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Video editing is an art form, and every artist needs a tool that makes it possible to transform rough ideas into stunning works of art. For video editors, that tool is video editing software. In 2019, aspiring and seasoned video editors alike can choose from an astonishing range of video editing software applications, each with its unique strengths and weaknesses. To help you pick the best tool for your needs, we’ve put together this list of top 7 best video editing software applications that you can download & try for free in 2019.
1. Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro has been around since 2003, and this timeline-based video editing app developed by Adobe Systems has since then become popular among amateurs and professionals alike. Being part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, it plays well with all other image and video editing software applications from Adobe, including Adobe After Effects, which is our next pick, and, of course, Adobe Photoshop, the most popular raster graphics editor in the world.
Adobe Premiere Pro can be yours for just $20.99 a month with the Single App Creative Cloud plan. The price goes up considerably the more Adobe applications you pay for. To get access to the entire Creative Cloud and Adobe Stock, you must pay $82.98 a month.
How to Use It for Free
The good news is that you can try Adobe Premiere Pro for free without paying.
This is how:
1. Visit the following website: https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/free-trial-download.html.
2. Click the “Start your free trial” button.
3. Install the Creative Cloud desktop application.
4. Follow instructions to install Premiere Pro CC.
5. Enjoy Adobe Premiere Pro!
2. Adobe After Effects
Adobe After Effects is sort of like Adobe Premiere Pro’s faithful sidekick. Whereas Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing app used during the editing stage, Adobe After Effects is a digital visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing application used in the post-production process of filmmaking and television production. The first version of Adobe After Effects was released in 1993, and the application has become exponentially more capable since then.
Adobe After Effects costs $20.99 a month, but you’ll most likely want to purchase it together with Adobe Premiere Pro, in which case you must pay $52.99 a month.
How to Use It for Free
To try Adobe After Effects for free:
1. Visit the following website: https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects.html.
2. Click the “Free Trial” button located in the top menu.
3. Wait for the Creative Cloud desktop application to download and install it.
4. Follow instructions to install Adobe After Effects.
5. Enjoy Adobe After Effects!
3. Final Cut Pro X
While both After Effects and Premiere Pro work on Windows (XP, 7, 8 & 10) and Mac computers, Final Cut Pro X is available exclusively to Apple users. This professional non-linear video editing application was first published by Microsoft in 2011, but the application Final Cut Pro X is based on is much older. Because Final Cut Pro X shares design philosophy with Apple’s consumer video editing software, iMovie, it doesn’t take users a long time to learn how to use it. You can download Final Cut Pro X from the App Store for $299.99, or you can request a free trial version and use it for up to 30 days without paying.
How to Use It for Free
This is how to get a free trial of Final Cut Pro X:
1. Visit the following website: https://www.apple.com/lae/final-cut-pro/trial/.
2. Enter your name, email, and location.
3. Click the “Download free trial” button.
4. Install the downloaded application.
5. Enjoy Final Cut Pro X!
4. iMovie
iMovie is a very accessible video editing software application developed by Apple. It doesn’t have as many features as Final Cut Pro X or other professional video editing software applications on this list, but it does have an excellent user interface that makes it incredibly easy to accomplish everything from cutting recorded footage to adding titles, themes, and music to doing basic color correction and video enhancement.
How to Use It for Free
Best of all, iMovie is available for free from the Mac App Store.
1. Open the Mac App Store on your computer.
2. Search for “iMovie.”
3. Install the application.
5. MAGIX Vegas Pro
Previously known as Sony Vegas Pro, MAGIX Vegas Pro is a video editing software package for non-linear editing that is often overshadowed by Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, and other professional video editing software applications. However, this underdog of video editing is actually one of the most attractive video editing solutions available in 2019, offering everything you need to create professional videos in a single package.
If you’re willing to pay for MAGIX Vegas Pro on a monthly subscription basis, the price is just $16.67 a month. But if you’d rather purchase MAGIX Vegas Pro with just one payment, the price is much higher than that: $599.
How to Use It for Free
The good news is MAGIX gives you the option to try for free before you buy, and here’s how to take advantage of it:
1. Visit the following website: https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/vegas-pro/.
2. Select “Free trial” as your purchase option.
3. Click the “Start Download” button.
4. Install MAGIX Vegas Pro on your computer.
5. Enjoy the application!
6. PiTiVi
PiTiVi is a charming video editor developed by people who believe that everyone on the planet should have the means to express themselves through filmmaking, regardless of how much money they make. Considering that professional video editors like Adobe Premiere Pro cost hundreds of dollars a year, it’s easy to see why the developers of PiTiVi believe that the world needs yet another video editing software application.
How to Use It for Free
PiTiVi is available on just about every Linux distribution, but you can also download the latest version straight from Github:
1. Visit the following website: https://github.com/GNOME/pitivi.
2. Click the green “Clone or download” button.
3. Select Download ZIP.
7. OpenShot
OpenShot is perhaps the most important video editor in the world today. Started by a single person, Jonathan Thomas, in 2008, the goal of OpenShot is to provide a stable, free, and friendly to use video editor to artists and content creators around the world.
OpenShot allows you to work with as many layers as you need, it lets you visualize your audio files as waveforms, and it’s available in over 70 languages, just to name some of its most praiseworthy features. What separates OpenShot from PiTiVi is the fact that OpenShot is a true multi-platform application available on Linux, macOS, Windows (XP, 7, 8 & 10), and FreeBSD.
How to Use It for Free
To download Open Shot for free:
1. Visit the following website: https://www.openshot.org/.
2. Click the large blue download button.
3. Select the version for your operating system.
4. Click the Download button again.
5. Install OpenShot.
