A videomaker is a human orchestrator, only in the video Editing niche. He writes scripts and shoots, and then edits the footage. If you have little experience, you should not take up monsters like Adobe Premiere. It is better to master a less functional, but understandable free video editing program from the review by Kirill Yurovskiy.

What program to choose for the beginner

Simple

In order that the first attempt to work does not discourage you from assembling videos, you need a simple program for editing. Functions should be named in Russian, and menus – have a logical structure that the user can understand which tab to deploy to find, for example, acceleration and stabilization. The interface can not be too stylish and modern, the main thing that looked “clean”, not streaked with buttons and lists.

Functional

If a person edits a movie for the first time, it does not mean that he can give him the option to trim and a couple of filters and stop there. In the basic set of video editors must be color correction, the ability to cut fragments, work with sound and titles.

Inexpensive

Video editing programs for beginners differ from professional Software in price. Editors for beginners should not be expensive, even better if they are free. An inexperienced user can get carried away with video editing for a while, and then quit and switch to something else. He should be able to easily “retire” without the embarrassment of spending money.

Top Best Video Editing Software

Below we will look at the software that meets all three points. These will be PC and smartphone video creation software, so you can choose which device to start your career as a video maker with.

Software for the computer

• Video Editor in Photos

The easiest video editing software that’s already installed on Windows 10 and 11 computers. If you have earlier versions, look for Windows Movie Studio on your PC – it’s the same tool. With it, the user can shorten the clip or cut out parts, apply filters to images, add captions, and change the playback speed. The application is completely free and is great for the first experience.

• Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is also easy to work with – it has a clear menu. But it already has complex 3D effects, stylish transitions and 200+ templates for quick creation of stylish clips. With this software users learn to work with the chromakey and audio editor, try motion tracking, picture-in-picture effect. If you’re making music videos, try the Rhythm Sync mode that speeds up the scene at key points so objects begin to move in time with the song. 

Filmora’s focus is on design, and it looks nice on its own. Its collection holds 10 billion stock videos and snapshots that can be used in projects. Access to the library is payable separately, but you can test the software itself for free for a month.

• VSDC Free Video Editor

This is an editor, screen recording software and at the same time a presentation builder. When you start VSDC, you see the bars with the names of the main functions and immediately understand where to go. The video editor window may seem “noisy”, but the sidebars with parameter lists are easy to minimize.

You can edit any video – from AVI and MP4 files to flash videos in SWF. The video maker then adds sound effects to the clip, synchronizes the video and audio, cuts unnecessary fragments from scenes, changes or blurs the background. If the picture is jittery – it switches on stabilization. With Motion tracking you can place a graphic or text next to the moving character, and then the caption or picture will “follow” the object.

• VideoPad

Uncomplicated but functional software. Suitable for most operating systems, including mobile. The basic toolset comes free, but if you want to get to the professional options, buy a perpetual license for $35. Then VideoPad can be used commercially.

The software uses a high-speed processor that allows files to be processed and uploaded faster than usual. There are more than 50 toning effects in the collection – you can use them “as is” or create unique filter templates for future projects. Besides the usual MP4 and AVI, the editor can work with “three-dimensional” video – edit 3D-sources or translate 2D into 3D. Use the sound effects library for audio, and a microphone recording for voiceover. You can convert the edited clip to HD or Full HD, upload it to YouTube, or save it to your computer.

Online editors

• Magisto

Magisto is all about artificial intelligence. You upload fragments of the future clip in the system, choose the style of editing and music from the built-in collection, and the rest is done by a robot. For romantic stories, travel reports and funny clips there will be a different approach.

The Emotion Sense technology at the heart of Magisto finds key moments and analyzes the emotions embedded in them. The system reads the visual and auditory narrative, virtually previews the content and makes adjustments to make the mood in the frame even brighter. If the picture lacks saturation or contrast, they will “tighten up” automatically. It’s the same with sound: a quiet track will become louder, an empty section will be filled with music, and when someone is talking, the background noise will disappear.

The service works online and you can also find it in the AppStore and Google Play stores. By default the user gets access to a large number of free styles, but to open them all you need to buy a subscription. Without payment, a watermark is placed on the final video. 

• Clipchamp

Clipchamp can be used completely free of charge and get beautiful clips without any watermarks. The service’s photo and audio stock is also freely available, although with limitations.

Working on the platform starts with choosing a template. You can create a YouTube video, a gameplay video, a holiday video, and many others. They already include stock video clips, captions and music, which you can add your own files, edit or delete. You can add a webcam recording, screencast, or microphone commentary to your work. The service can also convert text to speech, so if you don’t want to use your own voice, you can outsource the dubbing to Clipchamp.

Apps for smartphones

• InShot

The most popular program for video editing on your smartphone. It’s got it all figured out, and any beginner will quickly learn how to make color correction, control rhythm, and apply animated captions. You can even record a voiceover and then change it to masculine, feminine, childish, or robot-like.

Filters include effects selections, stylization presets, and a color correction tab. To overlay music, you can use the built-in sound library or extract a song from the clip from your phone. Before exporting, you set the video resolution, frame rate, and format, and calculate the approximate file size.

• Splice 

Another multi platform smartphone video editing app, but simpler. It has more ads and less free content. Visual dynamic effects, for example, only for money. Also in the PRO-version appear masks to make round videos or a side vignette in the frame. You can also replace the background – you mark with a dropper a color to remove, and the object is cut out.

The strength of the application can be called filters. They are free and there are many, over 70 pieces. Each can be adjusted for intensity. The text is superimposed standard, but the selection of fonts is interesting. There are, for example, trendy serif fonts in the style of the New York Times or as TikTok inscriptions.

Conclusions

If you want functional and understandable software for not much money, try Wondershare Filmora. It has the whole basic set of tools and professional tricks like working with chromakey.

For those who want to go further, understand the plugins and learn step-by-step editing of 3D movies, we recommend VideoPad. You can start with basic editing in it, and with experience move on to more complicated things. 

If you have no experience and are looking for a simple program, use the built-in Windows video editor or go to the Magisto website.

For mobile video makers, InShot is the way to go. It’s an easy to use and powerful smartphone editor with special effects and a wide range of free features.