You’ve read the title and you may already know what you are in for. This one covers the scope of editing softwares and what exists in today’s scenario in 2018. But I’m going to be only talking about laptop/desktop softwares here (not phone apps). Additionally I’ll divide the article in two parts. One for going over free softwares and the options that one can choose from, for mac and windows. Part two is all about popular paid softwares one can choose from! 🙂

Part one: Free Video Editing Softwares

To begin with let’s start with the free options. You will be surprised just how many of them exist. So learning video editing doesn’t always have to be an expensive activity. You definitely don’t need deep pockets to get stated. Now, full disclosure, I haven’t used all of these. I’m just providing ideas here. So the onus of finding out more or learning how to use them, rests entirely on you. I’ve selected these options because they are fairly popular and can get you started on your video editing journey.

• VDSC Free video Editor (For Windows)

This is the first editor that comes to mind because I have used it too. I started my first video editing project on this software, and it’s quite decent and nice for beginners. A little background, the first time I created a video was actually at my workplace for some visitors from abroad. I used a free editor because I thought it was going to be a one time thing for me. But after using this editor, it is safe to say that this could be a good start point for many people. For the download link click HERE.

• Da Vinci Resolve (For Windows/Mac)

Da Vinci Resolve is one software that has really been making waves off late. This software is capable of handling 4K footage, color correction, audio editing, transitions and many more things all in one software. The full version software of the software actually costs $300 (lifetime), but a stripped down version of the software with many of it’s amazing features is absolutely free. Which is why I have put it in the free software list. This software is a tough contender for some of the best paid softwares, and for a beginner, it could be a perfect choice to start editing. Download the full software HERE.

• Windows Movie Maker (For Windows)

This is a free windows software available for download in the windows app store. Sometimes it even comes pre-installed in many laptops. Basically, if you are new to video editing. You can start your journey on this software. It gives a basic idea of how you can start working with footage and stitch it together. Don’t expect too many fancy things from the software. But it could be a good start point for putting video clips together with basic in-built transitions and text titles.

• iMovie (for Mac)

This is a free video editing software that is available on every mac machine. Again, one of those softwares that does a decent job for beginners. The thing is, the basics of video editing remain the same in any video editing software. If you want to start editing, it doesn’t matter what you start with. You can always go pro later. This software offers basic features for video editing.

Of all these free softwares, I feel like Da Vinci Resolve is a clear winner and could be a good choice for any beginner, with full range of editing options. Now moving on to the paid softwares.

Part two: Paid Video Editing Softwares (How much do they really cost)

• Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018 (For Mac/Windows)

About the software: This is the software that I use for editing videos. I think this is a common choice between a lot of film makers and those who want to experiment with advanced video editing. Fun fact – This is the software on which even movies are edited on. The software has a lot of customization options for videos, from basic animation, keying, to colour correction, dynamic custom transitions and effects. You can build your own transitions here too.

Biggest pro of this software: The Adobe suite is the best range of softwares to work with. For photo editing, from Adobe Lightroom, to Photoshop, Adobe Audition for sound editing, so on and so forth. These softwares all work together in combination and sync automatically if something is edited in one software and imported to another. This is one of the reasons why film makers prefer working in this setup.

The negative of this software is that it tends to crash sometimes because of how heavy it is. Even on the best of editing laptops. Thankfully, there are good backup options and auto-save features, so the loss it not much, but it can get frustrating on some days. The second negative is that it is not a one-time purchase software. Also, the softwares render times are not very fast.

Cost: INR 1350 or $20 payable/month

The full range of software costs INR 3382 or $50 payable/month

• Final Cut Pro X (For Mac)

About the software: This is an advanced editing software available on Mac laptops and desktops. The software is quite nice for a neat edit and comes with the option of lots of customizations and free plugins that automatically make editing easier. You can also purchase advance plugins for specific customizations that you may want in your videos.

This pro of this software is it’s ease of use and faster render times. Which is why it is also preferred by a lot of YouTubers. A majority of them edit on this software.

It is Not the choice for film-makers though.

Cost: $300 payable one time.

As I have mentioned previously already, this list is to give you guys ideas and to get you started with video editing. Toggle around and see if you like doing it. It is not very difficult to get started. And it certainly doesn’t have to mean that you need to pay for softwares to explore them. Let me know in comments what are your thoughts on this subject.