01) Open Shot Video Editor
Open Shot Video Editor is one of the best free and open-source video editors currently available. It hosts many features that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best-paid software on the market. Apart from being cross-platform, it possesses features such as:
- It allows you to quickly and easily slice your footage
- You can add as many tracks/layers as you want for background music, watermarks, etc.
- There are a host of animations and keyframes which can be used to make your footage more interesting
- Many video effects allow you to transform your footage
- You can visualize and edit your audio as waveforms
- Adding titles and subtitles is incredibly simple with the built-in editor
- The software also has many 3D animations which can help you do things such as add lens flares or snow
- There are time effects available such as slow-motion, and you can also speed up footage
- Adding videos to Open Shot Video Editor is as easy as dragging and dropping them from your file editor
- It is available in many different languages
- The user interface is user-friendly and inviting
With a list of features like this, it does not take a movie-making expert to see why Open Shot Video Editor is an amazing piece of open source video editing software.
02) Kdenlive Video Editor
The title is an acronym for KDE Non-Linear Video Editor.
Currently, it works with the GNU/Linux platform but also on MacOS and BSD, and they are working on porting it to Windows too.
As the name suggests, this editor is a non-linear editor, which means that it is more powerful than a beginners’ linear editor. This does not mean that only specialists can use it, however, as with a bit of practice it can be used for most projects.
Kdenlive integrates many different plugin effects both for video and audio editing, a titling tool, a DVD authoring solution etc. This makes it a full package for making videos.
Its features include:
- Editing videos with multiple tracks/layers
- Supports almost every video and audio format
- An interface that is highly configurable so you can set up your workspace the way you want it
- Ability to create high-quality 2D titles and subtitles
- A host of many different effects and transitions
- Check your footage for balance with video and audio scopes
- Many resources available online for it
- A bunch of light and dark interface themes to choose from
- Automatic backup of your projects
- Can keep footage low-res while editing, then render it at high resolution
- You can pre-render certain parts of your timeline to get smooth playback
- Ability to keyframe the effects
03) LightWorks Video Editor
The makers of Lightworks published it for free because they wanted to give everyone access to video editing software that could perform on a professional level.
It is definitely more than just a simple tool for arranging clips and applying effects.
This is a powerful and complicated video editor, having been used for movies such as The King’s Speech and Road to Perdition. Keeping that in mind, it is easy to conclude that it takes some learning to get good at using it.
Once you do master it, however, it will be a professional-grade video editor right at your fingertips for free.
You do not even need super-powerful hardware to run it.
The free license has basically everything you will need for doing some quality video editing, but you can also get the pro version to get extra features such as exporting in formats other than MPEG, publishing directly to YouTube and any other social media routes, as well as exporting 3D videos.
On its list of features you will find:
- A simple and easy-to-use interface
- Access to quality royalty-free video and audio
- A timeline that is easy to edit
- Ability to use lo-res proxy workflows if you are working with 4K videos
- Ready to use audio and video effects in real time
- For the Pro version, ability to export to YouTube or Vimeo
So there you go, an almost premium-quality video editor for free.
04) Shotcut Video Editor
Similar to Lightworks, this is another video editor that feels professional even though you can get it for free.
It takes some work to master if you really want to harness the amazing capabilities that it offers, but once you do your results should be amazing.
Because it started as a Linux application, the interface can be a bit strange at times, so keep that in mind. This only serves to make the already steep learning curve steeper but should be nothing impossibly difficult.
That said, you can achieve results that are pretty decent just by applying the ready-made filters the software comes with.
However, if you really want to experience all that Shortcut has to offer, then we recommend that you take the time to learn it and use it to its full potential.
Its features include:
- Wide format support which includes 4K, FFmpeg, ProRes etc.
- An impressive array of audio editing tools
- Video effects which by themselves can make your videos seem professional
- Editing features which make the editing process smooth and painless
- Flexible UI and ability to be viewed on multiple displays
- Available on Windows, Linux, and MacOS
- The software is codec independent
- Supports a wide variety of hardware
Shotcut video editor is a great option for someone who needs a quality video editor for free but is also willing to invest a bit of time in learning how to use it.
05) Pitivi Video Editor
Coming up we have a video editor which is perhaps the least popular on this list.
The reason for this is that it is relatively new and has not had the chance to break out on the market.
The main driving force behind this one is its very intuitive and friendly user interface. Along with being aesthetically pleasing, it is also impressively functional.
This makes this video editor a pleasure to work in.
One great advantage to this video editor is the fact that it is still in development, so its creators are constantly their users for input on how to make the editor better.
Its list of features includes:
- A timeline that is independent of framerate
- A flexible interface that helps you get the job done with things like real-time trimming previews
- Accepts quite a wide variety of formats
- Available in many languages
- Naturally integrates into the Linux desktop
- Accurately and beautifully represents audio in waveforms
One thing to note with the Pitivi Video Editor is that it is currently only available for Linux.
06) Blender
Although Blender is primarily a tool for making 3D art renders, the software also features a built-in video editor which is no slouch.
It has a very professional-looking interface so that it feels premium while you are working in it. The software also features a variety of keyboard shortcuts which make working in it enjoyable, quick, and efficient.
That said, Blender’s video editor will not allow you to do more advanced things that other free video editors might, but it is a more than satisfying package for someone looking for the essential tools and interface.
Its features include:
- A variety of preview modes including live preview, luma waveform, chroma vectorscope, and histogram
- Ability to work with audio in many ways such as mixing, scrubbing, and waveform visualization
- It has 32 slots that you add video, audio, images, scenes, masks, and effects to
- Standard video-editing features such as speed control, keyframes, filters, and effects etc.
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