It’s well known that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, so it makes sense to use Youtube as a valuable platform for promotion. Like any video production form, however, there are lots of ways to screw up your video before it goes live on YouTube… but the good news is that you don’t need to be an expert at video editing to create great content.
Today I want to walk you through what YOU need to know about video editing software, and how YOU can use it to do things like adding music, visual effects, and overlaying text onto your videos for better engagement.
Hitfilm Express:
Like Lightworks, Hitfilm Express is free-to-use video editing software that aims to make a professional editing experience available to everyone. With this software package, it’s easy to adjust color balance, trim clips, and export your projects in different video formats.
But the Hitfilm Express feature set goes way beyond that. You can also use this free video editor to set green screen chroma keys, create custom video masks, and take your footage to the next level with a range of 3D compositional tools. Although first-time users may find it a little confusing, the HitFilm Express user interface will be familiar to anyone who’s worked with an advanced video editor before.
There are only two small downsides to this video editor. The first is that it’s technically demanding, so you’ll need a PC or Mac with a powerful processor to run it. And, secondly, the installation process is unnecessarily complex. To get access to the Hitfilm Express software, you’ll need to share a link to its developer, FXhome, on social media.
Openshot:
Openshot is a great free video editing software for beginners who wants to edit YouTube videos. It has a very easy drag and drop facility that is much like that of iMovie and it’s excellent for making special occasion films.
Advantages
- The software is available for PC running Windows 10, 8 and 7. It’s also compatible with Linux and Mac platforms.
- It caters for both the novice user and the more experienced one.
- The program’s advanced timeline allows for panning, scrolling, zooming, snapping and easy drag and drop.
- The package comes with a whole trove of 3D animated subtitles, you can create titles or choose some from the hose of templates it has.
- The software is a full open source system.
Disadvantages
- It doesn’t have a very comprehensive help section.
Lightworks:
Lightworks is a free video editor with a drag-and-drop user interface. It boasts powerful features like Multicam and multi-track video editing, which allows you to edit clips from multiple cameras into a single project. It also enables you to share projects with other users and collaborate with them while editing videos in real-time.
In addition, Lightworks lets you import and export videos in the background while continuing to work on other stuff in the foreground, a useful feature for users who are fond of multitasking. A pro version of the software comes with even more features, such as direct social media sharing and the ability to export videos in a variety of formats.
One of the software’s strongest features is its highly customizable user interface. However, this is also its biggest shortcoming, because dragging windows across the interface to create endless layout combinations can be very confusing for novice users. Thankfully, there are extensive video tutorials to help you out here. To learn more, read our Lightworks review.
Advantages
- Video trimming to the highest precision standard.
- It supports almost all video formats and allows for 720p video export to Youtube.
- It comes with all the standard and advanced video features.
- It’s one of the top packages for all kinds of video editing.
- The software is supported on Windows, Linux and Mac operating system platforms.
Disadvantages
- The video support in 4K for YouTube is only an option in the paid Pro version of the software.
- It’s not user-friendly for a beginner.
- iMovie
- As with most iProducts they’re relatively easy to use and come with just enough utilities and features. It’s a really great package in which anyone with a Mac can learn the basics of video editing. iMovie has easy to use drag and drop features, it’s very intuitive but there is only so much you can do with this software.
Advantages- It’s one of the best program packages for Mac users to learn how to edit a video.
- Its features are very easy to use.
- 4k/60fps Video Recording with the Sony IMX377 Image Sensor capturing high-quality video in full High Definition (HD) and 12MP still images.Disadvantages
- Available only on Mac.
- The software has limited features.
- Slow / sluggish rendering time.
KineMaster:
If you think professional video editing on your smartphone or tablet requires paid-for software, think again. KineMaster is available for Android devices, iPhones and iPads, and goes way above and beyond what you’d expect from a free mobile app.
Kinemaster has a smart and easy-to-use interface that’s both intuitive and lag-free. Features includes the ability to edit multiple layers, add handwriting and text annotations, experiment with up to four audio tracks, and precisely edit at frame and sub-frame level.
The catch is that you’ll get watermarks on your videos. If you want to remove them, you’ll need to subscribe to the premium version at (a still reasonable) $4.99/month or $39.99/year. For more information, see our Kinemaster review.
Windows Movie Maker:
Movie Maker is a hand-free app that comes with Windows. It’s a very easy-to-use and simple piece of software that allows a person to add various background music, effects, titles, and transitions to their videos. It has come a long way since it was first released.
Advantages
- It’s a system application that comes standard with Windows 7, 8.
- Easy to use timeline for adding clips.
- Has all the basic functions like slow motion, speed-up, trimming, video playback preview, etc.
- Enables the user to edit and capture feed direct for the PC camera.
- Excellent for beginners wanting to learn how to do some video editing before going into a more complicated application.Disadvantages
- Only available on the Windows 7 and 8 platform.
- Limited functionality and features.
- Windows 10 no longer supports Movie Maker. For the OS you have to get Movie Moments from the store.
- People experienced in video editing will be limited with this application
Shotcut:
Shotcut started life as a free video editor on Linux and was ported over to Windows and Mac machines after it had already been around for a few years. This development journey has resulted in a slightly odd-looking user interface, but Shotcut is still one of the best free video editors you can download now.
Some aspects of the Shotcut system are easy and intuitive, such as the process of dragging media files to import them into your project. However, there’s no doubt that there’s a steeper learning curve with this video editor than most. For example, you’ll have to configure your display by adding the modules you need.
But once you get the hang of Shotcut, you’ll discover why this free video editor has amassed such a large following. The best Shotcut feature is a large selection of filters that can be applied to audio and video content. Once added, you can layer and customize filters to achieve the precise effect you’re looking for.
Conclusion:
Since there is a ton of video editing software out there, it can be a bit overwhelming. There is a lot of great video editing software for youtube, but it’s hard to decide what’s the best free video editing software for you. That’s why I decided to compile a list of my favorite tools online. I made sure to include all various types so you can find the perfect one for your needs…