Video editing software

SHRED · Jul 16, 2022

I finally have upgraded my Windows desktop computer.

I'm a total newbie and have only edited with GoPro software and Windows Movie Maker.

I'm looking for software suggestions I can use to edit videos from my Mini 3 Pro that is easy to learn the basics on but powerful enough for more in depth editing should I choose.

Thanks

eva2000 · Jul 16, 2022

Being a DJI Mini 2 noob myself, I opted for Davinci Resolve as it's free and was recommended to me in this thread How do you process and store your Drone photos, videos, logs etc?

Robert Prior · Jul 16, 2022

Davinci Resolve has a bit of a learning curve, but the price is right and it won't hold you back. I'd try it.

SHRED · Jul 16, 2022

eva2000 said:
Being a DJI Mini 2 noob myself, I opted for Davinci Resolve as it's free and was recommended to me in this thread How do you process and store your Drone photos, videos, logs etc?

What's the learning curve on that? It's it difficult?

akdrone · Jul 16, 2022

SHRED said:
What's the learning curve on that? It's it difficult?

Don't let anyone tell you it's easy. Well... it's easy...

...but it's going to take a good deal of time and many hours of video tutorials to get command of it. You will be learning more details for years to come. You could take a full semester college class in it and you'd still be a beginner. It may be that Premier Pro is just slightly easier but that comes at a literal cost. Getting up and running and doing the basics isn't hard but simply learning the interface will be a few hours of practice, just for the basics. There are easier, simpler programs out there to be sure and a bit of web searching will come up with a few names that will be regularly recommended. Adobe Premiere Elements is a simplified version of Premiere Pro and it's a one time payment but upgrades then cost. Premiere Elements can work for many people but IF you get serious about this at some point you will find there are color grading options or other things you want to do that these basic programs won't do. If you know you are good with simple, uncomplicated editing then go for a freebee or Premiere Elements but if you are "into" video and envision wanting to do a really good job with your video then you are stuck with the learning curve of Premiere or the free version of Resolve.

eva2000 · Jul 17, 2022

SHRED said:
What's the learning curve on that? It's it difficult?

would be relative to the person right?

Youtube is wonderful for this stuff too

Merrillie · Jul 17, 2022

I use the free version of DaVinci Resolve and I taught myself watching a few videos on YouTube.
In saying that I wasn't a complete novice having edited videos before in different software including Premiere which I find more complicated than Resolve. After learning Resolve I would probably find Premiere easier now.
An uptodate 40 minute Tutorial for Beginners -

or this one which is 1hr 40

Chaosrider · Jul 17, 2022

SHRED said:
What's the learning curve on that? It's it difficult?

I went with Wondershare, specifically because it looked easy to learn. Which it was!

It may not be ideal for super high-end editing, but it's got more features than I'll ever use. But the attraction for me is that the basic features, are easy to use, and work well

SHRED · Jul 17, 2022

Chaosrider said:
I went with Wondershare, specifically because it looked easy to learn. Which it was!

It may not be ideal for super high-end editing, but it's got more features than I'll ever use. But the attraction for me is that the basic features, are easy to use, and work well

Thank you

FLDave · Jul 17, 2022

ShotCut is totally free and extremely capable.
I don't think any would be considered easy and simple to learn. Video editing is a complex process, no matter what software you use. You can have multiple video cannels, audio channels, and others which come together for export to playable mp4 format.
There will be many YouTube tutorials for whichever app you choose.

PhotoDB · Jul 17, 2022

You might also look at Cyberlink PowerDirector. It does cost, but far more reasonable than Premiere and I find that it renders quicker than Premiere. $99 for a permanent license or what I'd recommend - $4.08/month currently. Comes with TONS of special effects, soundtracks, photos, stock b-roll video, and more - all for free as long as your subscription is current. PowerDirector Video Editing | Buy CyberLink Video Editing Software Today

RuudF · Jul 17, 2022

Check out HitFilm Express.
It is free, so that price can't be topped.
Plenty of tutorials on YT to watch. But very easy to get started.
I think it is the best choice for a beginner to tip the toe into the cold water before committing to a expensive more elaborate software program.

Good Luck!

Ruud

JC in New Hampshire · Jul 23, 2022

OpenShot Video Editor | Free, Open, and Award-Winning Video Editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows!

OpenShot is an award-winning free and open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows. Create videos with exciting video effects, titles, audio tracks, and animations.

www.openshot.org

I use Open Shot, a free open source video editor that runs on Windows, Apple, Linux.

For basic editing it's very easy to use. I produced my first drone video in an hour or so.

eva2000 · Jul 23, 2022

Merrillie said:
I use the free version of DaVinci Resolve and I taught myself watching a few videos on YouTube.

+1 your linked Casy Faris Youtube videos have been very useful. I've gotten up to speed with the basics for Davinci Resolve 18 fairly quickly! Just finished watching his video on creating thumbnails for Youtube!

and Color Page in 5 mins!

and color grading for DJI drones there's an input(s) for DJI

and best video explaining the Cut vs Edit page

Moozer · Jul 23, 2022

FLDave said:
ShotCut is totally free and extremely capable.
I don't think any would be considered easy and simple to learn. Video editing is a complex process, no matter what software you use. You can have multiple video cannels, audio channels, and others which come together for export to playable mp4 format.
There will be many YouTube tutorials for whichever app you choose.

I agree. I teach students ShotCut in my drone classes.

monteolsen1 · Jul 23, 2022

Moozer said:
I agree. I teach students ShotCut in my drone classes.

Thanks for the info about ShortCut. I’ve never heard of it. I’ll have to give it a shot.

jimlips · Jul 31, 2022

Sorry for the "tag-along", but it applies to this subject. I would love recommendations on an editor that will do the following:

1) Handle and render 4K video
2) Be easy to use (I just tried Adobe Premiere Pro, and t is WAYYYYY too complex for this old mind)
3) Cost less than $125 TOTAL, none of this $40/month crap like Adobe charges
4) Be able to do object tracking (ultimately, I need to attach some text to a video object that is moving on the screen, like the drone)
5) Be able to add text to your video with many different fonts/drop shadow/outline
6) Include everything I need (for the above) without having to spend MORE money on extra features (like Premiere Pro does)

I currently paid for the "forever" license (free upgrades) on Wondershare Filmora, but its tracking sucks, big time. Very jerky. Really disappointed in wasting my money there. It also can only do "one" feature per video. I cannot change the speed of a portion of the video, plus use the "zoom" feature, plus video tracking, all at the same time. If I want to do that, I need to render each effect separately, then import each render, one at a time, even though I have a very high-end computer build just for editing.

I'm looking at Pinnacle Studio now. Does anyone have comments or use Pinnacle?

Haven't tried DaVinci or ShotCut - not sure it supports my needs above.

AZDave · Jul 31, 2022

jimlips said:
Sorry for the "tag-along", but it applies to this subject. I would love recommendations on an editor that will do the following:

1) Handle and render 4K video
2) Be easy to use (I just tried Adobe Premiere Pro, and t is WAYYYYY too complex for this old mind)
3) Cost less than $125 TOTAL, none of this $40/month crap like Adobe charges
4) Be able to do object tracking (ultimately, I need to attach some text to a video object that is moving on the screen, like the drone)
5) Be able to add text to your video with many different fonts/drop shadow/outline
6) Include everything I need (for the above) without having to spend MORE money on extra features (like Premiere Pro does)

I currently paid for the "forever" license (free upgrades) on Wondershare Filmora, but its tracking sucks, big time. Very jerky. Really disappointed in wasting my money there. It also can only do "one" feature per video. I cannot change the speed of a portion of the video, plus use the "zoom" feature, plus video tracking, all at the same time. If I want to do that, I need to render each effect separately, then import each render, one at a time, even though I have a very high-end computer build just for editing.

I'm looking at Pinnacle Studio now. Does anyone have comments or use Pinnacle?

Haven't tried DaVinci or ShotCut - not sure it supports my needs above.

While I've used Davinci Resolve and agree that it is an outstanding free product, I've been surprised that VSDC Pro hasn't been suggested by anyone. It plays a bit like Resolve although it is quite a bit simpler (and less powerful, of course), but I've been able to use it for everything I needed in post processing my drone videos. It does color correction with both sliders and curves, and editing is pretty straightforward. There are lots of YouTube videos on how to use it.

VSDC comes in a completely free version that will do everything you list above (including 4K) except object tracking, but for a measly $20 you can get the Pro version that includes object tracking. You can use and define your own LUTs. Here's a link to the very first video I ever did using object tracking ... it's not great but you can see what VSDC can do with almost no experience.

By the way, object tracking works best when the object is very sharp and distinct. In the video I linked, the deer are very small and the mountains aren't particularly distinct. I was surprised that the text tracked the objects as well as it did.

Lister · Jul 31, 2022

Tracking titles to video is not for the faint of heart. (Or the faint of software)
My advice is to bite the bullet and learn Resolve. It's not hard, it's just big. You don't have to learn it all at once.

There are a zillion tutorials on YouTube and some of them are actually useful. You may find that film making is as much fun as drone flying.

Be advised that you need some reasonably current hardware to run Resolve, especially if you adhere to your requirement for 4K.