What's the best editing software?

Bubz7471 · Apr 25, 2017

Hi guys just wondering what you are all using to edit your videos with what's considered the best? (Paid or Free)
Cheers

Anthonyk · Apr 25, 2017

Davinci resolve it was 12.5 but now they have updated it to 14. It's free on black magic design website.

Mavić_Legenda · Apr 25, 2017

Davinci Resolve 12.5, now 14 beta version, was the way to go for me after trialling various paid editing softwares. It looks daunting to start with but a few YouTube videos will take care of that, e.g. "Nodes" looked complicated until I realised they were simple layers (as in photoshop). Plus it's free!

JeffCharger · Apr 25, 2017

I downloaded both versions of Resolve, but neither will run on my laptop. When loading the application, it says that the "video card isn't capable - update OpenCL software drivers". I suspect that it won't run on my laptop. Are there other options people could suggest?

SeaComms · Apr 25, 2017

After a few trial and errors I have settled on Shotcut. Seems to do everything I need/want plus a heap more and is public license (free with no adds or paid options). Plus plenty of YouTube tutorials to find any answers.

This was shot in 4k with 5 separate videos and edited then exported in 1080 @ 60% quality

ed1nh0 · Apr 25, 2017

The Premiere Pro has plenty of features and seems to be the most popular on the market. But even for me, used to work with Photoshop for years, is a bit hard to get things done.

Davinci Resolve is been rising fast due its easy-to-do color grading. And it's free. Worth the shot but you *must* have a powerful GPU, not so powerful CPU.

I tried Filmora (the trial version allow you to do a lot of things but show a watermark in the result) and it's cool enough for beginners (like me). It has a lot of filters and ready-to-go overlays and transitions to render any project really fast. Very cheap compared to others like Premiere or FCPX.

Powerdirector could be a good choice. Never tried but I've been using its mobile version and I am really impressed of how easy to use it is.

Hope this few options with their shallow descriptions could help you decide.

JeffCharger · Apr 26, 2017

ed1nh0 said:
The Premiere Pro has plenty of features and seems to be the most popular on the market. But even for me, used to work with Photoshop for years, is a bit hard to get things done.

Davinci Resolve is been rising fast due its easy-to-do color grading. And it's free. Worth the shot but you *must* have a powerful GPU, not so powerful CPU.

I tried Filmora (the trial version allow you to do a lot of things but show a watermark in the result) and it's cool enough for beginners (like me). It has a lot of filters and ready-to-go overlays and transitions to render any project really fast. Very cheap compared to others like Premiere or FCPX.

Powerdirector could be a good choice. Never tried but I've been using its mobile version and I am really impressed of how easy to use it is.

Hope this few options with their shallow descriptions could help you decide.

Thanks for the response. Very helpful. It sounds like I have a bit of work to do investigating options and costs.

treytexag · May 1, 2017

I was attempting to use GoPro Studio with my Mavic clips, and the GoPro Studio won't allow me to edit. For example, when I hover over the "trim" button, it says "Trimming available only for GoPro source clips" . . . . I was also attempting to use GoPro's Quik software and it too told me it would only import GoPro sourced media. So I went to the FAQ and it says:

Can I add 3rd party videos/photos in Quik for desktop?

You cannot add any 3rd party media files into Quik for desktop. It will only find the original SOURCE files coming from a GoPro camera.

Question, is the GoPro software all "locked out" for us Mavic users, or am I simply a ding-dong and haven't figured it out?

Thanks gents.

ed1nh0 · May 2, 2017

treytexag said:
Question, is the GoPro software all "locked out" for us Mavic users, or am I simply a ding-dong and haven't figured it out?

Yes, it is "locked out". As it said, you'll only be able to edit GP clips.
But let me ask you, do you really want to use GoPro Studio to edit your movies?

BradBuskey · May 2, 2017

I hate the term "best." It is all subjective and comes down to personal preference.

The most useful software for editing is the software YOU know the most. So, choose something and learn it. there are a ton of "best editing software" posts which will go into all the aspects of paid and free, from DaVinci Resolve to FCP to Premier to iMovie. Choose one and hit YouTube and learn it.

Then, you will have YOUR "best" software.

Mine happens to be Premier. It is the one I am most familiar with.

ed1nh0 · May 2, 2017

BradBuskey said:
I hate the term "best." It is all subjective and comes down to personal preference.

The most useful software for editing is the software YOU know the most. So, choose something and learn it. there are a ton of "best editing software" posts which will go into all the aspects of paid and free, from DaVinci Resolve to FCP to Premier to iMovie. Choose one and hit YouTube and learn it.

Then, you will have YOUR "best" software.

Mine happens to be Premier. It is the one I am most familiar with.

I agree with you.
But I hate the term "best" most regarding reviews and tutorials.
The OP just want to know what is the "best" software for someone so he can take his own conclusions.
My best software could be not your best software indeed, but that's the meaning of the discussion, otherwise his question may lose its purpose.

boosted2000si · May 2, 2017

Really depends on your skill set and goals. If you are trying to trim and create videos for the first time you need to start with something like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. I prefer Vegas Pro, learned FCP when I switched to Mac(best thing ever for editing lol!!) and now have Premier. All in all for the average stuff I still open up iMovie for a fast quality job. Premier is hard as hell for me but all my buddies use it so i am forced to learn their software to help eachother out.

You dont have to use what the pros use to make a good video. Pick a software and master it. Being a master of some software outweighs being a novice at in depth software.

treytexag · May 2, 2017

ed1nh0 said:
Yes, it is "locked out". As it said, you'll only be able to edit GP clips.
But let me ask you, do you really want to use GoPro Studio to edit your movies?

My continuing research shows that it is a buggy "locked out" program, so the answer is prolly no.

dsmpampis · May 2, 2017

I'm using After Effects from Adobe. Ok it's not the easiest but is good! Many people are saying about Davinci Resolve and I'm thinking to give a try.

ed1nh0 · May 2, 2017

Davinci Resolve (now in version 14) is almost making me trade my video card! I think it's a really good and powerful - and free - alternative for Premiere Pro CC.
Now everytime I initialize it shows me an alert saying "Your GPU memory is full" and shuts down.

Poor GeForce 570HD...

FantasticMrF · May 2, 2017

This might sound absolute absurd. however, if you're filming and you have a mac iMovie is absolutely fantastic, made my project shown below entirely using that! ( )