Did you know video marketing can boost your ROI, increase brand visibility, and maximize ad spend? All you need is a little creative spark, a decent PC/smartphone, and, more importantly, a reliable video editing software. That said, where do you get a robust video editor that is nicely priced, nay, free?

If you are new to video editing, here is the kicker, gone are the days when one had to spend a fortune on a video editing software. The industry has metamorphosed into a remarkable space peppered with free video editing solutions that boast most or all of the functionality of some of the premium packages.

In this article, we have compiled the 15 best free video editor tools for beginners, carefully examining their versatility, ease of use, and functionalities such as video effects, audio effects, and file formats supported. We understand that each user has unique needs. As a result, we’ve prepared a comprehensive overview, plus a list of key features of each software to help you find a solution that suits you best.

There is no denying that video marketing is one of the trends transforming digital marketing today. The trend is poised to grow rapidly, compelled by the advent of mobile technologies and innovative applications that boost video delivery and consumption.

Video marketing is undoubtedly the future of content marketing. As Cisco projects, by 2020, there will be approximately one million minutes of videos circulating on the internet, plus 82% of web traffic will come from videos. Interestingly, 97% of marketers claim videos have helped them boost user understanding of their products and services.

Further, 81% asserts that they have implemented video as a marketing tool. The realization that 55% of consumers watch online videos daily, while 78% watch videos weekly, has instigated the increased adoption of video by brand marketers. The trend is poised to snowball as it has dawned on businesses that video marketing can significantly increase sales volumes and ultimately expand the bottom line.

Many compelling statistics have emerged, forcing brand marketers to rethink their strategy to create an organized content marketing workflow that accommodates video marketing as one of its pillars.

Today, even non-pros can create professional-looking videos. All it takes is reliable video editing software that allows for sophisticated edits such as embed artistic transitions, add audio-fills, split frames, or merge multiple videos. Below, you’ll find some of the best video editing software tools for casual video makers.

15 Best Free Video Editing Tools for Beginners

1. VideoPad Video Editor

VideoPad is a free, fully-featured video editing application designed by NCH Software for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android users. The solution features an intuitive user interface that makes it ideally perfect for beginners taking their first steps in the multimedia video editing space or small businesses that are getting started with video marketing. With an impressive set of audio and video optimization tools, VideoPad makes video editing a breeze.

The best part is that with VideoPad, editing 360-degree videos is as easy as editing traditional movies. However, adding narration to 360-degree videos can be a daunting task, especially if you are a beginner. Equipped with 50+ visuals and transitional effects, VideoPad is the application you need to give your social or marketing videos a professional touch.

What’s more intriguing is that you can use predefined effects or customize your own and save the template for future use. Even more, there are numerous transitions, such as dissolve, fade, zoom, crossfade, and more that can be used between clips.

The solution has its foibles, but with its fast video stream processors and drag & drop navigation, this platform is well-rounded for home and professional use. Also, while VideoPad lacks advanced features, such as high-end special effects, multi-cam editing, and motion tracking, it allows you to integrate several add-ons to expand its functionality.

Key Features of VideoPad

1. It supports 3D and 360-degree video editing.
2. It features a simple and intuitive UI.
3. It comes with multiple transitions and visual effects.
4. It provides digital audio tools.
5. It supports popular video formats.
6. It allows users to export videos to file or disc.

2. Moovly

First on our list is Moovly, an easy-to-use video editing tool for creating professional, educational, and business videos. This web-based platform provides users with all the essential tools to create quality videos that can be published and shared in popular video streaming platforms, such as YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook.

Using Moovly does not require any level of expertise as it offers a wide selection of templates where users can drag-and-drop other elements, such as images, videos, audio, and animated clips. If you do not have your own media content to add to your video, you can browse Moovly’s library and use its royalty-free content.

In terms of video editing, Moovly provides tools for detailed customization of your content including splitting and/or trimming videos, resizing, rotating, cropping, and adjusting the audio and playback speed. Other advanced features include looping segments, adding overlay audio tracks, adding subtitles, and applying text-to-speech functionality.

Key Features of Moovly:

1. It comes with powerful but easy to use editing features.
2. It offers ready-made templates.
3. It has a library of royalty-free media objects.
4. All videos are YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook-ready.
5. It offers text-to-speech functionality.
6. Users can collaborate on video projects via user groups.

3. Wave.video

Wave.video is an online video marketing platform ideal for small businesses looking to produce creative video content. The software’s features allow users to create and embed video ads and short promotional videos.

The platform comes with a library of stock video footage and music that can help users create professional-looking videos for promoting products and services. Users can also choose from a variety of animations and layouts to make their videos more engaging and effective. Using the Wave.video platform, marketing teams can easily upload videos to social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Aside from making it easier to share videos on social media sites, the platform offers a free social calendar that marketing teams can customize according to their needs. Through the software’s auto-generated embed codes, videos can also be added to various web pages, including landing pages. Additionally, a video landing page generator allows users to showcase videos and increase conversion rates.

Since Wave.video is an online platform, it does not require installation on the user’s part. All work done on the platform is automatically saved on the cloud, making it easier for users to work seamlessly between devices.

Key Features of Wave.video:

1. It comes with a library of royalty-free video clips and images.
2. It offers built-in video hosting.
3. It allows users to quickly share videos to social media channels.
4. It automatically generates embed codes for videos.
5. It provides automatic captioning capabilities.
6. It comes with a landing page generator.

4. Lumen5

Lumen5 is a video editing platform designed to help businesses drive traffic and engagement through creative videos. Lumen5’s main advantage over other video editing software is its AI-powered video editing capabilities, which can quickly turn blog posts and articles into videos. Aside from assisting with storyboard creation, the software’s AI-powered technology also helps users fit content to a layout and enhance videos’ messaging through relevant music and visuals.

The platform also offers features to help users create videos from scratch. The platform comes with a vast array of video templates, whether for Instagram stories, education, marketing, or YouTube. Users can further customize their videos to fit their branding by choosing from different color schemes, font choices and uploading their own logos and watermarks. A media library containing millions of photos, video clips, and audio files provides more options for enriching videos.

Another great feature of Lumen5 is that it’s available in a variety of pricing plans to fit different businesses’ video marketing needs. The Starter ($19 per month, billed annually) and Premium ($59 per month, billed annually) plans, for instance, may be ideal for SMBs, while large organizations can go for custom-priced Enterprise plans.

Key Features of Lumen5:

1. It offers text-to-video features to transform articles and blog posts into videos.
2. Its AI technology allows users to create videos in minutes.
3. It comes with a searchable library containing millions of free images, video clips, and music files.
4. It provides customization options so videos match a business’ branding.
5. It offers various output resolutions and aspect ratios.

5. VideoProc Vlogger

VideoProc Vlogger is a powerful video editing software designed to bring life to your video vlogs, professional shows, or just fun video presentations with amazing cinematic and studio-grade audio quality. The capabilities of the application are designed with the modern creators in mind, allowing them to showcase their creativity unlimited by video and audio technologies.

For image or video clarity, VideoProc Vlogger allows users to remove unwanted elements of their inputs while eliminating unsightly fisheye. For outputs, they can generate videos to their hearts’ content, anywhere from 4k quality or lower as the need arises.

Video speed control is an essential element of video editing. With VideoProc Vlogger, users gains absolute control, allowing them to set video speed variably or constantly. When you want to highlight visual segments in your video, this features lets you handily create speed ramping and come out a like pro video producer. The app lets you use more than 20 speed presets, which should be more than enough to brighten out the beat or highlight the mood that you want to create.

More visual options are crucial to any video project. With VideoProc Vlogger, users can take advantage of 3D LUTs and filters and edit away color gradients as they see fit. For that astonishing 4K and HDR outputs, users simply set up HSL color values, saturation, contrast, or exposure, among other things. This allows them to inject as much color and life to their video production as they desire.

VideoProc Vlogger comes with a studio-grade audio editing feature so users can make standout audio outputs to match their excellent videos. A visual audiogram provides precision audio editing without the need for the complex audio engineering principles behind it. The result is an audio-video project that can be as explosive or subtle as users want it.

Key Features of VideoProc Vlogger:

1. Comes with 28 motion and 20-plus speed presets.
2. Flexible Bezier curves for action-based videos.
3. Automatic keyframes.
4. Pan and zoom features.
5. Motion crop.
6. Color correction and color grading.
7. Professional, studio-grade audio editing.
8. Multiple effects and constantly updated features.

6. iMovie

iMovie is an excellent entry-level video editing application built by Apple primarily for Mac OS and iOS users. Boasting a beautifully simple interface and drag and drop navigation, iMovie enables users to browse video clips easily; edit videos and audio; and add music, narrations, and photos to videos. This free video editing application comes baked into Mac devices, and it is a great platform for learning the basics of video editing before exploring high-end applications.

iMovie is intuitive and straightforward to use, but its simplicity doesn’t compromise functionality. The solution doesn’t provide some controls of high-end editors. Still, its color grading tools, movie looks, classy themes, multiple audio tools, media organization tools, and outstanding chroma-keying tool make up for the missing functions. Also, the incentive to start editing on your iPad or iPhone, and finish the work on your Mac is invigorating.

What makes iMovie stand out is that despite being a freebie, this video editor supports 4K video. Besides, iMovies can edit video clips shot on any devices, and it remains the best application for users looking to make Hollywood-style trailers and storyboard-based movies. Even better, iMovie offers strength adjustment and masking controls that make it easy to finetune video effects to achieve optimal believability. Multicam and 360-degree video editing may not be supported by iMovie, but with its impressive set of video editing tools, the application remains a great choice for beginners.

Key Features of iMovie:

1. It comes with a reliable chromakeying tool.
2. It offers multiple classy themes.
3. It provides various media organization tools.
4. It provides 80+ smart soundtracks.

7. Adobe Premiere Clip

Adobe Premiere Clip is a great video editing application explicitly designed for Android and iOS devices. The app enables you to create and edit videos on your mobile device while offering an option to transfer videos to Adobe Premiere Pro CC for professional editing on the desktop. If you are a social media enthusiast, Adobe Premiere Clip is for you. The application makes it easy to refine the video you shoot on your mobile device and turn them into stunning videos with incredible sound and beautiful looks.

What sets Adobe Premiere Clip apart from other freebies is that it offers two video editing modes: Automatic and Freeform. With the automatic editing, Adobe trims your clip and adds transitions automatically, to transform your clip or pictures into dynamic videos in minutes.

On the other hand, the Freeform mode allows you to leverage your video editing skills to customize your videos using powerful features for applying custom looks, trimming, adjusting lighting, and adding slo-mo effects to achieve the perfect look.

Adobe Premiere Clip’s videos auto-syncs across all devices, thanks to the innovative Adobe CreativeSync. Besides, Premier Clip videos can easily be shared on popular social media channels like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. While there are many alternatives to Adobe Premiere, only a few can match the capability of this editing program.

Key Features of Adobe Clip

1. It offers two video editing modes, auto-editing, and freeform editing.
2. It comes with powerful editing features.
3. It includes stunning visual polish capabilities, such as adding titles, transitions, and slo-mo effects.
4. It auto-syncs with Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

8. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free video editor that is best for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux users. The application speeds up basic video editing tasks such as filtering and cutting, and it’s also great for advanced video encoding. Avidemux has a clean and uncluttered UI, which epitomizes its simplicity and presents all the tools you need to finetune your videos.

With Avidemux, you can copy, cut, or delete sections of your videos, plus it’s a breeze to append a video clip to another. Also, you can scrub through your clips and display those frames with ease. However, Avidemux doesn’t offer transitions or flashy wipes to add to videos, which makes it more of a playground for beginners than a tool for pro users.

That said, Avidemux comes with a Video Filter Manager that makes it easy to adjust the color, brightness, saturation, and hue of your video. The tool supports multiple video file formats, including MPEG, AVI, MP4, DVD, and ASF. It also features a powerful encoder that makes it easy to convert audio and video files to different formats. The best part is that Avidemux uses a container format to store files, which means videos and audio are stored in one file, in a container.

Key Features of Avidemux

1. It has a clear and uncluttered interface.
2. It comes with a video filter manager that makes it easy to filter videos.
3. Its reliable encoder tool makes it easy to encode video and audio files.
4. It features a real-time analog synthesizer.

9. Filmora

Filmora is a video editing program designed by Wondershare for novices, beginners, and casual users. It is a reliable solution that features an elegant UI and provides powerful editing tools to streamline video editing. While it lacks numerous advanced features, such as multi-cam capability and VR tools, the platform offers standard overlays, transitions, trimming, and custom effects that enable you to create amazing videos.

Built for Windows and Mac devices, Filmora is a video editor for creators of all types and skill levels. Its sound tools like background noise removal, audio equalizer, and keyframing allow you to add the perfect sound to your video clips. Besides, the green screen effects and support for full 4K videos, help you create stunning videos with frames that are as crisp as reality.

What’s more, with Filmora, it’s easy to create sophisticated stories thanks to the 100 layers of media. Also, the professional 3D LUTs and creative filters mean you can achieve the perfect video aesthetic with just a single click. What makes Filmora stand out is that its workflows and interface offer a low learning curve and make it easy to grasp the basics of video editing without a struggle.

Key Features of Filmora

1. It provides creative filters and 3D LUTs.
2. It makes it easy to fix camera problems such as camera shake.
3. It provides 100 layers of media.
4. It comes with green screen effects that simplify compositing.
5. It offers multiple sound tools, such as audio equalizer and keyframing.

10. Movavi Video Editor

Movavi Video Editor is part of the powerful video editing and processing software Movavi Video Suite which streamlines video creation. This intuitive video editing software offers a simple yet powerful user interface that eliminates multiple layers of tabs and menus. Instead, Movavi Video Editor brings your creative ideas to life through a simple interface that puts the fun into video creation.

In addition to its lightning-fast file processing and rendering, Movavi Video Editor includes a host of video editing options including chroma key, keyframe animation, and ready-made intros. The built-in stabilization feature reduces video shakiness, which is ideal when putting together a travel video.

The Transition Wizard tool seamlessly inserts transitions and allows the user to manipulate various elements including the duration, adding a pan and zoom effect, incorporating music, and inserting a voice file. The video output from Movavi Video Editor can be set to full HD and 4K resolutions. Users can also add a small screen to the video which can be enhanced using an entire library of effects.

Key Features of Movavi Video Editor

1. It provides tools for quick color correction.
2. It has a powerful chroma key that combines shots in one frame.
3. It facilitates smooth transitions for seamless storytelling.
4. It enables motion tracking for easier editing.
5. It offers tools for easy background removal.
6. It produces crisp and clear videos with the noise removal feature.

11. Blender

Another product on our list is Blender, a robust, open-source program built for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. The solution is designed primarily as a 3D animation creation software, but it does feature a built-in video editor. Blender’s video editor enables you to accomplish basic actions such as video splicing and video cuts, but it can also be used for more sophisticated functions such as video masking.

As part of the Blender suite, the video editing tool leverages Blender’s flexible interface, which is perfect for beginners and pro videographers alike. What is fascinating is that despite being an inbuilt function of the Blender suite, the video editor provides all the features you need to get started as a videographer.

Some of its notable capabilities include luma waveform, live preview, histogram displays, and chroma vectorscope. With Blender, you can sync & scrub videos, mix audio, and add waveform visualizations with ease. Moreover, there are adjustment layers, multiple filters, speed controls, and transitions designed to help you edit videos with ease.

Key Features of Blender

1. It provides 32 slots for adding audio, images, video, masks, scenes, and effects.
2. It comes with multiple filters and transitions.
3. It supports histogram displays, live previews, and chroma vectorscope.
4. It streamlines video scrubbing and audio mixing.

12. Fastreel

Fastreel is a web-based video editing software created by Movavi. It offers an easy-to-use interface and a comprehensive set of editing tools. These include features for cutting, cropping, rotating, or merging footages. It also lets you resize, reverse, or loop videos or create split screen and stop motion videos. Moreover, the platform has more advanced tools such as SRT file support, watermark creation, and access to royalty-free music.

With the platform’s free plan and affordable paid plans, this is a great option for individuals, freelancers, and small enterprises on a budget. Plus, its drag-and-drop interface is designed for ease of use so you don’t have to worry about steep learning curves. Having this at your disposal can be useful for creating advertisements, home videos, vlogs, or even school presentations.

To top it all off, Fastreel is completely web-based. Meaning, users do not have to install anything on their computers and worry about not having enough disk space. All you have to do is upload your files on Fastreel and start editing.

Key Features for Fastreel

1. It offers support for a wide range of formats.
2. It comes with a free music library
3. It provides numerous transition effects and filters.
4. It comes with a comprehensive set of editing features.
5. It is web-based so no extra disk space is required.
6. It has a free plan which makes it great for individuals and small businesses.

13. DaVinci Resolve

Boasting professional-quality audio mastering and color correction, DaVinci Resolve is one of the most advanced free video editors on our list. The solution provides numerous professional video editing features, but it’s still perfect for beginners, thanks to its intuitive user interface that streamlines most routine tasks. It is also a cross-platform solution that works seamlessly on Windows, Linux, and Mac devices.

DaVinci Resolve is renowned as a pro-level application, and despite being available for free, it allows users to create videos that feature no watermarks. If creating videos with high-quality audio and stunning looks is your priority, this application is designed for you. The platform combines an advanced color corrector with nonlinear video editing, allowing you to correct color, edit, complete, and deliver stunning videos from a single system.

It also provides reliable legendary color features, such as primary color wheel and curve editors, which work in unison with modern tools such as facial recognition, allowing you to change lip color, skin tone, and eye color. As a free video editor, DaVinci Resolve is quite extensive, and it works in tandem with Fusion, a suite of high-end video editing tools for compositing, tracking, keying, stabilization, text animation, and rotoscoping.

Key Features of DaVinci Resolve

1. It comes with a suite of color correction tools.
2. It includes professional editing tools.
3. It supports 4K videos
4. It leverages a robust playback engine.
5. It works in unison with Fairlight audio.

14. Media Composer

Media Composer is a robust, free video editing program designed by Avid for aspiring content creators, movie makers, and video marketers. The application is intended to help beginners gain valuable skills and learn to edit videos using the same tools used by the pros. Billed as a powerful and versatile video editor, Media Composer lives to the expectations and has all the tools you need to create stunning videos within a professional environment.

Media Composer comes with multiple presets, effects, and transitions that help you add visual impact and punch-up scenes in your videos. Another thing, the application offers a virtual recording studio that makes it a breeze to add text, sound effects, voiceovers, ground shaking intensity, and emotions. To top it all off, Media Composer integrates with Avid Link, which can be an indispensable resource if you want to expand your possibilities and network.

The package combines expedient high-res-to-HD workflows with real-time collaboration to allow you to tell better stories, without spending a premium. It also provides pro features such as audio ducking and Multicam editing and includes automated media management tools to help you keep track of your assets.

Key Features of Media Composer

1. It integrates seamlessly with Avid Link.
2. It provides a set of advanced features, such as audio ducking and multi-cam editing.
3. It offers numerous effects, presets, and stunning visual transitions.
4. The virtual recording studio is perfect for adding crisp audio.
5. It makes it easy to publish content to Facebook, Vimeo, and YouTube.

15. WeVideo

WeVideo is an online video editing solution designed for video creators, small businesses, and individual business owners. Boasting a combination of cloud storage and video editing capabilities, the application gives users full creative control, allowing them to record, view, create, and share videos at up to 480p resolution.

WeVideo works seamlessly on any web browser, and it also provides users with iOS and Android apps that enable them to edit videos anywhere, anytime. This means you can start your editing tasks on your mobile device and complete them on your PC or Mac computer browser.

Another great thing about WeVideo is that, although it provides advanced editing features, it streamlines the workflows via a simple, intuitive user interface. This way, you don’t need pro editing skills to create stunning movies; the only limitation to what you can create is your imagination.

However, WeVideo doesn’t offer an auto-editing option; instead, the solution puts you in complete control of the transitions, texts, motion effects, and much more. The use of innovative technologies such as WeVideo JumpStart speeds up editing. At the same time, the ability to mix and match numerous audio and image formats gives you endless possibilities to deliver quality videos.

Key Features of WeVideo

1. It provides up to 1GB of cloud storage.
2. It makes use of innovative technology such as WeVideo JumpStart.
3. It gives users up to 5 minutes of published video time per month

Which Video Editing Program is Best for You?

There you have it., our guide to the 15 best free video editing tools for beginners. Hopefully, this guide has given you enough information to expedite your decision and help you settle on a video editing application that can meet your video production demand.

The ball is now in your court, and it’s time to pick a program that can get you started with video production. If you’re still undecided about which video editing application is best for you, you can start with our top pick. Our experts analyzed all these products and found Fastreel to be the best free video editing solution for beginners. It has a straightforward and user-friendly interface that makes video editing a breeze. Besides, the program offers a perfect blend of basic and advanced video editing tools, not to mention a varied selection of transition options, video and sound effects, and other visual elements.

Aside from video editing programs, you may also want to explore other marketing tools that you can use on your next campaign.

Key Insights

• Accessibility and Usability: Many of the listed free video editing tools are designed to be user-friendly, making them accessible to beginners and casual users.
• Versatility in Features: These tools offer a variety of functionalities, from basic editing to advanced features like 360-degree video editing, AI-powered video creation, and professional-grade audio editing.
• Platform Compatibility: Most of the software options are compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android, ensuring a broad user base.
• Specialized Functions: Some tools, such as Lumen5 and VideoProc Vlogger, offer unique features like AI-driven video creation from text content and speed control presets, respectively.
• Integration and Collaboration: Tools like WeVideo and Moovly provide cloud-based solutions and collaboration features, which are beneficial for team projects and remote work.
• Professional Outcomes: Despite being free, many of these tools, such as DaVinci Resolve and Blender, are capable of producing high-quality, professional-grade videos without watermarks.
• Customization and Templates: Several tools, including Wave.video and Moovly, offer a wide array of templates and customizable elements, enabling users to create tailored and branded content.

FAQ

1. What is the best free video editor for complete beginners? VideoPad is highly recommended for complete beginners due to its intuitive interface and essential editing features, making the learning curve minimal.
2. Can I use these free video editing tools for professional work? Yes, tools like DaVinci Resolve and Blender offer advanced features and professional-grade output, suitable for high-quality projects.
3. Are these video editors compatible with both Mac and Windows? Many of the listed video editors, such as Filmora, Movavi Video Editor, and Blender, are compatible with both Mac and Windows platforms.
4. Do any of these tools support 360-degree video editing? Yes, VideoPad and VideoProc Vlogger support 360-degree video editing, allowing you to create immersive video content.
5. Is there a free video editor with AI capabilities? Lumen5 utilizes AI to transform text content into engaging videos, making it easier for users to create video content from existing articles and blog posts.
6. Can I edit videos directly on my mobile device with any of these tools? Yes, apps like Adobe Premiere Clip and iMovie are designed specifically for mobile video editing on iOS and Android devices.
7. Do these free video editors include stock footage and music libraries? Platforms like Wave.video and Moovly come with libraries of royalty-free video clips, images, and music, which can enhance your video projects.
8. How can I collaborate with my team on video projects using these tools? Cloud-based editors like WeVideo and Moovly provide collaboration features that allow team members to work together on video projects in real time.
9. Are there any tools that help with social media video creation and sharing? Wave.video and Adobe Premiere Clip offer features for easy sharing on social media platforms, making them ideal for creating and distributing content on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
10. Can I create videos with 4K resolution using these free editors? Yes, several tools, including DaVinci Resolve and Filmora, support 4K video editing, enabling you to produce high-resolution video content.

By Allan Jay

Allan Jay is FinancesOnline’s resident B2B expert with over a decade of experience in the SaaS space. He has worked with vendors primarily as a consultant in the UX analysis and design stages, lending to his reviews a strong user-centric angle. A management professional by training, he adds the business perspective to software development. He likes validating a product against workflows and business goals, two metrics, he believes, by which software is ultimately measured.