Whether you’re a beginner needing something simple for YouTube or you’re a professional that requires more advanced features there’s a free video editor for you
It’s no secret by now that video is a tremendously powerful tool to tell your brand story, market your products and engage with your customers but like all new skills and tools editing video is intimidating when you haven’t done it before which is why today I’ll talk about the seven best free and easy to use editing programs that will help you showcase your product videos on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and more. By the end of this text, you’ll know the tools you can use to edit videos like a pro so you can level up your e-commerce marketing.
This article is not a detailed editing tutorial but rather is a rapid introduction to the best free video editing programs that are great for complete beginners after all you certainly don’t need confusing complicated and expensive professional editing software to enjoy the benefits of integrating video into your marketing efforts. At the end of the day, most of the videos you likely want to make for your business are short 30 seconds to 3 minutes. In videos such as brand featurettes product demonstrations or advertising videos, you’ll likely combine footage images, text music, and graphics like your logo or a simple call to action. These free editing programs I’ll share today can all achieve that desired result.
This is a brief introduction to each program with some feature comparisons so you’ll have the confidence to choose the one that feels right for you but again all of them can help you confidently make the marketing pieces you’re envisioning for your brand whether it’s a 15-second social ad or a three-minute brand story for the about us page on your website.
Adobe Premiere Rush
I’m going to kick this list off with a super basic yet reliable editor Adobe Rush. I like Adobe Rush for a few reasons. First of all, it’s available for both Mac and PC. This means that if you learn how to use it and end up switching computers and operating systems in the future there’s no new learning curve you’ll be able to continue creating videos. Second, it’s built by Adobe which means it comes from the pedigree of the company’s industry-standard professional video editing suite called Adobe Premiere Pro. This benefits you because first Adobe is a huge software company which means Rush is frequently updated to run more and more reliably but also if you continue creating videos and want to step up to a program with all the professional features as you improve your skills and create more and more videos you’ll already be familiar with the look and feel the commands the menu systems and keyboard shortcuts that carry over seamlessly from Rush to Premiere Pro.
Lightworks
Lightworks offers two upgradeable versions but the basic version is absolutely free. Lightworks is very easy to learn how to use. This is demonstrated by the fact that they have a 16-minute video tutorial that goes through everything you need to make a basic video that you can watch. The biggest downside to Lightworks though is that the free version only allows you to export to 720p. 720p feels tragic in a world of 8k cameras and 4k led TVs but 720p is indeed still considered high definition and if you intend on publishing your videos primarily to social media with your target audience viewing your videos on their phones or on your website 720p is fine not to mention it’ll load faster for your website visitors who have slower internet connections. Lightworks has pre-licensed royalty-free professional stock footage and soundtrack audio you can search for and use for free without worrying about getting hit with a copyright strike.
Openshot
Openshot is the second most full-featured editor on this list. The user interface is so intuitive and yet it packs quite a lot of professional editing software features while still managing to be easy to learn and use. Features like unlimited video layers so you can have your base video clips but overlay your logo throughout the entire edit and overlay images on top of the base video and even the ability to make perfectly timed animated elements are features you’d typically find in premium paid editing programs. I cannot say enough good things about Openshot. It’s completely free, very full-featured and unlike Lightworks allows you to export at higher resolutions as well.
iMovie
iMovie comes pre-installed on any Apple computer, iPhone, or iPad and really is a tremendously powerful software. It’s available only for Apple devices but if you have a Mac this is a natural option for you. Apple created this software to run as smoothly and as fast on their own hardware so of course the optimization is maxed out for Macs like all the programs we’ve discussed so far. Imovie is very approachable and easy to learn and the user interface design just makes doing what you want to do.
Picking it up from complete beginner to being able to create great videos is super streamlined and with tons of pre-loaded titles, sound effects, transitions, and backgrounds. It’s just a solid all-around workhorse of an editing program. Best of all it’s the younger sibling to apple’s professional video editor Final Cut Pro so as you level up an experience and desire to create more professional videos transitioning from Imovie to FCP is a natural and smooth migration if you are locked in the Apple ecosystem.
It’s definitely a lean video editor without a lot of the features you’d find from other software on this list but its simplicity can be a huge benefit especially if you’re the type to get bogged down with too many options and just want to get things done.
If you’re a complete beginner to video editing it comes free with your windows computer so no need to download additional software right away and you know what you might just discover that it’s capable of handling everything you want for the videos you have in your mind to create for your business today.
DaVinci Resolve
Next up is DaVinci Resolve and I simply cannot believe this is free. Resolve is literally what top Hollywood studios use especially for a process called color grading but more and more is used by creators from YouTubers to network studios for the core editing as well so that everything is done end to end in one piece of software. I can’t stress how incredible the feature list is because again it’s literally an industry-standard professional software. From noise removal, to clean up the image, and quality of your videos, to a robust image stabilizer, to turn shaky footage into smooth shots, from incredible masking options to do magical visual effects to by a huge margin the most customizable color grading. If you can take the time to learn how to use DaVinci Resolve from the beginning of your video creation journey you will be setting yourself up for becoming a professional video editor all without needing to spend a penny on the downside to resolve.
Though it’s a truly professional video editing program which means if you are a beginner the sheer amount of tools, buttons, menus, submenus, workspaces, and flexible node-based editing options will be absolutely terrifying available for both Windows and Mac OS. If you start your editing journey as a beginner with DaVinci Resolve it will be a slow start with at least two straight weeks of spending half of each day watching YouTube tutorials and the other half implementing what you learn as you build the muscle memory and learn the workspace but if you can push through those 14 days of essentially treating it like a full-time job you will be almost set for life without ever needing to learn another software ever again.
TikTok Video Editor
TikTok video editor might feel like a bit of a curveball because it’s TikTok. TikTok is an all-in-one tool with one of those tools being a basic editor look. It’s really important for you to ask yourself what my goal for wanting to edit videos is. If creating marketing videos with the aim of publishing exclusively to social media and if your target customer watches most of their videos on a phone there may be absolutely no reason to spend money on a professional camera and time to learn how to use more robust editing software. Launch the app, film, and cut at the same time. Add music and text as you go, manipulate with really sophisticated special effects with the built-in tools, and perhaps most valuably distribute your message to millions of hungry eyes already laser-focused on the app. If you told marketing and ad agencies just 10 years ago that this was possible they would either laugh at you assuming you weren’t sober or with a straight face offers you millions of dollars for the capability and best of all in 2022.
Video Pad
If you’re an absolute beginner this program makes it easy to get started with many cool features and the ability to share your creations directly on YouTube, Facebook, and other sites. Video Pad has both a free and pro version while the free plan does lack some of the advanced features. You do get support for stunning video effects and transitions color control video stabilization and built-in audio effects. You also have the ability to export your projects in resolutions up to 4k.
VSDC Video Editor
This non-linear video editor for windows only is similar to expensive programs like premiere pro and final cut pro. For the first time, they’ve made significant improvements to their interface that would have been previously described as clunky. Just like video pad VSDC is available with both free and paid plans. With their free edition, you get a ton of useful features including transitions video and audio effects masking, and motion tracking. It also allows up to 4k resolution for any exported project. VSDC is more than just a video editor. When you launch it your choices are blank project, create a slideshow, import content, video capture, and screen capture.
HitFilm Express
Hitfilm Express includes more than 400 effects and preset motion tracking and supports output resolutions up to 4k with no limit on the number of tracks and transitions. Hitfilm Express is available for both Windows and Mac.
Vimeo Create
Vimeo Create, a free video editing program that connects straight to your Shopify store, converts your existing product photos and text into beautiful ecommerce films. No prior video experience is required. Simply answer a few questions about your product, upload your film and logo, and choose from a variety of style options. Vimeo Create then edits your video for you in a matter of minutes (though you can also choose your own styles or start from scratch). Colors, themes, music, and typefaces are all suggested by the AI software.
It’s very useful for large-scale video production (if you, say, start a channel for your business in an effort to make money on YouTube and want to streamline the creation process).
Vimeo is a popular video-sharing platform with over 200 million users. Because Vimeo is a one-stop shop, you can manage, host, and distribute all of your films from a one location, optimizing your process.
WeVideo
For corporations, educators, students, and regular consumers, WeVideo is the greatest cloud-based online video editor. You can use it from anywhere: at home, at work, at school, and so on. All files are saved in a secure cloud where you can quickly edit, view, and share videos.
You can add amazing features like a green screen for professional-looking aesthetics without the cost or bother with WeVideo. When you buy a Business plan, you also get access to over one million pieces of royalty-free stock media, including films, photos, and audio files. Even with the free version, you can simply produce movies for social media, the web, and mobile devices, with unlimited storage and no software to download.
KineMaster
Consider KineMaster as your go-to software if you’re a mobile video editor. This advanced video editing program is ideal for mobile devices and is available for free (subscription model optional). You can quickly take video, edit it, and upload it all from your phone or tablet with KineMaster. KineMaster, on the other hand, sacrifices advanced tools in order to ease movie creation.
With more than 2,500 downloadable transitions and effects, KineMaster makes it simple to clip, splice, trim, and combine films. To make videos stand out, use color filters and tweaks to rectify and improve them. When you’re done, upload them to YouTube, TikTok, Reels, Stories, and other platforms.
Windows Video Editor
For those who want to get back to basics, Microsoft’s built-in editor, Windows Video Editor, is a useful tool. It’s ideal for creating quick changes to small video clips that require immediate attention. Windows Video Editor is more of a photo editor than a video editor, but it does have basic editing features like cropping, cutting, and adding text or music. Video Editor is a free video editor that comes with Windows 10 and higher. It’s useful for basic video editing.
Blender
Blender video editing is a free and open-source 3D modeling and animation software. It has tools for modeling and rendering 3D animations. Hundreds of developers from all over the world collaborated on the program. Blender’s software has a large number of tools thanks to its large user base. Blender is primarily a 3D animation program, but it also includes a capable video editor that should suffice for most users’ needs. Blender is a versatile video editor for both novice and professional users, and an ideal alternative for more advanced projects that may incorporate 3D animation. It can also handle more complex edits, such as video masking.
Shotcut
Shotcut is a cross-platform, open-source video editor with a large library of tutorial videos. It also works with FFmpeg, 4K, ProRes, and DNxHD, among other formats. However, because Shotcut was created for Linux, some users may find the interface a little strange. Regardless, it’s still a fantastic editor.
Shotcut also has a lot of audio editing capabilities, so it’s great for audiophiles. Users can modify bass and treble, create bandpass filters, alter gain, apply dynamic compression, and more with its array of audio fine-tuning options.