12+ Best Free Video Editing Software Tools (Fresh List November 2018)

By: Ritika Purohit - Updated: November 16, 2018 8:34 am

Whether you want to make a short promo video or a full-length video, you need the best video editing software to highlight your work.

Now, if you’re wondering how to professionally edit your videos without twitching your pockets, you’re on the right page. In this post, we have compiled a list of twelve best free video editing software for Windows PC and Mac.

Most of the popular video editing software have restricted features and services and asks you to buy a premium version to avail all the services.

It is hard to find a perfect video editor which is free of cost but has many features. We’ve done the research for you. So, without further ado, let’s start with the best free video editing software.

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Best Free Video Editing Software Tools (2018)

You can go through all the video editing software tools and its features and find the perfect one as per your choice. Also, some of the software can work on your mobile phones, desktop, and tablets.

1. Openshot

Openshot holds the first place in our list of best free video editing software as it is an entirely open source and is not available for Windows and Mac but also supports on Linux.

The user interface of this software is somewhat similar to the iMovie app which is a built-in application in Mac devices. However, Openshot offers you more advanced features than iMovie with a simple and straightforward UI. Let’s see some of the main features of Openshot below:

Image overlays, composting and watermarks
Enables title creation, subtitles 3D animated titles and title templates
Advanced timeline features including scrolling, zooming, drag and drop and even snapping
Video clip trimming, resizing, scaling, rotation and real-time previews
No limit to the layers

Pros: Openshot title comes from its utterly open source feature which has no limit for tracks.

Cons: Needs to download some advanced add-ons like PPA

We surely recommend you to download Openshot as it is easy to use for beginners as well.

2. DaVinci Resolve

Another excellent software to edit your videos on a professional level on your Windows, Mac or Linux device. It has a problematic User interface but offers you advanced editing features like video slicing, trimming and also edit the audio and make color corrections in the content. It also offers you to add your 2d or 3D names to your video.

DaVinci Resolve is a useful tool when it comes to editing your video project on a highly advanced level and not when you want to trim your videos as it has a stable UI. Let’s get to know some more features of DaVinci Resolve below:

Audio mastering
Color correction
Enables Multicam editing
Advanced trimming feature

Pros: One of the best features of DaVinci Resolve is the natural interface it has.

Cons: The software becomes a little confusing with its wide range of features.

DaVinci Resolve is popular as the best video editors with its incredible color correction feature. However, some of the video tutorials are not free. Visit this page to download the tool.

3. HitFilm Express

This one is to meet all your editing expectations with its beneficial features available on both Windows and Mac. It provides you with feature-packed services all in one for free of cost. It has more than 180 special effects and is much more convenient than a basic editor who has features like audio editing, trimming and splicing.

You have to share your status update on social media to get going with HitFilm Express. Some of the additional features of HitFilm Express are:

Audio and video filters
Composting tools
Supports 3D videos
Masking and layers
Green screen effects
Advanced cutting keys

Pros: A free all-rounder video editor which is free of cost.

Cons: The User interface is a little difficult to understand initially.

HitFilm Express is our favorite pick from the list of best video editors and also has an excellent built-in YouTube uploading feature to upload your edited video directly from this software. Download HitFilm Express here .

4. Avidemux

Avidemux comes when you want to perform simple editing tasks on your video. It is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux as well. Avidemux is designed to do the necessary editing tasks including filtering, encoding, and cutting. However, there aren’t many features in this software, some of them are:

Supports many files like DVD, AVI, ASF and so on
Audio and Video Filtering
Encoding

Pros: A simple and easy User Interface with necessary tools.

Cons: Has no advanced features comparing to other video editors.

You should surely give a try to Avidemux if you are new to video editing and a beginner. Visit this page to download.

5. Shotcut

Shotcut video editor is another open source software which is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Download Shotcut and enjoy all the services and features without any paid upgrade. One of the best features of this software it has 4K HD resolution support and has excellent timeline editing tools. Let us go through some features of Shotcut below:

A quality video editor with 4K resolution support
Huge collection of video tutorials
Supports a massive number of video formats

Pros: A high-resolution support of 4K videos

Cons : Strong User Interface due to feature-packed software

Download Shotcut video editor if you want to edit some large video projects as it doesn’t ask you to import your video in the editor.

6. Blender

Blender software surely has to be in our best video editor list for its excellent and entirely free services. Blender is again an open source program which is available on all Windows, Mac, and Linux. It’s a 3D animation suite but has all the features to be a powerful video editor as well.

Blender can perform primary editing task including video cuts, splicing, and trimming. However, also can function on the complicated tasks too. It becomes handy for beginners and professional users too. Blender Video editor also includes the following features:

Audio waveform visualization, syncing, mixing and even scrubbing
Histogram displays and live preview
Keyframes, filters, speed control, and adjustment layers

Pros: An ideal video editor for professional users.

Cons: A bit complex UI for beginners and has limited resources to help you with it.

Blender is a perfect video editor for both audio and visual effects of your video project. Download it here .

7. Lightworks Video Editor

Lighworks is a feature-rich software accessible on all Windows, Linux, and Mac. However, it does have a premium version, but the free version is quite efficient to edit your videos. The pro version of Lightworks editor cost $25 for a month. The free version of Lightworks editor includes the following features:

Support for a massive number of video formats
Multicam support
Video trimming in high quality
High definition 720 p export to YouTube

Pros: Includes many useful video tutorials to make your work easier

Cons: Some great features are only available in the paid version of Lightworks.

Surely think of giving a try to this video editing tool as it offers you with all-around desktop editing and many more features in the free version itself. Here’s the download link .

8. VSDC Free Video Editor Software

VSDC is only available on Windows and is free. This video editing software also has a pro version for professional video editing for business or promotional purposes with great tools like image stabilization and visual waveform.

The pro version costs $19.99 a month and also offers you to only pay for technical support with $14.99 a year. Some of the main features of VSDC Free Video Editor are:

Excellent audio effects
Easy export to social sites
Video stabilization
A considerable number of Video effects

Pros : Great balance between robust features and easy User Interface.

Cons : Available only on Windows.

VSDC Free Video Editor is a must-have software if you’re a Windows user as it has excellent tools to edit your video projects.

9. Machete Video Editor Lite

Machete Lite software is also available only for Windows. It is the simplest and basic video editor among the whole list and programs quickly for simple editing programs. It has a pro version which has all the practical features.

However, the free version does allow you to remove audio tracks. It supports AVI and WMV files too. Let us go through some of the efficient features below:

Enables you to edit WMV files
Save video as a separate file
Save your edited video files in many formats

Pros: A natural user interface.

Cons: There is no audio editing tool in the free version.

Machete Lite is the tool for your basic video editing programs. The full version of this software costs $19.95 a month. Visit this link to download and know more.

10. iMovie

iMovie is an inbuilt app available on Mac only. Mac users can use iMovie anytime on their Mac devices as it has an easy user interface and can do all the primary video editing process. It has excellent features including drag and drop interface, trimming, and many more. Let us see some of them below:

4K resolution support
Efficient audio editing tools
Pre-made transitions
Split screen

Pros: Simple and smooth UI.

Cons: Has limited features comparing to the other software in the list.

If you are an Apple user, you don’t need to find any other video editing software as iMovie does the work for your basic video editing. Here’s the download link .

11. Apple Clip

This one is again for the iOS users and available on your smartphone. It is an efficient tool for Instagram users where you can quickly stitch and edit your video timelines and export it easily to your social networking sites. Some of the main features of Apple clip include:

Edit your background of the video
Also, add special comic effects to your content

Pros: Comfortable and straightforward user interface

Cons: Available on the iOS device only

Use the Apple Clip software to use its quick and easy user-friendly features and export your edited video easily. Download here .

12. VideoPad Video Editor

Last but not the least, VideoPad holds its place in our top video editors list for its unusual and user-friendly features. It is available for Mac and Windows and is free. It also allows you to change the speed of your video and let’s check out few more features of VideoPad below:

Supports drag and drop
3D video editing effects
Caption and text overlay
Free sound-effects
Import music

Pros: supports high-resolution 2K and 4K videos

Cons : Lacks some advanced features compared to other video editors in the list.

Here’s the download link .

What to Look For in a Best Free Video Editor?

We all desire to make our videos like our favorite blogger or a vlog. These videos are edited on expensive video editor software. But the above-mentioned software can do the drill for you for free of cost.

You just need to search for the basic editing features, system requirements, export options, and technical support and documentation to meet your perfect video editor needs.

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