Our pick of the best free video editing software for your needs.
Content creation has exploded in recent years, and it’s become even easier to create videos that can be shared for a portfolio, a project, and many more uses. This is where our pick of free video editing software suites comes in. There are many free video editors that come with straightforward features to create these videos, but it may be a challenge to sift through the ones that bring the best benefits when trying to get the job done on your desktop or laptop. There used to be a time when we could load up Windows Movie Maker or iMovie on our computers, and quickly create a video to share between friends on a chat app such as MSN Messenger. The five we’ve curated will be able to edit the videos you’ve taken into a format that will be perfect for the service you’re planning on uploading it to, especially if you’re using a laptop picked from our list of best video editing laptops. With a new Microsoft Surface or Apple’s MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) for example, you may be looking for a new video editor to take advantage of the M1 chip if you’ve bought one. In this case, there’s plenty below to choose from to see which one fits your workflow. These first three options aren’t free, but they are the best video editing services you can get. Most people tend to go for Adobe Premiere Pro as it’s the best overall video editor and is available for a modest subscription. Lightworks is the best free option for anyone who wants to create professional-quality movies and videos without paying a penny. While it still can’t be considered a match for a program like Adobe Premiere Elements, it supports multitrack video and is a non-linear editor, so the quality of your footage won’t be reduced while being processed. With Lightworks, you’ll find all sorts of high-end features that are normally only available with expensive packages such as Final Cut Pro. These include the ability to import and render footage in the background, and to preview video effects in real-time. The one downside is that learning how to use Lightworks can take some time as the interface is fairly complex. You can drag various editing windows around to create an almost infinite number of layout variations and set custom keyboard shortcuts to speed up your editing jobs. You can download and install Lightworks for free on Windows, Mac, and Linux devices.
