As most brands take over the internet with video marketing, it should be obvious by now that an engaging video can help you succeed as a business. But a good video isn’t just one that’s filmed well, but also skilfully edited by an expert.
Sometimes video production services give you the option of only paying for the raw footage without incurring the cost of editing your video. If you’re looking for a lower-budget production, you can opt for this alternative and simply edit the video on your own. Reasonable, basic editing is not always as hard as it seems. The other cost-saving option is to shoot the video yourself and pay an editor to complete the job for you.
There’s a lot of expensive, high-end video editing software out there but you don’t need it to get your job done if you are only after the basics. Here’s an overview of a few video editing software options that are available online, and that can do justice to your video for absolutely zero investment (except the time it takes to learn them).
1. Apple iMovie
Not to take sides on the tech war, but if you’ve got Mac OS you’ve hit the video-editing motherload. iMovie is an inbuilt video-editing application found on Mac which is completely free of charge, and so easy to use as a novice editor. iMovie can handle 4K video because of Apple’s strong operating system and has some very user-friendly tools to smooth out shaky video, add music from your desktop as well as add text and images. It’s pretty much the best you can get from free software.
2. HitFilm Express
HitFilm Express is a professional level video editing software available for free. With this package, you’ll find advanced cutting tools, colour balance, layers and masking, and 3D video support. HitFilm may come across as fairly advanced software but is pretty simple to use once you get a hang of its features. If it still seems basic for your professional project, you can always purchase add-ons to get access to more advanced features.
3. VSDC
VSDC video editor is a free editor compatible only with Windows operating systems. It offers both free and freemium versions, but the former comes with impressive features like colour correction, audio editing, and video stabilization tools. Unfortunately, the free version cannot be used for resolutions above 1080p and lacks features such as motion tracking and multi-cam editing. Nonetheless, the VSDC video editor can be effective when it comes to basic edits.
4. Video Pad
Video Pad is a great video editing software for both MAC and Windows users alike. If you’re a beginner looking for a free editing tool, this is the place to start. Video Pad offers a great range of features such as a sound effects library, editing 360-degree videos and reducing shaky shots. It also allows the user to easily export the final edit onto external platforms such as YouTube, Facebook or Google Drive.
Most of these video editing software do more than they promise, considering that they’re completely free. But if you’re looking for better quality video post-production, you can always upgrade to their paid versions.
When deciding to choose a video editing software there are a number of factors to consider- what quality of video can the software support, what format the video should be exported in, and what special effects are you looking to add.
You must also consider your level of expertise when it comes to video editing – whether you are a novice or expert – and which software is easier to use for you. Once you get started, you’ll easily learn to edit to perfection along the way.
When starting out with video, make the right impression; get your first few films professionally edited, at least while you learn the basics. Once your confidence has grown, and you have a few hours practice under your belt, then start to experiment with your own editing. At least, by using this approach, you hit the ground running, and at the same time, your first few efforts do not put your audience off from following you, due to inexperience in editing.
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