4K Video Editor under $100?

DroneNoob-TN · May 3, 2017

I just got my Mavic Pro and it is the first video camera I own that shoots higher res than 1080P. So now I looking for a PC video editor to edit the higher res videos. Nothing fantasy, just want to do some noise reduction and color correction. Since I'm not making any money on these videos, I would like to keep the cost below $100. Doing a search, Cyberlink's Power Director comes up on a few list. Is anyone using it and how do you like it? If your using something else, what and do your recommend it?

msinger · May 3, 2017

DroneNoob-TN said:
If your using something else, what and do your recommend it?

You can find a list of video editors commonly recommended by members of this site here.

markyodo · May 3, 2017

My vote - Davinci Resolve is free.

DroneNoob-TN · May 3, 2017

markyodo said:
My vote - Davinci Resolve is free.

Hum, that looks complicated. How long did it take you to figure it out?

kc9sdo · May 3, 2017

I don't believe the free version of Resolve allows you to edit 4K video. Most of the 30-day software trials also limit 4K editing. After several 30-day evaluations and only editing 1080p videos, I decided on Cyberlink Director Suite 5 and now can edit 4K videos. Good luck with your decision. Lots of options out there.

treytexag · May 3, 2017

markyodo said:
My vote - Davinci Resolve is free.

I was not able to find the free version of DaVinci Resolve to run on a Windows 7 Professional PC. Seems they require a later version of Windows?

markyodo · May 3, 2017

To answer some of the questions raised.
Resolve can edit 4k and the free version has export options for up to UHD 3840x2160. This should not be an issue for most.
For the price it is a great transition software to learn the basics of editing and color correction. If and when you need more you can easily switch to Adobe or Apple with little to no learning curve. Almost everything is identical as far as editing. Some Adobe or Apple users will still use Resolve for color grading since it has been considered a standard tool for many years.

I still use both Adobe and Resolve. Adobe and Apple both have more options for free and paid plugins which make it attractive.
As for a learning curve, watch these 2 videos and within a couple days you should be pretty comfortable in Resolve even using shortcuts.
End to End Crash Couse - Top tips for editing -
You can also google 4k vs UHD to form your own opinion about the gap between them.
My reference: In the past 4 years I have used Corel, Cyberlink, Sony, Filmora, Apple, Adobe, and Davinci.

SeaComms · May 3, 2017

I use Shotcut. Totally free software, no adds, no limitations and full 4k editing.

ecoleman · May 4, 2017

Davinci Resolve 12.5 and now 14 will both edit 4k on the free version. There are so excited limitations but nothing you'll miss. If you do need to purchase the full version the price has just dropped from $1000 to $280.

I found do these tutorials very good and covered pretty much everything
Goat's Eye View

treytexag · May 4, 2017

I was finally able to get Resolve 12.5 installed on my Win 7 Pro (64 bit) PC and up and running last night (FAQ says Win 8.1 min). My GPU only has 2 Gig RAM, but it did intall and seems to run OK. Haven't had a chance to put it through its paces yet, but I will.

DroneNoob-TN · May 4, 2017

Thanks for the input guys. I'll give Davinci a try.

Fedya · May 4, 2017

DroneNoob-TN said:
I just got my Mavic Pro and it is the first video camera I own that shoots higher res than 1080P. So now I looking for a PC video editor to edit the higher res videos. Nothing fantasy, just want to do some noise reduction and color correction. Since I'm not making any money on these videos, I would like to keep the cost below $100. Doing a search, Cyberlink's Power Director comes up on a few list. Is anyone using it and how do you like it? If your using something else, what and do your recommend it?

CyberLink hard braking. Long thinks.