2024 Approved The Best Free and Easy-to-Use 4K Video Editors
The Best Free and Easy-to-Use 4K Video Editors
The Ultra HD video, also known as 4K video , defines 3840 2160 pixels. It became popular in 2016 and has overtaken both HD and ultra-HD to become the video with the highest resolution. Most videos are shot in HD, but as camera technology improves, 4K video seems to have become increasingly common. Because of the additional level of detail that the camera acquires, 4K videos are large files that allow you more editing possibilities.
Several free 4K video editing software has been developed to make video editing relatively easy in recent times. These free 4K video editors allow you to import, edit, and export videos easily. This article will provide you with some of the best free 4K video editors you should try in 2022.
In this article
01 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac
02 Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors
03 Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly
Part 1: Top 5 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac
1. iMovie
Supported OS: iPhone, iPad, and Mac
iMovie is one of the most popular free 4K Video editing software. Using iMovie, you can create a professional-looking video even without any editing experience. You can import 4K images and 4K videos to iMovie, and then trim, split and add titles, transitions, filters or effects to the video by dragging and dropping. What’s more, you can import and export 60 frames per second video in iMovie.
iMovie is a video editing software that imports video footage from digital video cameras that use the MiniDV format. It can play DV, HDV, AVCHD, iFrame, Animation Codec, and other video formats. You can import 4K videos directly to iMovie and export them as 4K videos at 24fps/30fps/60fps. You can also share the 4K video to YouTube from iMovie directly.
Pros:
1. Switching across different devices:
This free 4K video editor is designed to work together using different devices (iPhone, iPad & Mac). You can begin a project on your iPhone, then transfer it to your iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive. It allows you to share what you have worked on to different devices, and you can also send projects from your iPad to your MacBook or iMac.
2. Advanced editing features:
What makes this free 4K video editor special is the ability to add some innovative editing functions when creating and editing your videos. Understandably, any video editor should offer basic editing features; however, iMovie allows you to work with more advanced functions like split-screen , picture-in-picture , and green-screen effects .
3. Saving all the original files
An advantage of working with different devices provides an opportunity to save all original files. It saves you time since you can import any media you need to get your project started in the video editor without losing the original files.
Cons:
- Distorted files: If you don’t follow the importing and exporting process, the files might get distorted, resulting in fuzzy images.
- Only available on iOS/macOS/iPad devices
2. VSDC
Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10
VSDC is a free 4K video editor that allows for beginner-level editing. It supports recording voice-over, capturing the desktop screen, editing the video and audio files. With VSDC, you can blend multiple footage layers into a single composition. You can easily apply a picture-in-picture effect and make things change their appearance or position.
VSDC allows you to import 4K video, audio, and image files. To successfully import these files; Click ‘Shift + I’ to add an image, ‘Shift A’ to add an audio file, and ‘Shift V’ to add a video file. VSDC allows you to export 4K videos to PC or share to web platforms like YouTube. To export these files, go to the export project tab at the top, and then set the profile to the highest quality. Click the Edit profile button and then select the 4K preset from the list. Choose the video and audio quality size, and then save the video as 4K.
Pros:
- Every tool for video editing is available
- Amazing Visual Effects
- Efficient Text Processing
- Lots of Blending modes
Cons:
- Pro editing features are missing
- Available for Windows only
- Audio waveform and hardware acceleration features are not available
3. ShotCut
Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Shotcut is another free 4K video editor made for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows gadgets. It has wide arranged support that features its astounding usefulness. This 4K video editing software may not be the most alluring programming you see, yet it can assist with making the process of editing smooth and straightforward.
This professional video editing software support almost all the latest audio and video formats, including ProRes, DNxHD, and 4K, and it allows you to trim, cut, insert, and overwrite the video and audio. With its video effects, you can do color correction and grading, add fade-in and fade-out effects, reverse the clip, and even edit the 360° videos.
Here is a completed video tutorial from YouTuber Kevin Stratvert, which provides almost all information about how to use Shotcut, including how to create a project, add media, edit clips and export.
Pros:
- Easy Access: The 4K video editor is open source. Users can easily alter the source codes, enabling the process of editing simple and clear.
- Shotcut has every one of the required instruments to give excellent outcomes to clients. It has all elements of good video editing software and a bunch of other supportive and current choices.
- Shotcut offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to finish a project quickly while having it examined by multiple members of your team. Its preview panel gives users access to a quick start menu, and its view menu lets them decide which features appear on the screen. The software’s video and audio filters are the most amazing of all its features. These filters can be customized, and they can be combined and layered in a variety of ways. Adjusting is now easier thanks to the easy checkbox and slider systems. Shotcut is so good that it makes even the most complicated effects understandable to the average user.
Cons:
- The platform might be a bit confusing when using the software for the first time because the interface isn’t intuitive.
4. LightWorks
Supported OS: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Lightworks is another video editor that can edit 4K videos from EditShare for people who have video editing experience. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, and you will find LOG, EDIT, VFX, and AUDIO tabs at the top of the interface. It integrates some paid royalty-free audio files, so you don’t need to find the background music from somewhere else. This software has some advanced editing features such as Multicam editing and batch export. It even supports third-party plugins, such as Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, and GenArts Sapphire. It enables its users to freely edit videos, even to the extent of trimming a video down to the size you desire.
However, if you want to export the videos in 4K, you need to pay, since it is limited to Lightworks Pro users.
Pros:
- The software allows clips to be easily imported and provides a platform where these clips can be played. This is made possible because this 4K video editor provides an interface made of panels such as bins, timeline, and edit review.
- Lightworks provides an easy way of applying varieties of effects from different clips in a coordinated manner. The software utilizes the hub-based framework to put together clips and recordings, which is needed for clips with numerous effects and tracks.
- Navigating this software, a right-click menu allows the user to export videos directly to YouTube. Also, the software automatically saves your work, so you don’t lose the files you’ve worked on.
Cons:
- Poor quality exporting options when making use of the free version (720p only)
- You need to register first to use it
5. Filmora Instant Cutter Tool
Supporting OS: Windows and Mac
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.12 or later
Filmora is one of the best video editors for beginners to create professional-looking videos in a modern way. One of the biggest advantages of using Filmora is its resources. You can now search the resources in the search bar and drag and drop them to the timeline to preview the result without paying first.
Some of you may say, Filmora is not a free video editor since there will be a watermark at the export video. But here, I will introduce the Instant Cutter Tool which is a perfect tool to trim and merge large 4K videos and action camera videos. This free 4k tool provides a proper way of instantly trimming or merging videos without de-coding, which means the video resolution will not be changed. Using the instant cutter tool, you can upload or merge files of huge sizes in different formats, such as MP4/MOV or MTS/M2TS.
Note: You can try some legal ways to remove the Filmora watermark without paying .
Pros:
- Clean and Intuitive User Interface
- 4K Video Support
- Trim and merge large videos quickly
Cons:
- Limited video formats supported when using Instant Cutter Tool
Part 2: Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors
While the general features of the best free 4K video editors have been discussed, it’s important you are aware of some specific requirements your system must possess to edit your videos successfully. Irrespective of the kind of device you’re using to edit your videos, you need to pay attention to some features your device must have. However, these requirements depend on the 4K video editing software free.
- Central Processing Unit (CPU): The Processor of the software being used must be Intel Core i7, 2.3Ghz four-core; this is applicable if you will be editing your videos offline. Then, Dual Intel Xeon 2Ghz six-core is applicable if you will be editing your videos online.
- Random Access Memory (RAM): Preferably an 8GB Memory if you’re editing offline, and 32GB Memory if you’re editing online.
- Internal storage: The required storage must be sufficient because 4K videos are huge files.
Note: Offline editing refers to editing a proxy file of the original source material ; online editing is the editing of the original material.
Part 3: Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly
- Choose the software based on your hardware: To choose the best 4K video editing software free, you must not opt for an editing software with higher requirements than your hardware; such software won’t work well on your device. You should instead select an editing software with lower requirements.
- Split large 4K videos into several parts: It has been reiterated that 4K videos are huge files; to edit your videos smoothly, it is recommended to split up the videos and edit one after the other. This will save you from heavy data loss.
- Enable graphics accelerator: A graphic accelerator is used in video editing to turbocharge your video exporting. It’s usually clung to a video board of your system. It makes the editing easier and faster by preventing a heavy workload.
02 Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors
03 Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly
Part 1: Top 5 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac
1. iMovie
Supported OS: iPhone, iPad, and Mac
iMovie is one of the most popular free 4K Video editing software. Using iMovie, you can create a professional-looking video even without any editing experience. You can import 4K images and 4K videos to iMovie, and then trim, split and add titles, transitions, filters or effects to the video by dragging and dropping. What’s more, you can import and export 60 frames per second video in iMovie.
iMovie is a video editing software that imports video footage from digital video cameras that use the MiniDV format. It can play DV, HDV, AVCHD, iFrame, Animation Codec, and other video formats. You can import 4K videos directly to iMovie and export them as 4K videos at 24fps/30fps/60fps. You can also share the 4K video to YouTube from iMovie directly.
Pros:
1. Switching across different devices:
This free 4K video editor is designed to work together using different devices (iPhone, iPad & Mac). You can begin a project on your iPhone, then transfer it to your iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive. It allows you to share what you have worked on to different devices, and you can also send projects from your iPad to your MacBook or iMac.
2. Advanced editing features:
What makes this free 4K video editor special is the ability to add some innovative editing functions when creating and editing your videos. Understandably, any video editor should offer basic editing features; however, iMovie allows you to work with more advanced functions like split-screen , picture-in-picture , and green-screen effects .
3. Saving all the original files
An advantage of working with different devices provides an opportunity to save all original files. It saves you time since you can import any media you need to get your project started in the video editor without losing the original files.
Cons:
- Distorted files: If you don’t follow the importing and exporting process, the files might get distorted, resulting in fuzzy images.
- Only available on iOS/macOS/iPad devices
2. VSDC
Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10
VSDC is a free 4K video editor that allows for beginner-level editing. It supports recording voice-over, capturing the desktop screen, editing the video and audio files. With VSDC, you can blend multiple footage layers into a single composition. You can easily apply a picture-in-picture effect and make things change their appearance or position.
VSDC allows you to import 4K video, audio, and image files. To successfully import these files; Click ‘Shift + I’ to add an image, ‘Shift A’ to add an audio file, and ‘Shift V’ to add a video file. VSDC allows you to export 4K videos to PC or share to web platforms like YouTube. To export these files, go to the export project tab at the top, and then set the profile to the highest quality. Click the Edit profile button and then select the 4K preset from the list. Choose the video and audio quality size, and then save the video as 4K.
Pros:
- Every tool for video editing is available
- Amazing Visual Effects
- Efficient Text Processing
- Lots of Blending modes
Cons:
- Pro editing features are missing
- Available for Windows only
- Audio waveform and hardware acceleration features are not available
3. ShotCut
Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Shotcut is another free 4K video editor made for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows gadgets. It has wide arranged support that features its astounding usefulness. This 4K video editing software may not be the most alluring programming you see, yet it can assist with making the process of editing smooth and straightforward.
This professional video editing software support almost all the latest audio and video formats, including ProRes, DNxHD, and 4K, and it allows you to trim, cut, insert, and overwrite the video and audio. With its video effects, you can do color correction and grading, add fade-in and fade-out effects, reverse the clip, and even edit the 360° videos.
Here is a completed video tutorial from YouTuber Kevin Stratvert, which provides almost all information about how to use Shotcut, including how to create a project, add media, edit clips and export.
Pros:
- Easy Access: The 4K video editor is open source. Users can easily alter the source codes, enabling the process of editing simple and clear.
- Shotcut has every one of the required instruments to give excellent outcomes to clients. It has all elements of good video editing software and a bunch of other supportive and current choices.
- Shotcut offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to finish a project quickly while having it examined by multiple members of your team. Its preview panel gives users access to a quick start menu, and its view menu lets them decide which features appear on the screen. The software’s video and audio filters are the most amazing of all its features. These filters can be customized, and they can be combined and layered in a variety of ways. Adjusting is now easier thanks to the easy checkbox and slider systems. Shotcut is so good that it makes even the most complicated effects understandable to the average user.
Cons:
- The platform might be a bit confusing when using the software for the first time because the interface isn’t intuitive.
4. LightWorks
Supported OS: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Lightworks is another video editor that can edit 4K videos from EditShare for people who have video editing experience. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, and you will find LOG, EDIT, VFX, and AUDIO tabs at the top of the interface. It integrates some paid royalty-free audio files, so you don’t need to find the background music from somewhere else. This software has some advanced editing features such as Multicam editing and batch export. It even supports third-party plugins, such as Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, and GenArts Sapphire. It enables its users to freely edit videos, even to the extent of trimming a video down to the size you desire.
However, if you want to export the videos in 4K, you need to pay, since it is limited to Lightworks Pro users.
Pros:
- The software allows clips to be easily imported and provides a platform where these clips can be played. This is made possible because this 4K video editor provides an interface made of panels such as bins, timeline, and edit review.
- Lightworks provides an easy way of applying varieties of effects from different clips in a coordinated manner. The software utilizes the hub-based framework to put together clips and recordings, which is needed for clips with numerous effects and tracks.
- Navigating this software, a right-click menu allows the user to export videos directly to YouTube. Also, the software automatically saves your work, so you don’t lose the files you’ve worked on.
Cons:
- Poor quality exporting options when making use of the free version (720p only)
- You need to register first to use it
5. Filmora Instant Cutter Tool
Supporting OS: Windows and Mac
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.12 or later
Filmora is one of the best video editors for beginners to create professional-looking videos in a modern way. One of the biggest advantages of using Filmora is its resources. You can now search the resources in the search bar and drag and drop them to the timeline to preview the result without paying first.
Some of you may say, Filmora is not a free video editor since there will be a watermark at the export video. But here, I will introduce the Instant Cutter Tool which is a perfect tool to trim and merge large 4K videos and action camera videos. This free 4k tool provides a proper way of instantly trimming or merging videos without de-coding, which means the video resolution will not be changed. Using the instant cutter tool, you can upload or merge files of huge sizes in different formats, such as MP4/MOV or MTS/M2TS.
Note: You can try some legal ways to remove the Filmora watermark without paying .
Pros:
- Clean and Intuitive User Interface
- 4K Video Support
- Trim and merge large videos quickly
Cons:
- Limited video formats supported when using Instant Cutter Tool
Part 2: Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors
While the general features of the best free 4K video editors have been discussed, it’s important you are aware of some specific requirements your system must possess to edit your videos successfully. Irrespective of the kind of device you’re using to edit your videos, you need to pay attention to some features your device must have. However, these requirements depend on the 4K video editing software free.
- Central Processing Unit (CPU): The Processor of the software being used must be Intel Core i7, 2.3Ghz four-core; this is applicable if you will be editing your videos offline. Then, Dual Intel Xeon 2Ghz six-core is applicable if you will be editing your videos online.
- Random Access Memory (RAM): Preferably an 8GB Memory if you’re editing offline, and 32GB Memory if you’re editing online.
- Internal storage: The required storage must be sufficient because 4K videos are huge files.
Note: Offline editing refers to editing a proxy file of the original source material ; online editing is the editing of the original material.
Part 3: Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly
- Choose the software based on your hardware: To choose the best 4K video editing software free, you must not opt for an editing software with higher requirements than your hardware; such software won’t work well on your device. You should instead select an editing software with lower requirements.
- Split large 4K videos into several parts: It has been reiterated that 4K videos are huge files; to edit your videos smoothly, it is recommended to split up the videos and edit one after the other. This will save you from heavy data loss.
- Enable graphics accelerator: A graphic accelerator is used in video editing to turbocharge your video exporting. It’s usually clung to a video board of your system. It makes the editing easier and faster by preventing a heavy workload.
02 Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors
03 Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly
Part 1: Top 5 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac
1. iMovie
Supported OS: iPhone, iPad, and Mac
iMovie is one of the most popular free 4K Video editing software. Using iMovie, you can create a professional-looking video even without any editing experience. You can import 4K images and 4K videos to iMovie, and then trim, split and add titles, transitions, filters or effects to the video by dragging and dropping. What’s more, you can import and export 60 frames per second video in iMovie.
iMovie is a video editing software that imports video footage from digital video cameras that use the MiniDV format. It can play DV, HDV, AVCHD, iFrame, Animation Codec, and other video formats. You can import 4K videos directly to iMovie and export them as 4K videos at 24fps/30fps/60fps. You can also share the 4K video to YouTube from iMovie directly.
Pros:
1. Switching across different devices:
This free 4K video editor is designed to work together using different devices (iPhone, iPad & Mac). You can begin a project on your iPhone, then transfer it to your iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive. It allows you to share what you have worked on to different devices, and you can also send projects from your iPad to your MacBook or iMac.
2. Advanced editing features:
What makes this free 4K video editor special is the ability to add some innovative editing functions when creating and editing your videos. Understandably, any video editor should offer basic editing features; however, iMovie allows you to work with more advanced functions like split-screen , picture-in-picture , and green-screen effects .
3. Saving all the original files
An advantage of working with different devices provides an opportunity to save all original files. It saves you time since you can import any media you need to get your project started in the video editor without losing the original files.
Cons:
- Distorted files: If you don’t follow the importing and exporting process, the files might get distorted, resulting in fuzzy images.
- Only available on iOS/macOS/iPad devices
2. VSDC
Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10
VSDC is a free 4K video editor that allows for beginner-level editing. It supports recording voice-over, capturing the desktop screen, editing the video and audio files. With VSDC, you can blend multiple footage layers into a single composition. You can easily apply a picture-in-picture effect and make things change their appearance or position.
VSDC allows you to import 4K video, audio, and image files. To successfully import these files; Click ‘Shift + I’ to add an image, ‘Shift A’ to add an audio file, and ‘Shift V’ to add a video file. VSDC allows you to export 4K videos to PC or share to web platforms like YouTube. To export these files, go to the export project tab at the top, and then set the profile to the highest quality. Click the Edit profile button and then select the 4K preset from the list. Choose the video and audio quality size, and then save the video as 4K.
Pros:
- Every tool for video editing is available
- Amazing Visual Effects
- Efficient Text Processing
- Lots of Blending modes
Cons:
- Pro editing features are missing
- Available for Windows only
- Audio waveform and hardware acceleration features are not available
3. ShotCut
Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Shotcut is another free 4K video editor made for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows gadgets. It has wide arranged support that features its astounding usefulness. This 4K video editing software may not be the most alluring programming you see, yet it can assist with making the process of editing smooth and straightforward.
This professional video editing software support almost all the latest audio and video formats, including ProRes, DNxHD, and 4K, and it allows you to trim, cut, insert, and overwrite the video and audio. With its video effects, you can do color correction and grading, add fade-in and fade-out effects, reverse the clip, and even edit the 360° videos.
Here is a completed video tutorial from YouTuber Kevin Stratvert, which provides almost all information about how to use Shotcut, including how to create a project, add media, edit clips and export.
Pros:
- Easy Access: The 4K video editor is open source. Users can easily alter the source codes, enabling the process of editing simple and clear.
- Shotcut has every one of the required instruments to give excellent outcomes to clients. It has all elements of good video editing software and a bunch of other supportive and current choices.
- Shotcut offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to finish a project quickly while having it examined by multiple members of your team. Its preview panel gives users access to a quick start menu, and its view menu lets them decide which features appear on the screen. The software’s video and audio filters are the most amazing of all its features. These filters can be customized, and they can be combined and layered in a variety of ways. Adjusting is now easier thanks to the easy checkbox and slider systems. Shotcut is so good that it makes even the most complicated effects understandable to the average user.
Cons:
- The platform might be a bit confusing when using the software for the first time because the interface isn’t intuitive.
4. LightWorks
Supported OS: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Lightworks is another video editor that can edit 4K videos from EditShare for people who have video editing experience. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, and you will find LOG, EDIT, VFX, and AUDIO tabs at the top of the interface. It integrates some paid royalty-free audio files, so you don’t need to find the background music from somewhere else. This software has some advanced editing features such as Multicam editing and batch export. It even supports third-party plugins, such as Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, and GenArts Sapphire. It enables its users to freely edit videos, even to the extent of trimming a video down to the size you desire.
However, if you want to export the videos in 4K, you need to pay, since it is limited to Lightworks Pro users.
Pros:
- The software allows clips to be easily imported and provides a platform where these clips can be played. This is made possible because this 4K video editor provides an interface made of panels such as bins, timeline, and edit review.
- Lightworks provides an easy way of applying varieties of effects from different clips in a coordinated manner. The software utilizes the hub-based framework to put together clips and recordings, which is needed for clips with numerous effects and tracks.
- Navigating this software, a right-click menu allows the user to export videos directly to YouTube. Also, the software automatically saves your work, so you don’t lose the files you’ve worked on.
Cons:
- Poor quality exporting options when making use of the free version (720p only)
- You need to register first to use it
5. Filmora Instant Cutter Tool
Supporting OS: Windows and Mac
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.12 or later
Filmora is one of the best video editors for beginners to create professional-looking videos in a modern way. One of the biggest advantages of using Filmora is its resources. You can now search the resources in the search bar and drag and drop them to the timeline to preview the result without paying first.
Some of you may say, Filmora is not a free video editor since there will be a watermark at the export video. But here, I will introduce the Instant Cutter Tool which is a perfect tool to trim and merge large 4K videos and action camera videos. This free 4k tool provides a proper way of instantly trimming or merging videos without de-coding, which means the video resolution will not be changed. Using the instant cutter tool, you can upload or merge files of huge sizes in different formats, such as MP4/MOV or MTS/M2TS.
Note: You can try some legal ways to remove the Filmora watermark without paying .
Pros:
- Clean and Intuitive User Interface
- 4K Video Support
- Trim and merge large videos quickly
Cons:
- Limited video formats supported when using Instant Cutter Tool
Part 2: Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors
While the general features of the best free 4K video editors have been discussed, it’s important you are aware of some specific requirements your system must possess to edit your videos successfully. Irrespective of the kind of device you’re using to edit your videos, you need to pay attention to some features your device must have. However, these requirements depend on the 4K video editing software free.
- Central Processing Unit (CPU): The Processor of the software being used must be Intel Core i7, 2.3Ghz four-core; this is applicable if you will be editing your videos offline. Then, Dual Intel Xeon 2Ghz six-core is applicable if you will be editing your videos online.
- Random Access Memory (RAM): Preferably an 8GB Memory if you’re editing offline, and 32GB Memory if you’re editing online.
- Internal storage: The required storage must be sufficient because 4K videos are huge files.
Note: Offline editing refers to editing a proxy file of the original source material ; online editing is the editing of the original material.
Part 3: Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly
- Choose the software based on your hardware: To choose the best 4K video editing software free, you must not opt for an editing software with higher requirements than your hardware; such software won’t work well on your device. You should instead select an editing software with lower requirements.
- Split large 4K videos into several parts: It has been reiterated that 4K videos are huge files; to edit your videos smoothly, it is recommended to split up the videos and edit one after the other. This will save you from heavy data loss.
- Enable graphics accelerator: A graphic accelerator is used in video editing to turbocharge your video exporting. It’s usually clung to a video board of your system. It makes the editing easier and faster by preventing a heavy workload.
02 Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors
03 Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly
Part 1: Top 5 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac
1. iMovie
Supported OS: iPhone, iPad, and Mac
iMovie is one of the most popular free 4K Video editing software. Using iMovie, you can create a professional-looking video even without any editing experience. You can import 4K images and 4K videos to iMovie, and then trim, split and add titles, transitions, filters or effects to the video by dragging and dropping. What’s more, you can import and export 60 frames per second video in iMovie.
iMovie is a video editing software that imports video footage from digital video cameras that use the MiniDV format. It can play DV, HDV, AVCHD, iFrame, Animation Codec, and other video formats. You can import 4K videos directly to iMovie and export them as 4K videos at 24fps/30fps/60fps. You can also share the 4K video to YouTube from iMovie directly.
Pros:
1. Switching across different devices:
This free 4K video editor is designed to work together using different devices (iPhone, iPad & Mac). You can begin a project on your iPhone, then transfer it to your iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive. It allows you to share what you have worked on to different devices, and you can also send projects from your iPad to your MacBook or iMac.
2. Advanced editing features:
What makes this free 4K video editor special is the ability to add some innovative editing functions when creating and editing your videos. Understandably, any video editor should offer basic editing features; however, iMovie allows you to work with more advanced functions like split-screen , picture-in-picture , and green-screen effects .
3. Saving all the original files
An advantage of working with different devices provides an opportunity to save all original files. It saves you time since you can import any media you need to get your project started in the video editor without losing the original files.
Cons:
- Distorted files: If you don’t follow the importing and exporting process, the files might get distorted, resulting in fuzzy images.
- Only available on iOS/macOS/iPad devices
2. VSDC
Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10
VSDC is a free 4K video editor that allows for beginner-level editing. It supports recording voice-over, capturing the desktop screen, editing the video and audio files. With VSDC, you can blend multiple footage layers into a single composition. You can easily apply a picture-in-picture effect and make things change their appearance or position.
VSDC allows you to import 4K video, audio, and image files. To successfully import these files; Click ‘Shift + I’ to add an image, ‘Shift A’ to add an audio file, and ‘Shift V’ to add a video file. VSDC allows you to export 4K videos to PC or share to web platforms like YouTube. To export these files, go to the export project tab at the top, and then set the profile to the highest quality. Click the Edit profile button and then select the 4K preset from the list. Choose the video and audio quality size, and then save the video as 4K.
Pros:
- Every tool for video editing is available
- Amazing Visual Effects
- Efficient Text Processing
- Lots of Blending modes
Cons:
- Pro editing features are missing
- Available for Windows only
- Audio waveform and hardware acceleration features are not available
3. ShotCut
Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Shotcut is another free 4K video editor made for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows gadgets. It has wide arranged support that features its astounding usefulness. This 4K video editing software may not be the most alluring programming you see, yet it can assist with making the process of editing smooth and straightforward.
This professional video editing software support almost all the latest audio and video formats, including ProRes, DNxHD, and 4K, and it allows you to trim, cut, insert, and overwrite the video and audio. With its video effects, you can do color correction and grading, add fade-in and fade-out effects, reverse the clip, and even edit the 360° videos.
Here is a completed video tutorial from YouTuber Kevin Stratvert, which provides almost all information about how to use Shotcut, including how to create a project, add media, edit clips and export.
Pros:
- Easy Access: The 4K video editor is open source. Users can easily alter the source codes, enabling the process of editing simple and clear.
- Shotcut has every one of the required instruments to give excellent outcomes to clients. It has all elements of good video editing software and a bunch of other supportive and current choices.
- Shotcut offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to finish a project quickly while having it examined by multiple members of your team. Its preview panel gives users access to a quick start menu, and its view menu lets them decide which features appear on the screen. The software’s video and audio filters are the most amazing of all its features. These filters can be customized, and they can be combined and layered in a variety of ways. Adjusting is now easier thanks to the easy checkbox and slider systems. Shotcut is so good that it makes even the most complicated effects understandable to the average user.
Cons:
- The platform might be a bit confusing when using the software for the first time because the interface isn’t intuitive.
4. LightWorks
Supported OS: Windows, Linux, and macOS
Lightworks is another video editor that can edit 4K videos from EditShare for people who have video editing experience. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, and you will find LOG, EDIT, VFX, and AUDIO tabs at the top of the interface. It integrates some paid royalty-free audio files, so you don’t need to find the background music from somewhere else. This software has some advanced editing features such as Multicam editing and batch export. It even supports third-party plugins, such as Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, and GenArts Sapphire. It enables its users to freely edit videos, even to the extent of trimming a video down to the size you desire.
However, if you want to export the videos in 4K, you need to pay, since it is limited to Lightworks Pro users.
Pros:
- The software allows clips to be easily imported and provides a platform where these clips can be played. This is made possible because this 4K video editor provides an interface made of panels such as bins, timeline, and edit review.
- Lightworks provides an easy way of applying varieties of effects from different clips in a coordinated manner. The software utilizes the hub-based framework to put together clips and recordings, which is needed for clips with numerous effects and tracks.
- Navigating this software, a right-click menu allows the user to export videos directly to YouTube. Also, the software automatically saves your work, so you don’t lose the files you’ve worked on.
Cons:
- Poor quality exporting options when making use of the free version (720p only)
- You need to register first to use it
5. Filmora Instant Cutter Tool
Supporting OS: Windows and Mac
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.12 or later
Filmora is one of the best video editors for beginners to create professional-looking videos in a modern way. One of the biggest advantages of using Filmora is its resources. You can now search the resources in the search bar and drag and drop them to the timeline to preview the result without paying first.
Some of you may say, Filmora is not a free video editor since there will be a watermark at the export video. But here, I will introduce the Instant Cutter Tool which is a perfect tool to trim and merge large 4K videos and action camera videos. This free 4k tool provides a proper way of instantly trimming or merging videos without de-coding, which means the video resolution will not be changed. Using the instant cutter tool, you can upload or merge files of huge sizes in different formats, such as MP4/MOV or MTS/M2TS.
Note: You can try some legal ways to remove the Filmora watermark without paying .
Pros:
- Clean and Intuitive User Interface
- 4K Video Support
- Trim and merge large videos quickly
Cons:
- Limited video formats supported when using Instant Cutter Tool
Part 2: Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors
While the general features of the best free 4K video editors have been discussed, it’s important you are aware of some specific requirements your system must possess to edit your videos successfully. Irrespective of the kind of device you’re using to edit your videos, you need to pay attention to some features your device must have. However, these requirements depend on the 4K video editing software free.
- Central Processing Unit (CPU): The Processor of the software being used must be Intel Core i7, 2.3Ghz four-core; this is applicable if you will be editing your videos offline. Then, Dual Intel Xeon 2Ghz six-core is applicable if you will be editing your videos online.
- Random Access Memory (RAM): Preferably an 8GB Memory if you’re editing offline, and 32GB Memory if you’re editing online.
- Internal storage: The required storage must be sufficient because 4K videos are huge files.
Note: Offline editing refers to editing a proxy file of the original source material ; online editing is the editing of the original material.
Part 3: Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly
- Choose the software based on your hardware: To choose the best 4K video editing software free, you must not opt for an editing software with higher requirements than your hardware; such software won’t work well on your device. You should instead select an editing software with lower requirements.
- Split large 4K videos into several parts: It has been reiterated that 4K videos are huge files; to edit your videos smoothly, it is recommended to split up the videos and edit one after the other. This will save you from heavy data loss.
- Enable graphics accelerator: A graphic accelerator is used in video editing to turbocharge your video exporting. It’s usually clung to a video board of your system. It makes the editing easier and faster by preventing a heavy workload.
Mastering Slow-Mo: A Step-by-Step Guide to Windows Live Movie Maker
How to Use Windows Live Movie Maker Slow Motion Effect
Ollie Mattison
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Slow motion effect is one of the most popular video effects. Fortunately, Windows Live Movie Maker provides this useful function for you to slow down your videos either for better presentation or better video effect. It is very easy to use Windows Live Movie Maker slow motion function. Just get Windows Live Movie Maker installed and follow the below guide to use slow motion effect in Windows Live Movie Maker.
How to slow down videos in Windows Live Movie Maker
Step 1. Add photos and videos to Windows Live Movie Maker
Click “Add videos and photos” to browse and select videos and photos from you computer to add. You can also drag and drop videos and photos to the storyboard.
Step 2. Slow down videos in Windows Live Movie Maker
To slow down videos, select the video clip and on the Edit tab under “Video Tools” choose a speed (depending on how much you want to speed the video up or slow it down).
For more Windows Live Movie Maker tips, please go to how to edit videos in Windows Live Movie Maker .
By the way, Windows Live Movie Maker is really a good free video editing software. However, compared with other video editing software, it lacks some features. Have your thought about any video editing software better than Windows Live Movie Maker, which can slow down the motion effects and with powerful edting tools at the same time?
More Powerful Video Movie Making Can Slow Down Videos
For video movie making, you can use Wondershare Filmora to make a stunning movie from your home videos. All popular video formats are supported and lots of free video transition effects are provided for your to make your videos more smooth. With an intuitive interface, even beginners can make stunning movies with this video editor software.
Besides, you can directly upload your video to YouTube for sharing with family and friends. What’s the best? There are more special editing features like Scene Detection, Close-up, Jump Cut, Mosaic, Tilt Shift, Picture-in-Picture, Face off, Audio Separation, Playback Speed. Hurry to free download Wondershare Filmora to edit your stunning videos now!
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Slow motion effect is one of the most popular video effects. Fortunately, Windows Live Movie Maker provides this useful function for you to slow down your videos either for better presentation or better video effect. It is very easy to use Windows Live Movie Maker slow motion function. Just get Windows Live Movie Maker installed and follow the below guide to use slow motion effect in Windows Live Movie Maker.
How to slow down videos in Windows Live Movie Maker
Step 1. Add photos and videos to Windows Live Movie Maker
Click “Add videos and photos” to browse and select videos and photos from you computer to add. You can also drag and drop videos and photos to the storyboard.
Step 2. Slow down videos in Windows Live Movie Maker
To slow down videos, select the video clip and on the Edit tab under “Video Tools” choose a speed (depending on how much you want to speed the video up or slow it down).
For more Windows Live Movie Maker tips, please go to how to edit videos in Windows Live Movie Maker .
By the way, Windows Live Movie Maker is really a good free video editing software. However, compared with other video editing software, it lacks some features. Have your thought about any video editing software better than Windows Live Movie Maker, which can slow down the motion effects and with powerful edting tools at the same time?
More Powerful Video Movie Making Can Slow Down Videos
For video movie making, you can use Wondershare Filmora to make a stunning movie from your home videos. All popular video formats are supported and lots of free video transition effects are provided for your to make your videos more smooth. With an intuitive interface, even beginners can make stunning movies with this video editor software.
Besides, you can directly upload your video to YouTube for sharing with family and friends. What’s the best? There are more special editing features like Scene Detection, Close-up, Jump Cut, Mosaic, Tilt Shift, Picture-in-Picture, Face off, Audio Separation, Playback Speed. Hurry to free download Wondershare Filmora to edit your stunning videos now!
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Slow motion effect is one of the most popular video effects. Fortunately, Windows Live Movie Maker provides this useful function for you to slow down your videos either for better presentation or better video effect. It is very easy to use Windows Live Movie Maker slow motion function. Just get Windows Live Movie Maker installed and follow the below guide to use slow motion effect in Windows Live Movie Maker.
How to slow down videos in Windows Live Movie Maker
Step 1. Add photos and videos to Windows Live Movie Maker
Click “Add videos and photos” to browse and select videos and photos from you computer to add. You can also drag and drop videos and photos to the storyboard.
Step 2. Slow down videos in Windows Live Movie Maker
To slow down videos, select the video clip and on the Edit tab under “Video Tools” choose a speed (depending on how much you want to speed the video up or slow it down).
For more Windows Live Movie Maker tips, please go to how to edit videos in Windows Live Movie Maker .
By the way, Windows Live Movie Maker is really a good free video editing software. However, compared with other video editing software, it lacks some features. Have your thought about any video editing software better than Windows Live Movie Maker, which can slow down the motion effects and with powerful edting tools at the same time?
More Powerful Video Movie Making Can Slow Down Videos
For video movie making, you can use Wondershare Filmora to make a stunning movie from your home videos. All popular video formats are supported and lots of free video transition effects are provided for your to make your videos more smooth. With an intuitive interface, even beginners can make stunning movies with this video editor software.
Besides, you can directly upload your video to YouTube for sharing with family and friends. What’s the best? There are more special editing features like Scene Detection, Close-up, Jump Cut, Mosaic, Tilt Shift, Picture-in-Picture, Face off, Audio Separation, Playback Speed. Hurry to free download Wondershare Filmora to edit your stunning videos now!
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Slow motion effect is one of the most popular video effects. Fortunately, Windows Live Movie Maker provides this useful function for you to slow down your videos either for better presentation or better video effect. It is very easy to use Windows Live Movie Maker slow motion function. Just get Windows Live Movie Maker installed and follow the below guide to use slow motion effect in Windows Live Movie Maker.
How to slow down videos in Windows Live Movie Maker
Step 1. Add photos and videos to Windows Live Movie Maker
Click “Add videos and photos” to browse and select videos and photos from you computer to add. You can also drag and drop videos and photos to the storyboard.
Step 2. Slow down videos in Windows Live Movie Maker
To slow down videos, select the video clip and on the Edit tab under “Video Tools” choose a speed (depending on how much you want to speed the video up or slow it down).
For more Windows Live Movie Maker tips, please go to how to edit videos in Windows Live Movie Maker .
By the way, Windows Live Movie Maker is really a good free video editing software. However, compared with other video editing software, it lacks some features. Have your thought about any video editing software better than Windows Live Movie Maker, which can slow down the motion effects and with powerful edting tools at the same time?
More Powerful Video Movie Making Can Slow Down Videos
For video movie making, you can use Wondershare Filmora to make a stunning movie from your home videos. All popular video formats are supported and lots of free video transition effects are provided for your to make your videos more smooth. With an intuitive interface, even beginners can make stunning movies with this video editor software.
Besides, you can directly upload your video to YouTube for sharing with family and friends. What’s the best? There are more special editing features like Scene Detection, Close-up, Jump Cut, Mosaic, Tilt Shift, Picture-in-Picture, Face off, Audio Separation, Playback Speed. Hurry to free download Wondershare Filmora to edit your stunning videos now!
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Cutting-Edge Video Editing Without the Cost: Top Free Open-Source Options
What could be nicer than having the best software to organize your media content? The difference between open source and other software is that open source allows coding changes to personalize your experience. Essentially, video editing is the process of modifying video pictures. Find out the best Open Source Video Editors to do all that in an instant!
| 1 - OpenShot | 2 - Shotcut |
|---|---|
| 3 - Lightworks | 4 - Blender |
| 5 - Kdenlive | 6 - Olive |
| 7 - VLC | 8 - NATRON |
| 9 - Flowbade | 10 - Avidemux |
Want to Use a More Intelligent Way to Add Custom Video Effects than Coding?
Filmora Free Video Editor is an easy-to-use editor for creating videos. Instead of coding to change the video, Filmora offers various functions and video effects to realize the video upgrade. Furthermore, built-in AI tools will bring more convenience to you.
Use AI to Edit Video Use AI to Edit Video Learn More >
10 Best Open Source Video Editors in 2024 [Free]
Check out this list of best open source video editors that you can use to produce long-form content for YouTube, your online marketplace, or several other venues when you’re on a small budget:
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
1. OpenShot
OpenShot is a free and open-source video editor with no premium features. In contrast, the website provides a donation option. You may use the complete range of functions without paying anything. This works with all versions of Windows, including Windows 7, Mac OS 10.15, and most Linux variants.
For a free site, it also has a fairly large variety of graphic effects, ranging from title themes and video transitions to 3D animations. OpenShot also differs from many other video editors in that it is updated regularly.
Unlike some other systems, OpenShot has had many major versions in 2021 alone, which addressed issues and added new capabilities. However, many users have reported substantial slowdowns when using OpenShot, so remember to look out for any efficiency difficulties.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Unlimited layers
- Super engaging
Cons
- It sometimes lags, which is inconvenient
2. Shotcut
Shotcut is a cross-platform, open-source video editing software with a large library of instructional videos. It also works with FFmpeg, 4K , ProRes, and DNxHD, among other formats. However, because Shotcut was created for Linux, many users may find the UI a little strange. Regardless, it’s still a fantastic editor.
Shotcut also has a lot of sound editing capabilities, so it’s great for audiophiles. Customers may change bass and treble, construct bandpass filters, alter gain, apply dynamic compression, and more with its array of audio fine-tuning options. FFmpeg, the dominant multimedia foundation, provides shortcut support for the newest video and audio codecs.
The native timeline editing enables customers to instantly add video files into their project folder instead of using a media library. A project uses multi-format timelines to mix up resolutions and frames per second.
Pros
- Excellent editing features
- Offers decoding and encoding features
- Multi-format timeline
Cons
- Takes a good chunk of space on your computer
3. Lightworks
Another famous video editor that can be downloaded for free is Lightworks . Lightworks is compatible with most major operating systems and devices, such as Mac, Windows, and Linux. Nevertheless, because there is no Lightworks application for iOS or Android, the system is only available on the PC at this time.
Lightworks is a powerful platform, featuring transitions, timeline-based editing, cloud and local storing, and no watermarks on the final video, yet being completely free to use. As a result, several additional features are only available with a Lightworks subscription account.
The premium edition of Lightworks charges $23.99 monthly, $239.99 annually, or $389.99 for a lifetime membership for a single user. In less than two years, the annual and monthly choices would cost more than a lifetime membership, so if you want to use Lightworks for a lot longer, you should select for lifetime access.
Pros
- A nice video editor with a lot of options
- Ideal tool for YouTube video makers who wish to edit their videos regularly
- Offers smooth service
Cons
- Only one option to save the project to MP4
Filmora AI Video Editor
Create AI-Generated Video with Filmora
Filmora AI video editor offers a ChatGPT plug-in and AI tools to enhance your creative vision. Make your idea into reality.
Create Video with AI Create Video with AI Learn More >
4. Blender
Blender is a free, open-source content creation program on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows systems. Unlike many other open-source editing software, Blender has no paid memberships or add-ons.
Blender differentiates apart from other software in the domain of 3D editing. Customers may sketch directly in a 3D environment by opening the 3D viewport, providing artists greater freedom than ever to tinker with both 2D and 3D concepts.
Blender also has an animated pose editor and non-linear animator features for autonomous motion and a fairly strong set of animation editing capabilities. Designers and other experienced users may use Python scripting to modify the program and expand its native toolset.
Blender has benefited from donations by hundreds of everyday users who have added several additional capabilities as an open-source platform. It is among the most comprehensive and adaptable free video editors presently accessible.
Pros
- Almost limitless customization
- Good enough to be used by experts
- Optimal features for beginner users
Cons
- Buggy format support
5. Kdenlive
Kdenlive is an open-source video editor that runs on the KDE windows desktop and is developed on Microsoft and Linux. The program provides several editorial and management features based on a specific application for executing editing tasks.
KDEnlive supports all FFmpeg-compatible formats, including MOV, AVI, WMV, MPEG, XviD, and FLV. It also has experimental support for AVCHD and covers 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios for PAL, NTSC, and other HD standards using HDV. You may also transfer the files to a DVD or export them to DV devices with KDEnlive.
Its common functions include preview pane, multitrack recording, artistic effects, tilting functions, video and audio thumbnails, flexible layouts, and desktop compatibility. This software supports various audio/video/image formats, including MPEG, avi, dv, vob, wav, and mp3.
Pros
- It includes light graffiti
- It has an audio spectrum and spectrogram
- An abundance of top-notch features
Cons
- Mostly for professional use
6. Olive
Olive is a total redesign from the bottom up, with cutting-edge tools to assist you in creating the greatest videos imaginable. Olive 0.2 offers node-based compositing that is both powerful and versatile.
Node editing is a type of visual programming that allows you to customize how Olive produces your video completely. OpenColorIO provides end-to-end color control for the applications.
This should help users match video from many cameras and export your movie to whichever color space you require if you’re delivering to broadcast TV online. It has a powerful, fast disk cache to ensure the cleanest possible playback. It operates quietly in the background to render pictures ahead of time, so they’re available whenever you need them.
Pros
- Decent interface
- User-friendly application
- Quick and powerful disk cache
Cons
- Lacks some high-end features
A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators
Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?
- 100 Million+ Users
- 150+ Countries and Regions
- 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
- 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use
* Secure Download
7. VLC
VLC media player is cross-platform open-source multimedia which is extremely popular, and for a good reason: it’s entirely free, it endorses almost every file type without any need for additional file formats, it can maximize audio and video playback for your gadget, it appears to support streaming, and it can be stretched nearly endlessly with downloadable plugins.
VLC Media Player supports MPEG and DivX streaming. ZIP files may also be played without extracting them one by one. After the download is complete, you may manually boost the volume of a movie up to 200 percent if it is too quiet. VLC Media Player also can look for album covers. Several films may be played one after the other using the playlist feature.
Pros
- A life-saver for many
- Supports a large variety of formats
- Highly customizable
Cons
- Editing metadata isn’t as straightforward as in different editors
8. Natron
On the surface, Natron appears to be a versatile and straightforward multi-platform node-based platform with a robust GUI interface. Although Natron appears to be a basic compositing program , it contains layers of intricacy that will allow your imagination to soar to new heights.
Natron’s Roto and Rotopaint toolkits are versatile, allowing for the creation of endless layers of masks, mattes, and forms. Natron features a strong 2D and Planar tracker that may help you cut down on the number of hours you spend rotoscoping to fulfill personal or business deadlines.
It includes several powerful keying and matte generating tools created by the core OFX software engineers and various tools created by the open-source plugin development community.
Pros
- Smooth functionality
- 2D tracking tools
- Offers decent editing tools
Cons
- Lacks 3D tracking tools
9. Flowblade
Flowbade is a multitrack non-linear video editor for Linux distributed under the GPL 3. You can make movies out of video clips, audio snippets, and graphics files using Flowblade Movie Editor.
Clips may be clipped at certain frames, filters can be applied to clips, and compositor elements can be used to generate multilayer composite pictures.
The toolbox, ordering, the default tool, and key timeline behaviors are all user adjustable in Flowblade. There is a drag and drop option on the interface for the video files to be imported.
Pros
- Decent default settings to accommodate users
- A good amount of editing features
- 40+ pattern wipes
Cons
- It sometimes lags on heavy videos
Professional Video Editor
Filmora is an expert in editing videos with your creation. You can use powerful tools to make your video like a masterpiece.
Edit Video Like a Pro Edit Video Like a Pro Learn More >
10. Avidemux
Avidemux is a free video editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux that doesn’t aim to be a full-fledged timeline-based video editing software. Rather, it’s made to make a few minor modifications and then splits out a new file.
You may import your source video and pick the start and finish frames to chop off segments. You may add filters to enhance the video by sharpening the picture or decreasing noise.
Some of the aesthetic options include color effects and borders, while others enhance the clip by sharpening the image or reducing noise. You may even add other clips to the end of your existing one, although this type of work would be better suited to a complete non-linear editor.
If you don’t need to make any changes to the video, Avidemux may come in handy; as part of its exporting process, it allows you to do so.
Pros
- Decent aesthetic options for video editing
- Edit multiple videos at the same time
- Multiple stickers to add to your videos
Cons
- Lags sometimes
FAQs About Open Source Video Editor
- What is an open-source video editor?
Open-source video editing software includes source code that allows you to tailor the application to your requirements. Everyone with a basic understanding of coding and video editing skills will almost certainly want to utilize an open-source video editor.
- Does OpenShot have a watermark?
Openshot is a free, open-source video editing program with no watermark. As a result, although being a completely free tool, it’s doesn’t advertise its brand on your final video. Even though the marketplace is filled with open video editing tools, most of them leave a big watermark on your movie project.
Conclusion
All of the video editors on this shortlist offer fantastic features and are completely free to use. They all have advantages and disadvantages, and you must choose depending on your requirements and usage.
We can’t state that VLC is excellent for users and Shotcut and OpenShot are fantastic for desktops, as much as we’d like to. Based on what you want to get out of it, you must choose the correct tool. And here, we hope the Open Source Video Editors reviewed will help you massively.
Want to Use a More Intelligent Way to Add Custom Video Effects than Coding?
Filmora Free Video Editor is an easy-to-use editor for creating videos. Instead of coding to change the video, Filmora offers various functions and video effects to realize the video upgrade. Furthermore, built-in AI tools will bring more convenience to you.
Use AI to Edit Video Use AI to Edit Video Learn More >
10 Best Open Source Video Editors in 2024 [Free]
Check out this list of best open source video editors that you can use to produce long-form content for YouTube, your online marketplace, or several other venues when you’re on a small budget:
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
1. OpenShot
OpenShot is a free and open-source video editor with no premium features. In contrast, the website provides a donation option. You may use the complete range of functions without paying anything. This works with all versions of Windows, including Windows 7, Mac OS 10.15, and most Linux variants.
For a free site, it also has a fairly large variety of graphic effects, ranging from title themes and video transitions to 3D animations. OpenShot also differs from many other video editors in that it is updated regularly.
Unlike some other systems, OpenShot has had many major versions in 2021 alone, which addressed issues and added new capabilities. However, many users have reported substantial slowdowns when using OpenShot, so remember to look out for any efficiency difficulties.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Unlimited layers
- Super engaging
Cons
- It sometimes lags, which is inconvenient
2. Shotcut
Shotcut is a cross-platform, open-source video editing software with a large library of instructional videos. It also works with FFmpeg, 4K , ProRes, and DNxHD, among other formats. However, because Shotcut was created for Linux, many users may find the UI a little strange. Regardless, it’s still a fantastic editor.
Shotcut also has a lot of sound editing capabilities, so it’s great for audiophiles. Customers may change bass and treble, construct bandpass filters, alter gain, apply dynamic compression, and more with its array of audio fine-tuning options. FFmpeg, the dominant multimedia foundation, provides shortcut support for the newest video and audio codecs.
The native timeline editing enables customers to instantly add video files into their project folder instead of using a media library. A project uses multi-format timelines to mix up resolutions and frames per second.
Pros
- Excellent editing features
- Offers decoding and encoding features
- Multi-format timeline
Cons
- Takes a good chunk of space on your computer
3. Lightworks
Another famous video editor that can be downloaded for free is Lightworks . Lightworks is compatible with most major operating systems and devices, such as Mac, Windows, and Linux. Nevertheless, because there is no Lightworks application for iOS or Android, the system is only available on the PC at this time.
Lightworks is a powerful platform, featuring transitions, timeline-based editing, cloud and local storing, and no watermarks on the final video, yet being completely free to use. As a result, several additional features are only available with a Lightworks subscription account.
The premium edition of Lightworks charges $23.99 monthly, $239.99 annually, or $389.99 for a lifetime membership for a single user. In less than two years, the annual and monthly choices would cost more than a lifetime membership, so if you want to use Lightworks for a lot longer, you should select for lifetime access.
Pros
- A nice video editor with a lot of options
- Ideal tool for YouTube video makers who wish to edit their videos regularly
- Offers smooth service
Cons
- Only one option to save the project to MP4
Filmora AI Video Editor
Create AI-Generated Video with Filmora
Filmora AI video editor offers a ChatGPT plug-in and AI tools to enhance your creative vision. Make your idea into reality.
Create Video with AI Create Video with AI Learn More >
4. Blender
Blender is a free, open-source content creation program on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows systems. Unlike many other open-source editing software, Blender has no paid memberships or add-ons.
Blender differentiates apart from other software in the domain of 3D editing. Customers may sketch directly in a 3D environment by opening the 3D viewport, providing artists greater freedom than ever to tinker with both 2D and 3D concepts.
Blender also has an animated pose editor and non-linear animator features for autonomous motion and a fairly strong set of animation editing capabilities. Designers and other experienced users may use Python scripting to modify the program and expand its native toolset.
Blender has benefited from donations by hundreds of everyday users who have added several additional capabilities as an open-source platform. It is among the most comprehensive and adaptable free video editors presently accessible.
Pros
- Almost limitless customization
- Good enough to be used by experts
- Optimal features for beginner users
Cons
- Buggy format support
5. Kdenlive
Kdenlive is an open-source video editor that runs on the KDE windows desktop and is developed on Microsoft and Linux. The program provides several editorial and management features based on a specific application for executing editing tasks.
KDEnlive supports all FFmpeg-compatible formats, including MOV, AVI, WMV, MPEG, XviD, and FLV. It also has experimental support for AVCHD and covers 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios for PAL, NTSC, and other HD standards using HDV. You may also transfer the files to a DVD or export them to DV devices with KDEnlive.
Its common functions include preview pane, multitrack recording, artistic effects, tilting functions, video and audio thumbnails, flexible layouts, and desktop compatibility. This software supports various audio/video/image formats, including MPEG, avi, dv, vob, wav, and mp3.
Pros
- It includes light graffiti
- It has an audio spectrum and spectrogram
- An abundance of top-notch features
Cons
- Mostly for professional use
6. Olive
Olive is a total redesign from the bottom up, with cutting-edge tools to assist you in creating the greatest videos imaginable. Olive 0.2 offers node-based compositing that is both powerful and versatile.
Node editing is a type of visual programming that allows you to customize how Olive produces your video completely. OpenColorIO provides end-to-end color control for the applications.
This should help users match video from many cameras and export your movie to whichever color space you require if you’re delivering to broadcast TV online. It has a powerful, fast disk cache to ensure the cleanest possible playback. It operates quietly in the background to render pictures ahead of time, so they’re available whenever you need them.
Pros
- Decent interface
- User-friendly application
- Quick and powerful disk cache
Cons
- Lacks some high-end features
A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators
Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?
- 100 Million+ Users
- 150+ Countries and Regions
- 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
- 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use
* Secure Download
7. VLC
VLC media player is cross-platform open-source multimedia which is extremely popular, and for a good reason: it’s entirely free, it endorses almost every file type without any need for additional file formats, it can maximize audio and video playback for your gadget, it appears to support streaming, and it can be stretched nearly endlessly with downloadable plugins.
VLC Media Player supports MPEG and DivX streaming. ZIP files may also be played without extracting them one by one. After the download is complete, you may manually boost the volume of a movie up to 200 percent if it is too quiet. VLC Media Player also can look for album covers. Several films may be played one after the other using the playlist feature.
Pros
- A life-saver for many
- Supports a large variety of formats
- Highly customizable
Cons
- Editing metadata isn’t as straightforward as in different editors
8. Natron
On the surface, Natron appears to be a versatile and straightforward multi-platform node-based platform with a robust GUI interface. Although Natron appears to be a basic compositing program , it contains layers of intricacy that will allow your imagination to soar to new heights.
Natron’s Roto and Rotopaint toolkits are versatile, allowing for the creation of endless layers of masks, mattes, and forms. Natron features a strong 2D and Planar tracker that may help you cut down on the number of hours you spend rotoscoping to fulfill personal or business deadlines.
It includes several powerful keying and matte generating tools created by the core OFX software engineers and various tools created by the open-source plugin development community.
Pros
- Smooth functionality
- 2D tracking tools
- Offers decent editing tools
Cons
- Lacks 3D tracking tools
9. Flowblade
Flowbade is a multitrack non-linear video editor for Linux distributed under the GPL 3. You can make movies out of video clips, audio snippets, and graphics files using Flowblade Movie Editor.
Clips may be clipped at certain frames, filters can be applied to clips, and compositor elements can be used to generate multilayer composite pictures.
The toolbox, ordering, the default tool, and key timeline behaviors are all user adjustable in Flowblade. There is a drag and drop option on the interface for the video files to be imported.
Pros
- Decent default settings to accommodate users
- A good amount of editing features
- 40+ pattern wipes
Cons
- It sometimes lags on heavy videos
Professional Video Editor
Filmora is an expert in editing videos with your creation. You can use powerful tools to make your video like a masterpiece.
Edit Video Like a Pro Edit Video Like a Pro Learn More >
10. Avidemux
Avidemux is a free video editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux that doesn’t aim to be a full-fledged timeline-based video editing software. Rather, it’s made to make a few minor modifications and then splits out a new file.
You may import your source video and pick the start and finish frames to chop off segments. You may add filters to enhance the video by sharpening the picture or decreasing noise.
Some of the aesthetic options include color effects and borders, while others enhance the clip by sharpening the image or reducing noise. You may even add other clips to the end of your existing one, although this type of work would be better suited to a complete non-linear editor.
If you don’t need to make any changes to the video, Avidemux may come in handy; as part of its exporting process, it allows you to do so.
Pros
- Decent aesthetic options for video editing
- Edit multiple videos at the same time
- Multiple stickers to add to your videos
Cons
- Lags sometimes
FAQs About Open Source Video Editor
- What is an open-source video editor?
Open-source video editing software includes source code that allows you to tailor the application to your requirements. Everyone with a basic understanding of coding and video editing skills will almost certainly want to utilize an open-source video editor.
- Does OpenShot have a watermark?
Openshot is a free, open-source video editing program with no watermark. As a result, although being a completely free tool, it’s doesn’t advertise its brand on your final video. Even though the marketplace is filled with open video editing tools, most of them leave a big watermark on your movie project.
Conclusion
All of the video editors on this shortlist offer fantastic features and are completely free to use. They all have advantages and disadvantages, and you must choose depending on your requirements and usage.
We can’t state that VLC is excellent for users and Shotcut and OpenShot are fantastic for desktops, as much as we’d like to. Based on what you want to get out of it, you must choose the correct tool. And here, we hope the Open Source Video Editors reviewed will help you massively.
Want to Use a More Intelligent Way to Add Custom Video Effects than Coding?
Filmora Free Video Editor is an easy-to-use editor for creating videos. Instead of coding to change the video, Filmora offers various functions and video effects to realize the video upgrade. Furthermore, built-in AI tools will bring more convenience to you.
Use AI to Edit Video Use AI to Edit Video Learn More >
10 Best Open Source Video Editors in 2024 [Free]
Check out this list of best open source video editors that you can use to produce long-form content for YouTube, your online marketplace, or several other venues when you’re on a small budget:
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
1. OpenShot
OpenShot is a free and open-source video editor with no premium features. In contrast, the website provides a donation option. You may use the complete range of functions without paying anything. This works with all versions of Windows, including Windows 7, Mac OS 10.15, and most Linux variants.
For a free site, it also has a fairly large variety of graphic effects, ranging from title themes and video transitions to 3D animations. OpenShot also differs from many other video editors in that it is updated regularly.
Unlike some other systems, OpenShot has had many major versions in 2021 alone, which addressed issues and added new capabilities. However, many users have reported substantial slowdowns when using OpenShot, so remember to look out for any efficiency difficulties.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Unlimited layers
- Super engaging
Cons
- It sometimes lags, which is inconvenient
2. Shotcut
Shotcut is a cross-platform, open-source video editing software with a large library of instructional videos. It also works with FFmpeg, 4K , ProRes, and DNxHD, among other formats. However, because Shotcut was created for Linux, many users may find the UI a little strange. Regardless, it’s still a fantastic editor.
Shotcut also has a lot of sound editing capabilities, so it’s great for audiophiles. Customers may change bass and treble, construct bandpass filters, alter gain, apply dynamic compression, and more with its array of audio fine-tuning options. FFmpeg, the dominant multimedia foundation, provides shortcut support for the newest video and audio codecs.
The native timeline editing enables customers to instantly add video files into their project folder instead of using a media library. A project uses multi-format timelines to mix up resolutions and frames per second.
Pros
- Excellent editing features
- Offers decoding and encoding features
- Multi-format timeline
Cons
- Takes a good chunk of space on your computer
3. Lightworks
Another famous video editor that can be downloaded for free is Lightworks . Lightworks is compatible with most major operating systems and devices, such as Mac, Windows, and Linux. Nevertheless, because there is no Lightworks application for iOS or Android, the system is only available on the PC at this time.
Lightworks is a powerful platform, featuring transitions, timeline-based editing, cloud and local storing, and no watermarks on the final video, yet being completely free to use. As a result, several additional features are only available with a Lightworks subscription account.
The premium edition of Lightworks charges $23.99 monthly, $239.99 annually, or $389.99 for a lifetime membership for a single user. In less than two years, the annual and monthly choices would cost more than a lifetime membership, so if you want to use Lightworks for a lot longer, you should select for lifetime access.
Pros
- A nice video editor with a lot of options
- Ideal tool for YouTube video makers who wish to edit their videos regularly
- Offers smooth service
Cons
- Only one option to save the project to MP4
Filmora AI Video Editor
Create AI-Generated Video with Filmora
Filmora AI video editor offers a ChatGPT plug-in and AI tools to enhance your creative vision. Make your idea into reality.
Create Video with AI Create Video with AI Learn More >
4. Blender
Blender is a free, open-source content creation program on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows systems. Unlike many other open-source editing software, Blender has no paid memberships or add-ons.
Blender differentiates apart from other software in the domain of 3D editing. Customers may sketch directly in a 3D environment by opening the 3D viewport, providing artists greater freedom than ever to tinker with both 2D and 3D concepts.
Blender also has an animated pose editor and non-linear animator features for autonomous motion and a fairly strong set of animation editing capabilities. Designers and other experienced users may use Python scripting to modify the program and expand its native toolset.
Blender has benefited from donations by hundreds of everyday users who have added several additional capabilities as an open-source platform. It is among the most comprehensive and adaptable free video editors presently accessible.
Pros
- Almost limitless customization
- Good enough to be used by experts
- Optimal features for beginner users
Cons
- Buggy format support
5. Kdenlive
Kdenlive is an open-source video editor that runs on the KDE windows desktop and is developed on Microsoft and Linux. The program provides several editorial and management features based on a specific application for executing editing tasks.
KDEnlive supports all FFmpeg-compatible formats, including MOV, AVI, WMV, MPEG, XviD, and FLV. It also has experimental support for AVCHD and covers 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios for PAL, NTSC, and other HD standards using HDV. You may also transfer the files to a DVD or export them to DV devices with KDEnlive.
Its common functions include preview pane, multitrack recording, artistic effects, tilting functions, video and audio thumbnails, flexible layouts, and desktop compatibility. This software supports various audio/video/image formats, including MPEG, avi, dv, vob, wav, and mp3.
Pros
- It includes light graffiti
- It has an audio spectrum and spectrogram
- An abundance of top-notch features
Cons
- Mostly for professional use
6. Olive
Olive is a total redesign from the bottom up, with cutting-edge tools to assist you in creating the greatest videos imaginable. Olive 0.2 offers node-based compositing that is both powerful and versatile.
Node editing is a type of visual programming that allows you to customize how Olive produces your video completely. OpenColorIO provides end-to-end color control for the applications.
This should help users match video from many cameras and export your movie to whichever color space you require if you’re delivering to broadcast TV online. It has a powerful, fast disk cache to ensure the cleanest possible playback. It operates quietly in the background to render pictures ahead of time, so they’re available whenever you need them.
Pros
- Decent interface
- User-friendly application
- Quick and powerful disk cache
Cons
- Lacks some high-end features
A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators
Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?
- 100 Million+ Users
- 150+ Countries and Regions
- 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
- 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use
* Secure Download
7. VLC
VLC media player is cross-platform open-source multimedia which is extremely popular, and for a good reason: it’s entirely free, it endorses almost every file type without any need for additional file formats, it can maximize audio and video playback for your gadget, it appears to support streaming, and it can be stretched nearly endlessly with downloadable plugins.
VLC Media Player supports MPEG and DivX streaming. ZIP files may also be played without extracting them one by one. After the download is complete, you may manually boost the volume of a movie up to 200 percent if it is too quiet. VLC Media Player also can look for album covers. Several films may be played one after the other using the playlist feature.
Pros
- A life-saver for many
- Supports a large variety of formats
- Highly customizable
Cons
- Editing metadata isn’t as straightforward as in different editors
8. Natron
On the surface, Natron appears to be a versatile and straightforward multi-platform node-based platform with a robust GUI interface. Although Natron appears to be a basic compositing program , it contains layers of intricacy that will allow your imagination to soar to new heights.
Natron’s Roto and Rotopaint toolkits are versatile, allowing for the creation of endless layers of masks, mattes, and forms. Natron features a strong 2D and Planar tracker that may help you cut down on the number of hours you spend rotoscoping to fulfill personal or business deadlines.
It includes several powerful keying and matte generating tools created by the core OFX software engineers and various tools created by the open-source plugin development community.
Pros
- Smooth functionality
- 2D tracking tools
- Offers decent editing tools
Cons
- Lacks 3D tracking tools
9. Flowblade
Flowbade is a multitrack non-linear video editor for Linux distributed under the GPL 3. You can make movies out of video clips, audio snippets, and graphics files using Flowblade Movie Editor.
Clips may be clipped at certain frames, filters can be applied to clips, and compositor elements can be used to generate multilayer composite pictures.
The toolbox, ordering, the default tool, and key timeline behaviors are all user adjustable in Flowblade. There is a drag and drop option on the interface for the video files to be imported.
Pros
- Decent default settings to accommodate users
- A good amount of editing features
- 40+ pattern wipes
Cons
- It sometimes lags on heavy videos
Professional Video Editor
Filmora is an expert in editing videos with your creation. You can use powerful tools to make your video like a masterpiece.
Edit Video Like a Pro Edit Video Like a Pro Learn More >
10. Avidemux
Avidemux is a free video editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux that doesn’t aim to be a full-fledged timeline-based video editing software. Rather, it’s made to make a few minor modifications and then splits out a new file.
You may import your source video and pick the start and finish frames to chop off segments. You may add filters to enhance the video by sharpening the picture or decreasing noise.
Some of the aesthetic options include color effects and borders, while others enhance the clip by sharpening the image or reducing noise. You may even add other clips to the end of your existing one, although this type of work would be better suited to a complete non-linear editor.
If you don’t need to make any changes to the video, Avidemux may come in handy; as part of its exporting process, it allows you to do so.
Pros
- Decent aesthetic options for video editing
- Edit multiple videos at the same time
- Multiple stickers to add to your videos
Cons
- Lags sometimes
FAQs About Open Source Video Editor
- What is an open-source video editor?
Open-source video editing software includes source code that allows you to tailor the application to your requirements. Everyone with a basic understanding of coding and video editing skills will almost certainly want to utilize an open-source video editor.
- Does OpenShot have a watermark?
Openshot is a free, open-source video editing program with no watermark. As a result, although being a completely free tool, it’s doesn’t advertise its brand on your final video. Even though the marketplace is filled with open video editing tools, most of them leave a big watermark on your movie project.
Conclusion
All of the video editors on this shortlist offer fantastic features and are completely free to use. They all have advantages and disadvantages, and you must choose depending on your requirements and usage.
We can’t state that VLC is excellent for users and Shotcut and OpenShot are fantastic for desktops, as much as we’d like to. Based on what you want to get out of it, you must choose the correct tool. And here, we hope the Open Source Video Editors reviewed will help you massively.
Want to Use a More Intelligent Way to Add Custom Video Effects than Coding?
Filmora Free Video Editor is an easy-to-use editor for creating videos. Instead of coding to change the video, Filmora offers various functions and video effects to realize the video upgrade. Furthermore, built-in AI tools will bring more convenience to you.
Use AI to Edit Video Use AI to Edit Video Learn More >
10 Best Open Source Video Editors in 2024 [Free]
Check out this list of best open source video editors that you can use to produce long-form content for YouTube, your online marketplace, or several other venues when you’re on a small budget:
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
1. OpenShot
OpenShot is a free and open-source video editor with no premium features. In contrast, the website provides a donation option. You may use the complete range of functions without paying anything. This works with all versions of Windows, including Windows 7, Mac OS 10.15, and most Linux variants.
For a free site, it also has a fairly large variety of graphic effects, ranging from title themes and video transitions to 3D animations. OpenShot also differs from many other video editors in that it is updated regularly.
Unlike some other systems, OpenShot has had many major versions in 2021 alone, which addressed issues and added new capabilities. However, many users have reported substantial slowdowns when using OpenShot, so remember to look out for any efficiency difficulties.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Unlimited layers
- Super engaging
Cons
- It sometimes lags, which is inconvenient
2. Shotcut
Shotcut is a cross-platform, open-source video editing software with a large library of instructional videos. It also works with FFmpeg, 4K , ProRes, and DNxHD, among other formats. However, because Shotcut was created for Linux, many users may find the UI a little strange. Regardless, it’s still a fantastic editor.
Shotcut also has a lot of sound editing capabilities, so it’s great for audiophiles. Customers may change bass and treble, construct bandpass filters, alter gain, apply dynamic compression, and more with its array of audio fine-tuning options. FFmpeg, the dominant multimedia foundation, provides shortcut support for the newest video and audio codecs.
The native timeline editing enables customers to instantly add video files into their project folder instead of using a media library. A project uses multi-format timelines to mix up resolutions and frames per second.
Pros
- Excellent editing features
- Offers decoding and encoding features
- Multi-format timeline
Cons
- Takes a good chunk of space on your computer
3. Lightworks
Another famous video editor that can be downloaded for free is Lightworks . Lightworks is compatible with most major operating systems and devices, such as Mac, Windows, and Linux. Nevertheless, because there is no Lightworks application for iOS or Android, the system is only available on the PC at this time.
Lightworks is a powerful platform, featuring transitions, timeline-based editing, cloud and local storing, and no watermarks on the final video, yet being completely free to use. As a result, several additional features are only available with a Lightworks subscription account.
The premium edition of Lightworks charges $23.99 monthly, $239.99 annually, or $389.99 for a lifetime membership for a single user. In less than two years, the annual and monthly choices would cost more than a lifetime membership, so if you want to use Lightworks for a lot longer, you should select for lifetime access.
Pros
- A nice video editor with a lot of options
- Ideal tool for YouTube video makers who wish to edit their videos regularly
- Offers smooth service
Cons
- Only one option to save the project to MP4
Filmora AI Video Editor
Create AI-Generated Video with Filmora
Filmora AI video editor offers a ChatGPT plug-in and AI tools to enhance your creative vision. Make your idea into reality.
Create Video with AI Create Video with AI Learn More >
4. Blender
Blender is a free, open-source content creation program on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows systems. Unlike many other open-source editing software, Blender has no paid memberships or add-ons.
Blender differentiates apart from other software in the domain of 3D editing. Customers may sketch directly in a 3D environment by opening the 3D viewport, providing artists greater freedom than ever to tinker with both 2D and 3D concepts.
Blender also has an animated pose editor and non-linear animator features for autonomous motion and a fairly strong set of animation editing capabilities. Designers and other experienced users may use Python scripting to modify the program and expand its native toolset.
Blender has benefited from donations by hundreds of everyday users who have added several additional capabilities as an open-source platform. It is among the most comprehensive and adaptable free video editors presently accessible.
Pros
- Almost limitless customization
- Good enough to be used by experts
- Optimal features for beginner users
Cons
- Buggy format support
5. Kdenlive
Kdenlive is an open-source video editor that runs on the KDE windows desktop and is developed on Microsoft and Linux. The program provides several editorial and management features based on a specific application for executing editing tasks.
KDEnlive supports all FFmpeg-compatible formats, including MOV, AVI, WMV, MPEG, XviD, and FLV. It also has experimental support for AVCHD and covers 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios for PAL, NTSC, and other HD standards using HDV. You may also transfer the files to a DVD or export them to DV devices with KDEnlive.
Its common functions include preview pane, multitrack recording, artistic effects, tilting functions, video and audio thumbnails, flexible layouts, and desktop compatibility. This software supports various audio/video/image formats, including MPEG, avi, dv, vob, wav, and mp3.
Pros
- It includes light graffiti
- It has an audio spectrum and spectrogram
- An abundance of top-notch features
Cons
- Mostly for professional use
6. Olive
Olive is a total redesign from the bottom up, with cutting-edge tools to assist you in creating the greatest videos imaginable. Olive 0.2 offers node-based compositing that is both powerful and versatile.
Node editing is a type of visual programming that allows you to customize how Olive produces your video completely. OpenColorIO provides end-to-end color control for the applications.
This should help users match video from many cameras and export your movie to whichever color space you require if you’re delivering to broadcast TV online. It has a powerful, fast disk cache to ensure the cleanest possible playback. It operates quietly in the background to render pictures ahead of time, so they’re available whenever you need them.
Pros
- Decent interface
- User-friendly application
- Quick and powerful disk cache
Cons
- Lacks some high-end features
A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators
Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?
- 100 Million+ Users
- 150+ Countries and Regions
- 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
- 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use
* Secure Download
7. VLC
VLC media player is cross-platform open-source multimedia which is extremely popular, and for a good reason: it’s entirely free, it endorses almost every file type without any need for additional file formats, it can maximize audio and video playback for your gadget, it appears to support streaming, and it can be stretched nearly endlessly with downloadable plugins.
VLC Media Player supports MPEG and DivX streaming. ZIP files may also be played without extracting them one by one. After the download is complete, you may manually boost the volume of a movie up to 200 percent if it is too quiet. VLC Media Player also can look for album covers. Several films may be played one after the other using the playlist feature.
Pros
- A life-saver for many
- Supports a large variety of formats
- Highly customizable
Cons
- Editing metadata isn’t as straightforward as in different editors
8. Natron
On the surface, Natron appears to be a versatile and straightforward multi-platform node-based platform with a robust GUI interface. Although Natron appears to be a basic compositing program , it contains layers of intricacy that will allow your imagination to soar to new heights.
Natron’s Roto and Rotopaint toolkits are versatile, allowing for the creation of endless layers of masks, mattes, and forms. Natron features a strong 2D and Planar tracker that may help you cut down on the number of hours you spend rotoscoping to fulfill personal or business deadlines.
It includes several powerful keying and matte generating tools created by the core OFX software engineers and various tools created by the open-source plugin development community.
Pros
- Smooth functionality
- 2D tracking tools
- Offers decent editing tools
Cons
- Lacks 3D tracking tools
9. Flowblade
Flowbade is a multitrack non-linear video editor for Linux distributed under the GPL 3. You can make movies out of video clips, audio snippets, and graphics files using Flowblade Movie Editor.
Clips may be clipped at certain frames, filters can be applied to clips, and compositor elements can be used to generate multilayer composite pictures.
The toolbox, ordering, the default tool, and key timeline behaviors are all user adjustable in Flowblade. There is a drag and drop option on the interface for the video files to be imported.
Pros
- Decent default settings to accommodate users
- A good amount of editing features
- 40+ pattern wipes
Cons
- It sometimes lags on heavy videos
Professional Video Editor
Filmora is an expert in editing videos with your creation. You can use powerful tools to make your video like a masterpiece.
Edit Video Like a Pro Edit Video Like a Pro Learn More >
10. Avidemux
Avidemux is a free video editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux that doesn’t aim to be a full-fledged timeline-based video editing software. Rather, it’s made to make a few minor modifications and then splits out a new file.
You may import your source video and pick the start and finish frames to chop off segments. You may add filters to enhance the video by sharpening the picture or decreasing noise.
Some of the aesthetic options include color effects and borders, while others enhance the clip by sharpening the image or reducing noise. You may even add other clips to the end of your existing one, although this type of work would be better suited to a complete non-linear editor.
If you don’t need to make any changes to the video, Avidemux may come in handy; as part of its exporting process, it allows you to do so.
Pros
- Decent aesthetic options for video editing
- Edit multiple videos at the same time
- Multiple stickers to add to your videos
Cons
- Lags sometimes
FAQs About Open Source Video Editor
- What is an open-source video editor?
Open-source video editing software includes source code that allows you to tailor the application to your requirements. Everyone with a basic understanding of coding and video editing skills will almost certainly want to utilize an open-source video editor.
- Does OpenShot have a watermark?
Openshot is a free, open-source video editing program with no watermark. As a result, although being a completely free tool, it’s doesn’t advertise its brand on your final video. Even though the marketplace is filled with open video editing tools, most of them leave a big watermark on your movie project.
Conclusion
All of the video editors on this shortlist offer fantastic features and are completely free to use. They all have advantages and disadvantages, and you must choose depending on your requirements and usage.
We can’t state that VLC is excellent for users and Shotcut and OpenShot are fantastic for desktops, as much as we’d like to. Based on what you want to get out of it, you must choose the correct tool. And here, we hope the Open Source Video Editors reviewed will help you massively.
FCP’s Cinematic Legacy: 10 Timeless Movies Made with Final Cut Pro
Top 10 Famous Movies Made By Final Cut Pro
Benjamin Arango
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Developed as video editing software that has been developed by Apple, Final Cut Pro began life as software designed to made simple video editing accessible for video hobbyists and independent filmmakers. However, in recent years the capabilities of Final Cut Pro have evolved significantly and we are now seeing major Hollywood movies also being edited with this software.
Do you want to turn your own video into a Hollywood film-like video? Check this guide on How to make big-budget cinematic look video with Final Cut Pro.
You may also like: 8 Best Movie Trailer Template for After Effects
Top 10 Movies Made by Final Cut Pro
Let’s take a look at ten major movies that have been edited using Final Cut Pro.
1. The Social Network (2010)
Based on the rise of the phenomenon that we now know as Facebook, The Social Network starred Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake. The movie performed well at the box office and was also positively received by movie critics.
The film won an Academy Award for Best Editing, collected by Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall. They used Final Cut Pro to edit the film, and one of the things they really like about the software is the ability to do multiple timelines. Final Cut Pro was also used in this movie to enable face replacement in a number of scenes. Two of the key characters in the movie are twins, and so the scenes were filmed with actors (who weren’t twins) and then the editing software was used to create the illusion that they were twins. Digital matte paintings was another feature of this movie that relied on the functionality of Final Cut Pro.
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
This was the US adaptation of the earlier Swedish film of the same name - based on the novel by Stieg Larsson. Starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the story is a crime thriller trying to uncover the secrets surrounding the disappearance of a young girl from a wealthy family.
One of the challenges with this movie was that there were a lot of invisible effects throughout the film. Final Cut Pro was used to achieve the shot stabilization and the visual enhancements - everything from matte painting to creating seasonal elements such as snow.
3. John Carter (2011)
A science fiction adventure, this film performed so badly at the box office that it caused major financial problems for its studio Disney.
The editing of the John Carter movie was a particular challenge as a lot of the action was shot twice during the troubled production. The editor Eric Zumbrunnen used Final Cut Pro to piece the various elements together. With a huge range of CGI and creature effects to deal with, the editing process on this movie was extremely complex. Final Cut Pro was used to create a lot of the background detail need to bring the green screen scenes to life.
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
This was a cute, quirky romantic comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
Editing on the movie was by Alan Edward Bell in DVCPro HD format on Final Cut Pro. Because the storyline of the movie unfolds in a non-linear timeline, the workflow feature of Final Cut Pro made it easier to manage the sequencing of the different scenes. There were also 250 invisible effects which were created using Final Cut Pro’s editing features.
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Continuing the X-Men franchise, this installment traces Wolverine’s childhood and the relationship with his brother. It didn’t really appeal to X-Men fans or movie critics.
Editing on the movie was by Nicolas De Toth and Megan Gill. There were a number of continuity glitches identified during the production of this movie but De Toth and Gill used Final Pro Cut to keep a consistent flow to the narrative. What is interesting about the editing on this movie is that all the cutting of the scenes required was done on Final Cut Pro 5, taking advantage of the software’s HD abilities and also the multi-clip features.
6. Burn After Reading (2008)
A black comedy from the talented brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, they wrote, produced, edited, and directed the movie.
The Coen brothers used Final Cut Pro on this movie because it was simple and easy to use - they were blocking together the rough cuts as the scenes were being shot, and Final Cut Pro gave them the flexibility that they needed to edit quickly. On this movie most of the action was shot using Sony cameras but there were several scenes on which a RED camera was added when an additional camera was needed. Even though there is a significantly different workflow between the two types of camera, the RED material was able to be integrated smoothly with the Sony footage.
7. No Country for Old Men (2007)
A neo-Western thriller from Coen brothers. They directed, wrote, and edited this production.
The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing for editor Roderick Jaynes (a pseudonym for Joel and Ethan Coen).
Directing and editing a movie brings the two processes a lot closer together for the Coen brothers. An easy to use product such as Final Cut Pro ensures that they can construct the movie’s narrative using the timeline features of the product. This movie marked a chance in approach for the Coen brothers, who took advantage of the better resolution DVCPRO HD for their cutting process compared to earlier films that were cut at DV resolution.
8. 300 (2007)
Based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, this is the fictionalized retelling of the Battle Termopylae - part of the Persian Wars. Directed by Zack Snyder, the movie was filmed with a super-imposition chroma key technique to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book. Editing on the movie was by William Hoy.
To capture the graphic novel look and feel of the film’s images, editor Hoy used a number of the key Final Cut Pro features such as the adjustment layer and blending modes to create depth and mood. With the look and feel of this movie so dependent on the effects created, editor Hoy spent a lot of time debating what was being added visually to each shot and how this would impact the length and continuity of each scene.
9. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
With big name stars (Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), this was an unusual film that used digital artists to build multi-layered 2D and 3D backgrounds for live action footage, with hand-drawn storyboards recreated as computer-generated 3D animatics. Critically it was well received but didn’t set the box office alight.
Editing on the movie was by Sabrina Plisco.
Final Cut Pro was particularly critical to create a scene between two characters that was shot in a physical set (unlike the digital soundstage that was used for the rest of the movie). Final Cut Pro allowed the filmmakers to line up the animatics with the live onstage footage. One of the challenges with this movie is that the editors had to manually assign time-codes to each take - the clips were then rendered out and sorted so that they could be used on a Final Cut Pro SD workstation. This approach was also used to create the master off-line cut. Batch lists of the cuts were then imported into Final Cut Pro.
10. Cold Mountain (2003)
This is an epic Civil War drama based on the novel by Charles Frazier. Starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger this was critically acclaimed and performed reasonably well at the box office.
The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing let by editor Walter Murch.
This was really seen as the breakthrough movie for the use of Final Cut Pro in Hollywood Movies. An entire book has been produced analysing how editor Murch used Final Cut Pro to edit the movie and analysis its impact on future cinema productions. Editor Murch believes that the use of Final Cut Pro on this movie indirected affected the ultimate creative outcome. In particular, the use of the DVD authoring capabilities on Final Cut Pro meant that the editing team was able to look at the material more often, sharing it with more people, and changing the way that they looked at certain scenes.
While Hollywood movies require editing tools of the highest order, the range of effects that you can achieve using Final Cut Pro is impressive - as well as the standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade and time remapping edit functions, Final Cut Pro also comes with a range of video transitions and a range of video and audio filters that will take your film project to the next level.
It is clear that Final Cut Pro is definitely now a star in the editing of Hollywood movies, it is time to make it a star in editing your movies as well.
Benjamin Arango
Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Benjamin Arango
Benjamin Arango
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Developed as video editing software that has been developed by Apple, Final Cut Pro began life as software designed to made simple video editing accessible for video hobbyists and independent filmmakers. However, in recent years the capabilities of Final Cut Pro have evolved significantly and we are now seeing major Hollywood movies also being edited with this software.
Do you want to turn your own video into a Hollywood film-like video? Check this guide on How to make big-budget cinematic look video with Final Cut Pro.
You may also like: 8 Best Movie Trailer Template for After Effects
Top 10 Movies Made by Final Cut Pro
Let’s take a look at ten major movies that have been edited using Final Cut Pro.
1. The Social Network (2010)
Based on the rise of the phenomenon that we now know as Facebook, The Social Network starred Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake. The movie performed well at the box office and was also positively received by movie critics.
The film won an Academy Award for Best Editing, collected by Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall. They used Final Cut Pro to edit the film, and one of the things they really like about the software is the ability to do multiple timelines. Final Cut Pro was also used in this movie to enable face replacement in a number of scenes. Two of the key characters in the movie are twins, and so the scenes were filmed with actors (who weren’t twins) and then the editing software was used to create the illusion that they were twins. Digital matte paintings was another feature of this movie that relied on the functionality of Final Cut Pro.
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
This was the US adaptation of the earlier Swedish film of the same name - based on the novel by Stieg Larsson. Starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the story is a crime thriller trying to uncover the secrets surrounding the disappearance of a young girl from a wealthy family.
One of the challenges with this movie was that there were a lot of invisible effects throughout the film. Final Cut Pro was used to achieve the shot stabilization and the visual enhancements - everything from matte painting to creating seasonal elements such as snow.
3. John Carter (2011)
A science fiction adventure, this film performed so badly at the box office that it caused major financial problems for its studio Disney.
The editing of the John Carter movie was a particular challenge as a lot of the action was shot twice during the troubled production. The editor Eric Zumbrunnen used Final Cut Pro to piece the various elements together. With a huge range of CGI and creature effects to deal with, the editing process on this movie was extremely complex. Final Cut Pro was used to create a lot of the background detail need to bring the green screen scenes to life.
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
This was a cute, quirky romantic comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
Editing on the movie was by Alan Edward Bell in DVCPro HD format on Final Cut Pro. Because the storyline of the movie unfolds in a non-linear timeline, the workflow feature of Final Cut Pro made it easier to manage the sequencing of the different scenes. There were also 250 invisible effects which were created using Final Cut Pro’s editing features.
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Continuing the X-Men franchise, this installment traces Wolverine’s childhood and the relationship with his brother. It didn’t really appeal to X-Men fans or movie critics.
Editing on the movie was by Nicolas De Toth and Megan Gill. There were a number of continuity glitches identified during the production of this movie but De Toth and Gill used Final Pro Cut to keep a consistent flow to the narrative. What is interesting about the editing on this movie is that all the cutting of the scenes required was done on Final Cut Pro 5, taking advantage of the software’s HD abilities and also the multi-clip features.
6. Burn After Reading (2008)
A black comedy from the talented brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, they wrote, produced, edited, and directed the movie.
The Coen brothers used Final Cut Pro on this movie because it was simple and easy to use - they were blocking together the rough cuts as the scenes were being shot, and Final Cut Pro gave them the flexibility that they needed to edit quickly. On this movie most of the action was shot using Sony cameras but there were several scenes on which a RED camera was added when an additional camera was needed. Even though there is a significantly different workflow between the two types of camera, the RED material was able to be integrated smoothly with the Sony footage.
7. No Country for Old Men (2007)
A neo-Western thriller from Coen brothers. They directed, wrote, and edited this production.
The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing for editor Roderick Jaynes (a pseudonym for Joel and Ethan Coen).
Directing and editing a movie brings the two processes a lot closer together for the Coen brothers. An easy to use product such as Final Cut Pro ensures that they can construct the movie’s narrative using the timeline features of the product. This movie marked a chance in approach for the Coen brothers, who took advantage of the better resolution DVCPRO HD for their cutting process compared to earlier films that were cut at DV resolution.
8. 300 (2007)
Based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, this is the fictionalized retelling of the Battle Termopylae - part of the Persian Wars. Directed by Zack Snyder, the movie was filmed with a super-imposition chroma key technique to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book. Editing on the movie was by William Hoy.
To capture the graphic novel look and feel of the film’s images, editor Hoy used a number of the key Final Cut Pro features such as the adjustment layer and blending modes to create depth and mood. With the look and feel of this movie so dependent on the effects created, editor Hoy spent a lot of time debating what was being added visually to each shot and how this would impact the length and continuity of each scene.
9. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
With big name stars (Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), this was an unusual film that used digital artists to build multi-layered 2D and 3D backgrounds for live action footage, with hand-drawn storyboards recreated as computer-generated 3D animatics. Critically it was well received but didn’t set the box office alight.
Editing on the movie was by Sabrina Plisco.
Final Cut Pro was particularly critical to create a scene between two characters that was shot in a physical set (unlike the digital soundstage that was used for the rest of the movie). Final Cut Pro allowed the filmmakers to line up the animatics with the live onstage footage. One of the challenges with this movie is that the editors had to manually assign time-codes to each take - the clips were then rendered out and sorted so that they could be used on a Final Cut Pro SD workstation. This approach was also used to create the master off-line cut. Batch lists of the cuts were then imported into Final Cut Pro.
10. Cold Mountain (2003)
This is an epic Civil War drama based on the novel by Charles Frazier. Starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger this was critically acclaimed and performed reasonably well at the box office.
The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing let by editor Walter Murch.
This was really seen as the breakthrough movie for the use of Final Cut Pro in Hollywood Movies. An entire book has been produced analysing how editor Murch used Final Cut Pro to edit the movie and analysis its impact on future cinema productions. Editor Murch believes that the use of Final Cut Pro on this movie indirected affected the ultimate creative outcome. In particular, the use of the DVD authoring capabilities on Final Cut Pro meant that the editing team was able to look at the material more often, sharing it with more people, and changing the way that they looked at certain scenes.
While Hollywood movies require editing tools of the highest order, the range of effects that you can achieve using Final Cut Pro is impressive - as well as the standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade and time remapping edit functions, Final Cut Pro also comes with a range of video transitions and a range of video and audio filters that will take your film project to the next level.
It is clear that Final Cut Pro is definitely now a star in the editing of Hollywood movies, it is time to make it a star in editing your movies as well.
Benjamin Arango
Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Benjamin Arango
Benjamin Arango
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Developed as video editing software that has been developed by Apple, Final Cut Pro began life as software designed to made simple video editing accessible for video hobbyists and independent filmmakers. However, in recent years the capabilities of Final Cut Pro have evolved significantly and we are now seeing major Hollywood movies also being edited with this software.
Do you want to turn your own video into a Hollywood film-like video? Check this guide on How to make big-budget cinematic look video with Final Cut Pro.
You may also like: 8 Best Movie Trailer Template for After Effects
Top 10 Movies Made by Final Cut Pro
Let’s take a look at ten major movies that have been edited using Final Cut Pro.
1. The Social Network (2010)
Based on the rise of the phenomenon that we now know as Facebook, The Social Network starred Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake. The movie performed well at the box office and was also positively received by movie critics.
The film won an Academy Award for Best Editing, collected by Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall. They used Final Cut Pro to edit the film, and one of the things they really like about the software is the ability to do multiple timelines. Final Cut Pro was also used in this movie to enable face replacement in a number of scenes. Two of the key characters in the movie are twins, and so the scenes were filmed with actors (who weren’t twins) and then the editing software was used to create the illusion that they were twins. Digital matte paintings was another feature of this movie that relied on the functionality of Final Cut Pro.
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
This was the US adaptation of the earlier Swedish film of the same name - based on the novel by Stieg Larsson. Starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the story is a crime thriller trying to uncover the secrets surrounding the disappearance of a young girl from a wealthy family.
One of the challenges with this movie was that there were a lot of invisible effects throughout the film. Final Cut Pro was used to achieve the shot stabilization and the visual enhancements - everything from matte painting to creating seasonal elements such as snow.
3. John Carter (2011)
A science fiction adventure, this film performed so badly at the box office that it caused major financial problems for its studio Disney.
The editing of the John Carter movie was a particular challenge as a lot of the action was shot twice during the troubled production. The editor Eric Zumbrunnen used Final Cut Pro to piece the various elements together. With a huge range of CGI and creature effects to deal with, the editing process on this movie was extremely complex. Final Cut Pro was used to create a lot of the background detail need to bring the green screen scenes to life.
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
This was a cute, quirky romantic comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
Editing on the movie was by Alan Edward Bell in DVCPro HD format on Final Cut Pro. Because the storyline of the movie unfolds in a non-linear timeline, the workflow feature of Final Cut Pro made it easier to manage the sequencing of the different scenes. There were also 250 invisible effects which were created using Final Cut Pro’s editing features.
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Continuing the X-Men franchise, this installment traces Wolverine’s childhood and the relationship with his brother. It didn’t really appeal to X-Men fans or movie critics.
Editing on the movie was by Nicolas De Toth and Megan Gill. There were a number of continuity glitches identified during the production of this movie but De Toth and Gill used Final Pro Cut to keep a consistent flow to the narrative. What is interesting about the editing on this movie is that all the cutting of the scenes required was done on Final Cut Pro 5, taking advantage of the software’s HD abilities and also the multi-clip features.
6. Burn After Reading (2008)
A black comedy from the talented brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, they wrote, produced, edited, and directed the movie.
The Coen brothers used Final Cut Pro on this movie because it was simple and easy to use - they were blocking together the rough cuts as the scenes were being shot, and Final Cut Pro gave them the flexibility that they needed to edit quickly. On this movie most of the action was shot using Sony cameras but there were several scenes on which a RED camera was added when an additional camera was needed. Even though there is a significantly different workflow between the two types of camera, the RED material was able to be integrated smoothly with the Sony footage.
7. No Country for Old Men (2007)
A neo-Western thriller from Coen brothers. They directed, wrote, and edited this production.
The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing for editor Roderick Jaynes (a pseudonym for Joel and Ethan Coen).
Directing and editing a movie brings the two processes a lot closer together for the Coen brothers. An easy to use product such as Final Cut Pro ensures that they can construct the movie’s narrative using the timeline features of the product. This movie marked a chance in approach for the Coen brothers, who took advantage of the better resolution DVCPRO HD for their cutting process compared to earlier films that were cut at DV resolution.
8. 300 (2007)
Based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, this is the fictionalized retelling of the Battle Termopylae - part of the Persian Wars. Directed by Zack Snyder, the movie was filmed with a super-imposition chroma key technique to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book. Editing on the movie was by William Hoy.
To capture the graphic novel look and feel of the film’s images, editor Hoy used a number of the key Final Cut Pro features such as the adjustment layer and blending modes to create depth and mood. With the look and feel of this movie so dependent on the effects created, editor Hoy spent a lot of time debating what was being added visually to each shot and how this would impact the length and continuity of each scene.
9. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
With big name stars (Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), this was an unusual film that used digital artists to build multi-layered 2D and 3D backgrounds for live action footage, with hand-drawn storyboards recreated as computer-generated 3D animatics. Critically it was well received but didn’t set the box office alight.
Editing on the movie was by Sabrina Plisco.
Final Cut Pro was particularly critical to create a scene between two characters that was shot in a physical set (unlike the digital soundstage that was used for the rest of the movie). Final Cut Pro allowed the filmmakers to line up the animatics with the live onstage footage. One of the challenges with this movie is that the editors had to manually assign time-codes to each take - the clips were then rendered out and sorted so that they could be used on a Final Cut Pro SD workstation. This approach was also used to create the master off-line cut. Batch lists of the cuts were then imported into Final Cut Pro.
10. Cold Mountain (2003)
This is an epic Civil War drama based on the novel by Charles Frazier. Starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger this was critically acclaimed and performed reasonably well at the box office.
The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing let by editor Walter Murch.
This was really seen as the breakthrough movie for the use of Final Cut Pro in Hollywood Movies. An entire book has been produced analysing how editor Murch used Final Cut Pro to edit the movie and analysis its impact on future cinema productions. Editor Murch believes that the use of Final Cut Pro on this movie indirected affected the ultimate creative outcome. In particular, the use of the DVD authoring capabilities on Final Cut Pro meant that the editing team was able to look at the material more often, sharing it with more people, and changing the way that they looked at certain scenes.
While Hollywood movies require editing tools of the highest order, the range of effects that you can achieve using Final Cut Pro is impressive - as well as the standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade and time remapping edit functions, Final Cut Pro also comes with a range of video transitions and a range of video and audio filters that will take your film project to the next level.
It is clear that Final Cut Pro is definitely now a star in the editing of Hollywood movies, it is time to make it a star in editing your movies as well.
Benjamin Arango
Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Benjamin Arango
Benjamin Arango
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Developed as video editing software that has been developed by Apple, Final Cut Pro began life as software designed to made simple video editing accessible for video hobbyists and independent filmmakers. However, in recent years the capabilities of Final Cut Pro have evolved significantly and we are now seeing major Hollywood movies also being edited with this software.
Do you want to turn your own video into a Hollywood film-like video? Check this guide on How to make big-budget cinematic look video with Final Cut Pro.
You may also like: 8 Best Movie Trailer Template for After Effects
Top 10 Movies Made by Final Cut Pro
Let’s take a look at ten major movies that have been edited using Final Cut Pro.
1. The Social Network (2010)
Based on the rise of the phenomenon that we now know as Facebook, The Social Network starred Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake. The movie performed well at the box office and was also positively received by movie critics.
The film won an Academy Award for Best Editing, collected by Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall. They used Final Cut Pro to edit the film, and one of the things they really like about the software is the ability to do multiple timelines. Final Cut Pro was also used in this movie to enable face replacement in a number of scenes. Two of the key characters in the movie are twins, and so the scenes were filmed with actors (who weren’t twins) and then the editing software was used to create the illusion that they were twins. Digital matte paintings was another feature of this movie that relied on the functionality of Final Cut Pro.
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
This was the US adaptation of the earlier Swedish film of the same name - based on the novel by Stieg Larsson. Starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the story is a crime thriller trying to uncover the secrets surrounding the disappearance of a young girl from a wealthy family.
One of the challenges with this movie was that there were a lot of invisible effects throughout the film. Final Cut Pro was used to achieve the shot stabilization and the visual enhancements - everything from matte painting to creating seasonal elements such as snow.
3. John Carter (2011)
A science fiction adventure, this film performed so badly at the box office that it caused major financial problems for its studio Disney.
The editing of the John Carter movie was a particular challenge as a lot of the action was shot twice during the troubled production. The editor Eric Zumbrunnen used Final Cut Pro to piece the various elements together. With a huge range of CGI and creature effects to deal with, the editing process on this movie was extremely complex. Final Cut Pro was used to create a lot of the background detail need to bring the green screen scenes to life.
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
This was a cute, quirky romantic comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
Editing on the movie was by Alan Edward Bell in DVCPro HD format on Final Cut Pro. Because the storyline of the movie unfolds in a non-linear timeline, the workflow feature of Final Cut Pro made it easier to manage the sequencing of the different scenes. There were also 250 invisible effects which were created using Final Cut Pro’s editing features.
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Continuing the X-Men franchise, this installment traces Wolverine’s childhood and the relationship with his brother. It didn’t really appeal to X-Men fans or movie critics.
Editing on the movie was by Nicolas De Toth and Megan Gill. There were a number of continuity glitches identified during the production of this movie but De Toth and Gill used Final Pro Cut to keep a consistent flow to the narrative. What is interesting about the editing on this movie is that all the cutting of the scenes required was done on Final Cut Pro 5, taking advantage of the software’s HD abilities and also the multi-clip features.
6. Burn After Reading (2008)
A black comedy from the talented brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, they wrote, produced, edited, and directed the movie.
The Coen brothers used Final Cut Pro on this movie because it was simple and easy to use - they were blocking together the rough cuts as the scenes were being shot, and Final Cut Pro gave them the flexibility that they needed to edit quickly. On this movie most of the action was shot using Sony cameras but there were several scenes on which a RED camera was added when an additional camera was needed. Even though there is a significantly different workflow between the two types of camera, the RED material was able to be integrated smoothly with the Sony footage.
7. No Country for Old Men (2007)
A neo-Western thriller from Coen brothers. They directed, wrote, and edited this production.
The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing for editor Roderick Jaynes (a pseudonym for Joel and Ethan Coen).
Directing and editing a movie brings the two processes a lot closer together for the Coen brothers. An easy to use product such as Final Cut Pro ensures that they can construct the movie’s narrative using the timeline features of the product. This movie marked a chance in approach for the Coen brothers, who took advantage of the better resolution DVCPRO HD for their cutting process compared to earlier films that were cut at DV resolution.
8. 300 (2007)
Based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, this is the fictionalized retelling of the Battle Termopylae - part of the Persian Wars. Directed by Zack Snyder, the movie was filmed with a super-imposition chroma key technique to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book. Editing on the movie was by William Hoy.
To capture the graphic novel look and feel of the film’s images, editor Hoy used a number of the key Final Cut Pro features such as the adjustment layer and blending modes to create depth and mood. With the look and feel of this movie so dependent on the effects created, editor Hoy spent a lot of time debating what was being added visually to each shot and how this would impact the length and continuity of each scene.
9. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
With big name stars (Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), this was an unusual film that used digital artists to build multi-layered 2D and 3D backgrounds for live action footage, with hand-drawn storyboards recreated as computer-generated 3D animatics. Critically it was well received but didn’t set the box office alight.
Editing on the movie was by Sabrina Plisco.
Final Cut Pro was particularly critical to create a scene between two characters that was shot in a physical set (unlike the digital soundstage that was used for the rest of the movie). Final Cut Pro allowed the filmmakers to line up the animatics with the live onstage footage. One of the challenges with this movie is that the editors had to manually assign time-codes to each take - the clips were then rendered out and sorted so that they could be used on a Final Cut Pro SD workstation. This approach was also used to create the master off-line cut. Batch lists of the cuts were then imported into Final Cut Pro.
10. Cold Mountain (2003)
This is an epic Civil War drama based on the novel by Charles Frazier. Starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger this was critically acclaimed and performed reasonably well at the box office.
The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing let by editor Walter Murch.
This was really seen as the breakthrough movie for the use of Final Cut Pro in Hollywood Movies. An entire book has been produced analysing how editor Murch used Final Cut Pro to edit the movie and analysis its impact on future cinema productions. Editor Murch believes that the use of Final Cut Pro on this movie indirected affected the ultimate creative outcome. In particular, the use of the DVD authoring capabilities on Final Cut Pro meant that the editing team was able to look at the material more often, sharing it with more people, and changing the way that they looked at certain scenes.
While Hollywood movies require editing tools of the highest order, the range of effects that you can achieve using Final Cut Pro is impressive - as well as the standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade and time remapping edit functions, Final Cut Pro also comes with a range of video transitions and a range of video and audio filters that will take your film project to the next level.
It is clear that Final Cut Pro is definitely now a star in the editing of Hollywood movies, it is time to make it a star in editing your movies as well.
Benjamin Arango
Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Benjamin Arango
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- Title: 2024 Approved The Best Free and Easy-to-Use 4K Video Editors
- Author: Emma
- Created at : 2024-06-15 21:44:06
- Updated at : 2024-06-16 21:44:06
- Link: https://video-ai-editor.techidaily.com/2024-approved-the-best-free-and-easy-to-use-4k-video-editors/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
