In this new list of PC programs we discover the best free video editors that is those software that allow you to manipulate videos, cut them, improve them and unify different movies by making video montages like a film editor would do (more or less) . Editing videos and editing them is no longer just a hobby for enthusiasts and thanks to the simplicity of some programs and Web applications it is now possible to create new videos that can be published on the internet on Youtube, on Youreporter or on Facebook to show them to friends.
Since then all mobile phones and smartphones are now equipped with a camera to shoot videos, it becomes useful to have a video editing program that allows you to fix, improve and cut it with a few clicks.
READ ALSO: App to edit videos and edit movies (Android and iPhone)
The best programs to edit videos for free
The programs to make video montages and to edit main videos are very powerful but also very expensive paid suites (several thousand Euros). For example, programs such as Adobe Premiere and Sony Vegas or Pinnacle Studio, a much simpler suite to use, are very popular, especially among professionals. These are programs for those who are willing to buy a powerful video editing software, full of effects and above all easy to use, intuitive or at most usable after a short time reading the manuals in Italian. Those who want a free solution, sacrificing some advanced features or for occasional video editing jobs, can download one of these programs to edit videos for free. These programs are excellent for all home scenarios, also offering advanced features for those who want some professional tool (without exaggerating!).1) Openshot
One of the best programs we can use to edit videos is Openshot, downloadable from here -> Openshot .
All the tools are just a click away, including the timeline bar at the bottom to correctly edit the videos to use.
We can deepen the discussion on OpenShot by reading the dedicated guide present here -> Openshot for Windows and Mac simple and professional video editing program .
2) Hitfilm Express
Hitfilm Express is a professional and free program for making movies like those of TV, in a relatively simple way and with a modern interface. We can download it for free from here -> Hitfilm Express .
3) DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is a very modern Hitfilm-like program with lots of 2D and 3D video editing tools that can be downloaded from here -> DaVinci Resolve .
4) ShotCut
ShotCut is the best modern open source program that you can find, powerful and completely free for Windows, Linux and Mac; we can download it from here -> ShotCut .
This program offers a huge variety of features to quickly edit homemade videos and recordings.
You can encode video up to 1080p and use all the options from a simple interface. The video editor allows you to cut any clips by changing the start and end points, add filters and change the audio settings.
5) VirtualDub
VirtualDub was the best and most popular open source video editor program even if it is no longer updated it can be downloaded from here -> VirtualDub .
VirtualDub is a software that has existed for many years and, like Gimp and Audacity, was first developed by a student.
As an editor it is relatively simple and basic even if, from the somewhat spartan interface, it may not be so intuitive for the less experienced. VirtualDub is optimized for editing AVI files, although it can also open MPEG-1 streams (not DVD MOV and MP4 instead). With Virtualdub it is quite easy to work on videos to cut them, choosing which frames to delete accurately.
There are also about 60 audio and video filters to perform activities such as: resizing a film, sampling a soundtrack, adding a logo, cropping portions of video, improving audio, rotating, color balance and much more.
What you can't do is apply animations and special effects to videos. An important advantage is that, being a very popular program, there are guides to do anything on the internet and several plugins have been developed to add functions.
We talked about VirtualDub in several guide articles including:
- Replace audio on a video synchronously
- Delete the superimposed logo from a video
- Compress Avi video files and Divx movies
- Stabilize a shaky video taken with a mobile phone or camera
6) Windows Live Movie Maker
Windows Live Movie Maker is the Microsoft program to edit videos and, even if no longer supported, it is still now among the best and easiest free video editors, both to create new videos by combining photos, videos and music, and to edit movies .We can also download it for Windows 10 using the link here -> Windows Live Movie Maker .
The beauty of Windows Movie Maker are the animations and video montage effects that are truly beautiful to look at and of great quality.
Being a Microsoft program, the interface to use each tool is easy to use with mouse clicks and drags.
Movie Maker does not offer some of the advanced features of VirtualDub also because it is a different program, more suitable for improving and fixing rather than modifying. I personally believe that Windows Live Movie maker should be the first program to download and use before the others, especially if you are a beginner. About Windows Live Movie Maker I spoke in the article Windows Movie Maker to mount the videos of the video camera to the computer and in the guide Rotate videos if they are seen upside down or crooked.
7) Lightworks
Lightworks is the most serious editor and is part of the professional ones even if it is offered in a free version.We can download it from here -> Lightworks .
This is a non-linear editor, not easy for beginners, with lots of advanced effects and features. The free version, unfortunately, has some limitations, such as the possibility of creating videos with a maximum resolution of 720p.
8) VSDC Free Video Editor
VSDC Free Video Editor is another semi-professional program that you can download for free here -> VSDC Free Video Editor .
This program is not very simple to use, but not too complex as Lightworks, with many video and audio effects for color correction, reduction of blur and volume adjustment. With this Video Editor you can create projects in Full HD, save them in MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, XVID, DIVX, FLV and MPG, include visual and audio effects and create movies that can be viewed on DVD or on smartphones.
9) SolveigMM AVI Trimmer + MKV
SolveigMM AVI Trimmer + MKV only serves to cut AVI and MKV files, which is also feasible with Avidemux and Virtualdub, but allows you to do this automatically and without loss of quality. We can download it for free from here -> SolveigMM AVI Trimmer + .
10) Avidemux
Avidemux competes with Shotcut for the palm of best free video editing software on Windows, Linux and Mac . We can download this program for free from here -> Avidemux .
Avidemux has a very clear and more intuitive interface showing all the basic settings immediately.
After uploading a video, you can use all the various configuration options and filters to apply the desired changes.
There are tools to resize, crop or rotate a movie, adjust colors, reduce noise, cut video, embed subtitles and much more. Since the various tools are divided into categories, it is quite simple to find the filter you need and preview the effect which is also briefly described. Avidemux also allows you to save videos in different formats also for iPhone, DVD, Sony PlayStation and so on. Avidemux could be defined as a more modern VirtualDub and compatible with current standards.
I used Avidemux to write the guides:
- Crop a video by deleting the edges
- Cut and join videos
- Convert MKV video to AVI
- Create 3D Videos to watch with red blue lens glasses
- Edit AVI, DiVX, MPEG, MKV and DVD videos
11) VideoPad
VideoPad is a fairly simple to use program that manages to achieve professional results thanks to tools such as wallpaper replacement, advanced audio and video effects and the library of transitions and blends. Another feature that makes VideoPad one of the best free video editors to use in Windows is that it allows you to post edited videos directly to streaming video services like YouTube or upload videos directly to the cloud in Dropbox or Google Drive.12) Other programs
- Filmora is a modern PC program, which can be used in a free version or in a paid version without limitation, very powerful, with many tools to improve videos and controls for stabilization, brightness, contrast, tint and saturation, overlays, animated graphics and graphics models.
- IvsEdits can be considered one of the best free video editors to use in Windows to edit videos with HD quality and 4K resolution. Its use requires preliminary learning in order to master its interface and functions.
- Jahshaka is a free alternative for Adobe After Effects for its ability to create special effects for videos, also with video editing tools.
Other guides dedicated to editing and managing videos
Video editing can often become a tedious and difficult job if you don't have the right skills and tools.Before using one of these programs, it might be a better idea to rely on web applications that, in automatic mode, allow you to edit online videos with remixes and special effects, sometimes worthy of the best film productions, as if they were trailers or advertisements.
Another category of video programs are those for creating videos with digital photo slideshows, images, music and effects.
