Are you looking to produce videos for your business or personal brand? Have you taken video, but aren't sure what applications to use to edit your videos? Let's take a look at 5 helpful video editing tools that are not only powerful, but are very user friendly. There are a lot of options out there now when it comes to video editing, this list is to give you our top 5 most helpful and favorite video editing tools to help you in your journey.
The obvious one right off the bat is probably already installed on your computer. (if you're a Mac user) Apple iMovie will give you enough basic control to learn about editing, while being able to create compelling content. It’s a great place to start if you are on a Mac. There is also a mobile version for the iPhone and iPad ($4.99). If you are on Windows you might expect me to suggest Windows Live Movie Maker, but in good conscience I cannot. The reason being... while it is free, it does not work like any other video editing software I’ve seen, so if you upgrade from it in the future, you will have a harder transition.
2. Sony Movie Studio
Next up and weighing in at $49.95 is Sony Movie Studio. This can be a good one to jump in and get your feet wet. If you decide you need more power, Sony makes a pro editor (Sony Vegas Pro) that you can upgrade to down the road.
3. Pinnacle Studio
At $59.95 is Pinnacle Studio. This is widely held to be one of the best consumer grade video editors. Again, there are more professional options available within the Pinnacle family so you can upgrade to a more powerful software when you’re ready, but still be familiar with how the company does things. There is also a mobile version available for $12.99.
4. Adobe Premiere Pro
Once you’ve gotten comfortable with editing, and you want to take it to the next level, Adobe Premiere Pro is a more powerful, professional tool! You can get Premiere Pro as part of a Creative Cloud plan for as low as $19.99/month. This is an incredible price for such a powerful tool. The only downside to this pay model is once your subscription is over, you can no longer use the app.
5. Apple Final Cut Pro X
Final Cut is like a grown up, professional version of iMovie. If you are using a Mac and have used iMovie, this will probably be a great transition for you. In fact, with the click of a button, you can convert your old iMovie projects into Final Cut Pro projects! Final Cut Pro costs $299 up front and you own it (no subscription.)
With any of these programs I recommend looking up some tutorial videos on YouTube to get a better grasp on the fundamentals. By “recommend,” I mean strongly suggest, and by that I mean… Just go look up how to do things and save yourself days of frustration. You’ll thank me later!
*Honorable Mention
Lightworks
Lightworks is more of a professional editor similar to Premiere and Final Cut Pro and has a steep learning curve. There are a lot of training resources available, so you may want to check it out as well! It is open-source and a free download.
Are you currently using one of these, or maybe something else? What has your experience been with it? Which software do you prefer and why? Let us know and we will share them with others looking for software.
Happy editing!
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