There used to be a time when YouTube Video Editor was the be all and end all insofar as video editing was concerned for uploading slick videos on YouTube. Those were the good ol’ days, albeit for YouTube Video Editor. But, times they are a changin’ and how! Now if you want to upload some sleekly edited videos on YouTube to get more views, you would need a nifty video editing software. The problem is: there are plenty of paid and free video editing software lingering on the Internet. To make matters worse, the paid ones are quite expensive, hence everyone can’t afford them. So, how do you find a decent free youtube video editor? By going through our lineup of the best free video editing software for YouTube, obviously!
Since editing is a resource-intensive task, you must settle for a video editor that is easy on your system. There are loads of other things you ought to factor in before you single out the most suitable one for you from our list of the best free video editing software for YouTube. For starters, you wouldn’t want a video editor that leaves watermarks on your clips. Now, since we scoured the entire web to pick the very best free video editing software for YouTube keeping you in mind, it only makes sense to have good long peep at our roundup. Not only are these video editors powerful and simple, they put some premium ones in a tight spot, too!
Dec 12, 2019 After you are done editing, you can share your videos on YouTube or export them to your iPhone, iPad, etc. But you have to keep in mind that it is not basic, you may even find it quite hard to master. And still iMovie is one of the best free video editing software for Mac. Filmora Video Editor. Mar 31, 2020 3. Blender for Mac. Blender video editing YouTube software for Mac is an open-source 3D content creation suite. It has a huge list of essential animation features such as rigging, modeling, shading, animation, UV unwrapping, real time 3D game creation, and more. With such a high end user interface, this is a great Mac app for YouTube video editing.
A splendid desktop program, VSDC Free Video Editor makes a great replacement for YouTube Video Editor. Why? You can do a lot of things such as importing existing video clips, or recording videos directly from your screen or webcam in a neatly designed interface that is easy to master.
With a dazzling array of audio and video effects, VSDC can bring to life your videos with finesse and quality production value. Not to mention, there’s excellent file format support, and you can create some impressive voiceovers and add elements such as subtitles, and shapes. One slight glitch though, you’ll need to disable hardware acceleration for exporting videos from VSDC’s free download version. All you have to do is uncheck the box marked ‘Use hardware acceleration for encoding video’ under Acceleration options tab.
If you are looking for an open source video editor that can edit commercial videos, Shotcut is definitely one of the best free video editing software for YouTube. It’s a very flexible browser-based editor available on major platforms such as Windows, Mac and Linux. At first glance, Shotcut appears like a premium video editing program but it’s quite easy to use. Just drag the files you want to use in your project onto the timeline at the screen’s bottom and you’re ready to go.
We were enamoured with the sheer number of both video and audio filters it has considering Shotcut is a freeware. Moreover, since Shotcut is a non-linear video editing software, all the effects/filters are fully customizable i.e. you can add, remove and change them any time.
Bereft of any complex menus and navigation tabs, Avidemux is completely free and easy to use. Since Avidemux is primarily a video encoder, you might only see a few basic cutting tools at first glance. Dig deep a little further though, and there is a gamut of surprising filters and transitions.
You can do lots of stuff such as apply borders, crop your clips, adjust hue/saturation, sharpen, reduce noise, and more. Plus, there are many filter options you could experiment with, such as resampling options, and a mixer. The only downside is you cannot drag and drop photos and video onto a timeline in storyboard style, but should you choose a different editor for YouTube videos, Avidmux still comes in handy for converting videos to different formats.
A unique entity on our list of the best free video editing software for YouTube, ClipChamp lets you edit videos within the comfy confines of your browser i.e. by being online. If you are a vlogger, you can upload your own videos or record directly from webcam and use its simple tools to trim, crop, flip, rotate or adjust the colours in your video. All you ought to do is to hit ‘Start’ and your video will be processed quickly for uploading to YouTube.
That sounds all good and hunky dory, but there are certain restrictions you will have to put up with. Firstly, free users can only create three videos per month not longer than 5 minutes and each at a maximum resolution of 1080p. Though, you can earn more videos by referring your friends.
Behind a quirky interface and a vertical timeline, lies the essence of this online video editor. Movie Maker online’s interface might seem a bit overwhelming at first glance but it is worth checking out. Also, instead of the usual video and audio channels, you get the options: music, background, text and main. The best part about Movie Maker online is that it is linked to archives of a huge number of stock photos and music that are all royalty-free. They come in handy for jazzing up your work. Not to mention, some really nice and snazzy one-click transitions and effects. The only drawback is that Movie Maker online has loads of ads on its interface which can be quite annoying especially when you are editing videos.
Another brilliant entity on our roundup of the best free video editing software for YouTube that offers professional features for free, HitFilm is adorned with advanced cutting tools, compositing options, layers and masking, a formidable set of audio and video filters, and sleek chroma keying for forging green screen effects.
Of course if you aren’t satisfied with the number of tools in the free download version, you can get your hands on the profssional version starting at about US$10 featuring split screen masking, exposure adjustment, colour-correction, and abundant creative filters.
DaVinci Resolve is actually a premium software, but like HitFilm Express its free full. download version is loaded with so many professional grade features that you wouldn’t trade it for a premium video editor. Thanks to an intuitive interface for editing, audio mastering, colour correction, and a multi-track timeline for arranging video and audio clips, DaVinci Resolve will take care of all your video editing needs.
It also supports context-sensitive trimming, and boasts a vast collection of effects and filters. Did we forget to mention there’s HDR support as well? Plus, you can even work on raw video files directly transferred from your camera.
LightWorks is a professional free video editing software for creating YouTube-worthy videos thanks to its non-linear style of video editing. The good news is that LightWorks supports 4K video resolutions as well as both HD and SD formats. One of the reasons why LightWorks is considered as one of the best free video editing software for YouTube is the range of customizability that it offers. And, oh it also supports a multitude of different video import and export formats.
Mac’s very own basic editor for users who want to start off their video editing sojourn, iMovie has many built-in professional animations plus music. It acts as the perfect gateway for people who are new to video editing. You can fix shaky videos, and add great background music and visual effects. The obvious downside is that iMovie is exclusive only to Mac and iOS users. Also, it has a limited number of import formats for videos so you might have to convert your videos.
The highlight of OpenShot is its impressive interface, a rarity for free software. It does feature the usual nitty-gritty of a solid video editor such as 3D animation options, video effects, animation framework, but the primary focus of OpenShot is on speedy and professional editing. It is possible due to an effective drag-and-drop functionality that quickly snips videos down to size, and adds background audio layers, etc. Overall, OpenShot is a worth a try if you have a significant workload of videos to enhance and not enough time to move through them.
Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube Professional
And…that’s a wrap! Did you find our roundup of the best free video editing software for YouTube interesting? Did we miss out on any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments.
SEE ALSO: Best Video Editing Software for Mac that are free
Do you want to make sure your video stands out on YouTube? Then you will want to perform several post-production tasks such as:
- Adding, rearranging, or removing sections of a video
- Creating transitions
- Applying video enhancements such as adding filters and color correction
- Branding 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.
Editing Software For Youtube
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 styles
- Customizing text size, color, font, and formatting
- Giving your video a cinematic touch by choosing from creative filters
- Changing the speed of shots or using split-screen effects
- Recording 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 event
- Add animated transitions to spice up your movie
- Apply animated titles for emphasis
- Crop 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
Free Professional Video Editing Software
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.
Best Free Video Editing For Mac
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.
Erase deleted files. Some of the robust features that come with Lightworks include:
- Intuitive user interface for timeline editing and trimming
- Access to royalty-free video and audio content
- Low-resolution proxy workflows for 4K
- Exports 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.