Windows Movie Maker has been, for years, the best program to edit videos on PC both because it is completely free for personal or professional use, and also because it is really easy to use for everyone, without too advanced functions, but suitable for most normal needs . Unfortunately, Microsoft has now withdrawn this program by removing the download page of the entire Windows Live suite which also included Movie Maker and deactivating the support forever (from 10 January 2017, but as seen you can still download Movie Maker ) This means that those who have already installed it will never receive updates again and that, in future versions of Windows 10, it may no longer work or become an insecure and vulnerable program to hacker attacks.
below, therefore, the best alternatives to Windows Movie Maker for video editing, which are free and possibly equally easy to use for everyone .
1) Shotcut can now be considered the best alternative to Windows Movie Maker, a smarter version with easy-to-use editing options and full control of every feature. In summary, just open the files to add them to the playlist, then drag them on the timeline to edit them, just like you do in Movie Maker. Once everything is in order, press the filters button to apply transitions and effects and use advanced options to also add titles and watermarks. The best thing about Shotcut is that the program is open source, therefore free without limitations and without the possibility that it will become paid.
2) Minitool MovieMaker is a program released in 2019 to create photographic or video presentations, free and with the same name as the late Microsoft Movie Maker. The program supports many video formats like mp4 or mov and audio formats like mp3 or m4a. You can then merge photos into a video, add music and transition effects. In addition to transitions, you can also add effects to the video with artistic filters. You can also add writings to the video such as subtitles.
3) Openshot (to which I have dedicated a review) is a free program very simple to use and very similar to Movie Maker, recommended for nostalgics and those who would like a more similar alternative as possible.
4) VSDC Video Editor Free offers a great selection of automatic and also several advanced video editing tools. This program is certainly different from Windows Movie Maker, but it is an ideal alternative for those willing to try something different and more modern. Projects can consist of video clips, audio files and images. After selecting the starting files, you can put them in order and then add annotations, effects, notes and tables following a guided procedure that makes the most complex procedures simple. Unfortunately this time it is a free program with limitations that can only be unlocked by paying for the premium program.
5) Avidemux is one of the oldest, open source programs, which is still being maintained and updated regularly (while the other famous open source video editing program VirtualDub is now a dead project). For the purpose of the program, Avidemux can be considered as an alternative to Windows Movie Maker also because it is free without limitations. The most important difference is in the fact that, while it has more advanced functions comparable to professional software such as Adobe Premiere, Avidemux is not very simple to use and not too good to look at.
6) VideoPad Video Editor is the program that wanted to be considered the clone of Windows Movie Maker (so much so that its interface is also a bit old today). To use it, just import the videos, music and images and then drag them to the bottom timeline and edit them as you prefer. VideoPad Video Editor is however a live and updated project, downloadable in a free version or even in a premium version to have some more extension and functionality, however not so important.
7) Finally, Lightworks is the alternative to evolve with respect to Windows Live Movie Maker. This program is, more than anything else, a free alternative to Adobe Premiere and can therefore be considered comparable to a professional video editing software also used by film producers. The Lightworks interface is very different from the other video editors described here and for those who come from simple programs like Moview Maker it may be necessary to read the beginner's guide to get started.
8) The Photos app in Windows 10 creates videos as Movie Maker did, with even more simplicity and better results and is the real official alternative .
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