Shopping Product Reviews

How To Make Videos That Don’t Stink! Choosing the right editing software for the job

Every week they ask me what is the best editing software. There are a few options worth considering and what you choose will depend on your specific needs. The first three that I recommend cover all the bases, from beginner to expert, and from Mac to PC.

The first and most widely used software is Adobe Premiere Pro. It is the gold standard of professional and easy-to-use editing software. It works on both Mac and PC and your subscription will allow you to access both. It has all the functionality that I have always needed and the best part is that it is constantly expanding. The relatively new Lumetri Color grading panel is a particularly useful feature that helps with fast and efficient workflow. Being able to do everything “at home” is great. It’s a bit pricey, around $ 19.99 per month, but if you really want to make videos, it’s worth considering.

Apple’s Final Cut Pro X is also a competitor, although in recent years the popularity has dropped significantly. FCP built a reputation for favoring amateur productions like skateboarding and surfing videos, and as a result, many of the pros went looking elsewhere (including me). The software also only works on Mac, so this may not be an option for those who prefer and own PCs. If you are a fan of the Mac interface, this software has all the ease of use you expect. It handles 4K video streams better than other software on comparable machines due to how it processes and manages background files. Overall, Final Cut is easy to handle, but at $ 299.99 I recommend beginners to test the water with Premiere Pro first. Ultimately, both software are great for learning the fundamentals of editing, but Premiere will be more beneficial as you go. you start demanding advanced features.

For those who don’t want to spend money at all, iMovie is a good option. As you would expect with free software, it is aimed at beginners and does not have as much functionality as the others. You can get the basic editing features with little to no prior experience, but ultimately you won’t have much flexibility and some of the stock options seem amateurish (titles and transitions, etc.). If you are looking for something accessible and easy to use, this could be for you.

Bonus: if you want to have fun editing on your phone, check out Premiere Clip. You wouldn’t expect to be able to edit on a phone, but this one might surprise you. Combine it with an app like Filmic Pro for advanced mobile camera controls and you’ve got a great ‘mini’ setup. There have even been award-winning feature films like ‘Unsane’ shot entirely on the iPhone!

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