With the video editing software, you can create videos on your home computer that are good enough for Hollywood. Almost all video editing software comes with built-in features for basic video editing tasks like text and art overlays, animated clips, and trimming and splitting of video footage. Today’s top video editing software compete with one another on features like performance speed, 3D editing, and the amount of special effects offered.

The best video editing software in 2024

• Adobe Premiere Elements
• iMovie 
• Shotcut
• Avidemux
  Corel VideoStudio 
  CyberLink PowerDirector
• Blender
  VSDC Free Video Editor
  Hitfilm
  Adobe Premiere Pro

How to Choose the Right Video Editing Software

While evaluating the many options for video editing software available on the market, it’s critical to know which features to look for. For individuals who are uncertain about which software will best suit their needs, we have put together this guide on what to look for in the best video editing software.

Ease of Use

One of the most important factors to consider when selecting video editing software is the program’s ease of use in comparison to its capabilities. There are simpler and more user-friendly video editing tools available. This reduces their power, on the one hand, but it also makes it easier for beginners to make basic movies. While Adobe Premiere Elements prioritizes usability over sophisticated features, Corel VideoStudio concentrates on making movie editing simple for novice users.

Seek for software like HitFilm or CyberLink PowerDirector that includes a sizable library of how-to manuals and instructional videos if you want powerful features but lack much video editing experience. Alternatively, if you choose software like Apple iMovie that has an easy-to-use interface, you might be able to figure it out on your own.

Users who have previously edited videos before should be able to handle the more peculiar user interfaces of more complex software like Shotcut and VSDC Free Video Editor, both of which have a challenging and complex interface in addition to an incredibly large range of capabilities. Software like Adobe Premiere Pro, with its extensive feature set, user-friendly interface, and helpful tutorials, is a good choice if you’re determined to use professional-level software but lack experience with video editing software.

Cost

These days, there is a wide range of pricing points for video editing software, from free to premium. Not all “free” video editing apps are free; many make this claim while charging for the majority of their features or adding a watermark to your video. However, among the completely free apps you can use are Blender, Shotcut, and Apple iMovie. Because Blender is open source, you can count on it to stay free.

Some software is available in both free and paid versions. For example, HitFilm has a basic free version and a premium option that costs $349 and can be used on up to three computers. Alternatively, you can pay for the specific tools you need by purchasing them separately in addition to the basic free version. It’s crucial to be aware of software that is primarily free, such as the VSDC Free Video Editor, which offers fully functional software for free but requires payment for technical support.

If you want to pay for video editing software, you can purchase it as part of a monthly subscription plan like Adobe Premiere Pro or as a one-time purchase for $99.99 for Corel VideoStudio or Adobe Premiere Elements, respectively.

Operating System you want to choose video editing software that is compatible with your system. Adobe Premiere Elements is one of the truly cross-platform options. Your options are probably more constrained if you’re on Linux, but you can still use Avidemux, Blender, and Shotcut in the same way that Windows and Mac users can. Note that VSDC Free Video Editor is only compatible with Windows-based devices, and Apple iMovie is limited to Mac operating systems.

Speed of Performance

Unless you’re using a very powerful computer, your video editing software will probably run slowly and sluggishly the more features it offers. You may not care if you have to wait a long for videos to render or load; in fact, you should probably get used to it by now. However, some programs—like HitFilm—need a more powerful device to run smoothly, while others—like CyberLink PowerDirector and Corel VideoStudio—run more quickly.

Accepted Formats for Video Files

What file formats a particular video editing software supports is another thing to keep an eye out for. This pertains to the output formats as well as the formats you can use to upload videos to the software. Ultimately, it’s critical to confirm that the editing software you use can open the file type that your digital camera uses. Software that can export your completed video content in the required format is also required if you want to use the video to solicit feedback or to use it in presentations or marketing campaigns.

Thankfully, a great deal of software supports importing and exporting a wide range of file formats. Numerous applications, such as Adobe Premiere Elements, Corel VideoStudio, CyberLink PowerDirector, and others, even support the 4K XAVC-S format. Avidemux offers a variety of export formats, including AVI, DVD, MPEG, MP4, and QuickTime.

Features

The array of features that video editing software offers is among the most crucial things you’ll be searching for. It’s also the most enjoyable aspect of it. There are hundreds of features in some video editing software, such as Adobe Premier Pro and Blender, too many for us to list. Here are a few of the far more well-liked features to consider when contrasting different video editing software, though.

A few filters to dozens of sophisticated effects, like smoke, motion tracking, transparency, and selective special effects, are included in every video editing software.

Green screen, sometimes referred to as chroma-keying, is a hassle-free way to set your characters in a variety of unexpected locations and create exotic backdrops. Just pick your favorite backdrop and use the chroma-key options.

You can correct brightness, color, and saturation levels with color adjustment and correction tools, sometimes to a very complex degree. With the Lumetri Colour tool in Adobe Premiere Pro, you can give your videos color correction comparable to Photoshop.

Video editing software is increasingly featuring multi-camera features. While different software will allow for a different number of camera feeds, it allows you to work from and combine multiple different camera angles at the same time.

For the more recent and well-liked video formats, 360-degree video editing and 3D editing are also popular choices.

Use video editing software to produce professional videos.

You can find video editing software that fits your level of experience, budget, and device, whether you’re a marketing professional, a vlogger, an enthusiastic home video maker, or you just want to have fun experimenting with video effects.