Chances are, there are hundreds of videos languishing on your smartphone, DSLR or compact camera. Instead of letting it collect dust, why not polish it up to share with family and friends? That's where a good video editing program comes in.
The best paid video editors. Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Dedicate the time to mastering Premiere Pro and reap the rewards. A premium editor for Mac owners, with a unique interface.
Among the paid software, only one — Adobe Premiere Elements 2019— is truly cross-platform, and it emerged as our top pick. Despite its lack of emerging popular technologies, like 360-degree video handling and multicam editing features, it's the easiest video editor to learn and use, and offers plenty of advanced functions, such as guided edits and a revised home screen.
It's the best video editing software for Mac. And, as you would suspect with Apple software, the must-have editor is consummately easy to use and comes packed with enough features to warrant the admittedly high price tag. Movavi for Mac is a superfast streamlined app for easy video editing on Mac. Try it out and see how easily you can create polished home videos and photo slideshows. Try it out and see how easily you can create polished home videos and photo slideshows. Movavi for Mac is a superfast streamlined app for easy video editing on Mac. Try it out and see how easily you can create polished home videos and photo slideshows. Try it out and see how easily you can create polished home videos and photo slideshows.
CyberLink PowerDirector 16 is the best video editing software for Windows, featuring a dazzling array of tricks and treats; plus, it's great for editing 360-degree videos, too.
Ed. note: PowerDirector 17 is now available; stay tuned for our review.
Ed. note: PowerDirector 17 is now available; stay tuned for our review.
Apple’s iMovie, which competes only with cross-platform free apps and Adobe Elements, is the obvious choice for the best Mac video editing software, thanks to its outstanding output, themes and trailers, macOS integration, and features that encourage good moviemaking skills.
For the best free software, HitFilm Express gets the nod for its abundant cinematic capabilities and stylish interface. If you often share your videos on YouTube and other social media platforms, the free, cross-platform VideoPad is your best option.
Best OverallAdobe Premiere Elements 2019
Adobe Premiere Elements continues its long reign as the overall best consumer video-editing app, with new automated features and simplified workflows for quick video editing.
Best for WindowsCyberLink PowerDirector 16
PowerDirector 16 makes it easy to edit 360-degree videos, but there are a lot of other great features in this program, too.
Best for MacApple iMovie 10.1.8
iMovie gives Mac users an easy way to get started creating high-quality movies from videos shot on all kinds of devices.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall
Reasons to Buy
Supports new HEVC and HEIF file formats for images and videos
New home screen provides continuous access to all functions and apps
Auto-generated slideshows and photo/video collages make social media sharing quick and easy
Intriguing new guided edits
Reasons to Avoid
Some aspects of automated video trimming seem counterintuitive
No support for HEVC and HEIF file formats on Windows
No support for 360-degree video
No support for multicam editing
When it comes to user-friendliness, sophisticated features and ways to output your video, nothing beats the cross-platform Adobe Premiere Elements. For 2019, Adobe streamlined the Quick Edits interface, making it all the more easy for novices to jump in. The company's AI now creates collages and slideshows automatically, and can also trim the fat off your videos.
Read our full Adobe Premiere Elements review.
Best for Windows
CyberLink PowerDirector 16
Reasons to Buy
![Top 5 Video Editor For Mac Top 5 Video Editor For Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126519356/883718925.jpg)
Advanced editing control over 360-degree footage
Professional color matching, toning and effects
Reasons to Avoid
Needed to reinstall the app following a Windows 10 update
Certain color lookup tables are not compatible with the program
Motion-tracking techniques felt a bit awkward at the outset
CyberLink PowerDirector offers a dazzling array of fun, advanced video editing features wrapped in a stunning, easy-to-use package. For this version, Cyberlink has beefed up its 360-degree capabilities, making it far easier to edit 360 videos.
Ed. Note: CyberLink PowerDirector 17 is now available, and features such improvements as better green-screen editing, nested video editing, and multi-cam editing. PowerDirector 17 Ultra is $99, while PowerDirector Ultimate, which includes 360-degree video editing, is $129.
Best for Mac
Apple iMovie 10.1.8
Reasons to Buy
Professional-looking themes and trailers
Theater feature shares movies to all Apple devices
Reasons to Avoid
Lacks multicam, motion tracking and 360-degree features
Apple iMovie is the ultimate Mac video app for novice filmmakers, combining professional trailers and themes,abundant special effects and an easy-to-learn interface. Version 10.1 added 4K editing and sharing, as well as extended handling to video shot at 1080p and 60 fps. Recent updates tweaked the interface and added Touch Bar support for the latest MacBooks.
Update (June 2019): iMovie is now on version 10.1.12. Recent updates have disabled sharing videos to iMovie Theater and Facebook; you have to save your movies to iCloud Photos to watch them on other devices including Apple TV.
Update (June 2019): iMovie is now on version 10.1.12. Recent updates have disabled sharing videos to iMovie Theater and Facebook; you have to save your movies to iCloud Photos to watch them on other devices including Apple TV.
Read our full Apple iMove review.
Best Free Video Editor
HitFilm Express 9
Reasons to Buy
Reusable templates
Reasons to Avoid
Publishing features are not intuitive
For version 12, the free HitFilm Express has a redesigned, more intuitive interface and plenty of powerful features. While meant for prosumers—there is a bit of a learning curve—beginners shouldn't have too much trouble creating YouTube projects.
Read our full Hitfilm Express review.
Best for Beginners
Corel VideoStudio Ultimate 2018
Reasons to Buy
Free Photo Editor For Mac
Split-screen video facilitates elaborate video collages
Broad 3D-text support
Reasons to Avoid
Certain advanced features got really dense
Corel VideoStudio, an outstanding editing package for beginners on the Windows platform, is a powerful but easy-to-learn app for anyone who wants to make simple videos quickly without fussing around with complex controls. Its spare but inviting interface offers 360-degree video editing, enhanced lens-correction tools, and 3D text editing.
Read our full Corel VideoStudio review.
Best for YouTube
VideoPad
Reasons to Buy
Supports 360-degree camera editing and output
Reasons to Avoid
Lacks some advanced features like multi-cam editing and motion tracking
Certain features time out of the free non-commercial program
Top Video Editor For Mac
Difficult to tell whether you have downloaded the free or trial version, especially in Windows.
VideoPad Home Edition
VideoPad Masters Edition
VideoPad is a comprehensive cross-platform software package for the YouTube social media crowd. While this app lacks the flashy, whiz-bang appeal of some commercial apps, it’s still a rock-solid choice for simple video editing. From the main menu, you can choose which social network you want to upload to. The app offers a number of YouTube choices ranging from 480p to 4K, as well as Facebook, Flickr, Dropbox and Google Drive, and is free for non-commercial use.
Read our full VideoPad review.
Best for advanced enthusiasts
DaVinci Resolve 15
Reasons to Buy
Free with no limits or watermarks
Exquisitely deep app for color grading, compositing and audio production
Reasons to Avoid
A powerful computer is needed for high-end graphics functions
No direct export to social media
DaVinci Resolve 15
A powerful pro-level app, cross platform you’ll want to use a system with discrete graphics to get the most out of this editor. The latest version of DaVinci incorporates Fusion, previously a stand-alone application, which brings with it four high-end video-production modules for editing, color correction, audio production, and video effects and motion graphics. This video editor is quite powerful, but has a bit of a learning curve. If its 256-page manual doesn't intimidate you, high-level enthusiasts will find a lot of tools at their disposal.
Read our full DaVinci Resolve review.
How We Tested
We tested more than a dozen programs — paid and free — on consumer Mac and Windows laptops for more than 100 hours, to see which are the best for editing, as well as sharing your videos with friends and family.
We evaluated all of the software based on functionality, ease of use, performance, sharing options and new features in the latest versions. We also judged the packages based on real-life uses for a number of categories, including best overall, best free app, best for beginners, best for YouTube maestros, best for Mac users and best for Windows platforms.
Free or Fee?
There’s no reason for the occasional video jockey to fork over any cash, as there are plenty of free apps available for both Windows and Mac. But while the deciding factors for free and paid software may appear to be based on cold hard cash, that’s not the whole story.
People who are looking for a more powerful editor with a variety of built-in resources, responsive technical support and more would be better off dropping some cash on a video editing program.
However, there’s a third option: You can download software such as VideoPad or HitFilm (which offer all of the basics) for free, and then purchase additional features à la carte as your experience and needs grow.
Speed
Performance results are important, but they’re not critical components of software evaluations, because depending on your hardware setup, your mileage will vary. By comparison, ease of use, interface and features carry more weight than export clock speed. Nonetheless, as a single measure among many, speed testing provides valuable comparative information.
As several of the programs on this page have been updated with newer versions since their initial review, we are currently in the process of re-testing them. At the same time, we are upgrading our testing platforms, from laptops with integrated graphics to those with discrete GPUs. This will better reflect the improvement in performance from apps that can take advantage of discrete graphics cards. Stay tuned for the results.
Why Need to Edit Videos
These days video sharing is one of the hottest online activities that most internet users are participating. However, video sharing is not only about uploading videos, but it is also about creating a unique video clip that can be appreciated by users. The more views that your video can get the better. That is why many netizens are now in search of the best video editing software to help them create a one of a kind video clip that can stand above the rest.
Top 5 free video editing software
There may be few video uploaders that utilize expensive Pro video editor obtain features and effects for their video. However, there is no need to spend a single buck just to get a certain effect for your video clip. This is because there are awesome video editors that can be used for free while having their own unique video effects. A list of free video editor is shown below.
Ezvid Free Video Editing Software
This video editing tool can turn your normal video clip into unique video that is full of effects in minutes. Unlike other free program, this editor has added various features such as screen recorder, facecam, and its most interesting feature which is voice synthesis. This function can turn any text messages into a human voice which is very helpful in making instructional videos.
Windows Live movie maker
Is a video editor that is well known to Windows OS users, for it is currently their default video editor. This tool works perfectly with every video clip and has basic editing tool and effects which benefits first time users. After you are done with your edited video, you can instantly share or post your video directly on YouTube or Facebook by just clicking their respective icons which is located at the upper right portion.
Top 5 Video Editor For Pc
iMovie
Another free movie editor that we have is this default video editor of Apple Inc. Using this program you can easily edit images, video clips, add music, and effects. This tool is perfect for making videos for YouTube and other video hosting sites. On the other hand, this program can only be utilized by Mac OS users.
Free Video Dub
This is a basic video editor that supports many input formats including AVI, MPG, MP4, MKV, etc.. The feature that the makers of this program are proud of is its ability to delete unwanted parts of your video clip in an instant, without the need to re-encode. This feature can help you remove all of the unwanted portion of your video clip before uploading it online.
Avid FreeDV
The last program that we can utilize to free edit video is the Avid FreeDV. This program can also be utilized to make a good video that is worth sharing. With this tool you can add music and effects to your video easily. You can also add some text and delete some portions. Unfortunately, its manufacturers discontinued this product and has no plans of making an update which is not good.
A perfect video editing shareware for Windows or Mac
In case that your demands are not yet met by above mentioned video editing tool, then you can use Apowersoft Video Editor. This amazing program can help you create a wonderful video clip that can hit more views than you can imagine. Its platform is easy to navigate with, plus it has a collection of video effects just like those paid programs has. Simply visit Apowersoft.com to know more about this program.
Conclusion
Video editing is not that complicated if you have the proper tool to use. If you are a green hand user, be sure to start making videos with basic video editor and try not to jump directly into an advance video editor which will surely waste your time.