Video Editing Software Choices

[lola]

 So let's talk tech!

For those of you already set on your editing software, what are you planning on using?

For those of you just starting out, what hardware (Mac, PC, chromebook, ipad?) are you planning on using? Have you tried any editing software before? 

Here are a couple of lists of current software options that seem pretty comprehensive to me...

Free

Full list with prices listed

Out of these, I (Lola) have used Premiere (what I use now), Final Cut Pro (which I love), and imovie, which is not non-linear and I found very frustrating for vid-making.

I also use the iPad app Lumafusion, which is pretty amazing for an ipad app. 

I have heard really good things about Davinci Resolve -- it's free and apparently as powerful or more than Premiere. I'm thinking of downloading it today and trying to make a set of pechakuchas on it, so if anyone wants to join me on that adventure, please do! 

I've also heard good things about Wondershare Filmora as a somewhat affordable and intuitive first step video editing software. 

A few tutorials on YouTube I dug up that seem good: 

Excellent Davinci Resolve Tutorial
Another Davinci Resolve Tutorial

A whole tutorial playlist on Filmora 

LumaFusion Tutorial for Beginners

Also, there are some great affordable tools for screengrabbing and downloading (like, from YouTube).

4K downloader is stellar for getting HQ files from YouTube (I'm trying to think, I may have had to go premium to get the 1080p...
and Movavi is great for screencapturing things, well, playing on your screen

We can add to this list as I find more and get a sense of what software folks are using!

Comment below with any questions, suggestions, or resources!! 

Comments

[sophie_448]

iMovie is honestly very good for a free program (well, included with your Mac OS). I used it for a good while. I eventually did upgrade to Final Cut Pro X, and it does allow for more precise editing and has more bells and whistles. But I would definitely suggest at least taking a look at iMovie if you haven't.

I find it (and FCPX which has a very similar interface) quite intuitive, as is often the case with Mac products. But I'm not sure how it plays for someone coming from a good PC software. I got my first Mac in 2007. The last time I vidded on a PC, I was using Windows Movie Maker and running Windows XP LOL.

[bonibaru]

I have always heard good things about iMovie for newbies.

[sophie_448]

It is! I jumped into it a couple years ago after like a decade break from vidding and didn't have much trouble finding my way around. I think I favor a kind of minimalist (?) vidding style, though. I didn't need to figure out much except how to place my audio and video tracks where I wanted them. So that may skew my perception.

[bonibaru]

That's how I prefer to work, too. Premiere is so complex, but it was the program I started with in 2002 and it's like home to me now. I probably use 10% of its capacity, even though I've started to learn After Effects now just for fun, but it feels like a waste of potential lol

[wyomingnot]

If it's not non-linear, there's just no point in even playing with it, for me. ;)

FCP is just plain out of my budget and will likely remain so.

[lola]

Imovie wasn't non linear when I used it back in the day? But it might be now!

I'm trying to learn DaVinci Resolve. I'm still sort of muddling my way around it because some things are different from what I'm used to, but it seems super powerful and nicely designed overall. I'm kind of amazed that it's free!!

[franzeska]

FCPX is only $299, so realistically, Adobe or Avid or whatever isn't going to be within your budget either. None of the paid options I've used are especially budget-friendly.

Resolve is by far the most obvious choice. (Though I agree that it has so many powerful features that are complete overkill for a vidder that it's kind of bewildering at first glance.)