Guide To Choosing Good Video Editing Software

March 29, 2023

Video editing used to be a specialization that was only accessible to professionals. The combination of acquired skills and expensive hardware and software demands ensured that it was not reasonably available to an ordinary person. However, this has changed! There is more flexibility with computer requirements. There are also plenty of affordable and even cheap video editing software options out there!

The task now becomes how you find the right video editing software. Whether it is video editing software for Windows or Mac, there are countless options out there. Of course, you want the best editing software possible! Thankfully, there are a few simple tips that will allow you to find the best software for your needs, including the best video editing software for beginners. Once you know these tips, you can search for editing software more effectively.

Determine A Budget

The most practical and immediate consideration you need to factor in when determining the right video editing software for you is how much you can spend! Fortunately, if you are new to the discipline, you do not have to stress out too much. There are free software options, like Lightworks and Shotcut, for Linux, Mac, and Windows. They offer both an intuitive interface and a set of features that should be enough to satisfy students and amateurs just learning the basics.

However, if you are looking to take things more seriously, you need to determine a budget! Video editing software is not the most expensive investment, but it is not necessarily going to be cheap. Respectable video editing software options, like Movavi, can be picked up for about twenty-five dollars. However, leading platforms like Adobe Premiere Pro can often cost hundreds of dollars and require a subscription fee. You also need to consider what your computer can handle and account for any hardware upgrades you may need to make before using video editing software!

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Consider The User Interface

When using video editing software, the vast majority of your time will be spent navigating menus. Many people are familiar with the traditional user interface design of software like music players and word processors. However, most people do not have a similarly intuitive understanding of how video editing software is supposed to work, which makes it crucial to consider the user interface before settling on a specific video editing platform. This does not mean that you should be looking for video editing software that makes sense as soon as you see it! For most amateurs, that software simply does not exist.

There will be a learning curve involved for most people when picking up new video editing software. Instead, it is worth it to take your time and figure out how the different interfaces work. Navigating a user interface is an acquired skill. You will not really get a feel for which one best suits your sensibilities until you have a handle on the rough fundamentals.

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Choose Based On Skill Level

The fortunate thing is that developers tend to make their feature sets and interface designs tailored to the needs of a particular experience level. A free or affordable piece of video editing software with a decent rating may not offer the depth or meticulousness of more advanced editing software. However, it will employ an interface tailored to less experienced users! By contrast, software like Adobe Premiere Pro will look intuitively familiar to experienced videographers but will appear impenetrable to a more generalized user.

It is okay not knowing everything right away, and there is no shame in picking software catered to your skill level. For the most part, the additional features that come with more advanced software will not be of much use to you. The more complicated design can make it harder to focus on the fundamentals! Thus, evaluate your skill level and start with software that is close to it. You can always upgrade as you improve!

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Consider Free Trials

Even with the other tips, when looking for new software, it can be hard to know what will best suit your needs without trying it first! Fortunately, there are many options available if you want to consider free trials before you buy. Not every video editing software will come with a free trial. However, many will offer the opportunity to try out their software. In addition, even if you want software that does not offer a free trial, there are practical ways to get a feel for whether or not you like it! Many professional video editing software options have a free equivalent that offers a similar interface and features! Testing out the equivalent and scoping out videos and tutorials can help you be confident before you commit to paying.

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Evaluate Extra Features And Special Effects

Special features and effects should not be your primary reason for buying new video editing software. Most of your time will be spent doing the same mundane tasks repeatedly, so making sure that workflow is smooth is most important. However, once you have narrowed down your results to a few contenders, you can evaluate extra features and special effects. This will help you determine which one will offer you the best results!

Advanced features can take any number of different forms and involve everything from simplified color correction to streamlined social media uploading. These features can make your life easier, but they will not be the determinant factor for most shoppers. Special effects are something you should pay more attention to when comparing prices. If your software does not come with a rich selection of music, graphics, and titles, you could end up spending significantly more money on them in the future. Software with an existing library of free content can significantly boost the budgetary value of a platform!

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