster
in any video editing application so tip
number one is to learn some of the
keyboard shortcuts
this is something that over time is
going to speed up your editing
dramatically
most video editing programs out there
have keyboard shortcuts
that will actually do multiple things
with just a single key press to save you
clicking and dragging your mouse or your
trackpad around you're going to be able
to perform things much faster
so to figure out some of the keyboard
shortcuts in your application
you can usually just go up to help and
then find the keyboard shortcuts in
there
or just a simple google search for your
video editing software
and keyboard shortcuts tip number two is
to not waste time creating
everything custom from scratch there are
amazing websites like place it
and video hive where you can download
and customize up
amazing video intros and titles and
graphics and things for your videos
so this will save you an absolute ton of
time and make your videos look really
good
and tip number three is to fix the
colors in your video last
we see so many people that just jump
straight in they're putting all these
filters and grades and
tweaking and adjusting the look of their
video before they've actually gone
through the process of editing it down
what if you went through that process
you wasted a ton of time making it look
good
and something was missing you didn't
have a usable video at the end of the
day so save your sanity
save the color correction until last
focus on cutting down the content of the
video
first then make it look good afterwards
this will also make your editing faster
because your computer won't need to be
processing all of those color
adjustments
while you're editing just save it till
the end now those are just three tips
from our full video editing process
guide the primal video method
which takes you through the most
efficient way to edit your videos down
with minimal wasted time
and rework you can grab your copy free
with the link on screen
and below in the description and i'll
see you in the next video