Your Go-To Guide: 10 Best Public Domain Image Resources

10 Best Public Domain Image Websites

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

• Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
• A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
• A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

• Neatly organized website
• Free and easy sign-up
• Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
• Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

• Some categories should contain more images
• Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

• Powerful search tools and various filters
• Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

• Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

• All images are available in high resolution
• Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

• Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
• The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

• Unlimited access to historical photos
• Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
• Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

• Excellent source of high-resolution photos
• Quick and easy search

Cons:

• Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
• Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

• Images are organized into categories
• Access to rare images

Cons

• Some images are not free
• Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

• Creating an account on Morguefile is free
• All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

• Images can be organized better
• Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

• Professional quality of images
• All images are free

Cons:

• A limited selection of photos
• Doesn’t offer vector graphics

9. NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

• Public domain images are available in different resolutions
• Offers valuable research materials

Cons

• Some images are subject to copyright
• Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

• Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
• A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

• Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
• Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

• The title of the image
• Author’s name
• Information about the institution at which an image is kept
• The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

• Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
• A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
• A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

• Neatly organized website
• Free and easy sign-up
• Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
• Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

• Some categories should contain more images
• Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

• Powerful search tools and various filters
• Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

• Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

• All images are available in high resolution
• Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

• Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
• The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

• Unlimited access to historical photos
• Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
• Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

• Excellent source of high-resolution photos
• Quick and easy search

Cons:

• Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
• Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

• Images are organized into categories
• Access to rare images

Cons

• Some images are not free
• Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

• Creating an account on Morguefile is free
• All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

• Images can be organized better
• Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

• Professional quality of images
• All images are free

Cons:

• A limited selection of photos
• Doesn’t offer vector graphics

9. NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

• Public domain images are available in different resolutions
• Offers valuable research materials

Cons

• Some images are subject to copyright
• Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

• Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
• A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

• Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
• Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

• The title of the image
• Author’s name
• Information about the institution at which an image is kept
• The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

• Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
• A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
• A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

• Neatly organized website
• Free and easy sign-up
• Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
• Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

• Some categories should contain more images
• Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

• Powerful search tools and various filters
• Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

• Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

• All images are available in high resolution
• Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

• Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
• The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

• Unlimited access to historical photos
• Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
• Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

• Excellent source of high-resolution photos
• Quick and easy search

Cons:

• Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
• Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

• Images are organized into categories
• Access to rare images

Cons

• Some images are not free
• Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

• Creating an account on Morguefile is free
• All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

• Images can be organized better
• Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

• Professional quality of images
• All images are free

Cons:

• A limited selection of photos
• Doesn’t offer vector graphics

9. NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

• Public domain images are available in different resolutions
• Offers valuable research materials

Cons

• Some images are subject to copyright
• Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

• Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
• A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

• Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
• Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

• The title of the image
• Author’s name
• Information about the institution at which an image is kept
• The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

• Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
• A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
• A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

• Neatly organized website
• Free and easy sign-up
• Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
• Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

• Some categories should contain more images
• Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

• Powerful search tools and various filters
• Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

• Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

• All images are available in high resolution
• Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

• Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
• The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

• Unlimited access to historical photos
• Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
• Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

• Excellent source of high-resolution photos
• Quick and easy search

Cons:

• Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
• Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

• Images are organized into categories
• Access to rare images

Cons

• Some images are not free
• Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

• Creating an account on Morguefile is free
• All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

• Images can be organized better
• Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

• Professional quality of images
• All images are free

Cons:

• A limited selection of photos
• Doesn’t offer vector graphics

9. NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

• Public domain images are available in different resolutions
• Offers valuable research materials

Cons

• Some images are subject to copyright
• Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

• Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
• A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

• Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
• Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

• The title of the image
• Author’s name
• Information about the institution at which an image is kept
• The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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Best Zero-Cost 4K Video Editing Tools for Creators

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

Supporting OS: Windows and Mac

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

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

Supporting OS: Windows and Mac

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

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

Supporting OS: Windows and Mac

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

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

Supporting OS: Windows and Mac

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

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.

The Ultimate Guide to Text Tracking Software

Best Text Motion Tracking Software

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you ever been mesmerized by a video with text or emoji’s moving together with objects? That effect is produced using motion tracking and isn’t very complicated. Today, we will introduce some text motion tracking software (free & paid) tools that allow you to pin text to video with minimum effort. There will also be detailed tutorials on how to utilize each tool. Let’s get started.

Best Text Motion Tracking Software [+Howtos]

Note: The list below is in no particular order.

1. Filmora

Pricing: Free (watermark) /starts at $49.99/year

Operating System: Windows & Mac

The newly released Wondershare Filmora X version has added the motion tracking features, which allows you to track moving objects in a video clip, and attach images, texts, elements and videos to follow the movement path.

How to Use Filmora Video Editor To Do Text Motion Tracking?

• Import the video footage to the timeline and then click the Motion Track icon in the tool bar to enable the Motion Tracking option.

• In the preview window, drag and adjust the tracking box to select a moving object as the target.

• Click the Start Tracking menu to start the moton tracking render, and Filmora video editor will compute the moving path automatically
• Now, go to the Titles tab and drag a subtitle, titles, lower 3rd, or callout to the track just above the motion-tracked video. Customize your texts, adjust its size, position, etc. in the preview window.

• Next, double click the video footage to enter the Motion Track option. Select the title as a follower. Playback the video, and you will see the text will move accordingly.

Below is a step by step video tutorial about how to use the motion tracking feature in Filmora. Keep watching.

2. Premiere Pro CC

Pricing: 14-day trial, minimum $20.99/month

Operating System: Windows, Mac

Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry-leading video editor. Premiere Pro CC has all the editing tools a pro video editor needs.

There is no automatic tracking feature in Premiere Pro to pin text to video. Therefore, you need to manually position your text and add keyframes frame by frame. But the overall effort required and the final result isn’t much different from traditional editors.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In Premiere Pro CC? [Main Steps]

• Import your video to the timeline
• Add text by Pressing ‘T’ on your keyboard and clicking on the preview window (your footage)
• Change the position & duration of the text layer on the timeline according to the position & duration of motion tracking
• Make sure you’re on the frame you want to start tracking from
• Click on your text layer → then go to effects controls
• Change the position of the text to the point you want to track → click on the stopwatch icon to add a keyframe
• Move a few frames forward → adjust the position again → add another keyframe
• Don’t put the keyframes too close or too farther apart
• Play through to check it out → adjust the position and number of keyframes if any issues arise

The whole process is relatively easy, although tedious. But the process becomes very complicated when you have more dynamic motion in your clip

3. After Effects

Pricing: 7-day trial, $20.99/month (individual)

Operating System: Windows & Mac

Adobe After Effects is an editor that focuses on animation & creative composition. This app has been developed as a companion to Premiere Pro for creating short & flashy motion graphics and visual effects for projects.

Motion tracking in After Effects can be done using the Point Tracker, which has one-point and up to four-point tracking. Other tracking options include the built-in 3D Camera Tracker that lets you reverse engineer a scene and the spline tracker that enables you to track masks on an object. There is also Mocha AE, a planar tracker from BorisFX. The Point Tracker is the most flexible and versatile in After Effects. We’ll use it to pin text to video.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In After Effects? [Main Steps]

• Create a new composition/open an old one and make sure your clip is imported
• Create a null object by right-clicking on the window (screenshot below)
• Select your clip → click on tracker → click on track motion
• Two square boxes will appear
• Move the squares to the point you want to track (make sure to select an object with relatively high contrast for easier tracking)
• Position the smaller square on the object you want to track
• Make the second box is big enough (not too big) so that the tracked object stays within this square in the next frame
• Click on the analyze forward button (screenshot above)
• If the square box fails to track the object at any frame, reposition it and move on
• Make sure motion target is set to null object (e.g., Null 1)
• Now add the text
• While clicking on the pick whip tool of the text layer, drag it to the null object
• Play through to check the result
• You can manually change the position of the text in any frame by adjusting its position and adding a keyframe

We’re done. As we stated above, other types of trackers are also available for you to experiment with. The overall tracking functionality is much better than Premiere Pro.

4. Sony Vegas Pro

Pricing: 30-day trial, minimum $19.99/month

Operating System: Windows

Sony Vegas Pro is a non-linear video editor with the so-called “power of Artificial Intelligence.” It is one of the few editors out there that has acquired popularity among professionals and amateurs alike.

Text motion tracking in Vegas Pro is done using Bézier Masking FX (new update introduces a separate tab for motion tracking). The tracking process is automatic. Keyframes are created automatically frame by frame. It isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done in most cases. When it fails to track objects correctly, you can manually edit the keyframes.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In Sony Vegas Pro? [Main Steps]

• Import your video
• Click on your video → go to the starting point of text motion tracking
• Click on Bézier Masking → drag the default one to your video
• A new options tab will appear & a square box with a circle (tracking box) will appear in the preview window
• Go to General options → set blend to 1,000
• Go to Mask 1 → Tracking → options → set the precision to high → set keyframe interval between 1 & 5
• Position the black dot of the tracking box to the point you want to track
• Click on start below the keyframe interval option
• After processing is complete → go to tools → extensions → add text to motion track → click on ok in the text position tab
• Enter your text, edit it if you want
• Play through to check the result

Conclusion:

As we’ve seen above, all the editors have some kind of automatic tracking feature, Premiere Pro being the only manual exception. All of them do a reasonably good job when it comes to pinning text to video. Professionals would be more satisfied with the added versatility and control in After Effects. Filmora, Filmora, Vegas Pro and Premiere Pro, on the other hand, are better suited for amateurs.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you ever been mesmerized by a video with text or emoji’s moving together with objects? That effect is produced using motion tracking and isn’t very complicated. Today, we will introduce some text motion tracking software (free & paid) tools that allow you to pin text to video with minimum effort. There will also be detailed tutorials on how to utilize each tool. Let’s get started.

Best Text Motion Tracking Software [+Howtos]

Note: The list below is in no particular order.

1. Filmora

Pricing: Free (watermark) /starts at $49.99/year

Operating System: Windows & Mac

The newly released Wondershare Filmora X version has added the motion tracking features, which allows you to track moving objects in a video clip, and attach images, texts, elements and videos to follow the movement path.

How to Use Filmora Video Editor To Do Text Motion Tracking?

• Import the video footage to the timeline and then click the Motion Track icon in the tool bar to enable the Motion Tracking option.

• In the preview window, drag and adjust the tracking box to select a moving object as the target.

• Click the Start Tracking menu to start the moton tracking render, and Filmora video editor will compute the moving path automatically
• Now, go to the Titles tab and drag a subtitle, titles, lower 3rd, or callout to the track just above the motion-tracked video. Customize your texts, adjust its size, position, etc. in the preview window.

• Next, double click the video footage to enter the Motion Track option. Select the title as a follower. Playback the video, and you will see the text will move accordingly.

Below is a step by step video tutorial about how to use the motion tracking feature in Filmora. Keep watching.

2. Premiere Pro CC

Pricing: 14-day trial, minimum $20.99/month

Operating System: Windows, Mac

Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry-leading video editor. Premiere Pro CC has all the editing tools a pro video editor needs.

There is no automatic tracking feature in Premiere Pro to pin text to video. Therefore, you need to manually position your text and add keyframes frame by frame. But the overall effort required and the final result isn’t much different from traditional editors.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In Premiere Pro CC? [Main Steps]

• Import your video to the timeline
• Add text by Pressing ‘T’ on your keyboard and clicking on the preview window (your footage)
• Change the position & duration of the text layer on the timeline according to the position & duration of motion tracking
• Make sure you’re on the frame you want to start tracking from
• Click on your text layer → then go to effects controls
• Change the position of the text to the point you want to track → click on the stopwatch icon to add a keyframe
• Move a few frames forward → adjust the position again → add another keyframe
• Don’t put the keyframes too close or too farther apart
• Play through to check it out → adjust the position and number of keyframes if any issues arise

The whole process is relatively easy, although tedious. But the process becomes very complicated when you have more dynamic motion in your clip

3. After Effects

Pricing: 7-day trial, $20.99/month (individual)

Operating System: Windows & Mac

Adobe After Effects is an editor that focuses on animation & creative composition. This app has been developed as a companion to Premiere Pro for creating short & flashy motion graphics and visual effects for projects.

Motion tracking in After Effects can be done using the Point Tracker, which has one-point and up to four-point tracking. Other tracking options include the built-in 3D Camera Tracker that lets you reverse engineer a scene and the spline tracker that enables you to track masks on an object. There is also Mocha AE, a planar tracker from BorisFX. The Point Tracker is the most flexible and versatile in After Effects. We’ll use it to pin text to video.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In After Effects? [Main Steps]

• Create a new composition/open an old one and make sure your clip is imported
• Create a null object by right-clicking on the window (screenshot below)
• Select your clip → click on tracker → click on track motion
• Two square boxes will appear
• Move the squares to the point you want to track (make sure to select an object with relatively high contrast for easier tracking)
• Position the smaller square on the object you want to track
• Make the second box is big enough (not too big) so that the tracked object stays within this square in the next frame
• Click on the analyze forward button (screenshot above)
• If the square box fails to track the object at any frame, reposition it and move on
• Make sure motion target is set to null object (e.g., Null 1)
• Now add the text
• While clicking on the pick whip tool of the text layer, drag it to the null object
• Play through to check the result
• You can manually change the position of the text in any frame by adjusting its position and adding a keyframe

We’re done. As we stated above, other types of trackers are also available for you to experiment with. The overall tracking functionality is much better than Premiere Pro.

4. Sony Vegas Pro

Pricing: 30-day trial, minimum $19.99/month

Operating System: Windows

Sony Vegas Pro is a non-linear video editor with the so-called “power of Artificial Intelligence.” It is one of the few editors out there that has acquired popularity among professionals and amateurs alike.

Text motion tracking in Vegas Pro is done using Bézier Masking FX (new update introduces a separate tab for motion tracking). The tracking process is automatic. Keyframes are created automatically frame by frame. It isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done in most cases. When it fails to track objects correctly, you can manually edit the keyframes.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In Sony Vegas Pro? [Main Steps]

• Import your video
• Click on your video → go to the starting point of text motion tracking
• Click on Bézier Masking → drag the default one to your video
• A new options tab will appear & a square box with a circle (tracking box) will appear in the preview window
• Go to General options → set blend to 1,000
• Go to Mask 1 → Tracking → options → set the precision to high → set keyframe interval between 1 & 5
• Position the black dot of the tracking box to the point you want to track
• Click on start below the keyframe interval option
• After processing is complete → go to tools → extensions → add text to motion track → click on ok in the text position tab
• Enter your text, edit it if you want
• Play through to check the result

Conclusion:

As we’ve seen above, all the editors have some kind of automatic tracking feature, Premiere Pro being the only manual exception. All of them do a reasonably good job when it comes to pinning text to video. Professionals would be more satisfied with the added versatility and control in After Effects. Filmora, Filmora, Vegas Pro and Premiere Pro, on the other hand, are better suited for amateurs.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you ever been mesmerized by a video with text or emoji’s moving together with objects? That effect is produced using motion tracking and isn’t very complicated. Today, we will introduce some text motion tracking software (free & paid) tools that allow you to pin text to video with minimum effort. There will also be detailed tutorials on how to utilize each tool. Let’s get started.

Best Text Motion Tracking Software [+Howtos]

Note: The list below is in no particular order.

1. Filmora

Pricing: Free (watermark) /starts at $49.99/year

Operating System: Windows & Mac

The newly released Wondershare Filmora X version has added the motion tracking features, which allows you to track moving objects in a video clip, and attach images, texts, elements and videos to follow the movement path.

How to Use Filmora Video Editor To Do Text Motion Tracking?

• Import the video footage to the timeline and then click the Motion Track icon in the tool bar to enable the Motion Tracking option.

• In the preview window, drag and adjust the tracking box to select a moving object as the target.

• Click the Start Tracking menu to start the moton tracking render, and Filmora video editor will compute the moving path automatically
• Now, go to the Titles tab and drag a subtitle, titles, lower 3rd, or callout to the track just above the motion-tracked video. Customize your texts, adjust its size, position, etc. in the preview window.

• Next, double click the video footage to enter the Motion Track option. Select the title as a follower. Playback the video, and you will see the text will move accordingly.

Below is a step by step video tutorial about how to use the motion tracking feature in Filmora. Keep watching.

2. Premiere Pro CC

Pricing: 14-day trial, minimum $20.99/month

Operating System: Windows, Mac

Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry-leading video editor. Premiere Pro CC has all the editing tools a pro video editor needs.

There is no automatic tracking feature in Premiere Pro to pin text to video. Therefore, you need to manually position your text and add keyframes frame by frame. But the overall effort required and the final result isn’t much different from traditional editors.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In Premiere Pro CC? [Main Steps]

• Import your video to the timeline
• Add text by Pressing ‘T’ on your keyboard and clicking on the preview window (your footage)
• Change the position & duration of the text layer on the timeline according to the position & duration of motion tracking
• Make sure you’re on the frame you want to start tracking from
• Click on your text layer → then go to effects controls
• Change the position of the text to the point you want to track → click on the stopwatch icon to add a keyframe
• Move a few frames forward → adjust the position again → add another keyframe
• Don’t put the keyframes too close or too farther apart
• Play through to check it out → adjust the position and number of keyframes if any issues arise

The whole process is relatively easy, although tedious. But the process becomes very complicated when you have more dynamic motion in your clip

3. After Effects

Pricing: 7-day trial, $20.99/month (individual)

Operating System: Windows & Mac

Adobe After Effects is an editor that focuses on animation & creative composition. This app has been developed as a companion to Premiere Pro for creating short & flashy motion graphics and visual effects for projects.

Motion tracking in After Effects can be done using the Point Tracker, which has one-point and up to four-point tracking. Other tracking options include the built-in 3D Camera Tracker that lets you reverse engineer a scene and the spline tracker that enables you to track masks on an object. There is also Mocha AE, a planar tracker from BorisFX. The Point Tracker is the most flexible and versatile in After Effects. We’ll use it to pin text to video.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In After Effects? [Main Steps]

• Create a new composition/open an old one and make sure your clip is imported
• Create a null object by right-clicking on the window (screenshot below)
• Select your clip → click on tracker → click on track motion
• Two square boxes will appear
• Move the squares to the point you want to track (make sure to select an object with relatively high contrast for easier tracking)
• Position the smaller square on the object you want to track
• Make the second box is big enough (not too big) so that the tracked object stays within this square in the next frame
• Click on the analyze forward button (screenshot above)
• If the square box fails to track the object at any frame, reposition it and move on
• Make sure motion target is set to null object (e.g., Null 1)
• Now add the text
• While clicking on the pick whip tool of the text layer, drag it to the null object
• Play through to check the result
• You can manually change the position of the text in any frame by adjusting its position and adding a keyframe

We’re done. As we stated above, other types of trackers are also available for you to experiment with. The overall tracking functionality is much better than Premiere Pro.

4. Sony Vegas Pro

Pricing: 30-day trial, minimum $19.99/month

Operating System: Windows

Sony Vegas Pro is a non-linear video editor with the so-called “power of Artificial Intelligence.” It is one of the few editors out there that has acquired popularity among professionals and amateurs alike.

Text motion tracking in Vegas Pro is done using Bézier Masking FX (new update introduces a separate tab for motion tracking). The tracking process is automatic. Keyframes are created automatically frame by frame. It isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done in most cases. When it fails to track objects correctly, you can manually edit the keyframes.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In Sony Vegas Pro? [Main Steps]

• Import your video
• Click on your video → go to the starting point of text motion tracking
• Click on Bézier Masking → drag the default one to your video
• A new options tab will appear & a square box with a circle (tracking box) will appear in the preview window
• Go to General options → set blend to 1,000
• Go to Mask 1 → Tracking → options → set the precision to high → set keyframe interval between 1 & 5
• Position the black dot of the tracking box to the point you want to track
• Click on start below the keyframe interval option
• After processing is complete → go to tools → extensions → add text to motion track → click on ok in the text position tab
• Enter your text, edit it if you want
• Play through to check the result

Conclusion:

As we’ve seen above, all the editors have some kind of automatic tracking feature, Premiere Pro being the only manual exception. All of them do a reasonably good job when it comes to pinning text to video. Professionals would be more satisfied with the added versatility and control in After Effects. Filmora, Filmora, Vegas Pro and Premiere Pro, on the other hand, are better suited for amateurs.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you ever been mesmerized by a video with text or emoji’s moving together with objects? That effect is produced using motion tracking and isn’t very complicated. Today, we will introduce some text motion tracking software (free & paid) tools that allow you to pin text to video with minimum effort. There will also be detailed tutorials on how to utilize each tool. Let’s get started.

Best Text Motion Tracking Software [+Howtos]

Note: The list below is in no particular order.

1. Filmora

Pricing: Free (watermark) /starts at $49.99/year

Operating System: Windows & Mac

The newly released Wondershare Filmora X version has added the motion tracking features, which allows you to track moving objects in a video clip, and attach images, texts, elements and videos to follow the movement path.

How to Use Filmora Video Editor To Do Text Motion Tracking?

• Import the video footage to the timeline and then click the Motion Track icon in the tool bar to enable the Motion Tracking option.

• In the preview window, drag and adjust the tracking box to select a moving object as the target.

• Click the Start Tracking menu to start the moton tracking render, and Filmora video editor will compute the moving path automatically
• Now, go to the Titles tab and drag a subtitle, titles, lower 3rd, or callout to the track just above the motion-tracked video. Customize your texts, adjust its size, position, etc. in the preview window.

• Next, double click the video footage to enter the Motion Track option. Select the title as a follower. Playback the video, and you will see the text will move accordingly.

Below is a step by step video tutorial about how to use the motion tracking feature in Filmora. Keep watching.

2. Premiere Pro CC

Pricing: 14-day trial, minimum $20.99/month

Operating System: Windows, Mac

Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry-leading video editor. Premiere Pro CC has all the editing tools a pro video editor needs.

There is no automatic tracking feature in Premiere Pro to pin text to video. Therefore, you need to manually position your text and add keyframes frame by frame. But the overall effort required and the final result isn’t much different from traditional editors.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In Premiere Pro CC? [Main Steps]

• Import your video to the timeline
• Add text by Pressing ‘T’ on your keyboard and clicking on the preview window (your footage)
• Change the position & duration of the text layer on the timeline according to the position & duration of motion tracking
• Make sure you’re on the frame you want to start tracking from
• Click on your text layer → then go to effects controls
• Change the position of the text to the point you want to track → click on the stopwatch icon to add a keyframe
• Move a few frames forward → adjust the position again → add another keyframe
• Don’t put the keyframes too close or too farther apart
• Play through to check it out → adjust the position and number of keyframes if any issues arise

The whole process is relatively easy, although tedious. But the process becomes very complicated when you have more dynamic motion in your clip

3. After Effects

Pricing: 7-day trial, $20.99/month (individual)

Operating System: Windows & Mac

Adobe After Effects is an editor that focuses on animation & creative composition. This app has been developed as a companion to Premiere Pro for creating short & flashy motion graphics and visual effects for projects.

Motion tracking in After Effects can be done using the Point Tracker, which has one-point and up to four-point tracking. Other tracking options include the built-in 3D Camera Tracker that lets you reverse engineer a scene and the spline tracker that enables you to track masks on an object. There is also Mocha AE, a planar tracker from BorisFX. The Point Tracker is the most flexible and versatile in After Effects. We’ll use it to pin text to video.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In After Effects? [Main Steps]

• Create a new composition/open an old one and make sure your clip is imported
• Create a null object by right-clicking on the window (screenshot below)
• Select your clip → click on tracker → click on track motion
• Two square boxes will appear
• Move the squares to the point you want to track (make sure to select an object with relatively high contrast for easier tracking)
• Position the smaller square on the object you want to track
• Make the second box is big enough (not too big) so that the tracked object stays within this square in the next frame
• Click on the analyze forward button (screenshot above)
• If the square box fails to track the object at any frame, reposition it and move on
• Make sure motion target is set to null object (e.g., Null 1)
• Now add the text
• While clicking on the pick whip tool of the text layer, drag it to the null object
• Play through to check the result
• You can manually change the position of the text in any frame by adjusting its position and adding a keyframe

We’re done. As we stated above, other types of trackers are also available for you to experiment with. The overall tracking functionality is much better than Premiere Pro.

4. Sony Vegas Pro

Pricing: 30-day trial, minimum $19.99/month

Operating System: Windows

Sony Vegas Pro is a non-linear video editor with the so-called “power of Artificial Intelligence.” It is one of the few editors out there that has acquired popularity among professionals and amateurs alike.

Text motion tracking in Vegas Pro is done using Bézier Masking FX (new update introduces a separate tab for motion tracking). The tracking process is automatic. Keyframes are created automatically frame by frame. It isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done in most cases. When it fails to track objects correctly, you can manually edit the keyframes.

How To Do Text Motion Tracking In Sony Vegas Pro? [Main Steps]

• Import your video
• Click on your video → go to the starting point of text motion tracking
• Click on Bézier Masking → drag the default one to your video
• A new options tab will appear & a square box with a circle (tracking box) will appear in the preview window
• Go to General options → set blend to 1,000
• Go to Mask 1 → Tracking → options → set the precision to high → set keyframe interval between 1 & 5
• Position the black dot of the tracking box to the point you want to track
• Click on start below the keyframe interval option
• After processing is complete → go to tools → extensions → add text to motion track → click on ok in the text position tab
• Enter your text, edit it if you want
• Play through to check the result

Conclusion:

As we’ve seen above, all the editors have some kind of automatic tracking feature, Premiere Pro being the only manual exception. All of them do a reasonably good job when it comes to pinning text to video. Professionals would be more satisfied with the added versatility and control in After Effects. Filmora, Filmora, Vegas Pro and Premiere Pro, on the other hand, are better suited for amateurs.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Mastering GoPro Quik on Mac: Effortless Video Editing

How to Edit Your GoPro Videos with Quik on Mac

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you have a GoPro, then you might already know how easy it can be to record videos with this handy tool. While recording videos with GoPro is extremely simple, a lot of users find it hard to transfer or edit their videos on Mac. Though, you can always take the assistance of GoPro Quik on MacBook to manage and edit your videos – all in one place. Here, I will let you know how to make the most of the GoPro Quik desktop solution and will also list its best alternative.

• Part 1: What can you do with Go Pro Quik on Mac?
• Part 2: How to Make the Most of GoPro Quik on MacBook?
• Part 3: The Best GoPro Quik Alternatives for Mac

Part 1: What can you do with Go Pro Quik on Mac?

GoPro offers desktop and mobile solutions to help us import our recorded videos, edit them, and even share them on numerous platforms. The best part is that GoPro Quik for MacBook is available for free and can be download directly from its official website. Afterward, you can use GoPro Quik on your Mac in the following ways:

• Importing and Managing Videos

If you want, you can directly connect GoPro to your Mac and use the application to import your videos. You can also manage your videos and even upload them on your GoPro cloud directly.

• Video Editing

GoPro Quik for MacBook also offers tons of features to trim, crop, and edit your videos. You can apply effects to your videos, include audio tracks, and even sync your videos easily.

• Instant Sharing

Your GoPro Quik application can instantly be connected to popular social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. In this way, you can instantly share your GoPro video on your social handles.

• What More?

Besides that, GoPro Quik on MacBook offers dedicated options to create timelapse videos. You can also create slow motion or fast forward videos and even trim highlights for any footage.

Runs on: macOS 10.9 or newer versions

Part 2: How to Make the Most of GoPro Quik on MacBook?

Now when you know the major features of the GoPro Quik application, let’s learn how to use it. Ideally, GoPro Quik for MacBook can help you not only to import your videos to your system, but also to edit them in different ways.

Import Videos to your Mac with GoPro Quik

If you want to manage GoPro videos on your Mac, then you can take the assistance of Quik’s desktop application.

Step 1: Connect your GoPro and Launch Quik

At first, you can just connect your GoPro camera to your Mac and look for GoPro Quik from the Spotlight. You can also find it in Applications and launch it on your Mac.

Step 2: Import your Videos from GoPro to Mac

Once the GoPro Quik app on your MacBook is launched, you can view the snapshot of the connected device (with its name). From here, you can just click on the “Import Files” button and wait as your videos would be saved on your Mac’s storage.

There is also a provision to manually select a location on your Mac where your GoPro videos would be saved.

Edit your Videos with GoPro Quik on MacBook

On GoPro Quik for MacBook, you can find several options to manage or edit your videos. Since it only provides basic editing solutions, it won’t meet your professional requirements. Nevertheless, let’s have a look at how we can clip a video on GoPro Quik.

Step 1: Select a video to edit

Once you have imported your videos, you can go to the “Media” tab on GoPro Quik to view all the stored videos. From here, you can right-click the thumbnail of any video to view it.

Step 2: Choose to Clip the Video

This will automatically load the video on the editing interface of GoPro Quik. Now, you can just click on the scissor icon at the bottom panel so that you can clip the important part of the video.

Step 3: Clip and Save your Video

Now, a blue marker will be displayed on the screen that you can move around to select the part of the video you want to clip. Afterward, you can preview the results and click on the “Save” button from the bottom.

Similarly, you can browse more options in GoPro Quik for MacBook to create timelapse videos and doing other edits.

Part 3: The Best GoPro Quik Alternatives for Mac

As you can see, GoPro Quik for MacBook can only be used to make minor edits and might not meet your overall requirements. In this case, you can consider using either of the following tools as a GoPro Quik alternative.

1. Wondershare Filmora for Mac [The Best Choice]

For all those who are looking for more advanced video editing options, Wondershare Filmora for Mac would be an ideal pick. It is the best GoPro Quik alternative for MacBook that has a user-friendly interface and features some of the most advanced editing options.

• Wondershare Filmora has integrated Artificial Intelligence features (in AI Portrait Mode ) that can instantly remove the background of a video.
• There are also tons of options to include AR stickers in your videos on Filmora and make them appealing.
• You can also use the Auto Reframe feature in Filmora to automatically adjust the aspect ratio of your videos for various social media platforms.
• Filmora also offers hundreds of transitions, audio effects, captions, filters, and more that you can instantly apply with drag and drop actions.
• Some other advanced features of Filmora are motion tracking , keyframing, audio ducking, pan-and-zoom, green screen edits, and more.

2. GoPro Studio [Discontinued]

While GoPro Studio has been discontinued, you can consider downloading this legacy desktop application from third-party sources. The only drawback is that you won’t get any updates or new features with GoPro Studio anymore.

• You can use GoPro Studio to import/export your videos or trim their vital parts.
• There are also options to add music and text to your videos to make them more appealing.
• You can alter the playback speed of videos to come up with slow motion or timelapse videos easily.
• GoPro Studio also offers a few other adjustment controls to customize the appearance and playback of your videos.
• Just like GoPro Quik, the Studio application can also be integrated with social media platforms like YouTube or Facebook.

You may also interested in: How to edit video with GoPro Studio

Conclusion

I’m sure that after reading this post, you would know more about GoPro Quik for MacBook. As you can see, it is quite easy to import your videos from GoPro to your Mac with the help of Quik. Furthermore, the desktop application can also be used to do minor edits with your GoPro videos. Though, if you are looking for a better macOS video editor , then Wondershare Filmora will be an ideal pick. Filmora offers a user-friendly interface, tons of high-end editing features, and a free trial version for Mac/Windows.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you have a GoPro, then you might already know how easy it can be to record videos with this handy tool. While recording videos with GoPro is extremely simple, a lot of users find it hard to transfer or edit their videos on Mac. Though, you can always take the assistance of GoPro Quik on MacBook to manage and edit your videos – all in one place. Here, I will let you know how to make the most of the GoPro Quik desktop solution and will also list its best alternative.

• Part 1: What can you do with Go Pro Quik on Mac?
• Part 2: How to Make the Most of GoPro Quik on MacBook?
• Part 3: The Best GoPro Quik Alternatives for Mac

Part 1: What can you do with Go Pro Quik on Mac?

GoPro offers desktop and mobile solutions to help us import our recorded videos, edit them, and even share them on numerous platforms. The best part is that GoPro Quik for MacBook is available for free and can be download directly from its official website. Afterward, you can use GoPro Quik on your Mac in the following ways:

• Importing and Managing Videos

If you want, you can directly connect GoPro to your Mac and use the application to import your videos. You can also manage your videos and even upload them on your GoPro cloud directly.

• Video Editing

GoPro Quik for MacBook also offers tons of features to trim, crop, and edit your videos. You can apply effects to your videos, include audio tracks, and even sync your videos easily.

• Instant Sharing

Your GoPro Quik application can instantly be connected to popular social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. In this way, you can instantly share your GoPro video on your social handles.

• What More?

Besides that, GoPro Quik on MacBook offers dedicated options to create timelapse videos. You can also create slow motion or fast forward videos and even trim highlights for any footage.

Runs on: macOS 10.9 or newer versions

Part 2: How to Make the Most of GoPro Quik on MacBook?

Now when you know the major features of the GoPro Quik application, let’s learn how to use it. Ideally, GoPro Quik for MacBook can help you not only to import your videos to your system, but also to edit them in different ways.

Import Videos to your Mac with GoPro Quik

If you want to manage GoPro videos on your Mac, then you can take the assistance of Quik’s desktop application.

Step 1: Connect your GoPro and Launch Quik

At first, you can just connect your GoPro camera to your Mac and look for GoPro Quik from the Spotlight. You can also find it in Applications and launch it on your Mac.

Step 2: Import your Videos from GoPro to Mac

Once the GoPro Quik app on your MacBook is launched, you can view the snapshot of the connected device (with its name). From here, you can just click on the “Import Files” button and wait as your videos would be saved on your Mac’s storage.

There is also a provision to manually select a location on your Mac where your GoPro videos would be saved.

Edit your Videos with GoPro Quik on MacBook

On GoPro Quik for MacBook, you can find several options to manage or edit your videos. Since it only provides basic editing solutions, it won’t meet your professional requirements. Nevertheless, let’s have a look at how we can clip a video on GoPro Quik.

Step 1: Select a video to edit

Once you have imported your videos, you can go to the “Media” tab on GoPro Quik to view all the stored videos. From here, you can right-click the thumbnail of any video to view it.

Step 2: Choose to Clip the Video

This will automatically load the video on the editing interface of GoPro Quik. Now, you can just click on the scissor icon at the bottom panel so that you can clip the important part of the video.

Step 3: Clip and Save your Video

Now, a blue marker will be displayed on the screen that you can move around to select the part of the video you want to clip. Afterward, you can preview the results and click on the “Save” button from the bottom.

Similarly, you can browse more options in GoPro Quik for MacBook to create timelapse videos and doing other edits.

Part 3: The Best GoPro Quik Alternatives for Mac

As you can see, GoPro Quik for MacBook can only be used to make minor edits and might not meet your overall requirements. In this case, you can consider using either of the following tools as a GoPro Quik alternative.

1. Wondershare Filmora for Mac [The Best Choice]

For all those who are looking for more advanced video editing options, Wondershare Filmora for Mac would be an ideal pick. It is the best GoPro Quik alternative for MacBook that has a user-friendly interface and features some of the most advanced editing options.

• Wondershare Filmora has integrated Artificial Intelligence features (in AI Portrait Mode ) that can instantly remove the background of a video.
• There are also tons of options to include AR stickers in your videos on Filmora and make them appealing.
• You can also use the Auto Reframe feature in Filmora to automatically adjust the aspect ratio of your videos for various social media platforms.
• Filmora also offers hundreds of transitions, audio effects, captions, filters, and more that you can instantly apply with drag and drop actions.
• Some other advanced features of Filmora are motion tracking , keyframing, audio ducking, pan-and-zoom, green screen edits, and more.

2. GoPro Studio [Discontinued]

While GoPro Studio has been discontinued, you can consider downloading this legacy desktop application from third-party sources. The only drawback is that you won’t get any updates or new features with GoPro Studio anymore.

• You can use GoPro Studio to import/export your videos or trim their vital parts.
• There are also options to add music and text to your videos to make them more appealing.
• You can alter the playback speed of videos to come up with slow motion or timelapse videos easily.
• GoPro Studio also offers a few other adjustment controls to customize the appearance and playback of your videos.
• Just like GoPro Quik, the Studio application can also be integrated with social media platforms like YouTube or Facebook.

You may also interested in: How to edit video with GoPro Studio

Conclusion

I’m sure that after reading this post, you would know more about GoPro Quik for MacBook. As you can see, it is quite easy to import your videos from GoPro to your Mac with the help of Quik. Furthermore, the desktop application can also be used to do minor edits with your GoPro videos. Though, if you are looking for a better macOS video editor , then Wondershare Filmora will be an ideal pick. Filmora offers a user-friendly interface, tons of high-end editing features, and a free trial version for Mac/Windows.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you have a GoPro, then you might already know how easy it can be to record videos with this handy tool. While recording videos with GoPro is extremely simple, a lot of users find it hard to transfer or edit their videos on Mac. Though, you can always take the assistance of GoPro Quik on MacBook to manage and edit your videos – all in one place. Here, I will let you know how to make the most of the GoPro Quik desktop solution and will also list its best alternative.

• Part 1: What can you do with Go Pro Quik on Mac?
• Part 2: How to Make the Most of GoPro Quik on MacBook?
• Part 3: The Best GoPro Quik Alternatives for Mac

Part 1: What can you do with Go Pro Quik on Mac?

GoPro offers desktop and mobile solutions to help us import our recorded videos, edit them, and even share them on numerous platforms. The best part is that GoPro Quik for MacBook is available for free and can be download directly from its official website. Afterward, you can use GoPro Quik on your Mac in the following ways:

• Importing and Managing Videos

If you want, you can directly connect GoPro to your Mac and use the application to import your videos. You can also manage your videos and even upload them on your GoPro cloud directly.

• Video Editing

GoPro Quik for MacBook also offers tons of features to trim, crop, and edit your videos. You can apply effects to your videos, include audio tracks, and even sync your videos easily.

• Instant Sharing

Your GoPro Quik application can instantly be connected to popular social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. In this way, you can instantly share your GoPro video on your social handles.

• What More?

Besides that, GoPro Quik on MacBook offers dedicated options to create timelapse videos. You can also create slow motion or fast forward videos and even trim highlights for any footage.

Runs on: macOS 10.9 or newer versions

Part 2: How to Make the Most of GoPro Quik on MacBook?

Now when you know the major features of the GoPro Quik application, let’s learn how to use it. Ideally, GoPro Quik for MacBook can help you not only to import your videos to your system, but also to edit them in different ways.

Import Videos to your Mac with GoPro Quik

If you want to manage GoPro videos on your Mac, then you can take the assistance of Quik’s desktop application.

Step 1: Connect your GoPro and Launch Quik

At first, you can just connect your GoPro camera to your Mac and look for GoPro Quik from the Spotlight. You can also find it in Applications and launch it on your Mac.

Step 2: Import your Videos from GoPro to Mac

Once the GoPro Quik app on your MacBook is launched, you can view the snapshot of the connected device (with its name). From here, you can just click on the “Import Files” button and wait as your videos would be saved on your Mac’s storage.

There is also a provision to manually select a location on your Mac where your GoPro videos would be saved.

Edit your Videos with GoPro Quik on MacBook

On GoPro Quik for MacBook, you can find several options to manage or edit your videos. Since it only provides basic editing solutions, it won’t meet your professional requirements. Nevertheless, let’s have a look at how we can clip a video on GoPro Quik.

Step 1: Select a video to edit

Once you have imported your videos, you can go to the “Media” tab on GoPro Quik to view all the stored videos. From here, you can right-click the thumbnail of any video to view it.

Step 2: Choose to Clip the Video

This will automatically load the video on the editing interface of GoPro Quik. Now, you can just click on the scissor icon at the bottom panel so that you can clip the important part of the video.

Step 3: Clip and Save your Video

Now, a blue marker will be displayed on the screen that you can move around to select the part of the video you want to clip. Afterward, you can preview the results and click on the “Save” button from the bottom.

Similarly, you can browse more options in GoPro Quik for MacBook to create timelapse videos and doing other edits.

Part 3: The Best GoPro Quik Alternatives for Mac

As you can see, GoPro Quik for MacBook can only be used to make minor edits and might not meet your overall requirements. In this case, you can consider using either of the following tools as a GoPro Quik alternative.

1. Wondershare Filmora for Mac [The Best Choice]

For all those who are looking for more advanced video editing options, Wondershare Filmora for Mac would be an ideal pick. It is the best GoPro Quik alternative for MacBook that has a user-friendly interface and features some of the most advanced editing options.

• Wondershare Filmora has integrated Artificial Intelligence features (in AI Portrait Mode ) that can instantly remove the background of a video.
• There are also tons of options to include AR stickers in your videos on Filmora and make them appealing.
• You can also use the Auto Reframe feature in Filmora to automatically adjust the aspect ratio of your videos for various social media platforms.
• Filmora also offers hundreds of transitions, audio effects, captions, filters, and more that you can instantly apply with drag and drop actions.
• Some other advanced features of Filmora are motion tracking , keyframing, audio ducking, pan-and-zoom, green screen edits, and more.

2. GoPro Studio [Discontinued]

While GoPro Studio has been discontinued, you can consider downloading this legacy desktop application from third-party sources. The only drawback is that you won’t get any updates or new features with GoPro Studio anymore.

• You can use GoPro Studio to import/export your videos or trim their vital parts.
• There are also options to add music and text to your videos to make them more appealing.
• You can alter the playback speed of videos to come up with slow motion or timelapse videos easily.
• GoPro Studio also offers a few other adjustment controls to customize the appearance and playback of your videos.
• Just like GoPro Quik, the Studio application can also be integrated with social media platforms like YouTube or Facebook.

You may also interested in: How to edit video with GoPro Studio

Conclusion

I’m sure that after reading this post, you would know more about GoPro Quik for MacBook. As you can see, it is quite easy to import your videos from GoPro to your Mac with the help of Quik. Furthermore, the desktop application can also be used to do minor edits with your GoPro videos. Though, if you are looking for a better macOS video editor , then Wondershare Filmora will be an ideal pick. Filmora offers a user-friendly interface, tons of high-end editing features, and a free trial version for Mac/Windows.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you have a GoPro, then you might already know how easy it can be to record videos with this handy tool. While recording videos with GoPro is extremely simple, a lot of users find it hard to transfer or edit their videos on Mac. Though, you can always take the assistance of GoPro Quik on MacBook to manage and edit your videos – all in one place. Here, I will let you know how to make the most of the GoPro Quik desktop solution and will also list its best alternative.

• Part 1: What can you do with Go Pro Quik on Mac?
• Part 2: How to Make the Most of GoPro Quik on MacBook?
• Part 3: The Best GoPro Quik Alternatives for Mac

Part 1: What can you do with Go Pro Quik on Mac?

GoPro offers desktop and mobile solutions to help us import our recorded videos, edit them, and even share them on numerous platforms. The best part is that GoPro Quik for MacBook is available for free and can be download directly from its official website. Afterward, you can use GoPro Quik on your Mac in the following ways:

• Importing and Managing Videos

If you want, you can directly connect GoPro to your Mac and use the application to import your videos. You can also manage your videos and even upload them on your GoPro cloud directly.

• Video Editing

GoPro Quik for MacBook also offers tons of features to trim, crop, and edit your videos. You can apply effects to your videos, include audio tracks, and even sync your videos easily.

• Instant Sharing

Your GoPro Quik application can instantly be connected to popular social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. In this way, you can instantly share your GoPro video on your social handles.

• What More?

Besides that, GoPro Quik on MacBook offers dedicated options to create timelapse videos. You can also create slow motion or fast forward videos and even trim highlights for any footage.

Runs on: macOS 10.9 or newer versions

Part 2: How to Make the Most of GoPro Quik on MacBook?

Now when you know the major features of the GoPro Quik application, let’s learn how to use it. Ideally, GoPro Quik for MacBook can help you not only to import your videos to your system, but also to edit them in different ways.

Import Videos to your Mac with GoPro Quik

If you want to manage GoPro videos on your Mac, then you can take the assistance of Quik’s desktop application.

Step 1: Connect your GoPro and Launch Quik

At first, you can just connect your GoPro camera to your Mac and look for GoPro Quik from the Spotlight. You can also find it in Applications and launch it on your Mac.

Step 2: Import your Videos from GoPro to Mac

Once the GoPro Quik app on your MacBook is launched, you can view the snapshot of the connected device (with its name). From here, you can just click on the “Import Files” button and wait as your videos would be saved on your Mac’s storage.

There is also a provision to manually select a location on your Mac where your GoPro videos would be saved.

Edit your Videos with GoPro Quik on MacBook

On GoPro Quik for MacBook, you can find several options to manage or edit your videos. Since it only provides basic editing solutions, it won’t meet your professional requirements. Nevertheless, let’s have a look at how we can clip a video on GoPro Quik.

Step 1: Select a video to edit

Once you have imported your videos, you can go to the “Media” tab on GoPro Quik to view all the stored videos. From here, you can right-click the thumbnail of any video to view it.

Step 2: Choose to Clip the Video

This will automatically load the video on the editing interface of GoPro Quik. Now, you can just click on the scissor icon at the bottom panel so that you can clip the important part of the video.

Step 3: Clip and Save your Video

Now, a blue marker will be displayed on the screen that you can move around to select the part of the video you want to clip. Afterward, you can preview the results and click on the “Save” button from the bottom.

Similarly, you can browse more options in GoPro Quik for MacBook to create timelapse videos and doing other edits.

Part 3: The Best GoPro Quik Alternatives for Mac

As you can see, GoPro Quik for MacBook can only be used to make minor edits and might not meet your overall requirements. In this case, you can consider using either of the following tools as a GoPro Quik alternative.

1. Wondershare Filmora for Mac [The Best Choice]

For all those who are looking for more advanced video editing options, Wondershare Filmora for Mac would be an ideal pick. It is the best GoPro Quik alternative for MacBook that has a user-friendly interface and features some of the most advanced editing options.

• Wondershare Filmora has integrated Artificial Intelligence features (in AI Portrait Mode ) that can instantly remove the background of a video.
• There are also tons of options to include AR stickers in your videos on Filmora and make them appealing.
• You can also use the Auto Reframe feature in Filmora to automatically adjust the aspect ratio of your videos for various social media platforms.
• Filmora also offers hundreds of transitions, audio effects, captions, filters, and more that you can instantly apply with drag and drop actions.
• Some other advanced features of Filmora are motion tracking , keyframing, audio ducking, pan-and-zoom, green screen edits, and more.

2. GoPro Studio [Discontinued]

While GoPro Studio has been discontinued, you can consider downloading this legacy desktop application from third-party sources. The only drawback is that you won’t get any updates or new features with GoPro Studio anymore.

• You can use GoPro Studio to import/export your videos or trim their vital parts.
• There are also options to add music and text to your videos to make them more appealing.
• You can alter the playback speed of videos to come up with slow motion or timelapse videos easily.
• GoPro Studio also offers a few other adjustment controls to customize the appearance and playback of your videos.
• Just like GoPro Quik, the Studio application can also be integrated with social media platforms like YouTube or Facebook.

You may also interested in: How to edit video with GoPro Studio

Conclusion

I’m sure that after reading this post, you would know more about GoPro Quik for MacBook. As you can see, it is quite easy to import your videos from GoPro to your Mac with the help of Quik. Furthermore, the desktop application can also be used to do minor edits with your GoPro videos. Though, if you are looking for a better macOS video editor , then Wondershare Filmora will be an ideal pick. Filmora offers a user-friendly interface, tons of high-end editing features, and a free trial version for Mac/Windows.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

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