Are you an aspiring creator and looking for the best video editing software for YouTube? We understand how we are spoiled for choice in this category these days — making it hard to choose one out of thousands of options.
What’s worse, it can be confusing to choose which tools are suitable for our needs because of the varying levels of complexity between each software.
However, all is not lost because, in this article, we’re going to break down the pros, cons, features, and prices of some of the best video editing software for YouTube. Read until the end to get tips for improving your video quality!
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Before diving into some of the best YouTube video editing software, we first need to talk about why you should upload your videos into YouTube in the first place.
First off, videos are the simplest content types to consume compared to reading a text or a photo. There are several reasons why that’s the case:
Because of this, more and more brands have added video marketing as a prominent part of their marketing strategy.
However, if these general reasons are not enough to convince you to create YouTube videos, these statistics might give you a better picture:
These numbers sound enticing, right? What with the huge number of audience you can reach and the percentage of viewers that could buy your product after watching your videos, the opportunity to grow your business is massive.
Finally, if you own a small business, your chances of growing on YouTube are more significant as there are so few small businesses with a YouTube channel.
After learning about why you should upload your videos to YouTube, now’s the time to choose which video editing software is right for you. We’ve listed 10 of the best software for editing YouTube videos and broke them down into:
This should help you better understand what each tool offers and make the correct decision based on your needs. With that in mind, scroll down now to get the low down!
Adobe Premiere Pro CC is one of the best video editing software available right now. Ranging from YouTubers to Hollywood moviemakers, this editing tool helps anyone who uses it to create amazing videos.
Furthermore, this software can also handle any video format. This way, you don’t have to worry about if you’re recording videos in 4K, VR, or even 8K, as this tool is more than capable of processing them.
The best part about Adobe Premiere Pro CC is its capability to migrate media assets like motion graphics from other Adobe software. With that being said, here are several key features, along with the pros and cons of Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
Key Features:
Pros of Adobe Premiere Pro CC:
Cons of Adobe Premiere Pro CC:
Adobe Premiere Pro CC Pricing:
Adobe Premiere Pro CC has a free trial that enables you to test out the various features the software offers. If you feel like it’s suitable for your needs, you’ll have to pay $20.99/month.
Creating a video from scratch can be very time-consuming. The time you spend on making videos could potentially hamper your business’ growth. With Offeo, you don’t need to start from 0, thanks to the thousands of designer templates available.
Better yet, Offeo has a massive elements library that includes commercially-licensed music, graphic elements, 3D elements, animated text, and so much more. Combine that with a user-friendly drag-and-drop user interface, creating videos will feel like a breeze.
These features and benefits combined will surely help you create video content with minimum effort and with less time. This, in turn, will give you more time to grow your business.
Key Features of Offeo:
Pros of Offeo:
Cons of Offeo:
Offeo Pricing:
Do Offeo’s features and benefits suit your needs? Register now and create videos in under 3 minutes!
As the name suggests, YouTube Studio is built into YouTube itself. It is currently the best option to edit uploaded videos if you want to keep your video’s comments, views, and URL.
Key features:
Pros of YouTube Studio Video Editor
Cons of YouTube Studio Video Editor
YouTube Studio Video Editor Pricing
YouTube Studio Video Editor is one of few free video editing software on the market.
Lightworks is a highly customizable tool that enables you to edit specific areas a bit more in-depth than most other video editing software. Furthermore, this program is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, with free-floating windows that adapt to your editing needs.
Better yet, you can drag these windows around however you like and import, render, and export videos in the background — all with custom keyboard shortcuts capabilities.
This editing software is perfect for YouTube creators, professional video editors, and sound engineers.
Key Features of Lightworks
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Lightworks Pricing:
Filmora Video Editor helps you make videos and even movies with various filters, overlays, transitions, audio effects, video effects, custom captions, etc.
Furthermore, Wondershare also offers Filmora Go for mobile and Filmora Scrn to capture your screen — making it pretty handy to create tutorials.
Key Features of Wondershare Filmora Video Editor:
Pros of Wondershare Filmora Video Editor:
Cons of Wondershare Filmora Video Editor:
Wondershare Filmora Video Editor Pricing:
If you have an Apple device and prefer a video editing software for YouTube that’s elegant and simple, iMovie might be the best tool for you.
Most of the time, iMovie is already built into your Apple device, especially if you have a macOS device or an iPad. It includes many effects like slow-motion and fast-forward, and up to 18 themes and video filters created by Apple.
Furthermore, iMovie also enables you to create soundtracks and has green screen features to help you make your movies look like it’s literally out of this world.
For example, you can add images of the moon’s surface on the green screen to make it look like the people in your movie is on the moon.
Key Features of Apple iMovie:
Pros of Apple iMovie:
Cons of Apple iMovie:
Apple iMovie Pricing:
iMovie is completely free and is available to download on the App Store.
Apple’s Final Cut Pro has all the features to make one of the best video editing software for YouTube creators.
Perfectly suitable for beginners and more advanced video editors, Final Cut Pro enables you to create professional-looking videos with extensive features and a user-friendly interface.
If you used iMovie previously, this tool is an excellent next step if you need more editing power. Furthermore, Final Cut Pro’s interface is similar to iMovie, making it easier for you to get the hang of.
Key Features of Final Cut Pro X:
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Final Cut Pro X Pricing:
Movavi Video Editor combines intuitiveness with a strong kit of features that enable you to make fantastic video projects.
If you don't want to become a pro in video editing but still need creative ideas to make engaging content for your viewers, this tool could be the solution.
Movavi Video Editor has stunning effects, transitions, music, animations, and more.The UI is easy to use and well-organized, so you can quickly find the features you need.
It's also considered one of the best alternatives to Final Cut Pro and similar software.
Key Features of Movavi Video Editor:
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Movavi Video Editor Pricing:
Virtual Dub is one of the oldest video editing software for YouTube and was very popular in the early 2000s. However, this tool is limited and hasn’t been updated since 2013 — resulting in its fame quickly fading.
This tool is free, though, and was often used by beginners. Furthermore, VirtualDub can cut, trim, and resize video clips but only supports AVI file format.
Pros of Virtual Dub:
Cons of Virtual Dub:
Virtual Dub Pricing:
As we mentioned before, Virtual Dub is free to use.
If you use a Windows computer and need YouTube video editing software with more advanced features, you should consider Sony Vegas Pro.
Although Sony Vegas Pro’s interface might not be the most modern-looking or intuitive, the many advanced editing tools like 3D editing, color correction, and multi-cam editing more than makes up for it.
However, if you’re relatively new to video editing, the features Vegas Pro offers might be overwhelming — resulting in a moderately steep learning curve.
Furthermore, if you don’t have the time to get used to this tool, it might be best to avoid using it entirely.
Key Features of Sony Vegas Pro:
Pros of Sony Vegas Pro:
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Sony Vegas Pro Pricing:
After choosing the right editing software, you might think that you’re ready to start creating fantastic YouTube videos. Although that may be true, gaining additional insights into what makes a video look fantastic couldn’t hurt.
In this section, we’re going to discuss some of the best tips to enhance your video quality and make them much more engaging to your viewers.
One of the best ways to achieve this is to face your window when there’s sunshine outside. This way, the diffused sunlight entering your windows will evenly light up your face.
However, ensure the sunlight isn’t harsh, or you’ll end up creating shadows on your face and making you squint in front of the camera.
Another way to get good lighting is to install a ring light and position it in front of your face. Adjust it accordingly to prevent dealing with shadows. A third alternative would be to set up three-point lighting like the image below.
You can do a few things to ensure your video’s audio quality is the best it can be. The first would be to buy professional audio gear such as clip-on mics. However, do more research on its quality and ability to eliminate background noise.
Secondly, you can record in a small room with carpets and curtains to minimize echo in your audio files.
If you want to make sure your shot is stable and avoid capturing shaky footage, try to do some of the things we’ve mentioned below:
Try adding caption files like SRT files to make viewers who don’t understand your language (or are hard of hearing) still get enjoyment from watching your YouTube videos.
Furthermore, captions also improve YouTube SEO, which helps you rank higher on the video-sharing platform.
One of the most-used and possibly basic ways to move from one shot to the next is transitions. However, transitions alone might make your video look uninspired and make your viewers stop watching your video.
To prevent this from happening, you should use other effects like Flash effects, smoke effects, b-roll, and other pattern interrupt techniques to keep your viewers’ attention.
Do you have a relatively small budget that prevents you from buying a camera that perfectly suits your needs? No worries! You can start recording with your smartphone camera as most of them can record 1080p videos these days.
Recording with at least 1080p resolution means your video quality is at least on par with most YouTubers.
We understand that engaging content is indeed crucial. However, it can all fall apart if you have a low-quality camera as your viewers won’t have as good an experience watching them. With that being said, always ensure that your camera is at least 1080p!
A video editing software is a tool to help anyone modify, alter, or generate a video or movie file according to their vision. Most video editing software enables you to rearrange, remove, or cut sections to make a more cohesive video.
The best software for making YouTube videos doesn’t have a watermark and meets all your editing needs. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to edit your YouTube videos, you can give Offeo a try.
Yes, it is. This is because Offeo has a YouTube intro and outro maker, YouTube thumbnail maker, and thousands of other templates and effects that make creating videos feel like a breeze.
Now that you’ve reached this point, we hope you have a better understanding of what some of the best video editing software for YouTube offer and which ones suit you the most.
If you have a brand or is currently a creator, using the right editing software can genuinely elevate your videos. However, editing videos from scratch can be really time-consuming and emotionally draining.
However, if you use Offeo, you won’t have to start from 0, thanks to the thousands of designer-made templates we provide. Moreover, you can create unique intros and outros with our YouTube intro and outro maker.
The best part? No prior editing experience is necessary as Offeo’s interface is intuitive and user-friendly.
Well then, what are you waiting for? Sign up for Offeo today and experience effortless YouTube video editing in under 3 minutes!