Best Video-Editing Software for Beginners
Easily create great-looking videos with Movavi Video Editor!
- User-friendly and slick interface
- Simple and fast editing
Artistic effects for videos and photos
Smooth transitions and other tool
Do you enjoy creating videos? Do you need to edit video content for yourself or others? Whether you're sharing videos from your road trips with your friends, creating a video blog on some topic, or just sharing your thoughts via video on Facebook or YouTube, you need video-editing software that is simple to use and will get the job done for you. Our list of the best video-editing software for beginners will help you choose the right program for your needs.
Our top picks for good video-editing software for beginners range from free programs to those that require a monthly subscription or one-time purchase. Use this comparison table to quickly examine features and prices.
Quick summary
Editor’s choice: Movavi Video Editor
No video-editing experience needed. Create stunning videos without a hassle.
Best for beginners who want to become pros: Nero Video
A mix of a user-friendly interface and advanced editing tools.
A powerful free video editor: OpenShot
Has just enough tools and features to try video editing for the first time.
Here’s what Movavi’s team does to provide you with verified information:
When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.
All products mentioned in this article have been tested by Movavi Content Team.
When testing, we aim to highlight the best features of a product and what it’s best suited for.
We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.
We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.
Movavi Video Editor
free trial, $54.95 one-year license, $79.95 lifetime license
Windows, macOS
PCMag rating: 4 out of 5
Movavi Video Editor lets you easily create and edit great-looking videos – no prior experience required. This is a terrific program for beginners, no prior skills are required to master the program's easy-to-use drag and drop operations. As intuitive as it is easy to use, Movavi Video Editor also includes many advanced features, including an audio editing tool, filters, transitions, and file sharing. Movavi Video Editor is available for both Windows PCs and Macs. There's also a free trial version available, so you can test the software before purchasing.
Key features:
Pros:
Easily converts vertically shot videos to horizontal widescreen format
Works on both Windows and Mac
Exports movies into all popular video file formats
Cons:
In the trial version, you can only save videos with watermarks
Price:
Free
Starter: $24/month
Team: $39/month
OS:
Web-based
G2 rating: 4.7 out of 5
Vmaker AI is an online AI video editing software perfectly suitable for beginners to pros because of its combined AI functionality with a full-fledged editing suite.
It turns your raw video footage into publish-ready videos in minutes by automatically adding b-rolls, background music, transitions, effects, subtitles, intros, outros, and more, making your videos publish-ready with just one click.
Beyond AI, it also includes an intuitive timeline with all the editing features you need to perfect your videos after AI has worked its magic.
Key features:
Pros:
Easy-to-use interface
Zero learning curve
Viral Styles Library
Over 10 million stock assets
Cons:
Watermark in the free plan
Nero Video
$55.95
Windows
PCMag rating: 3.5 out of 5
Nero Video is an easy video-editing software for beginners that lets them edit videos like professionals. Ready-to-use templates make it easy to create great-looking projects from your existing video content. Nero's Express Mode lets you edit your videos faster and easier than with other programs. Drag-and-drop your video clips and special effects into the program's drop zone to create a 1-Click Video Story. The software includes more than a thousand film templates and special effects and offers multi-track editing in HD, 4K, and 8K resolutions.
Key features:
Pros:
1-Click Video Story creation
Green screen and other professional effects
HD, 4K, and 8K support
Cons:
No direct sharing to social networks
Nontraditional interface
OpenShot
free
Windows, macOS, Linux
G2 rating: 4.4 out of 5, 27 reviews
OpenShot is a free open-source video-editing program available for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. The software lets you create professional-looking movies from your videos, photographs, and music files, complete with special effects and transitions. OpenShot also includes chroma key green-screen effects, as well as 3D animated title sequences. The movies you create can be exported to YouTube and other social media, as well as DVD and all major video formats.
Key features:
Pros:
100% free, open-source software
Export to many devices or straight to DVD
Many advanced features like chroma key, transitions, and more
Cons:
Some advanced features take time to learn
Can be slow editing larger videos, especially on lower-end computers
iMovie
free
macOS, iOS
Capterra rating: 4.5 out of 5, 215 reviews
iMovie is a popular free video-editing program for Apple users. It's available as software for Mac computers and an app for iPads and iPhones. This is the easiest video-editing software for Mac users and includes a variety of filters, studio-style titles, and visual and sound effects. You can also use iMovie for voiceover recording – and, even though it's free, there are no watermarks on the videos you create. For many Apple users, this is the only video-editing program to use.
Key features:
Pros:
Works across all Apple devices
Short learning curve
Makes it easy to create basic videos
Cons:
Not available for Windows PCs
Few advanced features
Animotica
Price:
Free download, optional in-app purchases
OS:
Windows 10, Windows 11
Microsoft Store rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Animotica is a free video editor designed specifically for Windows 10 and 11. The intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for beginners to turn photos and clips into stylish movies. Animotica includes integrated music, fonts, stickers, and shapes to spice up your videos. More advanced features like Chroma Key, speed control, and video reverse provide room to grow your skills. Completed videos can be exported to common formats or shared on YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms.
Key features:
Pros:
Intuitive interface for beginners
Integrated music and stickers library
Advanced features to grow skills
Free download
Cons:
Watermark in a free version
Windows only
Lumen5
free Community version, $15/month Creator, $79/month Premium
Web-based
Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5, 122 reviews
Lumen5 is a web-based video-editing service designed for social media marketing. The program lets you easily transform text from blog posts and other sources into attention-grabbing videos for sharing on social media. Just drag and drop or copy and paste your text into Lumen5, choose a template, and the program automatically creates a great-looking video, complete with music.
Key features:
Pros:
Strong social media integration
AI-powered technology for easy content creation
Operates on any computer or device via your web browser
Cons:
No image or sound editing
Limitations on free and lower-priced versions
Blender
free
Windows, macOS, Linux
Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5, 685 reviews
Blender is a free open-source video-editing program that focuses on all forms of 3D creation, including modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, and rendering. The program also includes a video editor that lets you perform basic tasks such as cutting and splicing, as well as video masking, color grading, and more advanced actions.
Key features:
Pros:
Powerful 3D modeling and rendering
Complete 3D animation toolkit
Built-in audio mixer
Cons:
Focus is on 3D modeling, not video editing
Steep learning curve
Adobe® Premiere® Elements
free trial, $69.99
Windows, macOS
PCMag rating: 3.5 out of 5
Adobe® Premiere® Elements is Adobe's beginning-level video-editing program but with many pro-level features. It's easy to use and integrates well with other Adobe products, including Photoshop® Elements. Adobe Sensei AI technology helps to automate the creative process, then you can customize your videos with multiple tracks and keyframe-based editing. Includes a large number of transitions and special effects, including animated overlays. You can even match the length of your background music to the video length and clean up grainy, poor-quality videos. Use Premiere® Elements to create photo slideshows with music, animated social media posts, video collages, and other video-based projects.
Download Adobe® Premiere® Elements
Key features:
Pros:
Clear and simple interface
Large number of video effects
Integrates with Photoshop® Elements and other Adobe products
Cons:
Rendering can be slow
No VR or 3D editing
HitFilm
free
Windows, macOS
Capterra rating: 4.4 out of 5, 14 reviews
HitFilm might be the best free video-editing software for beginners. The program includes more than 400 effects and presets to help create great-looking videos. Editing is made easy with color-coded tracks and a customizable workspace. Paid add-ons enable color grading, chroma key, and other specialized visual effects. Some effects add a watermark to the output video.[1]
Key features:
Pros:
Unlimited audio and video tracks
Built-in audio mixer
Professional effects and features
Cons:
Nontraditional interface
Many features available only with paid upgrade packages
MAGIX Video Easy
free trial, $3.49/month
Windows
CNET rating: 4.5 out of 5
As the name implies, MAGIX Video Easy makes it easy to create professional videos. The program's intuitive interface and step-by-step wizards help beginners turn content from any source into a great-looking video, complete with titles, transitions, and special effects. You can easily add your own narration or background music and export to DVD, Blu-ray disc, YouTube, and other media.
Key features:
Pros:
Intuitive user interface
Step-by-step wizards
YouTube and social media sharing options
Cons:
Lacks advanced features
Pricey for what it offers
KineMaster
free with in-app purchases
Android, iOS
Apple App Store rating: 4.3 out of 5, 317 reviews
Google Play rating: 4.2 out of 5, 4.9 million downloads
KineMaster is a mobile video-editing app for both Android and Apple devices. It has a well-designed interface and a number of robust editing features. Choose from videos and photos stored on your phone or tablet, pick a subject, add effects and transitions, then save your project. You can view completed videos on your device or upload to Facebook, YouTube, and other social media – no computer necessary!
Key features:
Pros:
4K video editing
Large collection of music, fonts, stickers, etc.
Direct upload to YouTube and social media platforms
Cons:
Remove watermark only with in-app purchase
Users say that some updates make the app harder to use
Pinnacle Studio
$59.95 Studio, $99.95 Studio Plus, $129.95 Studio Ultimate
Windows
Capterra rating: 4.7 out of 5, 14 reviews
Pinnacle Studio is a higher-end video-editing software that is easy for beginners to use and still offers professional features for more advanced users. Entry-level features include timeline and storyboard editing, quick start project templates, and hundreds of titles and special effects. More advanced features include color grading, multi-camera editing, split-screen video, and custom motion title graphics. Pinnacle Studio Plus and Studio Ultimate add even more professional features, including motion tracking, 360 video editing, and a customizable workspace with 24-track capability.
Key features:
Pros:
Features for both beginning and advanced users
Huge library of filters, titles, graphics, and overlays
Advanced audio editing with royalty-free music library
Cons:
Many professional features only available in Studio Plus or Studio Ultimate
Expensive
VideoPad Video Editor
free trial, $60 Home Edition, $99 Master's Edition
Windows, macOS, iOS
Capterra rating: 4.2 out of 5, 89 reviews
NCH's VideoPad Video Editor is an entry-level video-editing program available for both Windows and Mac platforms, as well as iOS devices. Thanks to VideoPad’s simple, well-organized interface, aspiring movie makers of any level can quickly get familiar with its conventions.[2] It includes more than 50 effects and transitions as well as a full-featured audio editor for superior sound. Completed videos can be exported in HD, 2K, and 4K resolution to DVD, mobile devices, YouTube, and other social media.
Download VideoPad Video Editor
Key features:
Pros:
Cross-platform compatibility
Built-in tools for YouTube beginners
Ideal for social media sharing
Cons:
Lacks advanced features
Dated interface
Magisto
$9.99/month Premium, $19.99/month Professional, $69.99/month Business
web-based
G2 rating: 3.9 out of 5 stars, 36 reviews
Designed especially for business users, Magisto makes it easy to create video ads for website and social media use. Powered by artificial intelligence, Magisto includes a video editor, omnichannel distribution, and business analytics. Choose from a large number of predesigned templates to create engaging video content.
Key features:
Pros:
Web-based editor works with any computer or connected device
Large template library
Good for creating advertisements
Cons:
Can't edit videos once created
Some features only available with higher-priced subscriptions
Microsoft Photos
free
Windows
PCMag rating: 4 out of 5
Microsoft Photos is built into all versions of Microsoft Windows, including Windows 10 and Windows 11. In addition to its photo display and editing capabilities, it includes basic features for video editing. It's easy to use, even on touchscreen devices, with everything you need for basic touchup, editing, and sharing.
Key features:
Pros:
Built-in software doesn’t require installation
Add text, transitions, and soundtracks
Integrates with Microsoft OneDrive
Cons:
No before-and-after view
Lacks advanced features
Shotcut
free
Windows, macOS, Linux
TechRadar rating: 4 out of 5
Shotcut is a free, open-source, cross-platform video editor for PCs, Macs, and Linux. Customize the interface with a variety of task-specific dockable panels. The program supports all major audio and video formats and codecs. You can also capture videos from webcams. Shotcut also includes professional audio editing features, including audio filters and multitrack audio mixing, as well as pro-level video effects and transitions.
Key features:
Pros:
Intuitive and customizable interface
Works across all three major platforms
Many useful UI features with appeal to both beginning and advanced users
Cons:
System requirements are steep
May be too technical for beginners
Best video-editing software for beginners
What is the easiest video-editing software for beginners in 2024? There are several factors to consider, including:
How easy is the program to learn and use?
Does it include all the features you need to create and edit your videos?
Does it support specific video formats – and upload to your favorite social media?
How much does it cost – and are some features only available for more money?
What is the best free video-editing software for beginners? If price is a consideration, look at the many video-editing programs with free download, or those with free trials. These include Movavi Video Editor, Blender, HitFilm, Lumen5, OpenShot, and Shotcut.
If you want to create more professional-looking videos, look for those programs with more advanced features. These include Movavi Video Editor, HitFilm, OpenShot, Pinnacle Studio, and Shotcut.
Movavi Video Editor
Сreate awesome videos easily
*The free version of Movavi Video Editor may have the following restrictions depending on the build: watermark on exported clips, 60-second video or 1/2 audio length limit, and/or some advanced features unavailable when exporting videos.
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