Content making has taken the world by storm. Vlogging has replaced blogging and video making has become essential to any brand’s online survival. Videos help companies increase customer engagement and get better ROI on their social media pages. According to Small Business Trends, an online publication, videos for eCommerce products can increase conversion rates by almost 144%.

How to Choose a Video Editing Tool:

Choose the free video editor best suited to your needs by considering the points mentioned below:

The intended platform for video sharing
Video export format required
Video quality, resolution, and compatibility.
Availability of desired effects, transitions, and layers.
Beginner or professional grade
Free or paid version
Availability of direct social sharing
Possibility of real-time editing
Availability of mobile version
Multiple track editing
Tutorials and technical support
System Requirements

Top 10 Free Video Editing Tools:

There are different video editing software available for different purposes such as those for beginners and professionals, for Windows or Mac, and those that make it easy to share content online. Here we list the best FREE video editing tools for amateurs and pros alike.

Lightworks
HitFilm Express
Shortcut
Blender
OpenShot
VSDC Video Editor
DaVinci Resolve
Movie Maker 10
iMovie
VideoPad

1. Lightworks

Lightworks is one of the best free video editing tools available today. It has a simple and customizable interface that compliments both beginners and professionals, plus its many tutorials can help any novice get a grip on this software.

Features:

High-quality and simple trim functions for fast and precise video editing
Simultaneously import and edit content.
Multi edit clips from different camera sources
Real-time content sharing with controlled access
Easy export to YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and Instagram
Free version can export in MPEG format
Features Multi-track editing

Available for: Mac, Linux, and Windows.

Price: Free, $24.99 per month for the Pro version

2. HitFilm Express

Hitfilm is also one of the best open-source video editing tools in the market. Its interface requires some learning but the free online tutorials can help you be well on your way. The software requires a powerful PC to support it and you may have to share a link to social media for the free download.

Hitfilm Express makes it easy to adjust colors, trim movie clips, and export files in different formats. The free pack includes over 180 special effects.

Features:

Advanced cutting tools
Keying for green screen chroma effects
Audio and video filters
Custom Layers and masking
Create 3D compositions
Animate multiple shots at once with composite shot enhancements
The auto-stabilizer helps smooth shaky footage.
Create unlimited video and audio timeline tracks.
Trim and re-trim clips on the timeline using the adaptive trimmer
Copy and paste attributes for multiple clips
Fine-tune sound using the audio mixer
Video transition options, such as push, zoom and dissolve

Available for: Mac and Windows

Price: Free, $349 for the Pro version

3. Shortcut

Shortcut is an open-source, cross-platform video editor. Its interface may be unfamiliar to some as it was originally designed for Linux users. Shortcut features a variety of audio and video filters that can be layered to achieve the desired effect. This software supports 4K HD resolution 1080p and 60 FPS videos. It features audio and timeline editing options.

Features:

Supports the latest audio and video formats.
Import video files directly to the project timeline.
Multiple timelines for a single project to mix and match resolutions and frame rates.
Advanced audio filters including balance, bass, treble, bandpass filters, compressor, etc.
Supports direct streaming

Available for: Windows, Mac, and Linux

Price: Free

4. Blender

This open-source video editor caters to both novice and experienced users. Its best feature is to create 3D animations however it is also a powerful video editing tool. It may require some learning for new users as online tutorials for video editing are limited. Editing options include cutting, splicing, and masking among others.

Features:

Display of live preview, luma waveform, vectorscope, and histogram.
Visualize audio mixing, syncing, scrubbing, and waveform.
Multiple slots for adding video, images, audio, and effects.
Add layers, transitions, keyframes, filters, and more.
High speed save and export functions for the project
Can be customized for video game development
Includes advanced character animation tools
An array of visual effects

Available for: Windows, Mac, and Linux

Price: Free

5. Open Shot

Open Shot is a free video editing software that features a very simple drag and drop interface. It is the best for beginners and has attributes like unlimited layers, audio mixing, real-time transition previews, etc.

Features:

Unlimited tracks/layers for background videos, and audio tracks, etc.
Clip resizing, scaling, trimming, snapping, rotation, and cutting options
Video transitions with real-time previews
Compositing, image overlays, and watermarks
Create title templates, subtitles, 3D animated titles, and effects.
Advanced timeline functionality like drag & drop, scrolling, panning, zooming, and snapping
Credit scrolling, frame stepping, time mapping, and audio editing.
Customize digital video effects, including brightness, gamma, hue, greyscale, and green-screen effects.
Powerful key-frame animation capabilities for creating 3D animated videos.

Available for: Windows, Mac, and Linux

Price: Free

6. VSDC Video Editor

VSDC is a free video editing tool for windows, it has a user-friendly interface and incorporates a video stabilization tool to stabilize shaky clips. It includes links to instructional videos, which help navigate through its interface.

VSDC supports functions like animations, transitions, watermarking, blending, overlaying, and masking. It also includes a screen capture tool and a variety of built-in effects, and audio filters. The attributes of VSDC include hiding or featuring specific elements in the video, color correction, and audio editing.

The free version does not provide technical support, multiple color chroma key tools, and support for resolution over 1080p. It lacks features like 360-degree, motion tracking, and Multicamera editing tools.

Features:

Color-correction tools for a professional look
A full pack of transitional effects
Convenient image filters, similar to Instagram
Mask tools for hiding, blurring, or highlighting elements
Social media link for sharing videos on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Vimeo, etc.
Incorporates HEVC/H.265, video compression for maintaining quality at minimum file size.

Available for: Windows

Price: Free, $19.99 for the Pro version

7. DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is a powerful, free, cross-platform, professional video editing tool for more advanced video editors. It requires high system requirements for optimum results.

Advanced audio editing, simultaneous file collaboration, facial recognition, fast export to social platforms, and 3D audio are some of its main features. DaVinci Resolve incorporates Fusion, which includes modules for editing, color correction, audio production, video effects, and motion graphics. The app also provides the option to add 2D and 3D titles to the video.

Davinci is quite extensive but the interface can require some learning.

Features:

Advanced trimming
Multicam editing
Color correction
Audio mastering
Facial recognition
Motion graphics
Video effects
Real-time collaboration

Available for: macOS, Windows, and Linux

Price: Free

8. Movie Maker 10

Movie Maker 10 is a free and easy tool to use for video editing for Windows users. It provides basic features to edit short video clips quickly. It includes a variety of video and picture editing tools and incorporates the ability to add captions with custom fonts and colors.

Features:

Auto-preview edits and effects.
Create customizable cuts of video clips.
Animation tab to add music, titles, and credits.

Available for: Windows

Price: Free

9. iMovie

iMovie is a free video editing software by Apple and operates by the Mac OS. It has a simple drag-and-drop interface for the convenient movement of files from your drive to your workstation. An advantage to iMovie is the storage of files on iCloud, hence it is accessible on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It features frequent updates and improvements.

Features:

Support for 4K resolution quality videos
Cloud-storage functionality
Variety of quality title animations
Genre specific video filters that are stylish and contemporary.
Built-in audio settings for music, sound effects, and voiceover recording
Speed controls to control video streaming speeds.
A variety of pre-made transitions
Video trimming tools
Split-screen interface

Available for: Mac

Price: Free

10. VideoPad

VideoPad is the software of choice for beginners who are just starting in the field of multimedia video editing. It has an easy-to-use interface and enables convenient editing of 360-degree video, however its features may be too basic for advanced users. Its main feature is prompt social sharing to social media outlets like YouTube, Facebook, Dropbox, Flickr, Google Drive, etc.

VideoPad lacks multicamera editing, high-end special effects, and motion tracking.

Features:

Multiple pre-made transitions
Export in Multiple Resolutions
3D Video Editing
Stability feature to reduce shaking
Library of Sound Effects
Direct exporting of files to YouTube and other platforms.

Available for: Mac and Windows

Price: Free

Conclusion:

In conclusion, there are plenty of options available for video editing whether you are clipping home videos or creating professional content. Video marketing is the new frontier and you can use the tools mentioned above to enhance your creative skills and stay on top of the video editing game.