Best free video editing software

[Mrktn]

Hi all, I’m looking to edit my H264 4K DJI drone videos using a free software editing programme.

I’ve heard that DaVinci Resolve is a pretty decent feature packed tool. Would you guys recommend this or can you suggest alternatives?

Not looking to do lots to the videos, maybe some colour correction, add audio soundtracks and edit out unwanted parts of the original footage and then upload to my YouTube channel.

Thanks in advance!

 

[slup]

Davinci Resolve hands down... a bit of steep learning curve but tons of tutorials on YT covering everything from the basics up to nearly anything you can think of. Better to invest your learning in something that you can grow with if you in the future want to do more advanced editing... instead of needing to re-learn on a new software.

 

[mavic3usa]

For sure, Davinci Resolve is the #1 pick for me as well. I would say get started today because it takes awhile to learn; in the meantime, there is this:

 

[rwilliam99]

I will add another vote for Davinci resolve - I'm not a heavy duty editor but I've found it to be WAY more stable than other programs I've used over the years. Stable and has just about any feature you can imagine - one thing I like is that it isn't hard to use the basics, but if you need/want more it is there.

 

[NightFlightAlright]

DaVinci Resolve… the free version is very functional and for $300 the pro version is literally an industry standard for color grading and finishing. (Though to be sure, full DI suites also have the $$$$$ hardware package). Being full featured the learning curve is steep for those new to the process, but otherwise somewhat similar to Final Cut Pro or Premiere.

I think Lightworks has a free version, as does Avid with a number of limitations.

 

[larasLTU]

LightCut is very simple and powerful video editing tool for your mobile. What's interesting, it's an official app from DJI. What I liked mostly is that you can pick the video/photos directly from your mini 3 PRO (you don't need any other storage to save all your raw files for editing), apply templates, highlight the scenes you would like to be used and AI will do the rest. Here's nice video/tutorial:

I'm intrerested if CapCut is something similar for Desktop, @mavic3usa - maybe you tried both ?

 

[RoosArt]

Davinci Resolve is the way to go on this. Once you have mastered the usage it is an awesome piece of software. You can download complete courses on all the various parts. I have used this program for quite a number of years now and it has a huge amount of features.

 

[CorralesDan]

One more vote for Davinci Resolve. I have the Studio version because I'm a video nerd, but the free version will do everything you want it to do. As mentioned, YT videos will give you plenty of good instruction. Look for beginner videos to get you started.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Most definitely Da Vinci and the free version does all that you will probably need. I will tell you this, as a beginner to video editing as well, you must, must, MUST Get the Speed Editor which goes with Da Vinci. I can tell you that using that Speed Editor made a WORLD of difference for me, as to how easy the whole editing process suddenly became.

I think they are advertised at over $300 but even at full price, trust me, it would be well worth it. With that said, I bought mine as an open box brand new on ebay for $180. Black Magic who make Da Vinci resolve, sometimes offer a free, yes FREE Speed Editor, when you buy their full editing suite and the cost of that is under $300 I believe, so when that is offered, that is a fantastic deal.

I found a great tutorial from Black Magic where the presenter goes through everything you can do with the Speed Editor and he was excellent, making it very easy to understand and follow along with. I sat through it and took note for the parts that interested me most, so that I have a few sheets I can refer to to quickly do the things relevant to what I need, when editing.

There are a few other very good ones on You Tube as well, but the one from Black Magic has the guy, who has an unfortunate twitch in his shoulder(s). When you come upon the correct video, you will know what I mean immediately. For me, he was an excellent presenter and I learned everything I needed from this guy.

If you take some time to watch this guy show you how to use the Speed Editor to help you edit, I'm sure you will want to purchase it and there are some good deals on ebay for buying it. It will make you fell like an editor, for sure, even if you are a beginner. It gave me a lot of confidence, when I was feeling afraid of the whole editing thing. Hopefully it will do the same for anyone else who is new to editing.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

DaVinci and take advantage of their learning and certification website at DaVinci Resolve 18 – Training | Blackmagic Design

 

[mavic3usa]

Russ is being really helpful with trying to get new drone flyers introduced to video editing which is super difficult if you don't know where to being; so I'll include this additional video below. Disclaimer, I don't use any of these, I'm strictly Davinci Resolve for several years now.

 

[SmilingOgre]

DR! Fast becoming the industry standard. You can go a long way with the free version and you are conquering the learning curve should you decide to go studio at a later date. Should you decide to pursue cinematography, Black Magic cameras are a great starting place with a free copy of studio to boot. All are an amazing value.

 

[tuxon64]

FCPX trial. Trial can last forever.

 

[skycam509]

I've used many video editing solutions. You won't need 80% of the capability of Davinci Resolve. It has a steep learning curve and requires a powerful computer to work well. My all time favorite, hands down, is CapCut. You can learn it quickly, it works great on mobile devices and PCs, and it's free. I'd start there, then if over time you find yourself needing more advanced features like multi-cam capability or h265, then you can spend hours and hours learning DR.

 

[dj3183]

Is Davinci Resolve a Windows based program? I can’t find it in the iOS App Store.

 

[slup]

Is Davinci Resolve a Windows based program? I can’t find it in the iOS App Store.

It runs on iPads, Windows, MacOS & Linux

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

DaVinci Resolve 19 | Blackmagic Design

Professional video editing, color correction, visual effects and audio post production all in a single application. Free and paid versions for Mac, Windows and Linux.

www.blackmagicdesign.com

You're best off downloading it from the Blackmagic website as the app store version has limitations.

 

[copernicus]

Davinci Resolve looks very impressive. But it's also massive on resources (esp. for Linux users like me), and I suspect has far more functionality that many people will ever use.

I've used OpenShot for some time. It's free, runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, and it's easy to get the hang of basic video editing.

I'd not heard of Davinci Resolve until reading this thread. As I said, I checked it out and it looks awesome. But was amused to see that their T&Cs begin "Your privacy is important to us" and then goes on to detail how many organizations they're going to share my details with! It reminds me of people who begin a sentence "I don't want to sound insulting, but...."

 

[Jimmid]

Hi all, I’m looking to edit my H264 4K DJI drone videos using a free software editing programme.

I’ve heard that DaVinci Resolve is a pretty decent feature packed tool. Would you guys recommend this or can you suggest alternatives?

Not looking to do lots to the videos, maybe some colour correction, add audio soundtracks and edit out unwanted parts of the original footage and then upload to my YouTube channel.

Thanks in advance!

Davinci Resolve for sure. A bit to learn but heaps of information online and YouTube videos.

 

[Moozer]

I show my students Shotcut - it's free, cross-platform, and does enough to be useful.