If you thought you had to pay a fortune for video editing software, you were wrong. There are actually many free video editing programs available. A lot of these programs are stripped down versions of professional video editing software. If you're a beginner working on simple video projects, that should be fine. Later on when you want to advance your editing, you can move up to a mid-range digital video software.
So, if you're looking for new video editing software, here are some free programs to check out. (And if you're looking for more advanced editing software, you'll be interested in these lists of mid-level digital video software and the top professional video editing programs.)
- iMovie
iMovie comes free with new Macs. iMovie offers many options for editing video and audio, and adding photos, music and narration to your movies.Begin Editing With iMovie
Create a Photomontage With iMovie
Edit Video Clips in iMovie
- Movie Maker
Movie Maker is Window’s free video editing software, which comes installed on new PCs. Use the program to create and share high-quality movies.Begin Editing With Movie Maker
Create a Photomontage in Movie Maker
Add Music to Your Movie Maker Project
- Jump Cut
An online entry, Jump Cut’s free video editing software allows you to cut video, and add audio, photos, effects and titles right on the web.
- Virtual Dub
Virtual Dub offers simple editing capabilities. You can’t get too creative with the software, but you can use it to make simple, clean edits in your video footage. Virtual Dub works with PCs only. - Wax
Wax is a bit dated—circa 2004—and the interface looks ancient, but the software comes with a very helpful guide and allows for a lot of creativity. - Zwei-Stein
This free editing software works with Macs, PCs and and Linux systems. It’s easy to download, with a colorful, sparse interface. - Jahshaka
“Powering the New Hollywood,” Jahshaka is a free, open source video editing software, that will give you powerful editing capabilities. - HyperEngine-AV
This is a popular free software for Macs. The “trackless” editing system makes it easy to combine video, audio and photos.
