© Provided by T3 Video editing software
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- Best Editing Software For Youtubers
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The very best video editing software title has got to go to one of the oldest players in the game Adobe, with its latest Premiere Pro CC. As the name suggests this is the do-it-all tool that. The best video editing software is InVideo, a simple yet intuitive platform built with both basic and advanced video editing tools. It comes with an extensive video and image library, supports high-definition rendering, and can accommodate a wide variety of file types. A: Luminar 4 is the best photo editing software because it offers the most powerful collection of features and tools for different editing needs. Q: What is the easiest free photo editing software? A: Paint.NET is the easiest free photo editing software, however, it has a very limited number of features suitable only for basic editing. IMovie is the best free video editing software for Mac users, as it delivers themes, Hollywood-style trailers and video effects with minimalistic panache, a cinematic flair, and deep integration.
The best video editing software could be the difference between an enjoyable project and an eye-melting struggle. That's why we've rounded up the best video editing software for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, among others, so you can find the ultimate tool for you.
From professional editors to would be filmmaking amateurs, there is something there to suit all levels. There are also, as you'd imagine, a range of prices from pretty pricey premium stuff all the way to totally free video editing software.
If you want easy video editing or simply the best free option, then will be something in this broad list of the best options out there right now.
From trimming clips and applying filters to working with green screens and adjusting playback – there are plenty of features to look out for when deciding which is the best video editing software for you. You might be on team Adobe and simply have to get one of the many options there, or you may be more open to trying some lesser known names that offer a great experience for a lower price.
We've got the best video editing software right here, each organised by what they offer, which stands out, so you should be able to find the right tool to create your next work of art on video, right here.
Best video editing software
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: Adobe)1. Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Platform: Mac/Windows | Free trial: 7 days | 8K support: Yes | Upload to YouTube: Yes | 360 support: Yes | Price: Subscription
Wide support
Not cheap
The very best video editing software title has got to go to one of the oldest players in the game Adobe, with its latest Premiere Pro CC. As the name suggests this is the do-it-all tool that professionals use to create top-end video. As such this isn't cheap, paid for on a subscription model. But for that cost you get everything you could possibly want from basic trimming and layering right up to 8K and 360-degree video editing support – presuming your machine has the power to run that.
This works on both Mac and Windows and is crammed full of keyboard shortcuts to help make the process easy to use.
There is an option to upload directly to YouTube, making this a one-stop shop for any self publishing social media video makers out there.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: Future)2. Final Cut Pro X
Platform: Mac | Free trial: 30 days | Video tracks: Unlimited
Simple to use
Expensive
Final Cut Pro X is simply the best video editing software you can get on Mac. Sure Adobe options are great too but this is built by Apple, for Apple. So, as you'd expect it's super clean, minimal and as such easy to use. But that doesn't mean to say it scrimps on features, far from it.
This software offers lots of features to justify the high price. These include special effects, grouping tools, adding and editing audio plus multi-camera editing and smart colour balancing tools. You also get access to unlimited video tracks so you should never feel constricted. With a 30-day free trial it's definitely worth giving this powerful video editing tool a try.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: Adobe)3. Adobe Premiere Elements
Platform: Mac/Windows | Free trial: Yes | Video tracks: Unlimited
Feature rich
Could be faster
Adobe Premiere Elements is the second Adobe software on the list in just three so far. Yup, Adobe is that good. This video editing suite offers a more affordable and easy to user alternative which is crammed full of useful features like facial recognition, to name but one.
Simple but really effective features we love include video stabilisation, automatic motion tracking, audio effects and a selection of soundtracks included as standard. The fact it's all easy to use is just a great bonus. If you work with a lot of people based videos then the smart toning is a great feature for skin – a bit like how a selfie camera makes you look smoother skinned. This helps give the videos a more professional finish. And for the pros you can enjoy effects like chroma-keying, opacity, transitions and more. Something for everyone then.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: Lightworks)4. Lightworks
Platform: Mac/Windows/Linux | Free: Yes | Video tracks: Multi support
Very customisable
Not the easiest to learn
Lightworks is a stunning video editing tool when you consider that it's absolutely free. This software is good enough to get you professional quality videos without charging you pro-grade prices. The hidden cost? This isn't quite as easy to use as some of the above options, but if you put in the effort to learn, it can be as effective.
Import and render footage in the background then preview video effects in real-time – some seriously high-end features you might not expect to see in a free tool. Set custom keyboard shortcuts to speed up the working process and enjoy multi-track editing for complex end results.
There is the option to spend a little money and upgrade to Lightworks Pro, which will let you export projects to different formats and enjoy features like 3D modelling and straight to YouTube uploads.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: Hitfilm Express)5. Hitfilm Express
Platform: Mac/Windows | Free: Yes | Video tracks: Multi support
Templates
Must pay for better features
How much is macbook pro hard drive. Hitfilm Express is another really useful free video editing programme which comes with a friendly and easy to use interface. That makes this a great option for anyone new to video editing that wants to give it a try. That said, it does have some decent features for more seasoned users too.
You can enjoy features like 3D composition tools, green screen chroma key setting and create custom video masks. Plus there are more day to day tools like trimming of clips, colour balancing and, of course, exporting to various video formats.
The system is easy enough to use with a traditional interface that's easily recognisable to anyone who's used video editing tools before. Just make sure you have a machine with plenty of power as this makes your hardware work hard to crunch that data.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: Adobe)6. Adobe Premiere Rush
Platform: Mac/Windows/iOS/Android | Free trial: Yes | Video tracks: Four
Great sound editing
Free plan is basic
Adobe Premiere Rush is the ultimate mobile editing tool, designed specifically for use on smartphones and tablets. That means you can fire up this app on your iOS or Android device and edit a video entirely within that app. Presuming your phone or tablet is new enough, you can even edit high-quality 4K video footage with up to four video and three audio tracks at once.
Since this is on your phone is makes exporting super simple, with specific options to export straight to social media accounts. All that can be enjoyed for free using the Rush Starter Plan, with a three video export limit. Or pay a nominal fee and enjoy the full service right there on your phone or tablet.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: GoPro)7. GoPro App
Platform: iOS/Android/Windows/Mac | Free trial: Yes | Video tracks: Multi
Over 20 themes
Controls are minimal
The GoPro App is a great way to instantly start editing your live action video footage from a GoPro camera, or any other compatible device for that matter. Since this is made to be used quickly, on the move, it's super simple to work. It will automatically import footage and can create videos synced to music right away, without you having to do much at all.
There are more complex options like adding photos or time lapse sequences as well as cool graphs and charts to express speed – ideal for action camera footage. Share the videos on YouTube or Facebook easily with a great option to go through, frame by frame, to find the perfect picture to lead your post.
If you pay and subscribe to the GoPro Plus version you'll have a lot more than the standard 20 soundtracks and can auto upload videos and photos to the cloud for editing from whatever device you want.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: CyberLink)8. CyberLink PowerDirector
Platform: Windows | Free trial: 30 days | Video tracks: Multi
Wizard optimisation
Could use more fine controls
CyberLink PowerDirector is a great option for anyone relatively new to video editing that fancies a fully fledged and complex tool which is also easy enough to learn to use. That means features like 8K video editing and 360-degree support but also super simplifying tools like a wizard that optimises video in seconds. This is a great tool for a quick edit to bung up on social media in a hurry.
But there are more complex features too with a standard post production interface that includes motion graphic titles, social media friendly 1:1 video ratios and high-quality video editing.
What you'll have to pay extra for, with the Ultimate version, are features like 4K video editing, audio scrubbing and library preview features.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: KineMaster)9. KineMaster
Platform: ChromeOS/iOS/Android | Free trial: Free app | Video tracks: Multi
Pro level
Could be faster
KineMaster is a great video editing option for Android, ChromeOS and iOS users with a device new enough to run it. We say that as this has some seriously complex features that make this good enough even for professional editors to use on the move.
You can edit multiple layers with up to four audio tracks in one project. There are also little extras like adding handwriting and text annotations and even editing at the frame and subframe levels. All that is free so even if you're not sure we'd say give this a go as it'll more than likely serve the needs of most, even the more demanding editor.
© Provided by T3 (Image credit: Corel)10. Corel VideoStudio Ultimate
Platform: Windows | Free trial: 30 days | Video tracks: Multi
Affordable
Too basic for some
Corel VideoStudio Ultimate is a really great video editing option for anyone new to splice and hacking clips together. While it might be a bit basic for professionals, this has a lot of features despite how easy it is to pick up and use. That includes high-end extras like 4K, multi-cam editing and 360-degree VR video editing.
The interface is easy to pick up and features a music library as well as a whole host of effects that can be added to your video project. The key here is that the software is intuitive enough to make it easy but also – crucially – fun, so you can actually enjoy the process of creating the final cut of your video edit. And with over 2,000 customisable filters to pick from this gives you a great opportunity to really personalise your footage to offer something uniquely fun.
- February 10, 2020
- 32 min to read
Modern digital photography goes hand in hand with post-processing software. Although today the photo editing software market offers an unlimited number of options for photographers of all levels, most of the community sticks to tried-and-true Adobe Photoshop. It indeed is a universal app equipped with tools that a professional photographer would wish for, but it’s time to make way for the new.
For the past decades, a lot of new and worthy photo editors entered the market bringing revolutionary technologies into the mundane editing process making even the most complex editing tasks doable for novices and streamlined for pros. Here we listed some of the best photo editing apps on the market including both old and new for photographers of different needs and skill levels.
1. Luminar 4
Completely revamped Luminar 4 is finally here to shake up the world of photo-editing software. Improved to be even more intuitive, Luminar 4 also brings a ton of brand-new AI editing tools designed to speed up the photo editing workflow.
- AI Sky Replacement automatically changes the sky and relights and recolors the entire photo to match the new sky.
- AI Skin Enhancer & Portrait Enhancer do all the retouching for you with just one click.
- AI Enhance automatically enhances your photo by making numerous adjustments of different complexity.
- AI Structure brings details up or down depending on your needs.
- Sunrays adds realistic sun rays to your photo that you’re free to tweak as you please.
- Smart Contrast How to close tabs on macbook air. was improved to produce a more detailed and textured image.
Luminar 4 can not only be used as a stand-alone app but also as a plug-in for Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom to make the best of your tools.
✅ Pros:
- Non-destructive editing
- Intuitive interface
- Improved performance
- In-depth customization
- Available as a plug-in as well
✖️ Cons:
- Mediocre library functions
- Limited exporting options
2. Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom has been the app of choice for professional and amateur photographers alike for many years now. It offers a well-thought-out set of features for managing, organizing, processing, and exporting your photos. With the advanced library features, like labels, keywords, collections, and search filters, the app makes it easy for you to keep track of large numbers of photos. Lightroom comes with a good selection of RAW profiles to define colors in your photos for more precise editing. Tweak your photos to perfection with adjustment sliders, perspective and lens correction tools, retouching tools, filters, profiles, and presets to speed up your workflow.
✅ Pros:
- Built-in file management system
- Face detection and tagging
- Color and luminosity masking
- Plug-in support
✖️ Cons:
- Not the best choice for beginners
- A bit too taxing for Windows
- No auto-tagging
- Comparatively slow importing
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What photo editing software do you use and why? Let us know in the comments, we’d be very interested to know!
What photo editing software do you use and why? Let us know in the comments, we’d be very interested to know!
3. ACDSee PHOTO STUDIO ULTIMATE 2020
Photo Studio Ultimate 2020 is a one-stop photo management and post-processing tool for Windows. It comes with everything you need to handle your files, like categories, keywords, face detection, ratings, color labels, metadata, geolocation, and more. It’s quite powerful when it comes to photo editing, too, offering a broad set of tools for a variety of different purposes. It allows you to process your RAW, JPEG and other types of files in a non-destructive way in Develop Mode and perfect them in Edit Mode by adjusting color and lighting, bringing out details, removing flaws, and adding final touches. The user interface is completely customizable to suit your preferences.
✅ Pros:
- Excellent built-in file management system
- Powerful post-processing features
- Fully customizable interface
✖️ Cons:
- Available only for Windows
- Too overwhelming for beginners
- Subscription-based online storage gallery
4. GIMP
GIMP is a free and open-source photo-editing tool that has been around for more than 20 years. It boasts a limitless number of state-of-the-art features that you wouldn’t expect to see in a free photo-editing app. The interface has been recently updated to be easier to use, however it still can be quite confusing for novices. GIMP offers a broad set of tools suitable not only for basic but for advanced editing, too. Here you can enhance colors, adjust hue and saturation, fix composition, adjust sharpness, reduce graininess, remove unwanted objects, work with masks, layers, and more.
✅ Pros:
- 100% free
- Open access to the source code
- Has a broad selection of tools for different purposes
- Plug-in support
- Available for the main operating systems
✖️ Cons:
- Non-intuitive workflow
- Difficult to get the hang of
- Lack of HDR support
5. Aurora HDR
Aurora HDR is a powerful HDR tool that brings innovation and simplicity together. The most recent update introduced a new Quantum HDR engine with AI-powered tone mapping technology which allows for more intelligent photo merging to produce vivid yet natural-looking photos. Whether you’re creating an HDR photo from bracketed shots or a single image, the app’s neural network enhances the photo and makes sure that no halos or ghosting spoils the final result. The brand-new Smart HDR Structure feature boosts details and sharpness without creating undesired artifacts that can make a photo look unrealistic. With over 80 distinctive Looks, you can make your photo look stunning in just one click.
✅ Pros:
- One of the best HDR photo editors
- Swift performance
- Corrects badly taken single shots
- Doesn’t create artifacts, halos, or noise
- Available as a stand-alone app and plug-in
- Plug-in support
✖️ Cons:
- None worth mentioning
6. Adobe Photoshop Elements
Developed for beginner and hobbyist photographers, Photoshop Elements’ functions are naturally more limited than Photoshop’s but it has all the essentials for achieving astonishing results. It offers three editing modes:
The Quick mode includes the simplest tools for straightening and cropping photos, removing unwanted objects, enhancing portraits, and applying filters.
The Guided mode uses step-by-step wizards to take you through more complex edits like removing objects, replacing the background, merging multiple photos, creating double exposures, and more.
The Expert mode gives you access to more complex Photoshop-like features including layers, masks, and filters.
✅ Pros:
- Excellent for entry-level photographers
- Simple and straightforward interface
- One-time purchase
- A bunch of Photoshop-like features simplified for nonprofessionals
- Dozens of clear guides
✖️ Cons:
- Too limited functionality
Are you a Lightroom, Luminar, or Photoshop user? Then you'd probably want to see our collection of the best free and paid presets for them.
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Exposure X5 looks like a refined version of Lightroom that inherited only the features that photographers liked and used the most. Some of the most hated features were eliminated or improved. Thus, there’s no time-consuming import process in Exposure X5 - you can get straight to editing by adding a folder with your photos in a few clicks. The interface is very well-organized and can be customized to suit your editing purposes. Besides non-destructive layer-based editing and cutting-edge tools that are crucial for the professional photo-manipulating process, Exposure X5 offers a mind-blowing collection of over 500 presets that you can customize to your liking.
✅ Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- Well-organized and customizable interface
- No power-draining import process
- Non-destructive layer-based editing
- A broad selection of free presets
- No subscription
✖️ Cons:
- The interface design looks a bit outdated
- Lack of panorama and HDR tools
8. Capture One Pro
Capture One Pro is a full-fledged pro photo editor created for experienced photographers and serious hobbyists. Originally designed for tethered shooting, Capture One Pro is the fastest and most flexible tethering tool for photographers of all genres. It also offers top-notch RAW photo-editing functionality, smart photo organization tools, layer support, powerful adjustment tools, and plenty of other features you’re looking for in professional-grade photo software.
✅ Pros: Macbook external hard drive.
- Exceptional rendering of RAW files
- Numerous adjustment tools for different needs;
- Layer-based editing
- Industry-leading tethering features
- Fast and smooth spot removal
- Annotations feature
✖️ Cons:
- Lack of third-party plug-in support;
- Lack of panorama and HDR tools
- Limited organization features;
- Absence of history panel
9. Affinity Photo
Even though Affinity Photo can’t boast any organization or management tools, it’s well-packed with all kinds of editing features for photographers of all levels. The workflow includes several Personas, or modes, focused on different editing stages. Develop Persona focuses on RAW file processing, Photo Persona is used for boosting your photos using layers, lighting and color adjustments, curves, LUTs, etc. Tone Mapping Persona is for HDR editing, Liquify Persona for bending photos, and Export Persona for exporting finished photos.
✅ Pros:
- Layer-based editing
- RAW editing tools
- Panorama, HDR, and focus stack merging tools
- No subscription
✖️ Cons:
- No lens-based corrections
- Lack of organization tools
- No ability to save custom workspaces
- Poor noise reduction
10. Pixlr
One of the most powerful online photo tools, Pixlr has become a popular choice when it comes to making quick photo corrections. Since it’s a web app, it doesn’t take up any room on your computer and is compatible with all operational systems. Pixlr features a clean and intuitive interface with many tools for cropping, selecting, transforming, removing objects, retouching and adjusting your photos using numerous sliders for brightness, contrast, vibrance, saturation, shadows, and more. It also offers a vast collection of filters and effects that will enhance your photos in a snap!
✅ Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- Great for quick editing
- Online
- 100% free
- Has a clean interface
- Offers a nice collection of filters and effects
- Mobile version available
✖️ Cons:
- Limited functionality
- Advertising can be annoying
- Can be laggy sometimes
11. Paint.NET
Developed to replace the iconic Microsoft Paint, Paint.NET has grown into a full-featured yet simple photo-editing tool for WIndows. The app offers a user-friendly interface that’s very easy to navigate. Paint.NET is packed with a nice set of tools for making your photos look beautiful in the most effortless way. Here you can play around with various adjustments, such as levels, curves, contrast, brightness, saturation, and more, selecting and removing objects, resize and crop your photos, and so much more!
✅ Pros:
- 100% free
- Unlimited history
- Layer-based editing
- Tons of creative filters and effects
- Suitable for beginner and intermediate users
- User-friendly interface
- Plug-in support
✖️ Cons:
- Only for Windows
- Interface design looks a bit outdated
- Limited functionality
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Do you agree with our opinion in this article? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Do you agree with our opinion in this article? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
FAQ:
Q: Which one is the best photo editing software?
A: Luminar 4 is the best photo editing software because it offers the most powerful collection of features and tools for different editing needs.
Q: What is the easiest free photo editing software?
Best Editing Software For Pc
A: Paint.NET is the easiest free photo editing software, however, it has a very limited number of features suitable only for basic editing.
Q: Which photo editing software is the best for HDR photo editing?
A: Aurora HDR is the best HDR photo editing software with a broad set of tools for creating and correcting HDR images.
Q: How can I edit pictures on my computer for free?
A: GIMP free photo editor is the best way to edit pictures on your computer for free. It’s well-packed with features and is suitable for beginners and pros alike.
Q: Which photo editing software can be used as a plug-in for Photoshop/ Lightroom?
A: Luminar 4 is the best Photoshop/ Lightroom plug-in that allows you to use its unique features in your go-to photo editor.
Whether you take photos for fun or business, it’s not an easy task to find a photo editing software that can best fit your photo editing needs with so many different options on the market. We believe that it’s easier to find something when you know what you’re looking for, so we came up with three criteria that you should take into account when looking for your one and only photo app. So, we recommend you to make your choice based on the features you want your app to have, the platform you’re going to use it on, and the price that you’re ready (or not) to pay for it. This will help you to filter out the irrelevant options and narrow your choices down to a few most suitable ones.
Features
We believe that all photo editing apps can be divided into several categories based on what they have to offer to users of different levels and needs. These categories are:
- Photo editing software for beginners. If you’re just starting out in photography or need to apply quick corrections to your photos once in a while, you should opt for a beginner-friendly photo editor like Paint.NET or Pixlr. Such editors usually have a clean and straightforward interface without too many tabs and icons, and a decent set of tools for applying basic corrections.
- Professional photo editing apps are designed for professional photographers and advanced hobbyists and give more control over photo processing and editing. Their use requires more specialized knowledge of photography and high photo-editing skill. Pro-grade photo editors like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One Pro often come with an in-build photo management system, provide support for RAW files, tethered shooting, and presets.
- Software for creating and editing vector graphics. As you probably know, there are two types of graphics: raster and vector. Raster graphics represent images as a pixel grid, while vector graphics use lines and curves. Vector software can’t change pixels and thus is ineffective for photo correction. However, you can use vector software to add graphics to your photo such as text, shapes, lines. Many raster photo editors include a handful of vector tools, like GIMP or Photoshop.
- AI photo software uses AI-based technology that allows reducing manual photo editing to a minimum - even the most complex editing tasks such as retouching or removing objects can be done with just a few clicks. Such apps are a popular choice among beginners and pros alike as they substantially speed up the editing process without affecting the quality. Luminar 4 is one of a few decent AI photo editing tools on the market.
- Open source photo editing apps are apps for which the source code can be viewed and changed by any user, like GIMP. It means that any user can interact with the program code to correct bugs, improve the exciting features and add new ones. Open-source software is usually completely free and for this reason much beloved by users of different levels of expertise.
Platform
Best Editing Software For Youtubers
There is another thing you should take into account when looking for your perfect photo-editing app - the platform you’re going to use it on. If you’re a Mac or Windows user, you’ve got a wider choice of options unlike, for example, Chrome OS users, who have a much more limited choice. Let’s take a closer look at what we have here.
- Windows is the most compatible with most of the photo software you're going to want to use. If you’re a Windows user, you have a great number of options to choose from including most widely-used apps like GIMP, Luminar 4, Lightroom, Paint.NET, and more.
- As Mac is the second most popular operating system, you won’t have any troubles finding a photo app compatible with it. Here you still have a vast number of options including Lightroom, Aurora HDR, Luminar 4, etc. The popular GIMP, however, isn’t compatible with Mac.
- If you’re a Chromebook user, your choice is limited to Google Play apps. Those, however, include a pretty good number of options, such as GIMP, Photoshop, Lightroom, and others. If you have strong programming skills, you could try installing external apps as well.
Best Editing Software
It doesn’t matter what platform you’re using if you choose to work in an online photo editor. It runs in a browser and doesn’t need installing.
Best Editing Software For Free
If you’re looking for an app for your Android or iOS device, you should check what your app store has to offer. Some web and desktop apps, like Pixlr or Lightroom, however, have mobile versions.
Price
No matter how good the software is, its price can be a real dealbreaker. Luckily, not all photo editing software is paid for. There are such apps as GIMP and Paint.NET that are completely free. Paid options include subscription-based (Photo Studio Ultimate 2020, Lightroom) and one-time-fee (Luminar 4, Photoshop Elements, Affinity Photo) software. Some paid apps though have free trial versions, so you can test an app for free for several days to see if it’s worth the money.