Becoming a videographer can be a rewarding career, but it is also an expensive field to enter. Newcomers to the profession can expect to invest a substantial amount of money purchasing proper video equipment and software. However, once one becomes known in videography, and creates a solid book of work, the financial benefits can be very satisfying. This article will discuss how new videographers can get off on the right foot by obtaining the best free video editing software.
Linux
1. On Linux Systems
Those seeking a career in videography, and people seeking video software for personal uses can both benefit from free programs. If you are using a free Linux distribution as your primary operating system, you can use free video software such as Kdenlive. This software has an intuitive interface which is perfect for those beginning in software based editing. You can import footage to the workspace area, and use the system’s marking (or clips) to separate out scenes in the film. The software also offers several tools, such a splicing, to edit the film as you choose. Additionally, it has the ability to save projects for further use.
Mac
2. Apple Software
One of the golden standards of MacOS is iMovie. This is a well known software that provides professional video editing options for professionals and amateurs alike. It amazingly lets you import video from a plethora of devices, including mobile phones. Importing footage is as simple as dragging the video file from your computer’s desktop and dropping it into the program.
iMovie makes it extremely easy to customize your video by adding effects and music. It also incorporates audio editing capabilities. One of its funnest features is the option to create trailers for movies which mimic those you’d see for a Hollywood film. For beginning or intermediate videographers, iMovie is an excellent solution.
Windows Based Software
3. Lightworks
If you are running Windows, you can use Microsoft’s own Lightworks program. This is a truly professional tool which has actually been used for some well known major motion pictures. It allows for accurate real time effects, color correcting, and other detailed editing. A videographer who needs more than is offered in the free version can opt for the paid counterpart.
Lightworks is also great to use as an educational tool because there are numerous public forums online which discuss its use. Due to such a following, Lightworks probably has the best potential for informative product support for those users who need assistance.
4. Windows Movie Maker
Windows users can also revert back to the pre-installed media program, Windows Movie Maker. This program has a more forgiving learning curve than Lightworks. It is easier to use, and a lot quicker to finish out a project. However with ease and efficiency, you will also lose a lot of editing options.
For one, Windows Movie Maker does not support a large number of video formats. This means that footage taken by certain cameras may be incompatible with the program. If this is the case, you will need to look for an appropriate video converter to help out.
Overall, even though Windows Movie Maker doesn’t match premium programs in terms of options and quality, it is still a wise choice among the free options. You can still use drag and drop uploading and editing, and can apply themes to footage. Furthermore, it is a cinch to add upload videos to social media sites such as Facebook.
5. VSDC Free Video Editor
Similar to Windows Movie Maker, VSDC is a no frills video editor that is totally free to use. Its selling point is that you can use non-linear style editing. It can also handle a fair range of formats. Using tools is fairly easy, even for the novice user, but the overall look of the interface is not as visually appealing as others discussed above. Once you become familiar with the software, it will be easy to quickly edit footage as desired.
