Basic Movie Editing Software Mac

Basic Movie Editing Software Mac Average ratng: 4,9/5 3177 reviews

Why do you need a free video editing software

May 22, 2020  Avidemux is an open source and free video editing software for Mac, whose main characteristic is user-friendliness. Its ease of use and installation, with the added availability of a good tutorial, makes Avidemux an ideal tool for beginners in video editing. The app can work with many video formats such as DVD, MPEG, AVI and many more. Dec 19, 2018  Openshot. An open source and free video editing software that gives a chance to the editors to enhance their video skills. It is a lot simple to use than any other video editing software. It comes with lots of templates that allows to add titles, add. OpenShot is an award-winning free and open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows. Create videos with exciting video effects, titles, audio tracks, and animations.

As with any good video in order to get it right it’ll need some edits. Editing your videos shouldn’t be that expensive either as there are some good, free, safe and easy to use video editing software in the internet.

Video editing has been made easy by tools that are readily available online. However, not all programs do what they're supposed to. A lot of such freeware packages are harmful and contain spyware/adware. Nevertheless, there’re a lot that are quite professional and there are even some that come without watermarks.

As there are so many on the market, we’ve put together a selection of 7 of the best free video editing software on the internet.

7 free and easy to use video editing software

Some of the software listed below are all recommended for either both Windows and Mac.

  1. 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.
  2. Lightworks

    If you’re looking for a professional video editing system then Lightworks is one of the best on the internet. This software is jammed full of useful utilities and features that more meet the needs of any user. It comes with a $25 per month Pro Version but the free version is more than adequate for most people’s editing needs.

    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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. VSDC Video Editor

    VSDC is one of the best apps. However, the problem with this application is that it’s only available for Windows users. It’s also quite expensive to get support on a problem because the free version doesn’t come with free support. The will charge you a monthly cost of $9.99 or a yearly one of $14.99. If you choose to buy the Pro version for $19.99 the support is free, and it unlocks a host of great functions.

    Advantages

    • The software is available only on the Windows Operating System Platform.
    • Although VSDC free version comes with some power packed features, it does lack in quite a bit of powerful features and functionality.
    • VSDC comes standard with audio editing and correction of color.
    • The software is really easy to use.

    Disadvantages

    • Most of the features are available only in the Pro version.
    • Support of the product is free only for a paid Pro member or if you pay for a month / a year.
  6. Avidemux

    If you’re looking for a software to learn how to edit, then this option is for you. It’s very easy to use and it has some great basic features and tasks. Avidemux is powerful in its simplicity and gives the novice user a great place to build the video editing knowledge.

    Advantages

    • Simple video editing applications for beginners.
    • The software hasn’t got a lot of technical jargon, you don’t really even need to read the manual or help documents.
    • Few basic editing functions like filtering, encoding and easy cutting features.

    Disadvantages

    • It’s really limited in its functionality and features.
    • The app is not designed for anything other than the simplest video editing.
  7. VideoPad

    VideoPad is one of those small applications that end up being hugely surprising. It’s like a super version of Movie Maker.

    Advantages

    • For use with most Windows Operating system platforms.
    • Simple and has great features that are helpful for a beginner user.
    • It has a lot of powerful editing tools that even more experienced user will find it good for video editing.
    • The software is compatible for video uploads to media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
    • It supports various video file formats giving a wider editing choice.
    • The editor is completely free for people who are using it for non-commercial use.
    • Handy drag and drop features for quick easy timeline video creations which is good for making special occasion film montages.
    • It comes loaded with special video effects, features and filters.
    • The software has several different transition setting.

    Disadvantages

    • It doesn’t have as many special features and effects as some of its competitors.

Summary

When we say basic video editors, we simply refer to easy video editors for beginners. These easy video editors provide basic video editing functions like cut, trim, merge, crop, etc. People often choose these programs only for simple video editing and prefer their small sizes for installation and use quickly.

Anyone can use the easy-to-use video editing software because their learning curve is pretty short. So, learning those functions won't take more than few minutes.

But the biggest problems with some free video editing software are that they aren't capable of processing large videos, they seriously lack performance, they don't have many advanced video editing tools except one or two, and they don't support in-demand video formats. So, if you are anything serious, you should look for an advanced video editing software. But if your video editing demand and environment are basic in nature, you can rely on these software and can save a fortune.

Below you can find a well maintained list of 10 best basic video editors in 2020 with their pros and cons. Majority of these software applications are available to download for both Mac and Windows 10. Mac apps to monitor and improve cpu performance. Let's get started.

1. OpenShot

Openshot is an open source and free video editor which packs several basic and advanced video editing features. It pretty looks like iMovie but is more versatile than it. You can use OpenShot to resize, crop, cut, trim, scale your videos. It also supports 3D animated subtitles and watermarks.

Pros

  • It is open source so it has a good scope of further developments in future.
  • Packs good video editing tools.

Cons

  • Beginners need to take a while for getting used to it.
  • Not much tutorials are there for learning.

2. VideoPad

VideoPad is a nice and free video editor for those people who look for visual and transition effect along with footages editing toolkits. It also featured with a sound effects library which you can utilize to apply professional sound effects to your recordings. VideoPad also supports 3D video editing.

Pros

  • Easy to use UI and beginner friendly.
  • Lets you export videos directly to social platforms.
  • Built-in transitions and sound effects library.

Cons

  • Advanced features are missing.

3. VideoProc

VideoProc is an all-in-one powerful video editing software from Digiarty. The most astonishing feature of this software is the killer level-3 GPU acceleration which processes 4K/HD videos at fast rates. You can access all kinds of basic video editing tools in VideoProc including the most advanced tools like multi trim, multi split, advanced crop, merge, rotate etc. VideoProc has several advanced tools like MKV maker, GIF maker etc. which can't be found in most free video editors. You can download VideoProc to Mac and Windows from the links given below.

Pros

  • Nice UI with powerful video editing tools.
  • The advantage of dealing with 4K and HEVC videos, big size videos, high frame rate videos.
  • Integrated with video audio DVD conversion, video resizing downloading, recording, etc.
  • Powerful performance and GPU acceleration powered by Intel, AMD , and Nvidia.
  • Short learning curve.
  • Highly reliable.

Cons

  • Linear video editing software.
  • Cannot add music to footages.

4. FreeMake

FreeMake is a professional video converter, but before the conversion, it allows video joining, cutting, and rotating. But it is also one of the most basic video editor for beginners. It comes with a straightforward UI which allows you to find most of the options in a single window. Freemake can be used by beginners for essential video editing projects like adding watermarks, adding subtitles, merging, and clipping footages.

Pros

  • Easy to use UI and doesn't have confusing options.
  • Powerful to convert and resize 4K videos.
Mac

Cons

  • Purchase required for several video editing features.

5. VSDC

VSDC is only available for Windows 10 users. With VSDC you can learn several cool video editing features like editing the audio, adding shapes, animations, images etc. It can export the edited video to your desired video format.

Pros

  • Provides option to download screen recorder.
  • Built-in wizard which helps in video editing.

Cons

  • Not so user friendly.
  • Advanced features are paid.

6. Windows Movie Maker

This was used to be the all time and the default video editor for Microsoft Windows users. Windows movie maker was the best free video editor for Windows until Microsoft pulled it off. You can use it for all types of basic video editing, apply watermarks, create intros and outros for your videos. It was very good for vlogger and tutorial makers. There is no official way left to download the Windows Movie Maker. But some trusted and reliable sources can provide you the installation files. But make sure not to download any kind of malicious software which may pretend to be Windows Movie Maker.

Pros

  • Best free video editor on windows for beginners.
  • Easy to use and learn.
  • Good options to add voice-over, external audios.

Cons

  • May be risky to download from unofficial source as the file may contain malicious codes.

7. GoPro Quik

Free Movies Editing Software Mac

You might know that GoPro has developed a series of video editing app for mobiles, but do you notice they also stretch it to desktops? GoPro Quik has a desktop version for users who need to edit videos with templates, transitions and filters. You can also import photos and music to your video. For basic video editing, it is quite well-designed.

Pros

  • It is quite easy to learn.
  • Mobile and desktop versions satisfy all your basic editing needs.
  • It is free.

Cons

  • Users report that it quits randomly when you’re editing large files.

8. Shotcut

Shotcut is another open source basic video editing software for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It is quite a good option for the beginners. Shotcut supports a lot of output video formats, lots of filtre effects and chroma keys. The interface is also very good and not a confusing one. You can use Shotcut if you don't want to spend a single penny on paid video editors. Tutorial - how to use Shotcut

Pros

  • Multiple video format support.
  • Video filter effects.
  • Supports 3D titles and texts.

Cons

  • Less intuitive as compared to paid video editors.
  • No 3D video support.
  • Transition effects are only a few.

9. Avidemux

Another free and open source basic video editing software for beginners is Avidemux. It is also available for multiple platforms. Avidemux doesn't have any difficulty to work with popular video formats like AVI, MP4, MPEG etc. It fully support non-linear video editing, and multiple visual effects. Can be used to resize, deinterlace a video along with chroma shifts and addition of black borders.

Pros

  • Has many video editing features.
  • Automatically estimates the output file size.
  • Clean user interface.
  • Most trusted free video editor.

Cons

  • Unprofessional user interface.
  • Extra codecs required for non-common video formats.

10. iMovie

iMovie is only available for Mac users. Good thing about iMovie is that it can process 4K videos with ease. Apart from editing videos you can edit audio too with iMovie. iMovie is pretty porttable as you can start editing a video on your iDevice and can choose to finish on your Mac computer.

Pros

  • Easy to use interface.
  • Has a nice set of audio and video editing tools.

Cons

  • Not available for Windows users.
  • Lacks performance and advanced features and tools.

Tips for Choosing the Right Basic Video Editor

Want to know how we wrap up such a list for top basic video editing software? And desire to pick out a video editor that suits You most? Now, at the end of this article, we decide to release the hints of how to choose the right video editor for your basic video editing needs.

1. Choose the one that is lightweight and safe.

Searching on the Internet, you'll get millions of results for basic video editors. But among these results, some are not safe to download, and some are downloaded with virus plug-ins. So be cautious when downloading software. And basic video editors come without too many functions, so it is not worth too much computer space.

2. It should be easy to learn.

Basic video editor users tend to simply organize videos by trimming and cutting and then add some filters and texts. If a video editor makes these operations too complicated, why not turn to an advanced editing software in which you can get more features after a long term learning. So choose the basic video editor with an intuitive interface and easy learning curve.

3. Don't invest too much money in a basic video editor.

Obviously, basic video editors are not as robust as professional video editing software like Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas, or DaVinci Resolve. They are created for quick editing and instant SNS sharing, so packed with fewer features. It is not a wise move to spend much money buying a basic video editor. There are many cheap or even totally free open-source video editors responding to your calls.

4. Take into account your extra editing needs.

Besides basic video editing, like cutting, merging, and rotating, different users have different extra needs. For example, most vloggers prefer video editors with numerous templates and themes so that they can arrange their daily video materials accordingly. For traveling video creators, they want UHD 4K videos to present stunning scenery to their audiences. Now they need a basic video editor that is capable of 4K video processing, like say VideoProc. A special video editing feature is also a crucial standard for basic video editor picking.

Conclusion

Best Mac Editing Software Free

We hope that this article has saved your time which you might have invested in doing further reasearch about basic video editing software. But now you have got a compiled list of 10 such software therefore you should not need to continue your research further. Out of these 10 free video editing software tools for beginners, you can choose the one which best suits your needs. We recommend you VideoProc which is an all-in-one video editor with many other features like video conversion and downloading. However, as per your requirements you can also make a choice between shotcut, iMovie, and the other video editors listed above.