If video isn’t already an important part of your content marketing strategy, odds are it’s about to be. Web content is taking a turn toward video whether SEOs and content marketers like it or not. Nearly 50% of marketers are adding YouTube and Facebook channels for video distribution in the next year; one third of online activity is spent watching video; and video itself is projected to account for more than 80% of all internet traffic by 2019. 80%!

The Best Editing Tools For YouTube Videos. Shotcut, a free open source video editor that is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux,.

For those looking to continue to grow their organic traffic, that means one thing:

Not an expert? Don’t know how to edit videos, have a video studio, or have a bona fide video specialist to shoot and cut your features? That’s alright! The goal of today’s blog is to show you that with the right video editing software, you too can churn out sleek, professional video content—regardless of experience—and keep your content strategy ahead of the curve.

Let’s dive in! Here are our recs for the top 10 best pieces of video editing software or video editing apps for beginners—from cheapest (i.e. free!) to most expensive.

1. Apple iMovie

Ok—so to those of you working with PCs, this one won’t really apply; but we’d remiss to leave it off the list. If you’re looking for simplicity and elegance, it doesn’t get much better than Apple iMovie. iMovie’s ten high-fidelity filters are some of the classiest in the video editing game; and if you’re shooting on your iPhone, or have been editing a project on your iPad, you can use AirDrop to wirelessly and seamlessly transfer your project over to your Mac.

One of iMovie’s most coveted features is its green-screen, or “chroma-key” tool, which allows you to place your characters in exotic locations—Hawaii, say—at a moment’s notice. Want to overlay the scene with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”? iMovie ties directly in with iTunes and GarageBand, so you can easily implement custom tracks and sounds. When your movie’s finally ready to ship, release it into the wild using iMessage, Facebook, YouTube, or any other of iMovie’s succinctly connected platforms.

Standout Features: Seamless Apple product integration; green-screen; audio and social platform integration

Pricing: Free with the purchase of a Mac

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2. Lumen5: How to Edit Videos Without Much Technical Ability

We’ll put this more in the category of a video editing “tool” than video editing software, but for social media marketers who want to create fun, flashy social promos in the blink of an eye, Lumen5 is a no brainer. Here’s a short little feature we made for a recent blog post, 14 Fun & Festive Holiday Marketing Ideas for 2017:

Lumen5 markets itself as a tool that turns blog posts into social promos. While the process isn’t perfect, and you’ll likely have to do some tinkering to get your blog content looking just the way you want it, the rest of the video creation process is a cinch. Merely refine some copy that teases your blog post; drag and drop some gifs, screengrabs, or video clips; add some music; and your engaging social video will be ripe for Facebook and Twitter.

Standout Features: Blog-to-social-promo creation; drag-and-drop interface

Pricing: Create as many 480p videos as you want with the free version; or, for $50 per month, upgrade to 1080p HD.

3. Nero Video

One of the cheaper options around ($49.99), Nero Video holds its own on this list—it comes well-stocked with a lot of the tricks and effects you’ll find among other products vying for video editing supremacy, and as far as software for beginners, you can certainly do worse. If you’re going to spend money learning how to edit videos, however, you might want to steer clear. Nero just doesn’t have the speed and functionality of some of the other products listed here, and if it’s value proposition is its price, $50 is still not all that cheap.

Standout Features: Low pricing

Pricing: One-time payment of $49.99

4. Corel VideoStudio

Corel VideoStudio has all the characteristics of the other top-of-the-line products on this list, including 360-degree VR and 4k support, but it also has the distinction of being the first piece of consumer video editing software to offer motion tracking—which, if you’re not already familiar, is a feature that allows you to track specific objects throughout your cut (if you wanted, say, to point an arrow at one of your characters, blur out his face, or bestow him with a funny hat). Most of the products on this list come equipped with motion tracking, but VideoStudio still boasts one of the best motion tracking systems around.

One of the knocks on VideoStudio is its speed, which lags notably behind some of the faster systems on this list, like CyberLink PowerDirector and Pinnacle Studio. Still: for a one-time payment of $51.99? You can do much worse.

Standout Features: Motion tracking

Pricing: One-time payment of $51.99

5. Filmora from Wondershare

When it comes to video editing software, Filmora is about as multi-faceted as they come. Filmora is Wondershare’s standard, simple, high-quality video editing offering; but Wondershare also offers FilmoraGo (for mobile editing) and Filmora Scrn (for screen recording and editing). The design is intuitive and easy to use, and comes replete with filters, overlays, motion elements, transitions, and a small selection of royalty-free music. Here are a few more of the “basics” Filmora offers:

4k and gif support are boilerplate features for most video editing products today, but one thing Filmora does particularly well is titles. Title tools are trending in video software, and while Filmora’s doesn’t have the functionality of say, an Apple Final Cut Pro X, which can superimpose 3D titles over your videos and rotate them on three axes, it nonetheless has some snazzy titling features for the money you’re spending.

Another Filmora feature beginners to video editing will find attractive is “Easy Mode,” which allows you to create fun, polished edits by merely dragging and dropping clips, choosing a theme, and selecting music.

Standout features: Title tool; mobile and screen editing; “Easy Mode”

Pricing: Starts at $59.99 for a lifetime license; or, $39.99 for a year.

6. CyberLink PowerDirector

So—we stretched the meaning of “software” a bit earlier; now, we’re going to stretch the meaning of “beginner.” We included CyberLink PowerDirector on this list because its interface is, at the end of the day, pretty straightforward. Head to the product page, run through the tutorials, and you’ll be alright. There is within the interface, however, an embarrassment of options and effects. If you’re not willing to invest the time in learning all of them, it can get a bit overwhelming.

Don’t be scared of CyberLink’s extra features; just be wary of your commitment level!

In terms of rendering, PowerDirector is regarded as one of the fastest video editing systems around. It also operates consistently in the sphere of the innovative and cutting edge. PowerDirector led the charge in the switch to 4k, and today, it’s one of the first systems to support 360-degree virtual reality footage.

Price: you get what you pay for! $79.99 gets you unlimited access to one of the most capable pieces of video editing software around.

Standout Features: Lightning-fast rendering; comprehensive suite of effects

Pricing: One-time payment of $79.99

7. Adobe Premiere Elements

We include Premiere Elements on the list mostly because it’s been an industry leader in the video editing game for some time. And $79.99 is not egregious, but we’re here to say that at that price, you’re mostly paying for the name. In the time since Premiere Elements’ inception, too many other products have surpassed it in speed and capability for us to place it among the cream of the crop. That’s to take nothing away from Premiere Elements’ usability, though—specifically for beginners.

The Guided Edits feature makes Adobe Premiere a particularly attractive option for beginners, as it allows them to take on both quick edits and advanced projects with substantial assistance from the software.

If you’re not entirely sure what you’re doing, don’t sleep on Guided Edits!

So while Premiere Elements lags behind the competition in terms of speed, 3D editing, multi-cam, and some other advanced features, it’s still a great choice for the beginner looking for a comprehensive suite of effects, and some guidance on how to implement them.

Standout Features: Guided Edits; simple interface

Pricing: One-time payment of $79.99

8. Pinnacle Studio

At the higher end of the Corel product line is Pinnacle Studio—which, at $129.95 (the amount you’ll need to pay to edit 360-degree and 4k content with the “Ultimate” version), costs more than twice as much as VideoStudio. What do you get for the extra money? Well, not only does Pinnacle come readily equipped with all the features you’d expect from an upper-echelon product—motion tracking, 360-degree VR support, 4k support, multi-cam, etc.—but you’d be hard-pressed to find a faster product on the market in terms of rendering.

For all of its features, Pinnacle’s interface is still as user-friendly and intuitive as anything on this list. Thus, is you have the need for speed, and you don’t mind shelling out a few extra bucks for it, Pinnacle might be the product for you.

Standout Features: Top-of-the-line rendering speeds; full range of features and support

Pricing: One-time payment of $129.95

9. Adobe Premiere Pro

With a virtually unmatched suite of features, 360 VR and 4k support, and a newly implemented ability to store, organize, and share assets online with a team, Adobe Premiere Pro is perhaps the most complete piece of video editing software around. Here’s a recent video promo for our free AdWords account structure guide we cut using Premiere Pro.

One of the more dazzling of Premiere Pro’s tools is the Lumetri Color tool, which offers color adjustment and manipulation on par with that of a Photoshop. The multi-cam feature is also a winner—whereas most systems allow you to work with a limited number of camera angles, Premiere Pro’s latest iteration allows for an unlimited amount.

Throw in a wealth of titling options, readily connected ancillary apps (like Photoshop and After Effects), and a flexible, easy-to-use interface, and Premiere Pro is a no brainer.

Standout Features: Multi-cam and coloring options; title tool; easy integration with Adobe Products; straightforward interface

Pricing: $19.99/month

10. Apple Final Cut Pro X

For the most advanced, least fiscally prudent of beginners, there’s Apple Final Cut Pro X. $299.99 might be a little steep for a product you may well have a difficult time understanding; but for those among you who enjoy a challenge, and who aspire to some level of professionalism in video editing, why not go for it? Apple has made the transition from iMovie to Final Cut Pro more painless than ever—so if you’re the kind of guy or gal who enjoys him/herself an Apple product, and has worked with iMovie to the point of mastery, it might be time to splurge on Final Cut Pro. The power is still daunting; the interface, significantly less so.

Standout Features: Magnetic Timeline; Touch Bar support

Pricing: One-time payment of $299.99

Some Final Thoughts

Are you a content or social media marketer looking to get in the video editing game for the sake of keeping up with the growing video trend? Don’t stress! Any of the above software apps would make a fine choice for a beginner.

Think about your budget, your current level of expertise, and how much time you’re willing to devote to learning a new skill. Whether you're looking for the best video editing software for YouTube, or the responsibility has simply fallen on you to get your team’s video marketing strategy up to snuff—don’t wait around deliberating! Get invested in one of these video editing products, and make it yours.

Ask any Youtube creator, and they'll tell you the same thing: editing is one of the most important parts of post-production. But there is more to editing than meets the eye. Those who want to breeze through it know they can't do without the proper Youtube video editor tools.

In this article, we talk about how to hook your viewers with eye-catching Youtube videos and kill that editing game using the best Youtube video editors.

The Best YouTube Video Editors

You must be wondering what editing software YouTubers use the most. Before we jump to it, there are some things you should consider when choosing a Youtube video editor.

1. What kind of projects are you working on?
2. Do you need a straightforward tool for basic edits or complex ones?
3. What platforms are you using?
4. How much are you willing to invest in getting the most out of a YouTube video editor?

Without further mentions, here are our top 7 picks that run the show:

#1. iMovie

The classic Youtube free video editor that lets you create Hollywood-style trailers and stunning 4K-resolution video clips. Also, a perfect choice for beginner YouTubers who are new to intros, transitions, and filter selections.

Pros:

• 4K video for stunning cinema-quality films
• Highly accessible and easy to use
• Has a powerful mobile version that allows you to edit from your iPhone or Android
• Extended collection of animated titles and credits
• Ten creative video filters too choose from and add a cinematic touch
• Clean and welcoming interface
• Rich in features
• Straightforward sharing options

Cons:

• Only available for iOS
• Limited editing features
• Interface not customizable

User Review:

'iMovie is great for people that are not tech-savvy. It's simple to figure out and navigate around. It uses icons to help you know what to click on---for instance, when uploading to YouTube, there is an icon to click for ease of use. It is great for your basic movie editing needs.' - Tamara S

Price: Free

#2. DaVinci Resolve

A pro-level YouTube video editor including four high-end video-production modules for editing, color correction, audio production, video effects and motion graphics. 'The Basic features [..] are easy to use. Anything beyond the basics, though, and you'll want to consult the manual,' highlights Tom's Guide.

Pros:

• Available for Mac, Windows and Linux
• Free with no limits or watermarks
• Intuitive interface
• Great for color grading, compositing and audio production
• Its integration with Fusion offers a 2D and 3D workspace with tools for compositing, painting, creating particle effects, keying, rotoscoping, adding text animation, tracking and performing stabilization

Cons:

• High-end graphics functions require a powerful PC
• No direct export to social media
• Big learning curve
• The free version lacks a few modern features

User Review:

'I use DaVinci Resolve to edit promotional videos for my own artwork, to edit other artists' videos, and videos for submissions to grant applications. Most of these videos use multiple camera sources, sometimes up to 10. They are regularly from a variety of cameras and the software has to sync all the angles up and allow for color correction to make the clips look similar. I have used Final Cut Pro for about 15 years but switched to DaVinci primarily for its color correction capabilities. It also does an excellent job syncing a variety of sources up.' - Verified User

Price: Free

#3. Lightworks 14

Whether it's social media, YouTube or 4K film projects, Lightworks is the tool to edit videos that stand out from the crowd. Let us just tell you it was the software of choice for editing The Wolf of Wall Street, LA Confidential, Pulp Fiction, Heat, Hug, The King's Speech and other legendary movies.

Pros:

• Simple & intuitive user interface
• Suitable for Windows, Linux & Mac OS X
• Easy timeline editing & trimming
• Lo-Res Proxy workflows for 4K
• Real-time ready to use audio & video FX
• Publish to your YouTube account
• Broad file format support including variable frame rate media
• Grade your sequence professionally utilizing up to 32bit GPU precision and histogram tool

Cons:

• Limited export formats for the free version (MPEG or H.264 files up to 720p resolution)

User Review:

'I primarily used Lightworks for editing tutorial and gaming videos. One aspect of Lightworks I like a lot, and the reason I recommend it frequently is the free version. It's enough for almost all beginning editors despite the limitations. The dynamic workspace also works really well and I like the flexibility in organizing windows. The interface can be a bit confusing at first as it doesn't operate like most NLE interfaces, but once you get used to it, it's not too bad. I'd recommend starting with the trial and comparing it to other video editing programs like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, Vegas, Media Composer, and Edius.' - KC M

Price: Free version + Pro Plan starting at $€19.99 /month.

#4. Filmora9

An elegant Youtube video editing software any user can learn to use, regardless of their skill level.

Pros:

• Compatible with Filmstocks effects store
• Available for Windows and Mac
• Supports 50+ formats
• Intuitive, user-friendly interface
• 4k editing support
• Burn your project to a DVD option
• Basic editing tools (GIF support, noise removal, reverse mode, social media import, speed control, color tuning, frame preview, etc
• Advanced video editing tools (PIP, Audio mixer, advanced text editing, green screen, screen recording, split-screen, 3D lut, tilt-shift, video stabilization, audio separation, scene detection, etc.)
• Highly accessible to beginners

Cons:

• Can't import and edit 360-degree videos
• Doesn't track moving objects
• Doesn't configure audio for surround sound
• Doesn't suit all the needs of professional Youtube editors
• Missing advanced features like closed captioning, Multicam, storyboard editing

User Review:

Ilo remote access for mac. 'Filmora is used at my organization for basic video editing to pitch investors and show the progress of our systems. It is used primarily by myself and, at times, some of my coworkers. We typically do not need to do much actual editing of videos, but we sometimes need to splice videos, overlay audio, and add annotations to the video. Nobody at my organization is an expert at video editing, and we were looking for the easiest software to use.' - Bill Greganti

Price: Several plans, including a free one and a one-time purchase for €59.99.

#5. Final Cut Pro X

Apple's Final Cut Pro is a revolutionary Youtube video editing software designed to fit any video need. It's intuitive enough for new users and sophisticated enough for pro video editors. If you’re ready to graduate from iMovie and move to a more powerful Youtube video editor, this is it.

Pros:

• 360° video editing
• 4K HDR support
• Stunning aesthetics
• Advanced video editing features & functionality
• Motion Graphics templates
• Innovative magnetic timeline for faster, easier editing
• Improved reliability when sharing to YouTube
• User-friendly interface
• High-quality built-in resources/templates
• Professional lighting and color correction
• Automatic uploads to YouTube

Cons:

• Only available for Mac
• No dedicated save function, only autosave

User Review:

'I am in the media and outreach department of my organization and we use Final Cut Pro X to edit all of the videos we put out on YouTube. We currently put out one video a week. There are no other departments in the organization that use Final Cut Pro X. The problem that it addresses is it gives me a powerful platform to create a video exactly how I want it to look with the built-in tools. Plus, it gives me the ability to install numerous plugins to expand the functionality. I also use Final Cut Pro X to edit a weekly vlog video on my own YouTube channel.' - Seth Paine

Price: $299/one-time payment (with a 30-day free trial).

#6. CyberLink PowerDirector 16

Bring editing to the mainstream and say good-bye to shaky footages with one of the best 360-degree movie makers. Suitable for beginners, causal users or professionals alike who need a reliable Youtube video editor.

Pros:

• Robust stabilization, motion, object tracking and titling
• Fast rendering
• Complete format support
• 360 video stabilization
• Advanced editing control over 360-degree footage
• Video Collage Designer feature
• MultiCam Designer feature to switch between footage shot from several cameras
• Multi-key Sampling Chroma key editing for green screen editing
• Best Matched Profile to select the video profile that best suits your video
• Creative video blending
• One-click color correction, intelligent color match and color grading
• Easy upload to Youtube

Cons:

• Only available for Windows
• Can't trim video within the source panel

User Review:

'I use PowerDirector for all of my editing needs. I have two different YouTube channels and I've found that this program is just as good as their competition (that charges much more). It looks, smells, and acts just like any high-quality editing program but without the hefty price tag. I've been using this program for years and although the platform still looks the same, the continual improvements make it a great value for anyone wanting to make professional-looking videos on their own.' - Chad Von Dette

Price: there are three stand-alone versions and two suites; the basic starts at $69.99.

#7. Animoto

Animoto makes it easy to create and edit videos that get your brand noticed. From slideshows, recipes, tutorials, promos, marketing and square videos---Animoto handles the job like no other, but with a few limitations. If you don't have high editing demands and money to invest in high-end software, this Youtube video editor does a fine job.

Pros:

• Stock and music library
• Quickly customize colors, text, aspect ratio, styles
• Pre-built storyboard templates
• One-click voice-over tool
• HD downloads at 1080p.
• Instant share on social media
• Easy to use
• Strong online community
• Easy social media integration
• Polished looking videos

Cons:

• Not suitable for high-demanding video editing
• Can't make subtle changes to one frame
• Limited edit styles
• Lack of features for editing individual clips

User Review:

'Easy to pick up, edit and create videos and add auto links to social media. YouTube uploading is very good. Negatives or areas to improve: pay as you go price point is a little steep, the annual price point is almost 50% off. As an occasional user, I suggest a slightly lower price point may attract more customers or consider a quarterly payment option. The number of stock images or videos you can use is low---we used our own where needed. All in all, this is an excellent product for creating content for social media and networking sites or your own website.' - Matthew Hayward

Price: Starting at $33/month (free trial included)

These are the top tools for Youtube video editors who know their stuff. Now look, we get it. Editing is not always smooth and if you're in this game for real, it's time to get ahead of it.

Let's dive deeper into the editing phase and how to make sure you rock it.

How to Edit Youtube Videos Like a Pro

Once you know how to edit YouTube videos professionally, you'll notice at least one thing:

Your channel starts to grow (a.k.a---your dreams come true).

By learning how to edit your videos, you will be able to hold viewers’ attention longer, increase your watch time and rank higher in YouTube’s search results. Not to mention your channel will look more polished.

But there's a science to professionally editing videos. We did some asking around and gathered some nuggets of wisdom on how to do it in style.

• According to Hubspot, 'If you can’t seamlessly weave your shots together or get your cut to hit the right frame, your video will seem unpolished and disengage your viewers.'
• Harsh Agrawal's advice is to 'Ruthlessly edit your YouTube videos and make sure only your best videos get published.'
• Make Use Of insists on the importance of trimming: 'It’s easy to just toss a clip on your timeline and call it a day. Don’t. Trim the beginning and the end of a clip to keep it clean---find the 'hot' moment before you add it. No one wants to waste time watching an open field before the action happens, so get used to editing succinctly for your audience’s benefit.'
• Whatever you do, remember Neil Patel's tip: 'You don’t want to over-edit your videos, though you do want to give them a sense of style that separates you from the crowd.'

We talked about the editing process, but every Youtube creator knows there's a lot happening before it. Last but not least, let's go through the basics and how to make sure your Youtube get the attention they deserve.

What Makes a YouTube Video Stand Out?

It’s not too hard to see why video content rocks.

'Consumers like it because it’s easy to digest, entertaining and engaging, and marketers like it because it can give a potentially huge return on investment (ROI) through many channels,' points out the Digital Marketing Institute.

With 1.9 billion monthly user visits and an average of eight minutes and 41 seconds people spend each day on the platform, no wonder Youtube is a crowd-pleaser. (for more juicy Youtube stats, check out our last post).

Youtube creators use video content as a powerful way to tell their story and engage with their audience.

However, in this world chock-full of content, it's becoming more and more challenging to stand out. Youtube specialist Sunny Lenarduzzi knows the struggle is real. She shares some super actionable steps on how to create noteworthy videos and kill it on YouTube:

1. Don't Overlook the Thumbnails

'The things that you can do to differentiate your thumbnails from the other videos [..] is to use bright, colorful backdrops, big, bold text in your thumbnails,' suggests Sunny.

2. Consistent Brand Editing

Whatever you do, 'make sure that your videos are aligned across the board, so people know it’s your video without even knowing it’s yours,' says Sunny.

Hint: be consistent and use the same text color and font throughout your videos.

According to Sunny, 'Creating some sort of a style and brand around the editing you do in your videos is going to help you stand out on YouTube. It will make people familiar with your style of content so they want to keep coming back.'

3. Your Description Style Matters

'Set up your description in a similar way every time, so people get used to it and they know it’s your style. It makes them more apt to click on your video and actually watch it,' says Sunny. Plus, 'every little bit of consistency that you can add into your videos will help you outperform other people in your niche,' she adds.

4. Leverage Other Platforms

Sunny thinks 'the way to making your videos stand out on YouTube is actually getting off of YouTube.' Pay attention to how other platforms work and 'Play to the strengths of each platform---that’s the best way to share out your video to get the most eyeballs and traffic sent directly to YouTube.'

Hint: Call to actions (CTA's) are huge. Make sure your social media posts always send people to go check out your YouTube channel.

And if you're ever looking to create videos for social media that turn heads, Lumen5 is your platform.

And here's one aspect that (almost) goes without mention:

5. Focus On The Knowledge Aspect

Research shows 70% of millennial YouTube users watched a video to learn how to do something new last year.

Google is investing $20 million in educational content through its Learning Initiative, which will pay Youtube creators to make more explainers, how-tos, lectures, etc. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for Youtube creators to share more knowledge with their audience (and make some $$$).

Back in the days, post-production meant spending a lot of cash on professional equipment. Nowadays, you can edit your videos using free or low-cost Youtube video editor tools.

Whether you want to string a few shots together or you're a pro user who needs top rate editing, we hope you'll find one Youtube video editor for your own needs (and make your mamma proud).

Over to You

Editing is a brief process---said no one ever. A solid YouTube video editor will help you make it easier and hone it to a sharp point.

So what's your favorite Youtube video editor? Feel free to start the conversation and comment below.

Alex helps businesses create content that converts users into customers. She flips over wording challenges while keeping her zen. When she’s away from her desk, you’ll probably find her doing yoga, surfing, reading, camping, or walking her dog on the beach.