Top Video Editing Software for 2024: Unleash Your Creative Potential
Are you familiar with that captivating moment when you stumble upon a video on the internet that’s so captivating, so enthralling, that you simply can’t tear your eyes away?
That’s the sheer power of video—it has a way of seizing our attention like no other medium can. And here’s the exciting part: Video marketing is not just a trend; it’s a proven strategy that drives results.
Businesses that embrace video marketing experience a staggering 49% increase in revenue compared to those that don’t. With 72% of consumers favouring videos over text marketing, and a whopping 86% of businesses now utilizing video as a marketing tool, it’s clear that video is the way forward.
So, how can you create those sleek and eye-catching videos that captivate your audience? Well, the answer lies in investing in the right video editing sof
tware. We’ve done the legwork for you and compiled a list of the best editing software in 2023, along with everything you need to know to find the perfect fit for your needs.
Get ready to unlock the true potential of your videos and make your mark in the digital landscape.
The best video editing software
Take a look at our top 3 choices for video editing software.
Final Cut Pro
Apple’s Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing tool for macOS users. The software is packed with industry-standard features to create eye-catching and high-quality videos for all your business needs, from internal slideshows to high-end marketing campaign videos. It’s highly intuitive because it uses a trackless magnetic timeline instead of a traditional one, ensuring everything is organized and synced.
The latest version of Final Cut Pro, called Final Cut Pro X, comes with Apple’s recent “Metal” engine to further speed up the video creation process. It’s built on state-of-the-art computing architecture, so it can take advantage of the powerful CPUs and graphics processors that function on the newest Mac machines.
Key features:
- Edit HD, 360-degree, 4K, or 8K video
- Magnetic Timeline (new feature)
- Cinematic mode
- Object tracker
- Colour correction
- Great effects library
Pricing: You can try the latest version of Final Cut Pro free for 90 days and buy the software for $299.99 (one-time payment).
Recommended for: Anyone who has applied knowledge about video editing and is looking to upgrade. That said, it has a highly intuitive interface and a simple design, so the learning curve is short for a novice.
Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro (Adobe Premiere Elements’ scaled-up version) is video editing software that offers tools to turn raw video clips into jaw-dropping productions. Although it’s a leading motion graphics and movie maker, it’s still chock-full of features perfect for your business needs.
Brimming with intuitive workflow abilities, Adobe Premiere Pro lets you edit 360/VR content, polish audio tracks, balance colour levels, auto-duck music, and seamlessly edit graphics. Plus, both Apple and Windows users can use it.
Adobe Premiere Pro has several integrations with other Adobe products and works seamlessly with tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects, to name a few. It’s also part of the Adobe Creative Cloud collection of creative apps.
Key features:
- Large video effects library
- Multiple editing options
- Professional templates
- Step-by-step tutorials
- 100+ third-party extensions
Pricing: Seven-day free trial for individuals and 14-day free trial for Creative Cloud for Teams. Individual plans start at $20.99 per month, and business plans start at $35.99 per month.
Recommended for: Beginners and professionals. Beginners can use the software to learn about basic features like editing, colour corrections, transitions, compositing, and sound design. Professionals can use its advanced set of features like VR editing and motion graphics.
Don’t have the time to learn new software or aren’t sure of your skills? Let an experienced video editor take the lead. Explore available video editors on Truelancer today.
Other video editing software worth considering
These other video editing programs might be able to meet your needs, as well.
CyberLink PowerDirector
CyberLink PowerDirector, available for both Windows and macOS, gives you a plethora of tools to cut, mix, edit, transition, and create themes to turn raw footage into a full-fledged video.
Prominent features include a theme designer that helps maintain a uniform style despite sewing together multiple pieces of raw clips. Editors can use Chroma Key to add scenes through the green screen (this is good for times when filming is impossible in certain locations).
AI motion tracking is a new addition to the features list, which follows the motion of the objects to elevate the video and add more dynamism to the scene.
Key features:
- Multiple export types
- Sky replacement
- Speech enhancement
- 3,000+ effects
- Over 8 million royalty-free videos, images, and music tracks
- 4K and 360 footage available
- Distortion correction and colour match
- Powerful title and theme designer
Pricing: Plans start at $99.99 for a lifetime license, and subscription plans start at $4.08 per month.
Recommended for: Beginners and professionals who want to create powerful videos furnished with dynamic transitions, effects, and titles.
Corel VideoStudio
If you’re a beginner, Corel VideoStudio can meet all your video-editing needs. Apart from a great lineup of essential tools, it also lets you add exclusive filters and perform quick corrections. You can export your creations to popular formats like VI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVCHD, MPEG-4, and more to share across devices or social media platforms.
Corel VideoStudio has basic and advanced features, like video masking, audio ducking, motion tracking, and time remapping. GIF creator, face editing, and speech-to-text auto-captioning are new additions to its feature list. Corel VideoStudio is currently available to Windows users only.
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Easy to use and fast renders
- Great transitions, sound effects, and templates
- Speech-to-text auto-captioning
Pricing: 30-day free trial version. Paid plans start at $79.99 (one-time pricing).
Recommended for: Great for beginners who wish to create montage videos, slideshows, or presentations. It lets you edit audio clips, videos, and pictures seamlessly.
Pinnacle Studio
Also created by Corel, Pinnacle Studio is super-powerful video editing software available for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android.
It lets you create stunning videos with the precision you desire. A built-in advanced video editor enables you to fine-tune your videos, enhance colours, and add incredible effects to the raw footage. Its intuitive and clean interface is good for both quick edits and large-scale productions thanks to 2D icons, a grey and black colour scheme, and the features layout.
Key features:
- Free effects, titles, and templates library
- Robust title editor
- Video masking
- MultiCam editing
- AI colour correction tool
Pricing: 30-day free trial. Paid plans start at $49.95.
Recommended for: Beginners. It offers an awesome set of modern tools that do complex legwork so you can focus on the creative part of the editing.
iMovie
iMovie is a free video editing app for Apple iOS users. Whether you want to create cinematic brand intro videos, explainer videos with storyboards, or social media videos, iMovie lets you do it all. It’s also great for editing TikTok videos.
Simply add a bunch of pictures and videos together and iMovie automatically creates a sleek-looking video for you, complete with music, titles, and transitions.
Pre-made video templates and dynamic visual styles by Apple iMovie let you create storyboards, trailers, and cinematic movies in a jiffy.
What’s more? You can transfer your creations across all Apple devices and export videos optimized for popular social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook.
Key features:
- 4K video support
- 20 storyboards
- 13 creative video filters
- 14 trailer templates
- Hollywood-style transitions
- 130+ smart soundtracks
- 11 animated title styles
- Record voiceovers
- Green screen effects
- Picture-in-picture and split-screen effects
Pricing: Free
Recommended for: Due to its low learning curve, iMovie is perfect for beginners.
Filmora
Compatible with both Windows and Mac, Filmora by Wondershare is intuitive video editing software packed with powerful tools. It comes with an extensive variety of graphic overlays, filters, effects, and animated elements.
Other features include video stabilization, an audio mixer, scene detection, screen recording, and an animated text editor. It has a low learning curve because of its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. All in all, Filmora has great features that appeal to a variety of audiences.
Key features:
- Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface
- Royalty-free image/sound library
- 800+ effects and 50+ formats
- 4K video editing support
- Noise removal and GIF support
- Rotate, crop, cut, split, and trim videos
Pricing: Get a seven-day free version (edited videos will have a watermark). Individual plans start at $9.99 per month and annual business plans start at $155.88 per year.
Recommended for: Beginner to mid-level video editors. Filmora has a simpler UI and comes with a mix of both basic and advanced tools. It’s a great alternative to iMovie.
HitFilm Express
HitFilm Express, by FXhome, is a free video editor and VFX tool perfect for anyone wanting to dabble in professional video editing.
What’s great about HitFilm is that it lets you insert new dimensions into your video production by merging 3D layers, models, and particle simulations in the same space. You also get a dedicated set of comprehensive online tutorials that help with the editing process. It’s available for both macOS and Windows.
HitFilm Express provides power-packed non-linear editing tools like composite shot enhancements, an audio hard limiter, vertical video support, and a dedicated trimmer. It also lets you create transitions, import files with several streams of audio, and adjust or reframe GoPro footage.
Key features:
- Personalizable interface
- Professional-grade VFX tools
- 2D and 3D composition tools
- Cut/splice audio clips
- Composition tools
- Green screen effects
Pricing: Free (additional add-ons can be purchased if needed)
Recommended for: Beginners who want professional-grade editing and great visuals, or anyone who wants basic editing tools with advanced features.
DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is often called “Hollywood’s favourite colour corrector.” It has enterprise-standard, non-linear editing tools like context-sensitive automatic trimming. An intuitive drag-and-drop interface saves time, plus you can create your keyboard shortcuts.
DaVinci also promotes multi-user remote collaboration and cloud-based workflows for heavy users. Coming to audio post-production, the Fairlight page offers hundreds of tools to produce audio. Think of it as a DAW built inside a video editor.
Features:
- 100+ titles, transitions, and effects
- Compatible with third-party plugins
- Quick export options
- 2D and 3D tools
Pricing: A forever free version (DaVinci Resolve); lifetime license at $295 (DaVinci Studio)
Recommended for: Video editors with basic knowledge of video editing.
What to consider before choosing video editing software
Choosing the right video editing software can seem tricky, as they’re all jam-packed with features that may or may not be helpful to you. Ensure your video editing software has the following editing features before making a purchase decision:
- Effects. Many videos are jazzed up with special effects and high-quality graphics. Certain video editing software effects have to be purchased separately, which can cost you a few additional bucks. Ensure your editing software comes with a good list of effects you can use right after purchasing.
- 4K/Ultra HD support. High-quality videos capture attention better than low-quality videos. Today, new cameras and smartphones are capable of shooting videos in 4K. So, investing in video editing software that supports 4K/Ultra HD footage is recommended to ensure your final video meets industry standards.
- AI assistance. Video editing software with real-time AI assistance makes editing a breeze. Modify colours, blend audio tracks, and craft smooth interview clips with AI, all in less time.
- Tips and guidelines. Video editing software isn’t always easy to grasp because many features can be very technical. This can lead to a lot of trial and error to understand how each feature works, which might get annoying. Choosing video editing software that comes with a proper set of tips and guidelines can help you understand specific features and enhance productivity when you deploy them.
- Audio editing options. Extensive audio editing options provide more leeway to experiment and be creative. Pick a video editing tool that has great audio options and editing tools so your videos stand out.
- Import formats. Apart from MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14), common file formats include MOV, WMV, WebM, MKV, FLV, AVI, and AVCHD. Video editing software should support a range of import formats to simplify the entire process.
Consider a professional video editor
As more businesses shift to video marketing, your videos must stand out. Using the right video editing software that fits your needs and budget can help you create professional-looking videos. However, you might need an expert who is proficient with the ins and outs of video editing software.
Use Truelancer to onboard a professional video editor or producer to convert your video recordings into catchy and compelling videos and take your video marketing a notch higher. Hire an independent professional video editor today.