Adding, rearranging, or removing sections of a videoCreating transitionsApplying video enhancements such as adding filters and color correctionBranding your video with logo, call-to-action, and contact information
Editing raw video footage and preparing it for distribution requires using third-party applications. Below are several of the best video editing software options on the market today to help you create a YouTube video to wow your audience.
Nero Video
A low-priced video editor well suited for beginners, Nero Video offers a wide range of special features including keyframing functions and multitrack timeline. Other features include:
Easily transfer image and video files from external hard drives, mobile devices, USB sticks, HD-4K cameras, and camcorders to the Nero Media library.Store and access video assets from OneDrive online to save storage space on your computer.Add video effects such as slow-motion titles, audio filters, old film, and keyframe animations.Customize pre-built movie templates.
Nero Video is regularly priced at $49.99, but occasionally runs special discounts. It is an excellent piece of software for video editing newbies but lacks the speed and functionality of more expensive products.
iMovie
iMovie is free video editing software for YouTube for iOS and macOS. It’s well-suited for beginners who don’t want to spend money and are not familiar with more advanced editing apps. For Mac users who want to perform simple edits, this free built-in video editor could be all you need. Quickly choose clips, add titles, effects, and music to create 4K high-quality finished video products. Other features include:
Adding credits and animated titles from dozens of stylesCustomizing text size, color, font, and formattingGiving your video a cinematic touch by choosing from creative filtersChanging the speed of shots or using split-screen effectsRecording your voice, using built-in sound effects, or adding a smart track
iMovie offers both basic and advanced editing functionalities and is the go-to tool for Mac users. It also has a mobile app to edit videos from mobile devices.
Movie Maker Pro
Movie Maker Pro is the Windows alternative to iMovie. It’s a free YouTube video editor that provides basic features such as joining, trimming, text captioning, transition effects, image filtering, and adding background music. If you want a simple editor for your Windows video projects, Movie Maker Pro is an excellent place to start. For more features, you can upgrade to the Pro version.
Movavi Video Editor Plus
For those who want to share emotions through video, Movavi Video Editor is a useful free tool for beginners using Mac or Windows. You can upload files from any device to add to your video project. Movavi also comes with an intro mode to create special introductions for your videos and other built-in effects and features including:
Use colors and filters to add an artistic eventAdd animated transitions to spice up your movieApply animated titles for emphasisCrop and rotate video clips
Add some pizzazz to your video using features such as pan and zoom, video stabilization, and stylization. The free version of this software adds a watermark to your videos. If you want to remove the watermark, you can upgrade to the paid version for only $39.95.
HitFilm Express
Hitfilm Express is a free visual effects and video editing app for YouTube. It works with Mac and Windows and is ideal for YouTubers, beginners, students, and others with a tight budget. You can use more than 180 special effects, 3D editing, and professional VFX tools to create gaming videos, films, and other video content. One of the most helpful features included with HitFilm is the available tutorial videos to help you with your video editing projects. For more experienced video editors looking for advanced editing functionality, HitFilm has a Pro Software Store and an Express Add-on Store.
Avidemux
Avidemux is a free video editor available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It is designed for simple video editing tasks such as cutting, encoding, flipping and rotating clips, adding subtitles, adjusting colors and brightness levels, and filtering. However, it doesn’t allow for audio editing. Although the learning curve is a little steep, you can check with the extensive wiki that will help you accomplish what you want to do.
Shotcut
Shotcut is an open-source video editor that works on multiple platforms. It’s also free. The user interface is intuitive and uncomplicated. Shotcut supports hundreds of video and audio formats. There are no imports required, which means native editing. You can choose from advanced special effects and a vast assortment of filters to customize your video. Shotcut supports webcam, audio, and screen capture as well as resolutions up to 4K. One of the most helpful features of Shotcut for YouTube video editing is the tutorials it offers, something not usually available with open-source software.
Blender
Blender is a free open source program for Linux, Windows, and Mac operating systems. Besides being a video editor, Blender is also a 3D animation suite. Some of the video editing features include speed control, filters, transitions, and layer adjustments. The editing dashboard has 32 tracks for adding video elements to create very complex and compelling videos. This is not the best option for beginner video editors because its functionality can be overwhelming. It also doesn’t offer a mobile version. However, for more experienced editors, you can create amazing and complicated videos without watermarks for any purpose, including for commercial use.
VSDC Video Editor
VSDC is a free Windows video editing program where you can edit and create all types of videos. Use advanced video effects such as color correction, overlay text, multi-color Chroma Key, and object transformation. VSDC supports most major video and audio formats such as HD, DVD, and GoPro videos. It also includes audio effects such as sound normalization and volume correction. An added benefit is that the full set of features for VSDC are free and doesn’t leave a watermark.
Machete Video Editor Lite
A simple and easy-to-use free video editor is Machete Video Editor Lite (the free version of Machete). The lite version is designed for simple and quick video edits such as cutting, copying, moving, saving, and pasting. However, it only supports WMV and AVI video format. You can’t edit audio files in Machete lite, but you can remove sound files from video files. Newbie video editors will appreciate the intuitive interface and ease-of-use.
Lightworks
Lightworks is an advanced video editor for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It is so powerful that it has been used to edit films such as Pulp Fiction, Road to Perdition, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Some of the robust features that come with Lightworks include:
Intuitive user interface for timeline editing and trimmingAccess to royalty-free video and audio contentLow-resolution proxy workflows for 4KExports videos for Vimeo and YouTube in SD/HD, up to 4K
You can choose the free or the pro version of lightworks. The main difference between the two besides the price is the availability of more features in pro. However, the free version is still feature-rich, supports multi-cam editing, and provides more than 100 effects.
Which is the Best Video Editing Software for YouTube Videos?
To choose the best video editor for your specific needs, consider your operating system, budget, level of expertise, and the amount of time you are willing to put into learning. The sooner you get started using a video editor, the faster you will sharpen your video skills and produce amazing videos.
