What Editing App is best for me?

Here's a concise overview to help give you clarity around which editing app would work well for your business needs.

It is based on my testing rather than hearsay.

It is focused on the needs of an expertise-based business.

I end with a practical recommendation.

 

Professional Video Editing

Let's start with these so you can dismiss them quickly. These are the industry standards. They are amazing.

To be honest, if you are someone who NEEDS these then you should probably go and follow someone else, not me - for your video advice :-)

*Final Cut Pro is the big brother of iMovie. Natural upgrade if this is what you want. Not Cheap.

 https://www.apple.com/au/final-cut-pro/

*Adobe Premiere is the industry standard. Super powerful. Not cheap. Runs on Mac and PC.

https://www.adobe.com/au/products/premiere.html

*DaVinci Resolve 16 is powerful like Final cut and Premiere and it has a FREE version… but it will take you a long time to master

 https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/au/products/davinciresolve/whatsnew

 

Want to edit on a smartphone or tablet for free?

Why edit on a smartphone?

I mainly edit on a desktop/laptop. It's physically bigger. It's easier. I edit on smartphone apps a lot when I am out and about. At lunchbreaks. Waiting for planes. On trains. Waiting for my wife while she shops. Your editing will improve remarkedly by doing this.

Hands down the best free editing app for a smartphone is CapCut. It is brilliant. Be warned there are so many cool features in it you will be lost for days playing if you are not careful. iOS and Android friendly. I use this app and blow people away with it. I LOVE this app.

https://www.capcut.net/ (NOTE** There are Mac and PC Desktop versions of CapCut ... see Desktop Editors below)

My second recommendation is InShot https://inshot.com/  It is solid and straightforward and free. It is more a tool than a toy.

In the third spot is KineMaster  https://www.kinemaster.com/

Kinemaster is very very good. It looks and feels like a desktop video editor. It operates with your phone held horizontally - as opposed to CapCut and Inshot which work with your phone held vertically. It is not free.

 

Want a cloud-based video editor?

This means you don't have to download a program onto your device. You just open up a tab in your browser. It means you can edit anywhere anytime BUT be careful, if you have slow internet, cloud-based video editors will drive you nuts.

https://www.wevideo.com 

 

Want a Free Desktop Editor?

Desktop editing is the standard. You download the software onto your computer or laptop.

CapCut Desktop editing software is FREE and I think is brilliant for what you get. This is my #1 video editor recommendation of all FREE software and honestly, it will do 90% off your professional video editing needs.

https://www.capcut.net/ 

ShotCut is good. It is relatively uncomplicated. There are good tutorials to go with it. This will let you make professional videos.

https://shotcut.org/

https://shotcut.org/tutorials/

OpenShot is super simple. So easy if you just want the basics.

https://www.openshot.org/

I have not used these personally. I have checked out the details and they appear to be worth considering.

https://www.kapwing.com/ (the free version exports videos without any watermarks)

https://kdenlive.org/en/

https://www.blender.org/

https://www.pitivi.org/

This is a good resource if you want to dive deeper into all the options. I recommend you don't. What I have on this page will help you make money in your business. 

https://www.linuxlinks.com/best-free-open-source-software-video/

Editing with text

There is a new breed of editing apps that automatically transcribe your videos then allow you to edit the video by simply editing the words. This can be simply removing ums and ahs automatically or where you can type in a new word and the AI will realistically mimic your voice and speak the words for you.

https://www.descript.com/

https://www.timebolt.io

 

Apple only?

iMovie is a beautiful piece of software that is FREE. It comes standard if you buy an Apple device. The iMovie on your desktop or MacBook has more features than iMovie on your iOS devices. iMovie is a little idiosyncratic compared to other video editors in that it takes a little bit of getting used to. In my experience, it doesn't have the features you would want and is probably not a solution for you.

iMovie is the little brother of Final Cut Pro that I mentioned above in the professional editing apps.

 

Now to the business end of things.

These next 3 apps are really two products in one: Video Editor + Screen Recorder

This combination is so USEFUL for experts, information professionals, communicators, trainers, speakers, authors, consultants, thought leaders, and business owners.

In a nutshell: those in business who have something to say.

 

ScreenFlow

Solid and reliable.

http://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm

 

Filmora

I mention Filmora because plenty of people use it and love it. It operates in an ecosystem of related products and resources. It is very reasonably priced. Why I don't use it is that it is designed around making videos that are *fun* and *creative* rather than having a commercial focus.  https://filmora.wondershare.com 

 SO… what to get…

I am into the thousands of videos I have made. 

I own Adobe Premiere - mentioned above as an industry-standard - but I rarely use it.

Why? Because I am no longer a 'film-maker'.

I am now a small business person. A thought leader. A speaker/author/coach with online training courses.

My focus is not on building dramatic tension.

My focus is not getting rich colours, deep blacks and true skin tones.

My focus is not on wowing audiences with effects.

My focus is on getting clear, impactful videos out the door as easily as I can.

That's why...

 

I LOVE Camtasia

Camtasia is a mid-level editor designed to make information and training videos. But don't be fooled, you can be very creative with it.

It comes in Mac and PC versions. It has 2.4 million users worldwide. It is so much simpler to learn and easier to use. It is perfect for making the videos that a solopreneur, consultant, personal brand, educator, speaker, author, trainer, coach, facilitator, SME business owner would want. Most of the videos that I make are made with Camtasia.

They have a free trial. You get the full editing program for a month. The downside is the videos have a watermark on them until you pay.

If you want to use my affiliate link to check it out, please do. I may earn a commission if you ever purchased.

https://techsmith.pxf.io/c/1402720/506622/5161 

If you have decided that you are going to get serious about pushing video out the door, then I recommend you bite the bullet and pay the money for this. It is more expensive than some others but it is a TOOL that will serve you well.

If price is your first concern and stopping you...

my next recommendation is Filmora  https://filmora.wondershare.com 

It will do most of what Camtasia will (plus other things that Camtasia can't). It's just not the TOOL that I need.

Honestly, if the price is stopping you, the free recommendations I have made above will earn your business income.

 

If you are serious about setting up for video editing, then

Two things that will make your desktop/laptop editing so much easier:

  1. Extra RAM …as much as your computer/laptop can take. Minimum 16GB. Honestly, 32GB RAM will make your life easier.
  2. SSD or Solid State Drives. These have no moving parts like a standard disc drive and transfer data so much faster. They are more expensive but man-oh-man they speed up video editing. I went without upgrading for years and then kicked myself that I hadn’t done it sooner.

 

My practical recommendation to you.

If you know you want to do more editing but are unsure, I would spend money on RAM and SSD and use the FREE desktop version of CapCut while you work out what paid software is best for you. This way, you are making videos. learning, getting a better idea and the SSD and RAM will always remain a great investment.

Hope this helps.