You’ve spent hours and hours perfecting your videos only to watch the video ads generate millions of views. You thought you’d hit the jackpot when your video got featured in a viral video. But you found out — it wasn’t featured in a real viral video — the views were all fake and you ended up with a small audience. So, what do you do? Well this is where Vimeo and WordPress come in handy and that’s why I’m going to teach you everything about editing videos in this tutorial   [http://wpcam.com/best-software-for-editing-youtube-videos/]
01. Premiere Pro
The best software for editing videos for YouTube overall
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Windows and MacPayment model: SubscriptionFree trial: 30 daysBest for: Professional resultsTODAY’S BEST DEALSPremiere Pro CC Single App$20.99/mthAdobe CC All Apps$49.94/mthPremiere Pro CC All Apps$49.94/mthVISIT SITEat Adobe
REASONS TO BUY
+Industry standard+Used by top YouTubers
REASONS TO AVOID
-Requires subscription-Overkill for newbies
If you’re a veteran YouTuber who’s well versed in video editing and want cross-platform software that packed with powerful features and flexible collaboration tools, then Premiere Pro is for you.
Premiere Pro, which is used throughout the TV and movie industries, is the route to the kind of slick production values that will take your channel to the next level. Famous YouTubers using Premiere Pro to edit their videos include PewDiePie, Zack from Jerry Rig Everything, Theo Jo, Linus Tech Tips, Jake Paul, Smosh and Devinsupertramp.
Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it here, from support for 4K, 8K and VR formats, to editing collaboratively via a virtual screening room. Other useful features including automatic audio and video syncing, the ability to pull in motion graphics from After Effects, and being able to watch a clip and edit it at the same time.
Premiere Pro offers so many features, in fact, that it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. That said, the interface is pretty straightforward, and it’s customisable, too, so you can bring the tools you use more often to the forefront. Adobe also provides plenty of free tutorials (see our Premiere Pro tutorials) if you get stuck.
Please note that you can’t buy Premiere Pro outright: you can only effectively rent it, as part of a Creative Cloud subscription. On the plus side, that means the software is constantly being improved. The 15.4 update in July 2021, for example, included an integrated, automated, and fast workflow for adding and customizing captions. On the minus side, it means Premiere Pro will cost you a lot of money over time. For details of the various pricing options, check out our article how to download Premiere Pro.
- Read our Premiere Pro review
02. Final Cut Pro
The best software for editing videos for YouTube on Mac
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: MacPayment model: One-off purchaseFree trial: 90 daysBest for: Sophisticated featuresTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Professional tool+Used by top YouTubers
REASONS TO AVOID
-Mac only-Overkill for newbies
If you’re looking for subscription-free software for editing videos for YouTube, we’d recommend Final Cut Pro. Well, as long as you have a Mac, because it’s not available on Windows.
First launched in 2011, Final Cut was the only serious player in this field for many years, and has been used to edit countless Hollywood films. Famous YouTubers using it to edit their videos include iJustine, Marques Brownlee, Austin Evans, Dude Perfect and Jonathan Morrison.
It’s available for a one-off fee, so is a good choice for long-term YouTubers who don’t want to pay a never-ending subscription. Final Cut Pro is also a good choice if you do all your work within the Apple ecosystem, because it works super-smoothly with your iTunes and Photos collections. And there’s currently a very generous 90-day free trial, so you can be sure you like it before committing.
In terms of the software itself, Final Cut Pro is brimming with sophisticated features to help you raise the look and feel of your YouTube videos to new levels. These include support for 4K, 360-degree video and HDR, advanced filters, multichannel audio tools, noise reduction and advanced colour grading. Most notably, the proprietary Magnetic Timeline system makes finding scenes and moving them around very simple and intuitive, while its Multicam feature lets you view up to 16 angles simultaneously and sync up to 64.
In short, as long as you use a Mac, both Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro offer YouTubers sophisticated tools for editing your videos and giving them that high-class sheen that will help them stand out from the pack. For more details to help you decide between them, check out our article Premiere Pro vs Final Cut Pro.
- Read our Final Cut Pro X review
03. Premiere Elements
The best software for editing videos for YouTube for beginners
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Windows and MacPayment model: One-off purchaseFree trial: 30 daysBest for: Learning to edit videosTODAY’S BEST DEALS$99.99VIEW AT ADOBE£86.56View at Adobe
REASONS TO BUY
+Good for beginners+Cheap +Simple interface
REASONS TO AVOID
-Not the most powerful
If you’re just starting out on your career as a YouTuber, you’ll want something a little simpler than the first two tools on our list. In which case, we’d recommend Adobe’s Premiere Elements. It’s essentially a stripped-down version of Premiere Pro, so you get all the standard tools you need for video editing, in a simpler interface, and at a one-off price rather than a subscription.
If video editing is totally new to you, then you’ll appreciate the easy-to-follow interface, clear navigation, video creation wizard, step-by-step tutorials and choice of three editing modes. On the other hand, Premiere Elements is not just a bog-standard basic tool. For those with a little more experience, it also comes with some a number of clever and useful features, such as face detection, audio effects and soundtracks, noise reduction, automatic feature detection and guided edits.
- Read our Premiere Elements review
04. Pinnacle Studio
The best budget software for editing videos for YouTube
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: WindowsPayment model: One-off purchaseFree trial: No free trial, but 30-day money back guaranteeBest for: Keeping costs lowTODAY’S BEST DEALS$54.95VIEW AT AMAZON
REASONS TO BUY
+Cheap+Easy to use+Advanced features at pricier tiers
REASONS TO AVOID
-Windows only
Another good choice for beginners editing YouTube videos is Pinnacle Studio. Because it’s been around for a very long time, you may have heard some bad reports based on earlier versions. But in fact, since Corel took it over in 2012, it’s been developed into very capable and reliable professional video editing software.
While it may not be quite as powerful as some of the other titles on this list, it’s a good choice for an absolute beginner, with a nicely organised and user-friendly interface. Meanwhile, once you’ve spent a bit of time with it you can graduate to the more advanced features at the higher price tier, including keyframing controls, dynamic video masking and 360 VR editing. Plus the latest version released this August (Pinnacle Studio 25) has added object tracking to boot.
In short, if you’re new to video editing, aren’t already tied in to either Adobe’s or Apple’s ecosystems, and are watching the pennies carefully, Pinnacle Studio is well worth investigating.
05. CyberLink PowerDirector 365
This video-editing software will suit both novices and pros
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Windows, MacPayment model: SubscriptionFree trial: 30 daysBest for: Quick and easy video creationTODAY’S BEST DEALSCyberlink Director Suite 365$29.99/mthCyberlink Director Suite 365$89.99VISIT SITEat CyberLink
REASONS TO BUY
+Low cost+Magic Movie Wizard+Some advanced features
REASONS TO AVOID
-Windows only
Another popular video editing programme that’s worth considering for your YouTube videos is CyberLink Power Director 365. This mid-market software is available for a very affordable subscription, despite including some advanced features such as multi-cam editing, motion tracking and 360-degree editing.
If you need to create a video very quickly, there’s a mini programme, slightly hidden inside the Easy Editor, called the Magic Movie Wizard, which uses clever tech to automatically combine your photos and clips in a matter of minutes. When it comes to ‘proper’ video editing, there’s a fairly flat learning curve, plus lots of tutorials to help you build your skills.
There are also a partnership with Shutterstock and iStock by Getty Images that make it easy to use stock assets in your video, similar to how Premiere Pro plays with Adobe Stock. Note, though, that this tool is Windows only, and requires a subscription that’s similar to Adobe’s, albeit significantly cheaper.
06. Premiere Rush
The best software for editing YouTube videos on mobile
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Android, iOSPayment model: SubscriptionFree trial?: No, but free starter plan availableBest for: Mobile video editingTODAY’S BEST DEALSAdobe Premiere Rush CC$9.99/mthAdobe Premiere Pro & Premier Rush CC$20.99/mthAdobe CC All Apps$52.99/mthVISIT SITEat Adobe
REASONS TO BUY
+Designed with YouTubers in mind+Cross-platform+Free version with Creative Cloud
REASONS TO AVOID
-Not as powerful as Premiere Pro
Premiere Rush is an Adobe app that’s been specifically created for YouTubers and social media video creators. And so if you create a lot of video on your phone, or spend a lot of time editing videos on the go, it should save you a lot of time and effort, either as an alternative or a partner app to Premiere Pro.
Premiere Rush allows you to use many of the most useful features of Premiere Pro on mobile, such as auto ducking, which helps you balance out sound levels between voice and music. It’s super-easy to incorporate assets from Adobe Stock, such as motion graphic templates, to get that slick look and feel to your videos. And the app shares your work with the cloud, so you can pick it up and continue editing whatever the device you’re on, being it mobile or desktop, iOS or Android.
The free plan is available to anyone with a Creative Cloud membership and includes 2GB cloud storage, unlimited free exports on mobile, and up to three exports on desktop. Beyond that, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
- Read our Premiere Rush review
The best free software for editing videos for YouTube
07. Lightworks
The best free software for editing videos for YouTube overall
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Windows, OS X, LinuxPayment model: FreemiumBest for: Professional results at zero costTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Pro tool+Feature-rich+Works on Linux
REASONS TO AVOID
-Learning curve
If you work on Windows and don’t mind a bit of a learning curve, it’s worth giving Lightworks a try. This pro-level video editing software is commonly used in Hollywood, on big-budget movies from Moulin Rouge to The King’s Speech. Yet the free version is barely any less powerful and feature-rich than the paid one. We particularly appreciate the very fine control often by the superior timeline feature, not to mention being able to export straight to YouTube and Vimeo.
The main downside of the free version is that you can only export at 720p, so if HD or 4K video is important to your YouTube brand, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Also, it’s only free for non-commercial projects, so it’s not an option if you’re already making money from your YouTube channel. (That said, if you’re already making money, then it’s probably time to pay for software anyway).
08. Shotcut
The second best free software for editing videos for YouTube
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Windows, Mac, LinuxPayment model: Free and open sourceBest for: Learning video editing for freeTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Supports range of formats+Cross-platform+Supportive community
REASONS TO AVOID
-Unattractive interface
Shotcut is so simple to use, it would make a great starter app for any YouTuber who’s completely new to video editing. You’ll find a good selection of video and audio editing tools, and support for wide range of formats, including 4K.
Note that Shotcut is not just free, it’s open source. As with most open source software, that comes with both plusses and minuses. On the negative side, the interface is not as polished as those in most commercial tools. On the positive side, the interface is customisable using pre-made panels, so you can adapt it to how you work. There’s also a thriving community surrounding it, a ton of tutorials, and it’s available for Linux, as well as iOS and Windows.
Conclusion
When it comes to video editing, more than one person’s opinion is of higher value than the average Joe’s. I know this because my mom actually spends time making homemade videos. I knew she wasn’t totally crazy when she told me “Blair, you need to edit these videos of mine before they get sent to YouTubers”. So after some digging, I came up with my list for the best software available for editing Youtube videos.