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"In 2024, Top Editors for YouTube' Writers and Creators - All Free"
Top Editors for YouTube’ Writers and Creators - All Free
The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube (Top 8 Reviews)
Richard Bennett
Dec 02, 2022• Proven solutions
What makes a YouTube video good? The most important element is obviously you, the creator. Your personality, ideas, and unique viewpoint are what will make your content special and turn viewers into subscribers.
The next most important thing – even more important than the camera you use – is editing.
Editing a YouTube video doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it should be simple. Your focus when you’re perfecting your video should be on that ‘most important thing’ we mentioned earlier – your creativity. Editing for a YouTube video should be art, not mechanical engineering.
Below is a list of the top free video editing software ranked according to how appropriate it is for YouTube videos.
| Rank | Editor | Make Cuts | Audio Features | Multiple Video Tracks | Video Effects | Intuitive Score (1-5) | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | OpenShot Video Editor | Yes | Fade In/Out, set volume levels | Yes | Transitions, text, ability to animate. Blur/Saturation/Brightness controls. | 5 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 2. | Shotcut | Yes | Detailed audio editing | Yes | You can customize color presets and other effects. No animations. | 4 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 3. | Hitfilm Express | Yes | Audio effects and transitioning. | Yes | Every imaginable picture customization. Some FX (more if you pay). Text tool. | 4 | Windows, Mac |
| 4. | VideoPad Video Editor | Yes | Noise removal, equalizer, audio effects. | Yes | Moving text, transitions, filters. | 5 | Windows |
| 5. | Lightworks | Yes | Detailed audio editing | Yes | No premade effects, but you can add text/color edit. | 3 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 6. | VSDC Video Editor | Yes | Some audio features blocked in free version | Yes | Filters, transitions, text, and more. | 1 | Windows |
| 7. | Machete Video Editor Lite | Yes | None | No | None | 3 | Windows |
| 8. | Avidemux | Yes | Some audio features | No | Some picture adjustments | 2 | Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD |
Ready to upgrade to a simple, powerful, paid software that’s perfect for YouTube? Check out the free trial of Wondershare Filmora . It is an advanced tool that is focused more on newbie editors who are new to the videography world but want to compete with professionals!
1. OpenShot Video Editor – Open Source (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Pros
- Easy to use
- Includes transitions
- Keyframing
- Alpha Channel
- Unlimited video tracks
OpenShot Video Editor Review
OpenShot completely lives up to the claim that it was designed to be ‘easy to use, quick to learn, and surprisingly powerful’.
The first time you use OpenShot there will be helpful tutorial notes to guide you through the program. The interface is intuitive enough that you may not always need them, but having them should erase any confusion.
All of the basic editing features, like cutting clips up, are easy to access in the timeline. You have unlimited tracks, and it’s easy to drag your clips between them. There’s a helpful magnet feature that fits clips together if you slide them together, but which still allows for blank space if you choose to leave it.
Most other functions – setting volume levels, adjusting the speed, adding movement/zoom effect – are accessible simply by right-clicking on your clip in the timeline and choosing what you want from the menu that pops up.
Is OpenShot Video Editor good for YouTube?
OpenShot is a great, free, choice for YouTubers at any editing skill level.
Beyond simply ordering your clips, OpenShot includes text and transition options within the program. You can even animate the text, and access Animated Titles if you use OpenShot in tandem with a free animation program called Blender. Titles and transitions are vital to a lot of popular YouTube styles.
OpenShot does not provide the same level of detail as the runner up, Shotcut, when it comes to color correction or audio editing. However, the features it does have (volume levels, control of saturation) will satisfy most YouTubers.
2. Shotcut – Open Source (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Pros
- Detailed audio editing
- Color grading, ability to save presets
- Fairly intuitive timeline
Shotcut Review
Shotcut delivers a smooth, detailed, editing experience for free. It is not as easy to jump into as some of the other programs on this list, but it still only takes a half-hour or so of playing around to understand it well enough to make a video. There are also tutorials up on Shotcut’s site that can help you.
You can edit using multiple video tracks in Shotcut, making it easy to combine multiple clips, and basic functions like splitting or copying clips are as easy as clicking the right icon on the toolbar.
All of the video and audio effects, including things like chroma key, you might want to apply to your video are found under the Filters menu. It will look empty when you first open it, and you have to click the plus sign to see what your options are. If you want to create a color tint (like what you might think of as an Instagram filter) then you can do that through the Color Grading option. If you want to do something like invert your colors or add an ‘old film’ look, you’ll find that here as well along with all of the audio editing features (balance, bass and treble, and gain to name just a few).
Is Shotcut good for YouTube?
Shotcut is a great choice for YouTubers. It allows you to do some advanced editing, and it’s easy to learn compared to a program targeted at professional editors.
The only complication with Shotcut for entry-level editors who will primarily use the program for YouTube might be that animations – like moving text – are not available through the program (you can add and customize text, but it just sits there). You can get them from elsewhere and use them in the program (Shotcut has an alpha channel), but it’s a bit more involved a process than simply customizing something that’s already provided.
3. Hitfilm Express – Windows, Mac
Pros
- Compositing mode (2D and 3D)
- The Most effect customization
- Helpful User Guide & tutorials
Cons
- Can be overwhelming
- Its main strength is FX, but you only get a couple for free. Most have to be bought separately.
Hitfilm Express Review
Hitfilm Express is the best free editor if you want to add special effects to your projects. OpenShot’s alpha channel will be enough for most people, but if you think of yourself as an aspiring filmmaker then it’s hard to beat Hitfilm’s range of functions.
This is an editor designed for people who want to make movies, and it’s a lot more intuitive than most professional-grade software. Film-quality FX (lasers, explosions, etc.) are available through Hitfilm Express for a reasonable price ($10-$50, depending on what you want), and even without paying extra for the packs, there’s a lot you can do to give your video a ‘film look’ using compositing layers and the multitude of customizable effects provided through the program.
Another highlight of Hitfilm Express is the extensive selection of tutorials and helpful information they have available both through YouTube videos and their User Guide. You will need those because this program can be overwhelming. It has so many functions and areas you can customize that it is easy to get lost.
That said, basic editing in Hitfilm Express is not difficult to jump into. It’s only when you start getting fancy that things get dicey.
Is Hitfilm Express good for YouTube?
Yes. It will not be the best option for everyone, but it’s not a bad option for anyone either.
If what you want to make is a vlog where you have a series of clips, and intro, and maybe a couple of title effects, then Hitfilm express might be overkill. You don’t want to have to master compositing just to add some text.
If what you want to make is a vlog that’s interrupted by an alien invasion and turns into an action sequence with lasers and falling debris, it’d be hard to do better than Hitfilm Express.
4. VideoPad Video Editor – Windows
Pros
- Easy to jump into
- Moving text
- Huge audio waveforms
- Audio and visual effects
- Lossless exports
Cons
- No longer updated
VideoPad Video Editor Review
VideoPad Video Editor is an extremely easy to use program. It may be the easiest program on this list to jump into, which you could also realistically create your entire video inside (there are easier programs, but you can only do some of your work in them). Part of its simplicity comes from not being as feature-rich as the programs ranking higher than it on this list, however.
You do not get the same range of functions with VideoPad as you do from the top 3 free editors, but it has enough to satisfy people who are just starting out. Creating moving text effects is easy, you have huge audio waves to work with while you’re syncing, and effects like transitions and filters are easy to find.
VideoPad does suffer a bit from being dated. This program is no longer being worked on, and the interface doesn’t look particularly modern. This is a bit more than a cosmetic issue because some features, while not difficult to find, are placed a bit oddly compared to other editors.
One slightly annoying feature of VideoPad is that it will prompt you to buy the commercial version sometimes (the free version is only for non-commercial use). There have been reports of exports being blocked in the free version, but I exported several times for the sake of this review and the issue never came up.
Is VideoPad Video Editor good for YouTube?
VideoPad makes a decent YouTube editor. You can jump right in and start making cuts, adding filters, and ordering your clips. If you have the kind of channel where voiceovers are important (like in gaming or makeup), then you’ll be happy with the size of the audio waves you have to work with for syncing.
The thing about VideoPad is that you’re probably going to outgrow it quickly as you become a more capable editor.
5. Lightworks – Windows, Mac, Linux
Pros
- Detailed color and audio editing
- Multicam editing
Cons
- Exports limited to 720p for the free version
- Difficult to learn compared to other free software
Lightworks Review
On their website, Lightworks claims to have an ‘intuitive interface’ and ‘easy timeline editing’. This is true if you compare it to other professional-level editing suites. Compared to the other programs on this list, Lightworks is complicated.
The first thing I attempt when I review this program is to simply split a clip, and it took me a ridiculous amount of time to figure this feature out in Lightworks (a more advanced editor could have found it faster, but these reviews are meant to help people with less experience). Lightworks does have a whole tutorial series on using the software, so if you are interested in learning to use it there is ample material out there to help you.
Lightworks has a wide range of functions (i.e. detailed audio editing and color correction), and it has been used for big movies like ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. It is the most professional program on this list, and it’s a great free alternative to something like Adobe Premiere Pro.
Note: there is no time limit on the free version of Lightworks, but it will ask you to renew your free license every 7 days. When it says your license is ‘expired’ it isn’t kicking you off the free version, you just need to renew.
Is Lightworks good for YouTube?
Whether or not Lightworks is right for your YouTube channel depends on your goals as a video editor.
If what you want is to jump in and start making YouTube videos quickly, Lightworks might not be a great choice. It’s not an easy program to just jump into, you’ll have to either take time to learn it or accept that it’ll take some trial and error to get the hang of.
If what you want is to become a professional-level video editor, then Lightworks is a great program to start on (although, Hitfilm Express may still be better). Taking the time to learn it could certainly pay off in the long run.
However, if one of your priorities is for your YouTube channel to come across as professional, then the free version of Lightworks does have some disappointing limitations. You can only export videos in 720p, which is lower quality than viewers on YouTube expect (you probably want at least 1080p). Your output format is limited too. The royalty-free audio and video content Lightworks offers are also not free; you can just buy them through the program.
6. VSDC Video Editor – Windows
Pros
- Diagrams and charts
- How To Get Started Guide
- Lots of features
Cons
- Very confusing
- Paid features show up in the free version, but they’re blocked
Review of VSDC Video Editor
There’s a lot to like about VSDC Video Editor, but you have to do a lot of work to uncover any of it. Accessing even the most basic features is confusing.
One of the first things I tried to do as I tested the program was make a jump cut (where you cut out part of a video so the playback ‘jumps over’ the deleted segment) and, while I was able to do it, it was not an intuitive process. There is a multitude of toolbars and icons surrounding your preview window in VSDC, and none of those icons was for making cuts to your clips. To make any cuts you have to find the ‘cutting and splitting’ option under the Editor tab at the top of the page, which will open a second window in which you still cannot make any cuts. Instead what you can do is place markers, and when you click ‘apply changes’ to exit the window cuts will be made where you placed markers. There is nothing in the window to explain what the markers are for.
Other basic functions, like adding text, are just as complicated.
Is VSDC Video Editor good for YouTube?
I would not recommend VSDC for YouTube. It ranks higher than two other items on this list because they are, do to functional limitations, unable to create full YouTube videos without the support of other programs (at least realistically). You certainly could create your full YouTube video in VSDC, but it’d be a headache.
7. Machete Video Editor Lite – Windows
Pros
- Great for harvesting clips from longer footage
- Lossless exports
Cons
- Cannot swap or add audio
- Only supports two formats (AVI and WMV)
- Slightly awkward timeline
Machete Video Editor Lite Review
Machete Lite claims that you’ll be able to edit your videos “within a few minutes after downloading the program, even if you’ve never edited a video before”, and that is true. It might even be better if you haven’t edited a video before because the interface is slightly awkward if you’ve come from a program with a more traditional timeline setup. Machete Lite is easy to use for the most part, but it doesn’t work like most other editors and that can be awkward to navigate around.
Instead of seeing a timeline with all of your individual clips, Machete treats your entire video as one clip. You will only be able to see where you have inserted a separate video clip or cut out a portion of the video by watching the video back or jumping through it (Machete Lite does allow frame-by-frame scrolling). You won’t be able to see this information at a glance, and you won’t be able to adjust the lengths of clips you’ve added separately.
To take out any portion of your overall video you’ll need to find a keyframe at the beginning, set that as the beginning of your selection, then find a key frame at the end and set that as the end of your selection. You will then be able to delete that selection. This will not work if the frames you have set as the beginning and end are not considered keyframes by the program, so it can be difficult to be precise, but since the program allows you to jump through keyframes it’s not difficult to find a point that works.
Is Machete Video Editor Lite good for YouTube?
Machete Lite is not a good choice for YouTubers unless it is used in combination with another program.
It doesn’t work as a YouTube editor because you cannot edit or swap audio, the transition between clips, or create layers of videos and images.
However, the thing Machete Lite is really good at is cutting out clips from longer videos. You can create a selection of a part of your longer clip and then export it (with no quality loss) as its own video file.
This is what the Machete Lite toolbar looks like when you’ve created a selection. Tools like cut and copy which were greyed out before are now available, as is the save icon on the far right. If you click the save icon, you’ll be able to save that selection as its own video.
You can’t create a complete YouTube video in Machete Lite, but you can harvest clips to use in a different program.
8. Avidemux – Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD
Pros
- Can add subtitle files
Cons
- Not intuitive
- Doesn’t support MOV or WMV
- The website is not informative, no tutorials
Avidemux Review
Avidemux is not an easy program to jump into. I almost wrote that it couldn’t do anything besides make cuts to a clip before I saw a YouTube tutorial about how to find the contrast and brightness tools. If you decide to try it out, remember that you have to choose your output format before Avidemux will let you access tools like Hue/Saturation and Contrast (click Filters under Video Output to find them).
There are no official tutorials for Avidemux you can access from their site, so you’ll have to rely on the forums and tutorials from users if you want to learn it.
You can import multiple clips into Avidemux, but you have to import them in the order you want because you can’t drag them around the timeline after. Everything becomes one big clip.
Is Avidemux good for YouTube?
No. It has more functionality than Machete, which is ranked higher on this list, but the difference is that Machete is excellent at one thing. They both suffer from the same main weakness – you could not complete your full YouTube video either (at least not without a lot of trouble). Machete could still be useful to a YouTuber, though, because it allows for the lossless exporting of segments of clips. You can use it to harvest clips for your larger project in another program.
In theory, you could do some picture editing and snipping in Avidemux and then put your project together/add titles in another program, but your other program can probably do all that just as well if not better. Avidemux isn’t a bad program, but it doesn’t excel at anything. There are a lot of better options which are also free.
What has your experience with free video editors been like?
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Dec 02, 2022• Proven solutions
What makes a YouTube video good? The most important element is obviously you, the creator. Your personality, ideas, and unique viewpoint are what will make your content special and turn viewers into subscribers.
The next most important thing – even more important than the camera you use – is editing.
Editing a YouTube video doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it should be simple. Your focus when you’re perfecting your video should be on that ‘most important thing’ we mentioned earlier – your creativity. Editing for a YouTube video should be art, not mechanical engineering.
Below is a list of the top free video editing software ranked according to how appropriate it is for YouTube videos.
| Rank | Editor | Make Cuts | Audio Features | Multiple Video Tracks | Video Effects | Intuitive Score (1-5) | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | OpenShot Video Editor | Yes | Fade In/Out, set volume levels | Yes | Transitions, text, ability to animate. Blur/Saturation/Brightness controls. | 5 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 2. | Shotcut | Yes | Detailed audio editing | Yes | You can customize color presets and other effects. No animations. | 4 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 3. | Hitfilm Express | Yes | Audio effects and transitioning. | Yes | Every imaginable picture customization. Some FX (more if you pay). Text tool. | 4 | Windows, Mac |
| 4. | VideoPad Video Editor | Yes | Noise removal, equalizer, audio effects. | Yes | Moving text, transitions, filters. | 5 | Windows |
| 5. | Lightworks | Yes | Detailed audio editing | Yes | No premade effects, but you can add text/color edit. | 3 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 6. | VSDC Video Editor | Yes | Some audio features blocked in free version | Yes | Filters, transitions, text, and more. | 1 | Windows |
| 7. | Machete Video Editor Lite | Yes | None | No | None | 3 | Windows |
| 8. | Avidemux | Yes | Some audio features | No | Some picture adjustments | 2 | Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD |
Ready to upgrade to a simple, powerful, paid software that’s perfect for YouTube? Check out the free trial of Wondershare Filmora . It is an advanced tool that is focused more on newbie editors who are new to the videography world but want to compete with professionals!
1. OpenShot Video Editor – Open Source (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Pros
- Easy to use
- Includes transitions
- Keyframing
- Alpha Channel
- Unlimited video tracks
OpenShot Video Editor Review
OpenShot completely lives up to the claim that it was designed to be ‘easy to use, quick to learn, and surprisingly powerful’.
The first time you use OpenShot there will be helpful tutorial notes to guide you through the program. The interface is intuitive enough that you may not always need them, but having them should erase any confusion.
All of the basic editing features, like cutting clips up, are easy to access in the timeline. You have unlimited tracks, and it’s easy to drag your clips between them. There’s a helpful magnet feature that fits clips together if you slide them together, but which still allows for blank space if you choose to leave it.
Most other functions – setting volume levels, adjusting the speed, adding movement/zoom effect – are accessible simply by right-clicking on your clip in the timeline and choosing what you want from the menu that pops up.
Is OpenShot Video Editor good for YouTube?
OpenShot is a great, free, choice for YouTubers at any editing skill level.
Beyond simply ordering your clips, OpenShot includes text and transition options within the program. You can even animate the text, and access Animated Titles if you use OpenShot in tandem with a free animation program called Blender. Titles and transitions are vital to a lot of popular YouTube styles.
OpenShot does not provide the same level of detail as the runner up, Shotcut, when it comes to color correction or audio editing. However, the features it does have (volume levels, control of saturation) will satisfy most YouTubers.
2. Shotcut – Open Source (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Pros
- Detailed audio editing
- Color grading, ability to save presets
- Fairly intuitive timeline
Shotcut Review
Shotcut delivers a smooth, detailed, editing experience for free. It is not as easy to jump into as some of the other programs on this list, but it still only takes a half-hour or so of playing around to understand it well enough to make a video. There are also tutorials up on Shotcut’s site that can help you.
You can edit using multiple video tracks in Shotcut, making it easy to combine multiple clips, and basic functions like splitting or copying clips are as easy as clicking the right icon on the toolbar.
All of the video and audio effects, including things like chroma key, you might want to apply to your video are found under the Filters menu. It will look empty when you first open it, and you have to click the plus sign to see what your options are. If you want to create a color tint (like what you might think of as an Instagram filter) then you can do that through the Color Grading option. If you want to do something like invert your colors or add an ‘old film’ look, you’ll find that here as well along with all of the audio editing features (balance, bass and treble, and gain to name just a few).
Is Shotcut good for YouTube?
Shotcut is a great choice for YouTubers. It allows you to do some advanced editing, and it’s easy to learn compared to a program targeted at professional editors.
The only complication with Shotcut for entry-level editors who will primarily use the program for YouTube might be that animations – like moving text – are not available through the program (you can add and customize text, but it just sits there). You can get them from elsewhere and use them in the program (Shotcut has an alpha channel), but it’s a bit more involved a process than simply customizing something that’s already provided.
3. Hitfilm Express – Windows, Mac
Pros
- Compositing mode (2D and 3D)
- The Most effect customization
- Helpful User Guide & tutorials
Cons
- Can be overwhelming
- Its main strength is FX, but you only get a couple for free. Most have to be bought separately.
Hitfilm Express Review
Hitfilm Express is the best free editor if you want to add special effects to your projects. OpenShot’s alpha channel will be enough for most people, but if you think of yourself as an aspiring filmmaker then it’s hard to beat Hitfilm’s range of functions.
This is an editor designed for people who want to make movies, and it’s a lot more intuitive than most professional-grade software. Film-quality FX (lasers, explosions, etc.) are available through Hitfilm Express for a reasonable price ($10-$50, depending on what you want), and even without paying extra for the packs, there’s a lot you can do to give your video a ‘film look’ using compositing layers and the multitude of customizable effects provided through the program.
Another highlight of Hitfilm Express is the extensive selection of tutorials and helpful information they have available both through YouTube videos and their User Guide. You will need those because this program can be overwhelming. It has so many functions and areas you can customize that it is easy to get lost.
That said, basic editing in Hitfilm Express is not difficult to jump into. It’s only when you start getting fancy that things get dicey.
Is Hitfilm Express good for YouTube?
Yes. It will not be the best option for everyone, but it’s not a bad option for anyone either.
If what you want to make is a vlog where you have a series of clips, and intro, and maybe a couple of title effects, then Hitfilm express might be overkill. You don’t want to have to master compositing just to add some text.
If what you want to make is a vlog that’s interrupted by an alien invasion and turns into an action sequence with lasers and falling debris, it’d be hard to do better than Hitfilm Express.
4. VideoPad Video Editor – Windows
Pros
- Easy to jump into
- Moving text
- Huge audio waveforms
- Audio and visual effects
- Lossless exports
Cons
- No longer updated
VideoPad Video Editor Review
VideoPad Video Editor is an extremely easy to use program. It may be the easiest program on this list to jump into, which you could also realistically create your entire video inside (there are easier programs, but you can only do some of your work in them). Part of its simplicity comes from not being as feature-rich as the programs ranking higher than it on this list, however.
You do not get the same range of functions with VideoPad as you do from the top 3 free editors, but it has enough to satisfy people who are just starting out. Creating moving text effects is easy, you have huge audio waves to work with while you’re syncing, and effects like transitions and filters are easy to find.
VideoPad does suffer a bit from being dated. This program is no longer being worked on, and the interface doesn’t look particularly modern. This is a bit more than a cosmetic issue because some features, while not difficult to find, are placed a bit oddly compared to other editors.
One slightly annoying feature of VideoPad is that it will prompt you to buy the commercial version sometimes (the free version is only for non-commercial use). There have been reports of exports being blocked in the free version, but I exported several times for the sake of this review and the issue never came up.
Is VideoPad Video Editor good for YouTube?
VideoPad makes a decent YouTube editor. You can jump right in and start making cuts, adding filters, and ordering your clips. If you have the kind of channel where voiceovers are important (like in gaming or makeup), then you’ll be happy with the size of the audio waves you have to work with for syncing.
The thing about VideoPad is that you’re probably going to outgrow it quickly as you become a more capable editor.
5. Lightworks – Windows, Mac, Linux
Pros
- Detailed color and audio editing
- Multicam editing
Cons
- Exports limited to 720p for the free version
- Difficult to learn compared to other free software
Lightworks Review
On their website, Lightworks claims to have an ‘intuitive interface’ and ‘easy timeline editing’. This is true if you compare it to other professional-level editing suites. Compared to the other programs on this list, Lightworks is complicated.
The first thing I attempt when I review this program is to simply split a clip, and it took me a ridiculous amount of time to figure this feature out in Lightworks (a more advanced editor could have found it faster, but these reviews are meant to help people with less experience). Lightworks does have a whole tutorial series on using the software, so if you are interested in learning to use it there is ample material out there to help you.
Lightworks has a wide range of functions (i.e. detailed audio editing and color correction), and it has been used for big movies like ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. It is the most professional program on this list, and it’s a great free alternative to something like Adobe Premiere Pro.
Note: there is no time limit on the free version of Lightworks, but it will ask you to renew your free license every 7 days. When it says your license is ‘expired’ it isn’t kicking you off the free version, you just need to renew.
Is Lightworks good for YouTube?
Whether or not Lightworks is right for your YouTube channel depends on your goals as a video editor.
If what you want is to jump in and start making YouTube videos quickly, Lightworks might not be a great choice. It’s not an easy program to just jump into, you’ll have to either take time to learn it or accept that it’ll take some trial and error to get the hang of.
If what you want is to become a professional-level video editor, then Lightworks is a great program to start on (although, Hitfilm Express may still be better). Taking the time to learn it could certainly pay off in the long run.
However, if one of your priorities is for your YouTube channel to come across as professional, then the free version of Lightworks does have some disappointing limitations. You can only export videos in 720p, which is lower quality than viewers on YouTube expect (you probably want at least 1080p). Your output format is limited too. The royalty-free audio and video content Lightworks offers are also not free; you can just buy them through the program.
6. VSDC Video Editor – Windows
Pros
- Diagrams and charts
- How To Get Started Guide
- Lots of features
Cons
- Very confusing
- Paid features show up in the free version, but they’re blocked
Review of VSDC Video Editor
There’s a lot to like about VSDC Video Editor, but you have to do a lot of work to uncover any of it. Accessing even the most basic features is confusing.
One of the first things I tried to do as I tested the program was make a jump cut (where you cut out part of a video so the playback ‘jumps over’ the deleted segment) and, while I was able to do it, it was not an intuitive process. There is a multitude of toolbars and icons surrounding your preview window in VSDC, and none of those icons was for making cuts to your clips. To make any cuts you have to find the ‘cutting and splitting’ option under the Editor tab at the top of the page, which will open a second window in which you still cannot make any cuts. Instead what you can do is place markers, and when you click ‘apply changes’ to exit the window cuts will be made where you placed markers. There is nothing in the window to explain what the markers are for.
Other basic functions, like adding text, are just as complicated.
Is VSDC Video Editor good for YouTube?
I would not recommend VSDC for YouTube. It ranks higher than two other items on this list because they are, do to functional limitations, unable to create full YouTube videos without the support of other programs (at least realistically). You certainly could create your full YouTube video in VSDC, but it’d be a headache.
7. Machete Video Editor Lite – Windows
Pros
- Great for harvesting clips from longer footage
- Lossless exports
Cons
- Cannot swap or add audio
- Only supports two formats (AVI and WMV)
- Slightly awkward timeline
Machete Video Editor Lite Review
Machete Lite claims that you’ll be able to edit your videos “within a few minutes after downloading the program, even if you’ve never edited a video before”, and that is true. It might even be better if you haven’t edited a video before because the interface is slightly awkward if you’ve come from a program with a more traditional timeline setup. Machete Lite is easy to use for the most part, but it doesn’t work like most other editors and that can be awkward to navigate around.
Instead of seeing a timeline with all of your individual clips, Machete treats your entire video as one clip. You will only be able to see where you have inserted a separate video clip or cut out a portion of the video by watching the video back or jumping through it (Machete Lite does allow frame-by-frame scrolling). You won’t be able to see this information at a glance, and you won’t be able to adjust the lengths of clips you’ve added separately.
To take out any portion of your overall video you’ll need to find a keyframe at the beginning, set that as the beginning of your selection, then find a key frame at the end and set that as the end of your selection. You will then be able to delete that selection. This will not work if the frames you have set as the beginning and end are not considered keyframes by the program, so it can be difficult to be precise, but since the program allows you to jump through keyframes it’s not difficult to find a point that works.
Is Machete Video Editor Lite good for YouTube?
Machete Lite is not a good choice for YouTubers unless it is used in combination with another program.
It doesn’t work as a YouTube editor because you cannot edit or swap audio, the transition between clips, or create layers of videos and images.
However, the thing Machete Lite is really good at is cutting out clips from longer videos. You can create a selection of a part of your longer clip and then export it (with no quality loss) as its own video file.
This is what the Machete Lite toolbar looks like when you’ve created a selection. Tools like cut and copy which were greyed out before are now available, as is the save icon on the far right. If you click the save icon, you’ll be able to save that selection as its own video.
You can’t create a complete YouTube video in Machete Lite, but you can harvest clips to use in a different program.
8. Avidemux – Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD
Pros
- Can add subtitle files
Cons
- Not intuitive
- Doesn’t support MOV or WMV
- The website is not informative, no tutorials
Avidemux Review
Avidemux is not an easy program to jump into. I almost wrote that it couldn’t do anything besides make cuts to a clip before I saw a YouTube tutorial about how to find the contrast and brightness tools. If you decide to try it out, remember that you have to choose your output format before Avidemux will let you access tools like Hue/Saturation and Contrast (click Filters under Video Output to find them).
There are no official tutorials for Avidemux you can access from their site, so you’ll have to rely on the forums and tutorials from users if you want to learn it.
You can import multiple clips into Avidemux, but you have to import them in the order you want because you can’t drag them around the timeline after. Everything becomes one big clip.
Is Avidemux good for YouTube?
No. It has more functionality than Machete, which is ranked higher on this list, but the difference is that Machete is excellent at one thing. They both suffer from the same main weakness – you could not complete your full YouTube video either (at least not without a lot of trouble). Machete could still be useful to a YouTuber, though, because it allows for the lossless exporting of segments of clips. You can use it to harvest clips for your larger project in another program.
In theory, you could do some picture editing and snipping in Avidemux and then put your project together/add titles in another program, but your other program can probably do all that just as well if not better. Avidemux isn’t a bad program, but it doesn’t excel at anything. There are a lot of better options which are also free.
What has your experience with free video editors been like?
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Dec 02, 2022• Proven solutions
What makes a YouTube video good? The most important element is obviously you, the creator. Your personality, ideas, and unique viewpoint are what will make your content special and turn viewers into subscribers.
The next most important thing – even more important than the camera you use – is editing.
Editing a YouTube video doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it should be simple. Your focus when you’re perfecting your video should be on that ‘most important thing’ we mentioned earlier – your creativity. Editing for a YouTube video should be art, not mechanical engineering.
Below is a list of the top free video editing software ranked according to how appropriate it is for YouTube videos.
| Rank | Editor | Make Cuts | Audio Features | Multiple Video Tracks | Video Effects | Intuitive Score (1-5) | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | OpenShot Video Editor | Yes | Fade In/Out, set volume levels | Yes | Transitions, text, ability to animate. Blur/Saturation/Brightness controls. | 5 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 2. | Shotcut | Yes | Detailed audio editing | Yes | You can customize color presets and other effects. No animations. | 4 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 3. | Hitfilm Express | Yes | Audio effects and transitioning. | Yes | Every imaginable picture customization. Some FX (more if you pay). Text tool. | 4 | Windows, Mac |
| 4. | VideoPad Video Editor | Yes | Noise removal, equalizer, audio effects. | Yes | Moving text, transitions, filters. | 5 | Windows |
| 5. | Lightworks | Yes | Detailed audio editing | Yes | No premade effects, but you can add text/color edit. | 3 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 6. | VSDC Video Editor | Yes | Some audio features blocked in free version | Yes | Filters, transitions, text, and more. | 1 | Windows |
| 7. | Machete Video Editor Lite | Yes | None | No | None | 3 | Windows |
| 8. | Avidemux | Yes | Some audio features | No | Some picture adjustments | 2 | Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD |
Ready to upgrade to a simple, powerful, paid software that’s perfect for YouTube? Check out the free trial of Wondershare Filmora . It is an advanced tool that is focused more on newbie editors who are new to the videography world but want to compete with professionals!
1. OpenShot Video Editor – Open Source (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Pros
- Easy to use
- Includes transitions
- Keyframing
- Alpha Channel
- Unlimited video tracks
OpenShot Video Editor Review
OpenShot completely lives up to the claim that it was designed to be ‘easy to use, quick to learn, and surprisingly powerful’.
The first time you use OpenShot there will be helpful tutorial notes to guide you through the program. The interface is intuitive enough that you may not always need them, but having them should erase any confusion.
All of the basic editing features, like cutting clips up, are easy to access in the timeline. You have unlimited tracks, and it’s easy to drag your clips between them. There’s a helpful magnet feature that fits clips together if you slide them together, but which still allows for blank space if you choose to leave it.
Most other functions – setting volume levels, adjusting the speed, adding movement/zoom effect – are accessible simply by right-clicking on your clip in the timeline and choosing what you want from the menu that pops up.
Is OpenShot Video Editor good for YouTube?
OpenShot is a great, free, choice for YouTubers at any editing skill level.
Beyond simply ordering your clips, OpenShot includes text and transition options within the program. You can even animate the text, and access Animated Titles if you use OpenShot in tandem with a free animation program called Blender. Titles and transitions are vital to a lot of popular YouTube styles.
OpenShot does not provide the same level of detail as the runner up, Shotcut, when it comes to color correction or audio editing. However, the features it does have (volume levels, control of saturation) will satisfy most YouTubers.
2. Shotcut – Open Source (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Pros
- Detailed audio editing
- Color grading, ability to save presets
- Fairly intuitive timeline
Shotcut Review
Shotcut delivers a smooth, detailed, editing experience for free. It is not as easy to jump into as some of the other programs on this list, but it still only takes a half-hour or so of playing around to understand it well enough to make a video. There are also tutorials up on Shotcut’s site that can help you.
You can edit using multiple video tracks in Shotcut, making it easy to combine multiple clips, and basic functions like splitting or copying clips are as easy as clicking the right icon on the toolbar.
All of the video and audio effects, including things like chroma key, you might want to apply to your video are found under the Filters menu. It will look empty when you first open it, and you have to click the plus sign to see what your options are. If you want to create a color tint (like what you might think of as an Instagram filter) then you can do that through the Color Grading option. If you want to do something like invert your colors or add an ‘old film’ look, you’ll find that here as well along with all of the audio editing features (balance, bass and treble, and gain to name just a few).
Is Shotcut good for YouTube?
Shotcut is a great choice for YouTubers. It allows you to do some advanced editing, and it’s easy to learn compared to a program targeted at professional editors.
The only complication with Shotcut for entry-level editors who will primarily use the program for YouTube might be that animations – like moving text – are not available through the program (you can add and customize text, but it just sits there). You can get them from elsewhere and use them in the program (Shotcut has an alpha channel), but it’s a bit more involved a process than simply customizing something that’s already provided.
3. Hitfilm Express – Windows, Mac
Pros
- Compositing mode (2D and 3D)
- The Most effect customization
- Helpful User Guide & tutorials
Cons
- Can be overwhelming
- Its main strength is FX, but you only get a couple for free. Most have to be bought separately.
Hitfilm Express Review
Hitfilm Express is the best free editor if you want to add special effects to your projects. OpenShot’s alpha channel will be enough for most people, but if you think of yourself as an aspiring filmmaker then it’s hard to beat Hitfilm’s range of functions.
This is an editor designed for people who want to make movies, and it’s a lot more intuitive than most professional-grade software. Film-quality FX (lasers, explosions, etc.) are available through Hitfilm Express for a reasonable price ($10-$50, depending on what you want), and even without paying extra for the packs, there’s a lot you can do to give your video a ‘film look’ using compositing layers and the multitude of customizable effects provided through the program.
Another highlight of Hitfilm Express is the extensive selection of tutorials and helpful information they have available both through YouTube videos and their User Guide. You will need those because this program can be overwhelming. It has so many functions and areas you can customize that it is easy to get lost.
That said, basic editing in Hitfilm Express is not difficult to jump into. It’s only when you start getting fancy that things get dicey.
Is Hitfilm Express good for YouTube?
Yes. It will not be the best option for everyone, but it’s not a bad option for anyone either.
If what you want to make is a vlog where you have a series of clips, and intro, and maybe a couple of title effects, then Hitfilm express might be overkill. You don’t want to have to master compositing just to add some text.
If what you want to make is a vlog that’s interrupted by an alien invasion and turns into an action sequence with lasers and falling debris, it’d be hard to do better than Hitfilm Express.
4. VideoPad Video Editor – Windows
Pros
- Easy to jump into
- Moving text
- Huge audio waveforms
- Audio and visual effects
- Lossless exports
Cons
- No longer updated
VideoPad Video Editor Review
VideoPad Video Editor is an extremely easy to use program. It may be the easiest program on this list to jump into, which you could also realistically create your entire video inside (there are easier programs, but you can only do some of your work in them). Part of its simplicity comes from not being as feature-rich as the programs ranking higher than it on this list, however.
You do not get the same range of functions with VideoPad as you do from the top 3 free editors, but it has enough to satisfy people who are just starting out. Creating moving text effects is easy, you have huge audio waves to work with while you’re syncing, and effects like transitions and filters are easy to find.
VideoPad does suffer a bit from being dated. This program is no longer being worked on, and the interface doesn’t look particularly modern. This is a bit more than a cosmetic issue because some features, while not difficult to find, are placed a bit oddly compared to other editors.
One slightly annoying feature of VideoPad is that it will prompt you to buy the commercial version sometimes (the free version is only for non-commercial use). There have been reports of exports being blocked in the free version, but I exported several times for the sake of this review and the issue never came up.
Is VideoPad Video Editor good for YouTube?
VideoPad makes a decent YouTube editor. You can jump right in and start making cuts, adding filters, and ordering your clips. If you have the kind of channel where voiceovers are important (like in gaming or makeup), then you’ll be happy with the size of the audio waves you have to work with for syncing.
The thing about VideoPad is that you’re probably going to outgrow it quickly as you become a more capable editor.
5. Lightworks – Windows, Mac, Linux
Pros
- Detailed color and audio editing
- Multicam editing
Cons
- Exports limited to 720p for the free version
- Difficult to learn compared to other free software
Lightworks Review
On their website, Lightworks claims to have an ‘intuitive interface’ and ‘easy timeline editing’. This is true if you compare it to other professional-level editing suites. Compared to the other programs on this list, Lightworks is complicated.
The first thing I attempt when I review this program is to simply split a clip, and it took me a ridiculous amount of time to figure this feature out in Lightworks (a more advanced editor could have found it faster, but these reviews are meant to help people with less experience). Lightworks does have a whole tutorial series on using the software, so if you are interested in learning to use it there is ample material out there to help you.
Lightworks has a wide range of functions (i.e. detailed audio editing and color correction), and it has been used for big movies like ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. It is the most professional program on this list, and it’s a great free alternative to something like Adobe Premiere Pro.
Note: there is no time limit on the free version of Lightworks, but it will ask you to renew your free license every 7 days. When it says your license is ‘expired’ it isn’t kicking you off the free version, you just need to renew.
Is Lightworks good for YouTube?
Whether or not Lightworks is right for your YouTube channel depends on your goals as a video editor.
If what you want is to jump in and start making YouTube videos quickly, Lightworks might not be a great choice. It’s not an easy program to just jump into, you’ll have to either take time to learn it or accept that it’ll take some trial and error to get the hang of.
If what you want is to become a professional-level video editor, then Lightworks is a great program to start on (although, Hitfilm Express may still be better). Taking the time to learn it could certainly pay off in the long run.
However, if one of your priorities is for your YouTube channel to come across as professional, then the free version of Lightworks does have some disappointing limitations. You can only export videos in 720p, which is lower quality than viewers on YouTube expect (you probably want at least 1080p). Your output format is limited too. The royalty-free audio and video content Lightworks offers are also not free; you can just buy them through the program.
6. VSDC Video Editor – Windows
Pros
- Diagrams and charts
- How To Get Started Guide
- Lots of features
Cons
- Very confusing
- Paid features show up in the free version, but they’re blocked
Review of VSDC Video Editor
There’s a lot to like about VSDC Video Editor, but you have to do a lot of work to uncover any of it. Accessing even the most basic features is confusing.
One of the first things I tried to do as I tested the program was make a jump cut (where you cut out part of a video so the playback ‘jumps over’ the deleted segment) and, while I was able to do it, it was not an intuitive process. There is a multitude of toolbars and icons surrounding your preview window in VSDC, and none of those icons was for making cuts to your clips. To make any cuts you have to find the ‘cutting and splitting’ option under the Editor tab at the top of the page, which will open a second window in which you still cannot make any cuts. Instead what you can do is place markers, and when you click ‘apply changes’ to exit the window cuts will be made where you placed markers. There is nothing in the window to explain what the markers are for.
Other basic functions, like adding text, are just as complicated.
Is VSDC Video Editor good for YouTube?
I would not recommend VSDC for YouTube. It ranks higher than two other items on this list because they are, do to functional limitations, unable to create full YouTube videos without the support of other programs (at least realistically). You certainly could create your full YouTube video in VSDC, but it’d be a headache.
7. Machete Video Editor Lite – Windows
Pros
- Great for harvesting clips from longer footage
- Lossless exports
Cons
- Cannot swap or add audio
- Only supports two formats (AVI and WMV)
- Slightly awkward timeline
Machete Video Editor Lite Review
Machete Lite claims that you’ll be able to edit your videos “within a few minutes after downloading the program, even if you’ve never edited a video before”, and that is true. It might even be better if you haven’t edited a video before because the interface is slightly awkward if you’ve come from a program with a more traditional timeline setup. Machete Lite is easy to use for the most part, but it doesn’t work like most other editors and that can be awkward to navigate around.
Instead of seeing a timeline with all of your individual clips, Machete treats your entire video as one clip. You will only be able to see where you have inserted a separate video clip or cut out a portion of the video by watching the video back or jumping through it (Machete Lite does allow frame-by-frame scrolling). You won’t be able to see this information at a glance, and you won’t be able to adjust the lengths of clips you’ve added separately.
To take out any portion of your overall video you’ll need to find a keyframe at the beginning, set that as the beginning of your selection, then find a key frame at the end and set that as the end of your selection. You will then be able to delete that selection. This will not work if the frames you have set as the beginning and end are not considered keyframes by the program, so it can be difficult to be precise, but since the program allows you to jump through keyframes it’s not difficult to find a point that works.
Is Machete Video Editor Lite good for YouTube?
Machete Lite is not a good choice for YouTubers unless it is used in combination with another program.
It doesn’t work as a YouTube editor because you cannot edit or swap audio, the transition between clips, or create layers of videos and images.
However, the thing Machete Lite is really good at is cutting out clips from longer videos. You can create a selection of a part of your longer clip and then export it (with no quality loss) as its own video file.
This is what the Machete Lite toolbar looks like when you’ve created a selection. Tools like cut and copy which were greyed out before are now available, as is the save icon on the far right. If you click the save icon, you’ll be able to save that selection as its own video.
You can’t create a complete YouTube video in Machete Lite, but you can harvest clips to use in a different program.
8. Avidemux – Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD
Pros
- Can add subtitle files
Cons
- Not intuitive
- Doesn’t support MOV or WMV
- The website is not informative, no tutorials
Avidemux Review
Avidemux is not an easy program to jump into. I almost wrote that it couldn’t do anything besides make cuts to a clip before I saw a YouTube tutorial about how to find the contrast and brightness tools. If you decide to try it out, remember that you have to choose your output format before Avidemux will let you access tools like Hue/Saturation and Contrast (click Filters under Video Output to find them).
There are no official tutorials for Avidemux you can access from their site, so you’ll have to rely on the forums and tutorials from users if you want to learn it.
You can import multiple clips into Avidemux, but you have to import them in the order you want because you can’t drag them around the timeline after. Everything becomes one big clip.
Is Avidemux good for YouTube?
No. It has more functionality than Machete, which is ranked higher on this list, but the difference is that Machete is excellent at one thing. They both suffer from the same main weakness – you could not complete your full YouTube video either (at least not without a lot of trouble). Machete could still be useful to a YouTuber, though, because it allows for the lossless exporting of segments of clips. You can use it to harvest clips for your larger project in another program.
In theory, you could do some picture editing and snipping in Avidemux and then put your project together/add titles in another program, but your other program can probably do all that just as well if not better. Avidemux isn’t a bad program, but it doesn’t excel at anything. There are a lot of better options which are also free.
What has your experience with free video editors been like?
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Dec 02, 2022• Proven solutions
What makes a YouTube video good? The most important element is obviously you, the creator. Your personality, ideas, and unique viewpoint are what will make your content special and turn viewers into subscribers.
The next most important thing – even more important than the camera you use – is editing.
Editing a YouTube video doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it should be simple. Your focus when you’re perfecting your video should be on that ‘most important thing’ we mentioned earlier – your creativity. Editing for a YouTube video should be art, not mechanical engineering.
Below is a list of the top free video editing software ranked according to how appropriate it is for YouTube videos.
| Rank | Editor | Make Cuts | Audio Features | Multiple Video Tracks | Video Effects | Intuitive Score (1-5) | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | OpenShot Video Editor | Yes | Fade In/Out, set volume levels | Yes | Transitions, text, ability to animate. Blur/Saturation/Brightness controls. | 5 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 2. | Shotcut | Yes | Detailed audio editing | Yes | You can customize color presets and other effects. No animations. | 4 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 3. | Hitfilm Express | Yes | Audio effects and transitioning. | Yes | Every imaginable picture customization. Some FX (more if you pay). Text tool. | 4 | Windows, Mac |
| 4. | VideoPad Video Editor | Yes | Noise removal, equalizer, audio effects. | Yes | Moving text, transitions, filters. | 5 | Windows |
| 5. | Lightworks | Yes | Detailed audio editing | Yes | No premade effects, but you can add text/color edit. | 3 | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 6. | VSDC Video Editor | Yes | Some audio features blocked in free version | Yes | Filters, transitions, text, and more. | 1 | Windows |
| 7. | Machete Video Editor Lite | Yes | None | No | None | 3 | Windows |
| 8. | Avidemux | Yes | Some audio features | No | Some picture adjustments | 2 | Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD |
Ready to upgrade to a simple, powerful, paid software that’s perfect for YouTube? Check out the free trial of Wondershare Filmora . It is an advanced tool that is focused more on newbie editors who are new to the videography world but want to compete with professionals!
1. OpenShot Video Editor – Open Source (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Pros
- Easy to use
- Includes transitions
- Keyframing
- Alpha Channel
- Unlimited video tracks
OpenShot Video Editor Review
OpenShot completely lives up to the claim that it was designed to be ‘easy to use, quick to learn, and surprisingly powerful’.
The first time you use OpenShot there will be helpful tutorial notes to guide you through the program. The interface is intuitive enough that you may not always need them, but having them should erase any confusion.
All of the basic editing features, like cutting clips up, are easy to access in the timeline. You have unlimited tracks, and it’s easy to drag your clips between them. There’s a helpful magnet feature that fits clips together if you slide them together, but which still allows for blank space if you choose to leave it.
Most other functions – setting volume levels, adjusting the speed, adding movement/zoom effect – are accessible simply by right-clicking on your clip in the timeline and choosing what you want from the menu that pops up.
Is OpenShot Video Editor good for YouTube?
OpenShot is a great, free, choice for YouTubers at any editing skill level.
Beyond simply ordering your clips, OpenShot includes text and transition options within the program. You can even animate the text, and access Animated Titles if you use OpenShot in tandem with a free animation program called Blender. Titles and transitions are vital to a lot of popular YouTube styles.
OpenShot does not provide the same level of detail as the runner up, Shotcut, when it comes to color correction or audio editing. However, the features it does have (volume levels, control of saturation) will satisfy most YouTubers.
2. Shotcut – Open Source (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Pros
- Detailed audio editing
- Color grading, ability to save presets
- Fairly intuitive timeline
Shotcut Review
Shotcut delivers a smooth, detailed, editing experience for free. It is not as easy to jump into as some of the other programs on this list, but it still only takes a half-hour or so of playing around to understand it well enough to make a video. There are also tutorials up on Shotcut’s site that can help you.
You can edit using multiple video tracks in Shotcut, making it easy to combine multiple clips, and basic functions like splitting or copying clips are as easy as clicking the right icon on the toolbar.
All of the video and audio effects, including things like chroma key, you might want to apply to your video are found under the Filters menu. It will look empty when you first open it, and you have to click the plus sign to see what your options are. If you want to create a color tint (like what you might think of as an Instagram filter) then you can do that through the Color Grading option. If you want to do something like invert your colors or add an ‘old film’ look, you’ll find that here as well along with all of the audio editing features (balance, bass and treble, and gain to name just a few).
Is Shotcut good for YouTube?
Shotcut is a great choice for YouTubers. It allows you to do some advanced editing, and it’s easy to learn compared to a program targeted at professional editors.
The only complication with Shotcut for entry-level editors who will primarily use the program for YouTube might be that animations – like moving text – are not available through the program (you can add and customize text, but it just sits there). You can get them from elsewhere and use them in the program (Shotcut has an alpha channel), but it’s a bit more involved a process than simply customizing something that’s already provided.
3. Hitfilm Express – Windows, Mac
Pros
- Compositing mode (2D and 3D)
- The Most effect customization
- Helpful User Guide & tutorials
Cons
- Can be overwhelming
- Its main strength is FX, but you only get a couple for free. Most have to be bought separately.
Hitfilm Express Review
Hitfilm Express is the best free editor if you want to add special effects to your projects. OpenShot’s alpha channel will be enough for most people, but if you think of yourself as an aspiring filmmaker then it’s hard to beat Hitfilm’s range of functions.
This is an editor designed for people who want to make movies, and it’s a lot more intuitive than most professional-grade software. Film-quality FX (lasers, explosions, etc.) are available through Hitfilm Express for a reasonable price ($10-$50, depending on what you want), and even without paying extra for the packs, there’s a lot you can do to give your video a ‘film look’ using compositing layers and the multitude of customizable effects provided through the program.
Another highlight of Hitfilm Express is the extensive selection of tutorials and helpful information they have available both through YouTube videos and their User Guide. You will need those because this program can be overwhelming. It has so many functions and areas you can customize that it is easy to get lost.
That said, basic editing in Hitfilm Express is not difficult to jump into. It’s only when you start getting fancy that things get dicey.
Is Hitfilm Express good for YouTube?
Yes. It will not be the best option for everyone, but it’s not a bad option for anyone either.
If what you want to make is a vlog where you have a series of clips, and intro, and maybe a couple of title effects, then Hitfilm express might be overkill. You don’t want to have to master compositing just to add some text.
If what you want to make is a vlog that’s interrupted by an alien invasion and turns into an action sequence with lasers and falling debris, it’d be hard to do better than Hitfilm Express.
4. VideoPad Video Editor – Windows
Pros
- Easy to jump into
- Moving text
- Huge audio waveforms
- Audio and visual effects
- Lossless exports
Cons
- No longer updated
VideoPad Video Editor Review
VideoPad Video Editor is an extremely easy to use program. It may be the easiest program on this list to jump into, which you could also realistically create your entire video inside (there are easier programs, but you can only do some of your work in them). Part of its simplicity comes from not being as feature-rich as the programs ranking higher than it on this list, however.
You do not get the same range of functions with VideoPad as you do from the top 3 free editors, but it has enough to satisfy people who are just starting out. Creating moving text effects is easy, you have huge audio waves to work with while you’re syncing, and effects like transitions and filters are easy to find.
VideoPad does suffer a bit from being dated. This program is no longer being worked on, and the interface doesn’t look particularly modern. This is a bit more than a cosmetic issue because some features, while not difficult to find, are placed a bit oddly compared to other editors.
One slightly annoying feature of VideoPad is that it will prompt you to buy the commercial version sometimes (the free version is only for non-commercial use). There have been reports of exports being blocked in the free version, but I exported several times for the sake of this review and the issue never came up.
Is VideoPad Video Editor good for YouTube?
VideoPad makes a decent YouTube editor. You can jump right in and start making cuts, adding filters, and ordering your clips. If you have the kind of channel where voiceovers are important (like in gaming or makeup), then you’ll be happy with the size of the audio waves you have to work with for syncing.
The thing about VideoPad is that you’re probably going to outgrow it quickly as you become a more capable editor.
5. Lightworks – Windows, Mac, Linux
Pros
- Detailed color and audio editing
- Multicam editing
Cons
- Exports limited to 720p for the free version
- Difficult to learn compared to other free software
Lightworks Review
On their website, Lightworks claims to have an ‘intuitive interface’ and ‘easy timeline editing’. This is true if you compare it to other professional-level editing suites. Compared to the other programs on this list, Lightworks is complicated.
The first thing I attempt when I review this program is to simply split a clip, and it took me a ridiculous amount of time to figure this feature out in Lightworks (a more advanced editor could have found it faster, but these reviews are meant to help people with less experience). Lightworks does have a whole tutorial series on using the software, so if you are interested in learning to use it there is ample material out there to help you.
Lightworks has a wide range of functions (i.e. detailed audio editing and color correction), and it has been used for big movies like ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. It is the most professional program on this list, and it’s a great free alternative to something like Adobe Premiere Pro.
Note: there is no time limit on the free version of Lightworks, but it will ask you to renew your free license every 7 days. When it says your license is ‘expired’ it isn’t kicking you off the free version, you just need to renew.
Is Lightworks good for YouTube?
Whether or not Lightworks is right for your YouTube channel depends on your goals as a video editor.
If what you want is to jump in and start making YouTube videos quickly, Lightworks might not be a great choice. It’s not an easy program to just jump into, you’ll have to either take time to learn it or accept that it’ll take some trial and error to get the hang of.
If what you want is to become a professional-level video editor, then Lightworks is a great program to start on (although, Hitfilm Express may still be better). Taking the time to learn it could certainly pay off in the long run.
However, if one of your priorities is for your YouTube channel to come across as professional, then the free version of Lightworks does have some disappointing limitations. You can only export videos in 720p, which is lower quality than viewers on YouTube expect (you probably want at least 1080p). Your output format is limited too. The royalty-free audio and video content Lightworks offers are also not free; you can just buy them through the program.
6. VSDC Video Editor – Windows
Pros
- Diagrams and charts
- How To Get Started Guide
- Lots of features
Cons
- Very confusing
- Paid features show up in the free version, but they’re blocked
Review of VSDC Video Editor
There’s a lot to like about VSDC Video Editor, but you have to do a lot of work to uncover any of it. Accessing even the most basic features is confusing.
One of the first things I tried to do as I tested the program was make a jump cut (where you cut out part of a video so the playback ‘jumps over’ the deleted segment) and, while I was able to do it, it was not an intuitive process. There is a multitude of toolbars and icons surrounding your preview window in VSDC, and none of those icons was for making cuts to your clips. To make any cuts you have to find the ‘cutting and splitting’ option under the Editor tab at the top of the page, which will open a second window in which you still cannot make any cuts. Instead what you can do is place markers, and when you click ‘apply changes’ to exit the window cuts will be made where you placed markers. There is nothing in the window to explain what the markers are for.
Other basic functions, like adding text, are just as complicated.
Is VSDC Video Editor good for YouTube?
I would not recommend VSDC for YouTube. It ranks higher than two other items on this list because they are, do to functional limitations, unable to create full YouTube videos without the support of other programs (at least realistically). You certainly could create your full YouTube video in VSDC, but it’d be a headache.
7. Machete Video Editor Lite – Windows
Pros
- Great for harvesting clips from longer footage
- Lossless exports
Cons
- Cannot swap or add audio
- Only supports two formats (AVI and WMV)
- Slightly awkward timeline
Machete Video Editor Lite Review
Machete Lite claims that you’ll be able to edit your videos “within a few minutes after downloading the program, even if you’ve never edited a video before”, and that is true. It might even be better if you haven’t edited a video before because the interface is slightly awkward if you’ve come from a program with a more traditional timeline setup. Machete Lite is easy to use for the most part, but it doesn’t work like most other editors and that can be awkward to navigate around.
Instead of seeing a timeline with all of your individual clips, Machete treats your entire video as one clip. You will only be able to see where you have inserted a separate video clip or cut out a portion of the video by watching the video back or jumping through it (Machete Lite does allow frame-by-frame scrolling). You won’t be able to see this information at a glance, and you won’t be able to adjust the lengths of clips you’ve added separately.
To take out any portion of your overall video you’ll need to find a keyframe at the beginning, set that as the beginning of your selection, then find a key frame at the end and set that as the end of your selection. You will then be able to delete that selection. This will not work if the frames you have set as the beginning and end are not considered keyframes by the program, so it can be difficult to be precise, but since the program allows you to jump through keyframes it’s not difficult to find a point that works.
Is Machete Video Editor Lite good for YouTube?
Machete Lite is not a good choice for YouTubers unless it is used in combination with another program.
It doesn’t work as a YouTube editor because you cannot edit or swap audio, the transition between clips, or create layers of videos and images.
However, the thing Machete Lite is really good at is cutting out clips from longer videos. You can create a selection of a part of your longer clip and then export it (with no quality loss) as its own video file.
This is what the Machete Lite toolbar looks like when you’ve created a selection. Tools like cut and copy which were greyed out before are now available, as is the save icon on the far right. If you click the save icon, you’ll be able to save that selection as its own video.
You can’t create a complete YouTube video in Machete Lite, but you can harvest clips to use in a different program.
8. Avidemux – Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD
Pros
- Can add subtitle files
Cons
- Not intuitive
- Doesn’t support MOV or WMV
- The website is not informative, no tutorials
Avidemux Review
Avidemux is not an easy program to jump into. I almost wrote that it couldn’t do anything besides make cuts to a clip before I saw a YouTube tutorial about how to find the contrast and brightness tools. If you decide to try it out, remember that you have to choose your output format before Avidemux will let you access tools like Hue/Saturation and Contrast (click Filters under Video Output to find them).
There are no official tutorials for Avidemux you can access from their site, so you’ll have to rely on the forums and tutorials from users if you want to learn it.
You can import multiple clips into Avidemux, but you have to import them in the order you want because you can’t drag them around the timeline after. Everything becomes one big clip.
Is Avidemux good for YouTube?
No. It has more functionality than Machete, which is ranked higher on this list, but the difference is that Machete is excellent at one thing. They both suffer from the same main weakness – you could not complete your full YouTube video either (at least not without a lot of trouble). Machete could still be useful to a YouTuber, though, because it allows for the lossless exporting of segments of clips. You can use it to harvest clips for your larger project in another program.
In theory, you could do some picture editing and snipping in Avidemux and then put your project together/add titles in another program, but your other program can probably do all that just as well if not better. Avidemux isn’t a bad program, but it doesn’t excel at anything. There are a lot of better options which are also free.
What has your experience with free video editors been like?
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Ultimate List of Highest-Rated Free Video Editing Apps for iDevices
Best Free YouTube Video Editing Apps for iPhone & iPad [2024]
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
iPhones and iPads can capture footage in high resolution, however, video clips you record with an iPhone or an iPad may contain imperfections sometimes. Removing parts of a video clip you don’t want to share publicly, or stabilizing the shaky footage are just a few ways in which you can improve the quality of the videos you’re creating.
The good news is that the iPhone and iPad support a broad range of video editing apps, which enables you to edit all videos you record on these devices before you post them on YouTube or other social media platforms.
There are hundreds of video editing apps to choose from at the App Store , but such a wide range of options can make the process of choosing a video editing app you are going to use to edit your videos, more complicated.
So, in this article, we are going to take you through the some of the best video editing apps for YouTube videos on iPhones and iPads and help you determine which of these apps is the right choice for you.
- Part 1: Best Video Editing Apps for YouTube Video [Free & Paid]
- Part 2: Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone with YouTube Studio
Before we get started, I want to recommend thebest video editing software for YouTubers - Wondershare Filmora video editor , an easy to use while powerful video editor that allows you not only cut, split, crop, resize, reverse your videos, but also offers you multiple video effects specially designed for Fashion, Beauty, Gaming, Travel, Education, etc. Check the video to know more fantastic features:
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>
download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )
- Windows & Mac Cross-Platform compatible
- Various Templates, Effects, Elements, Transitions, Filters for making Hollywood like movie easily
- Practical Audio Editing Tools and Color Grading Feature
Part 1: Best Free Video Editing Apps for iPhone to Edit YouTube Videos You Should Know
Before you opt for one of the apps we’ve featured in our top list, you must first make sure that the app you’re interested in offers all the video editing tools you need to process the footage you recorded for your YouTube channel. Considering the number of audio and video tracks an app supports, the number of visual effects it offers or its file-sharing capabilities can make it easier for you to decide which app you are going to install on your device. However, your choice ultimately depends on how frequently and how professionally you want to edit your YouTube videos. Here are the top 5 video editing apps for iPhones and iPads.
1. Filmora
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This is an easy and convenient video editing app that is going to allow you to turn regular videos into artistic renditions that are going to look as if they were production-valued. All you need to do is choose the video and select the overall theme for it as well as the design and music. Furthermore, the app delivers some fantastic visual effects such as overlays, filters, elements and transitions, basic function. It also allows you to trim and split video clips, rotate and crop the footage, change the video speed, play the video backwards or add your own voiceover. Another special feature is that you can automate the video by selecting the best parts and letting the application handle everything else.
Pros
- Lots of titles, overlays, filters, elements, transitions, themes for making artistic video
- Enough editing tools to trim, split, rotate, crop videos on iPhone and iPad
Cons
- NO advanced features such as Green Screen video compositing
- Not connected to Filmora desktop video editor
2. iMovie
Price: Free
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.4 or later.
This is a very comprehensive video editing app and a benchmark release for Apple. It is very similar to the desktop iMovie version, and it should definitely be featured on your device if you’re looking for a free YouTube video editing app for iOS. You can use it to add voiceovers, music, titles as well as photos to your work. There are a lot of templates, themes as well as filters for movie trailers that you can take advantage of if you want to make the video even better. You can enhance the video with slow motion and fast forward by changing video speed and add your own narration as well.
Pros
- Totally Free for iPhone and iPad Users
- Trailer Templates, Themes, Filters Available
- Projects can edit on Mac with iMovie or Final Cut Pro X
Cons
- No elements
- Speed up limited to 2X
Learn more details about How to Edit YouTube videos with iMovie >>
3. Adobe Premiere Rush
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Adobe’s software products have been at the center of the video editing world for several decades, but most of the company’s video and audio editing products are aimed athigh-end professional users .
Adobe Premiere Rush has a built-in camera feature, which allows you to capture high-resolution footage from the app and edit it as soon as you stop recording. Creating a soundtrack for a video, arranging video clips in any way you want or customizing a title template are just a few among countless video editing options Adobe Premiere Rush offers.
Its file-sharing capabilities are also impressive since you can share your videos to all major social media platforms directly from the app or edit the file on desktop with Premiere Pro CC. This makes Adobe Premiere Rush an excellent choice for YouTubers, vloggers and all other video content creators who often shoot their videos on different locations.
Pros:
- Let users change a video’s aspect ratio effortlessly
- Records high-definition footage
- Rich title template library
- Multitrack timeline
Cons:
- A limited selection of video effects
- The rendering process can be slow
- Offers only a basic set of transitions
4. LumaFusion
Price: $29,00 – offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11 or later
The LumaFusion app is equipped with a wide spectrum of professional video editing tools, that enable video content creators to edit their footage with ease. You can choose a project’s frame rate or its aspect ratio in order to meet the content specifications of the social network on which you want to share your videos.
There are six separate video tracks as well as six audio tracks on the app’s timeline, which means that you can use media files like photos, videos and motion graphics in your projects or create stunning soundtracks.
LumaFusion’s selection of visual effects includes effects like Chroma Key or LUTs and you can also utilize the app’s color correction tools to make your own effects. This iOS-based video editor supports fast and slow-motion effects so that you can create smooth slow-motion videos at 120fps or 240fps.
Pros
- Rich media library that contains free videos, sounds, and backgrounds
- Lets users animate effects with keyframes
- The app’s titler grants users full creative control over the process of creating titles for a video
- Excellent file-sharing capabilities
Cons:
- No video recording features
- Requires previous video editing experience
Check the detailed comparison between LumaFusion and Premiere Rush
5. KineMaster
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 10.3 or later
This video editor for iPhones and iPads grants you access to all the tools you are going to need to create videos that attract a lot of attention on YouTube. In fact, a lot of content creators who share their videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are already using KineMaster to edit their footage.
Adding text layers, stickers or overlaying several videos or photos is easy with KineMaster, while you can also choose from a variety of blending modes that let you decide how the images are going to be combined.
The app features rich filters, music, visual and audio effect libraries and it supports 4K video editing. However, each video you create with the free version of KineMaster is going to be watermarked, and you must purchase the monthly or the annual subscription in order to remove the watermark and gain access to all of the app’s features.
Pros:
- Excellent time-lapse and slow-motion video editing tools
- Offers a broad range of image and text overlays
- Allows users to animate layers with keyframes
- The app’s Asset Store contains hundreds of free stickers, transitions, and music
Cons
- You must make an in-app purchase to remove the watermark
- No video recording capability
- Limited color correction options
6. Magisto
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Creating a new video with Magisto won’t take much more than a few moments of your time. You just have to select one of the available templates such as Birthday or Wedding, import the footage from your phone’s camera roll and add music to your project. Magisto’s AI-powered super-smart editor will do the rest for you.
Such a quick and simple video editing process makes this video editor for iPhones and iPads an excellent choice for digital marketers who want to create tutorials or promotional videos they can share on social media.
Purchasing the Magisto’s Business Plan will grant you access to dozens of business-based templates that can help you grow your online audience and improve your brand’s visibility. Keep in mind that purchasing one of the available subscription models is necessary if you want to use Magisto for professional purposes.
Pros:
- A simple 3-step video creation process
- Huge library of royalty-free songs
- Offers a wide range of themes and templates
- Lets users create video collages and videos from photos
Cons:
- No 4K video editing support
- The free version of the app has limited capabilities
- More expensive than the competition
7. Filmmaker Pro Video Editor
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Filmmaker Pro Video Editor is equipped with a versatile set of video editing tools that allow users to create attention-grabbing video content from their iPhones and iPads. The app lets you create as many audio and video tracks as your project demands, while it also supports 4K editing, although only on iPad Pro, iPhone SE and later iPhone models.
The Filmmaker Pro Video Editor provides more than thirty filters, as well as color grading tools that enable you to adjust a video’s contrast, exposure or brightness. Moreover, the app grants you access to Green Screen and Ken Burns effects that can be used to make your videos more visually dynamic.
In case you’re editing videos with the Filmmaker Pro Video Editor from an iPad you can use Apple Pen to draw over the footage you’re editing. The only downside is that you must make an in-app purchase to remove the watermark from the videos you export from this app.
Pros
- Excellent font selection
- Built-in fade-in and fade-out audio effects
- Offers support for 4K video editing
- The app doesn’t limit the number of projects you can create
Cons
- Pricy
- Limited file-sharing capabilities
- Requires previous video editing experience
8. QUIK
This is an app which was initially designed for Instagram users, but it quickly transitioned to being one of the best apps for video editing on iPhone. You can make a variety of tweaks to your videos such as fonts, titles, filters, styles and pace of the video and trims. It is easy and convenient for usage.
9. SPLICE
This is another convenient option that you can take advantage of. You would be provided with the chance to add transitions, filters, and text. You can adjust the speed as well as trim the video as you see fit. There is a lot of flexibility delivered by the video which is quite convenient.
Part 2: How to Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone with the YouTube Studio Application
Being able to edit the videos you’ve uploaded to YouTube on your iPhone is without a doubt something very beneficial. The YouTube iOS application - YouTube Studio is a powerful mini video-editing tool. You can easily trim your video, add different effects and filters in order to prominently enhance the way that your video looks as well as to add music as a background and many more.
To edit videos with YouTube Studio, you need to upload the video footge first. To upload the video, navigate to the upper corner of your home screen, and click on the icon like a camera. Now that you can allow access to camera and go through and select your videos, you can easily take advantage of the three convenient tools.
You can trim the beginning as well as the ending of the video quickly, and you can select new start as well as end points. However, you wouldn’t be able to separate the clip in two different ones. Once you are through with that, you can easily add different filter effects through the filter option – there are six of them that you can take advantage of. Furthermore, you can easily add background music by tapping on the music icon which is located in the lower-right part of your screen.
The YouTube Studio app might be a good idea, but it doesn’t provide you with all the necessary capabilities as it is rather limited.
As you can see, there are quite a lot of different ways to edit YouTube videos on iPhone and all you need to do is download a specific application or use the one which YouTube has built-in. There is no need for any previous specific knowledge or skills in video editing as they provide quite comprehensive features.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>
download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )
Check our guide for beginners about How to Edit YouTube videos with Filmora.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
iPhones and iPads can capture footage in high resolution, however, video clips you record with an iPhone or an iPad may contain imperfections sometimes. Removing parts of a video clip you don’t want to share publicly, or stabilizing the shaky footage are just a few ways in which you can improve the quality of the videos you’re creating.
The good news is that the iPhone and iPad support a broad range of video editing apps, which enables you to edit all videos you record on these devices before you post them on YouTube or other social media platforms.
There are hundreds of video editing apps to choose from at the App Store , but such a wide range of options can make the process of choosing a video editing app you are going to use to edit your videos, more complicated.
So, in this article, we are going to take you through the some of the best video editing apps for YouTube videos on iPhones and iPads and help you determine which of these apps is the right choice for you.
- Part 1: Best Video Editing Apps for YouTube Video [Free & Paid]
- Part 2: Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone with YouTube Studio
Before we get started, I want to recommend thebest video editing software for YouTubers - Wondershare Filmora video editor , an easy to use while powerful video editor that allows you not only cut, split, crop, resize, reverse your videos, but also offers you multiple video effects specially designed for Fashion, Beauty, Gaming, Travel, Education, etc. Check the video to know more fantastic features:
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>
download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )
- Windows & Mac Cross-Platform compatible
- Various Templates, Effects, Elements, Transitions, Filters for making Hollywood like movie easily
- Practical Audio Editing Tools and Color Grading Feature
Part 1: Best Free Video Editing Apps for iPhone to Edit YouTube Videos You Should Know
Before you opt for one of the apps we’ve featured in our top list, you must first make sure that the app you’re interested in offers all the video editing tools you need to process the footage you recorded for your YouTube channel. Considering the number of audio and video tracks an app supports, the number of visual effects it offers or its file-sharing capabilities can make it easier for you to decide which app you are going to install on your device. However, your choice ultimately depends on how frequently and how professionally you want to edit your YouTube videos. Here are the top 5 video editing apps for iPhones and iPads.
1. Filmora
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This is an easy and convenient video editing app that is going to allow you to turn regular videos into artistic renditions that are going to look as if they were production-valued. All you need to do is choose the video and select the overall theme for it as well as the design and music. Furthermore, the app delivers some fantastic visual effects such as overlays, filters, elements and transitions, basic function. It also allows you to trim and split video clips, rotate and crop the footage, change the video speed, play the video backwards or add your own voiceover. Another special feature is that you can automate the video by selecting the best parts and letting the application handle everything else.
Pros
- Lots of titles, overlays, filters, elements, transitions, themes for making artistic video
- Enough editing tools to trim, split, rotate, crop videos on iPhone and iPad
Cons
- NO advanced features such as Green Screen video compositing
- Not connected to Filmora desktop video editor
2. iMovie
Price: Free
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.4 or later.
This is a very comprehensive video editing app and a benchmark release for Apple. It is very similar to the desktop iMovie version, and it should definitely be featured on your device if you’re looking for a free YouTube video editing app for iOS. You can use it to add voiceovers, music, titles as well as photos to your work. There are a lot of templates, themes as well as filters for movie trailers that you can take advantage of if you want to make the video even better. You can enhance the video with slow motion and fast forward by changing video speed and add your own narration as well.
Pros
- Totally Free for iPhone and iPad Users
- Trailer Templates, Themes, Filters Available
- Projects can edit on Mac with iMovie or Final Cut Pro X
Cons
- No elements
- Speed up limited to 2X
Learn more details about How to Edit YouTube videos with iMovie >>
3. Adobe Premiere Rush
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Adobe’s software products have been at the center of the video editing world for several decades, but most of the company’s video and audio editing products are aimed athigh-end professional users .
Adobe Premiere Rush has a built-in camera feature, which allows you to capture high-resolution footage from the app and edit it as soon as you stop recording. Creating a soundtrack for a video, arranging video clips in any way you want or customizing a title template are just a few among countless video editing options Adobe Premiere Rush offers.
Its file-sharing capabilities are also impressive since you can share your videos to all major social media platforms directly from the app or edit the file on desktop with Premiere Pro CC. This makes Adobe Premiere Rush an excellent choice for YouTubers, vloggers and all other video content creators who often shoot their videos on different locations.
Pros:
- Let users change a video’s aspect ratio effortlessly
- Records high-definition footage
- Rich title template library
- Multitrack timeline
Cons:
- A limited selection of video effects
- The rendering process can be slow
- Offers only a basic set of transitions
4. LumaFusion
Price: $29,00 – offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11 or later
The LumaFusion app is equipped with a wide spectrum of professional video editing tools, that enable video content creators to edit their footage with ease. You can choose a project’s frame rate or its aspect ratio in order to meet the content specifications of the social network on which you want to share your videos.
There are six separate video tracks as well as six audio tracks on the app’s timeline, which means that you can use media files like photos, videos and motion graphics in your projects or create stunning soundtracks.
LumaFusion’s selection of visual effects includes effects like Chroma Key or LUTs and you can also utilize the app’s color correction tools to make your own effects. This iOS-based video editor supports fast and slow-motion effects so that you can create smooth slow-motion videos at 120fps or 240fps.
Pros
- Rich media library that contains free videos, sounds, and backgrounds
- Lets users animate effects with keyframes
- The app’s titler grants users full creative control over the process of creating titles for a video
- Excellent file-sharing capabilities
Cons:
- No video recording features
- Requires previous video editing experience
Check the detailed comparison between LumaFusion and Premiere Rush
5. KineMaster
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 10.3 or later
This video editor for iPhones and iPads grants you access to all the tools you are going to need to create videos that attract a lot of attention on YouTube. In fact, a lot of content creators who share their videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are already using KineMaster to edit their footage.
Adding text layers, stickers or overlaying several videos or photos is easy with KineMaster, while you can also choose from a variety of blending modes that let you decide how the images are going to be combined.
The app features rich filters, music, visual and audio effect libraries and it supports 4K video editing. However, each video you create with the free version of KineMaster is going to be watermarked, and you must purchase the monthly or the annual subscription in order to remove the watermark and gain access to all of the app’s features.
Pros:
- Excellent time-lapse and slow-motion video editing tools
- Offers a broad range of image and text overlays
- Allows users to animate layers with keyframes
- The app’s Asset Store contains hundreds of free stickers, transitions, and music
Cons
- You must make an in-app purchase to remove the watermark
- No video recording capability
- Limited color correction options
6. Magisto
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Creating a new video with Magisto won’t take much more than a few moments of your time. You just have to select one of the available templates such as Birthday or Wedding, import the footage from your phone’s camera roll and add music to your project. Magisto’s AI-powered super-smart editor will do the rest for you.
Such a quick and simple video editing process makes this video editor for iPhones and iPads an excellent choice for digital marketers who want to create tutorials or promotional videos they can share on social media.
Purchasing the Magisto’s Business Plan will grant you access to dozens of business-based templates that can help you grow your online audience and improve your brand’s visibility. Keep in mind that purchasing one of the available subscription models is necessary if you want to use Magisto for professional purposes.
Pros:
- A simple 3-step video creation process
- Huge library of royalty-free songs
- Offers a wide range of themes and templates
- Lets users create video collages and videos from photos
Cons:
- No 4K video editing support
- The free version of the app has limited capabilities
- More expensive than the competition
7. Filmmaker Pro Video Editor
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Filmmaker Pro Video Editor is equipped with a versatile set of video editing tools that allow users to create attention-grabbing video content from their iPhones and iPads. The app lets you create as many audio and video tracks as your project demands, while it also supports 4K editing, although only on iPad Pro, iPhone SE and later iPhone models.
The Filmmaker Pro Video Editor provides more than thirty filters, as well as color grading tools that enable you to adjust a video’s contrast, exposure or brightness. Moreover, the app grants you access to Green Screen and Ken Burns effects that can be used to make your videos more visually dynamic.
In case you’re editing videos with the Filmmaker Pro Video Editor from an iPad you can use Apple Pen to draw over the footage you’re editing. The only downside is that you must make an in-app purchase to remove the watermark from the videos you export from this app.
Pros
- Excellent font selection
- Built-in fade-in and fade-out audio effects
- Offers support for 4K video editing
- The app doesn’t limit the number of projects you can create
Cons
- Pricy
- Limited file-sharing capabilities
- Requires previous video editing experience
8. QUIK
This is an app which was initially designed for Instagram users, but it quickly transitioned to being one of the best apps for video editing on iPhone. You can make a variety of tweaks to your videos such as fonts, titles, filters, styles and pace of the video and trims. It is easy and convenient for usage.
9. SPLICE
This is another convenient option that you can take advantage of. You would be provided with the chance to add transitions, filters, and text. You can adjust the speed as well as trim the video as you see fit. There is a lot of flexibility delivered by the video which is quite convenient.
Part 2: How to Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone with the YouTube Studio Application
Being able to edit the videos you’ve uploaded to YouTube on your iPhone is without a doubt something very beneficial. The YouTube iOS application - YouTube Studio is a powerful mini video-editing tool. You can easily trim your video, add different effects and filters in order to prominently enhance the way that your video looks as well as to add music as a background and many more.
To edit videos with YouTube Studio, you need to upload the video footge first. To upload the video, navigate to the upper corner of your home screen, and click on the icon like a camera. Now that you can allow access to camera and go through and select your videos, you can easily take advantage of the three convenient tools.
You can trim the beginning as well as the ending of the video quickly, and you can select new start as well as end points. However, you wouldn’t be able to separate the clip in two different ones. Once you are through with that, you can easily add different filter effects through the filter option – there are six of them that you can take advantage of. Furthermore, you can easily add background music by tapping on the music icon which is located in the lower-right part of your screen.
The YouTube Studio app might be a good idea, but it doesn’t provide you with all the necessary capabilities as it is rather limited.
As you can see, there are quite a lot of different ways to edit YouTube videos on iPhone and all you need to do is download a specific application or use the one which YouTube has built-in. There is no need for any previous specific knowledge or skills in video editing as they provide quite comprehensive features.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>
download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )
Check our guide for beginners about How to Edit YouTube videos with Filmora.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
iPhones and iPads can capture footage in high resolution, however, video clips you record with an iPhone or an iPad may contain imperfections sometimes. Removing parts of a video clip you don’t want to share publicly, or stabilizing the shaky footage are just a few ways in which you can improve the quality of the videos you’re creating.
The good news is that the iPhone and iPad support a broad range of video editing apps, which enables you to edit all videos you record on these devices before you post them on YouTube or other social media platforms.
There are hundreds of video editing apps to choose from at the App Store , but such a wide range of options can make the process of choosing a video editing app you are going to use to edit your videos, more complicated.
So, in this article, we are going to take you through the some of the best video editing apps for YouTube videos on iPhones and iPads and help you determine which of these apps is the right choice for you.
- Part 1: Best Video Editing Apps for YouTube Video [Free & Paid]
- Part 2: Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone with YouTube Studio
Before we get started, I want to recommend thebest video editing software for YouTubers - Wondershare Filmora video editor , an easy to use while powerful video editor that allows you not only cut, split, crop, resize, reverse your videos, but also offers you multiple video effects specially designed for Fashion, Beauty, Gaming, Travel, Education, etc. Check the video to know more fantastic features:
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>
download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )
- Windows & Mac Cross-Platform compatible
- Various Templates, Effects, Elements, Transitions, Filters for making Hollywood like movie easily
- Practical Audio Editing Tools and Color Grading Feature
Part 1: Best Free Video Editing Apps for iPhone to Edit YouTube Videos You Should Know
Before you opt for one of the apps we’ve featured in our top list, you must first make sure that the app you’re interested in offers all the video editing tools you need to process the footage you recorded for your YouTube channel. Considering the number of audio and video tracks an app supports, the number of visual effects it offers or its file-sharing capabilities can make it easier for you to decide which app you are going to install on your device. However, your choice ultimately depends on how frequently and how professionally you want to edit your YouTube videos. Here are the top 5 video editing apps for iPhones and iPads.
1. Filmora
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This is an easy and convenient video editing app that is going to allow you to turn regular videos into artistic renditions that are going to look as if they were production-valued. All you need to do is choose the video and select the overall theme for it as well as the design and music. Furthermore, the app delivers some fantastic visual effects such as overlays, filters, elements and transitions, basic function. It also allows you to trim and split video clips, rotate and crop the footage, change the video speed, play the video backwards or add your own voiceover. Another special feature is that you can automate the video by selecting the best parts and letting the application handle everything else.
Pros
- Lots of titles, overlays, filters, elements, transitions, themes for making artistic video
- Enough editing tools to trim, split, rotate, crop videos on iPhone and iPad
Cons
- NO advanced features such as Green Screen video compositing
- Not connected to Filmora desktop video editor
2. iMovie
Price: Free
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.4 or later.
This is a very comprehensive video editing app and a benchmark release for Apple. It is very similar to the desktop iMovie version, and it should definitely be featured on your device if you’re looking for a free YouTube video editing app for iOS. You can use it to add voiceovers, music, titles as well as photos to your work. There are a lot of templates, themes as well as filters for movie trailers that you can take advantage of if you want to make the video even better. You can enhance the video with slow motion and fast forward by changing video speed and add your own narration as well.
Pros
- Totally Free for iPhone and iPad Users
- Trailer Templates, Themes, Filters Available
- Projects can edit on Mac with iMovie or Final Cut Pro X
Cons
- No elements
- Speed up limited to 2X
Learn more details about How to Edit YouTube videos with iMovie >>
3. Adobe Premiere Rush
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Adobe’s software products have been at the center of the video editing world for several decades, but most of the company’s video and audio editing products are aimed athigh-end professional users .
Adobe Premiere Rush has a built-in camera feature, which allows you to capture high-resolution footage from the app and edit it as soon as you stop recording. Creating a soundtrack for a video, arranging video clips in any way you want or customizing a title template are just a few among countless video editing options Adobe Premiere Rush offers.
Its file-sharing capabilities are also impressive since you can share your videos to all major social media platforms directly from the app or edit the file on desktop with Premiere Pro CC. This makes Adobe Premiere Rush an excellent choice for YouTubers, vloggers and all other video content creators who often shoot their videos on different locations.
Pros:
- Let users change a video’s aspect ratio effortlessly
- Records high-definition footage
- Rich title template library
- Multitrack timeline
Cons:
- A limited selection of video effects
- The rendering process can be slow
- Offers only a basic set of transitions
4. LumaFusion
Price: $29,00 – offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11 or later
The LumaFusion app is equipped with a wide spectrum of professional video editing tools, that enable video content creators to edit their footage with ease. You can choose a project’s frame rate or its aspect ratio in order to meet the content specifications of the social network on which you want to share your videos.
There are six separate video tracks as well as six audio tracks on the app’s timeline, which means that you can use media files like photos, videos and motion graphics in your projects or create stunning soundtracks.
LumaFusion’s selection of visual effects includes effects like Chroma Key or LUTs and you can also utilize the app’s color correction tools to make your own effects. This iOS-based video editor supports fast and slow-motion effects so that you can create smooth slow-motion videos at 120fps or 240fps.
Pros
- Rich media library that contains free videos, sounds, and backgrounds
- Lets users animate effects with keyframes
- The app’s titler grants users full creative control over the process of creating titles for a video
- Excellent file-sharing capabilities
Cons:
- No video recording features
- Requires previous video editing experience
Check the detailed comparison between LumaFusion and Premiere Rush
5. KineMaster
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 10.3 or later
This video editor for iPhones and iPads grants you access to all the tools you are going to need to create videos that attract a lot of attention on YouTube. In fact, a lot of content creators who share their videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are already using KineMaster to edit their footage.
Adding text layers, stickers or overlaying several videos or photos is easy with KineMaster, while you can also choose from a variety of blending modes that let you decide how the images are going to be combined.
The app features rich filters, music, visual and audio effect libraries and it supports 4K video editing. However, each video you create with the free version of KineMaster is going to be watermarked, and you must purchase the monthly or the annual subscription in order to remove the watermark and gain access to all of the app’s features.
Pros:
- Excellent time-lapse and slow-motion video editing tools
- Offers a broad range of image and text overlays
- Allows users to animate layers with keyframes
- The app’s Asset Store contains hundreds of free stickers, transitions, and music
Cons
- You must make an in-app purchase to remove the watermark
- No video recording capability
- Limited color correction options
6. Magisto
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Creating a new video with Magisto won’t take much more than a few moments of your time. You just have to select one of the available templates such as Birthday or Wedding, import the footage from your phone’s camera roll and add music to your project. Magisto’s AI-powered super-smart editor will do the rest for you.
Such a quick and simple video editing process makes this video editor for iPhones and iPads an excellent choice for digital marketers who want to create tutorials or promotional videos they can share on social media.
Purchasing the Magisto’s Business Plan will grant you access to dozens of business-based templates that can help you grow your online audience and improve your brand’s visibility. Keep in mind that purchasing one of the available subscription models is necessary if you want to use Magisto for professional purposes.
Pros:
- A simple 3-step video creation process
- Huge library of royalty-free songs
- Offers a wide range of themes and templates
- Lets users create video collages and videos from photos
Cons:
- No 4K video editing support
- The free version of the app has limited capabilities
- More expensive than the competition
7. Filmmaker Pro Video Editor
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Filmmaker Pro Video Editor is equipped with a versatile set of video editing tools that allow users to create attention-grabbing video content from their iPhones and iPads. The app lets you create as many audio and video tracks as your project demands, while it also supports 4K editing, although only on iPad Pro, iPhone SE and later iPhone models.
The Filmmaker Pro Video Editor provides more than thirty filters, as well as color grading tools that enable you to adjust a video’s contrast, exposure or brightness. Moreover, the app grants you access to Green Screen and Ken Burns effects that can be used to make your videos more visually dynamic.
In case you’re editing videos with the Filmmaker Pro Video Editor from an iPad you can use Apple Pen to draw over the footage you’re editing. The only downside is that you must make an in-app purchase to remove the watermark from the videos you export from this app.
Pros
- Excellent font selection
- Built-in fade-in and fade-out audio effects
- Offers support for 4K video editing
- The app doesn’t limit the number of projects you can create
Cons
- Pricy
- Limited file-sharing capabilities
- Requires previous video editing experience
8. QUIK
This is an app which was initially designed for Instagram users, but it quickly transitioned to being one of the best apps for video editing on iPhone. You can make a variety of tweaks to your videos such as fonts, titles, filters, styles and pace of the video and trims. It is easy and convenient for usage.
9. SPLICE
This is another convenient option that you can take advantage of. You would be provided with the chance to add transitions, filters, and text. You can adjust the speed as well as trim the video as you see fit. There is a lot of flexibility delivered by the video which is quite convenient.
Part 2: How to Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone with the YouTube Studio Application
Being able to edit the videos you’ve uploaded to YouTube on your iPhone is without a doubt something very beneficial. The YouTube iOS application - YouTube Studio is a powerful mini video-editing tool. You can easily trim your video, add different effects and filters in order to prominently enhance the way that your video looks as well as to add music as a background and many more.
To edit videos with YouTube Studio, you need to upload the video footge first. To upload the video, navigate to the upper corner of your home screen, and click on the icon like a camera. Now that you can allow access to camera and go through and select your videos, you can easily take advantage of the three convenient tools.
You can trim the beginning as well as the ending of the video quickly, and you can select new start as well as end points. However, you wouldn’t be able to separate the clip in two different ones. Once you are through with that, you can easily add different filter effects through the filter option – there are six of them that you can take advantage of. Furthermore, you can easily add background music by tapping on the music icon which is located in the lower-right part of your screen.
The YouTube Studio app might be a good idea, but it doesn’t provide you with all the necessary capabilities as it is rather limited.
As you can see, there are quite a lot of different ways to edit YouTube videos on iPhone and all you need to do is download a specific application or use the one which YouTube has built-in. There is no need for any previous specific knowledge or skills in video editing as they provide quite comprehensive features.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>
download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )
Check our guide for beginners about How to Edit YouTube videos with Filmora.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
iPhones and iPads can capture footage in high resolution, however, video clips you record with an iPhone or an iPad may contain imperfections sometimes. Removing parts of a video clip you don’t want to share publicly, or stabilizing the shaky footage are just a few ways in which you can improve the quality of the videos you’re creating.
The good news is that the iPhone and iPad support a broad range of video editing apps, which enables you to edit all videos you record on these devices before you post them on YouTube or other social media platforms.
There are hundreds of video editing apps to choose from at the App Store , but such a wide range of options can make the process of choosing a video editing app you are going to use to edit your videos, more complicated.
So, in this article, we are going to take you through the some of the best video editing apps for YouTube videos on iPhones and iPads and help you determine which of these apps is the right choice for you.
- Part 1: Best Video Editing Apps for YouTube Video [Free & Paid]
- Part 2: Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone with YouTube Studio
Before we get started, I want to recommend thebest video editing software for YouTubers - Wondershare Filmora video editor , an easy to use while powerful video editor that allows you not only cut, split, crop, resize, reverse your videos, but also offers you multiple video effects specially designed for Fashion, Beauty, Gaming, Travel, Education, etc. Check the video to know more fantastic features:
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>
download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )
- Windows & Mac Cross-Platform compatible
- Various Templates, Effects, Elements, Transitions, Filters for making Hollywood like movie easily
- Practical Audio Editing Tools and Color Grading Feature
Part 1: Best Free Video Editing Apps for iPhone to Edit YouTube Videos You Should Know
Before you opt for one of the apps we’ve featured in our top list, you must first make sure that the app you’re interested in offers all the video editing tools you need to process the footage you recorded for your YouTube channel. Considering the number of audio and video tracks an app supports, the number of visual effects it offers or its file-sharing capabilities can make it easier for you to decide which app you are going to install on your device. However, your choice ultimately depends on how frequently and how professionally you want to edit your YouTube videos. Here are the top 5 video editing apps for iPhones and iPads.
1. Filmora
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This is an easy and convenient video editing app that is going to allow you to turn regular videos into artistic renditions that are going to look as if they were production-valued. All you need to do is choose the video and select the overall theme for it as well as the design and music. Furthermore, the app delivers some fantastic visual effects such as overlays, filters, elements and transitions, basic function. It also allows you to trim and split video clips, rotate and crop the footage, change the video speed, play the video backwards or add your own voiceover. Another special feature is that you can automate the video by selecting the best parts and letting the application handle everything else.
Pros
- Lots of titles, overlays, filters, elements, transitions, themes for making artistic video
- Enough editing tools to trim, split, rotate, crop videos on iPhone and iPad
Cons
- NO advanced features such as Green Screen video compositing
- Not connected to Filmora desktop video editor
2. iMovie
Price: Free
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.4 or later.
This is a very comprehensive video editing app and a benchmark release for Apple. It is very similar to the desktop iMovie version, and it should definitely be featured on your device if you’re looking for a free YouTube video editing app for iOS. You can use it to add voiceovers, music, titles as well as photos to your work. There are a lot of templates, themes as well as filters for movie trailers that you can take advantage of if you want to make the video even better. You can enhance the video with slow motion and fast forward by changing video speed and add your own narration as well.
Pros
- Totally Free for iPhone and iPad Users
- Trailer Templates, Themes, Filters Available
- Projects can edit on Mac with iMovie or Final Cut Pro X
Cons
- No elements
- Speed up limited to 2X
Learn more details about How to Edit YouTube videos with iMovie >>
3. Adobe Premiere Rush
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Adobe’s software products have been at the center of the video editing world for several decades, but most of the company’s video and audio editing products are aimed athigh-end professional users .
Adobe Premiere Rush has a built-in camera feature, which allows you to capture high-resolution footage from the app and edit it as soon as you stop recording. Creating a soundtrack for a video, arranging video clips in any way you want or customizing a title template are just a few among countless video editing options Adobe Premiere Rush offers.
Its file-sharing capabilities are also impressive since you can share your videos to all major social media platforms directly from the app or edit the file on desktop with Premiere Pro CC. This makes Adobe Premiere Rush an excellent choice for YouTubers, vloggers and all other video content creators who often shoot their videos on different locations.
Pros:
- Let users change a video’s aspect ratio effortlessly
- Records high-definition footage
- Rich title template library
- Multitrack timeline
Cons:
- A limited selection of video effects
- The rendering process can be slow
- Offers only a basic set of transitions
4. LumaFusion
Price: $29,00 – offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11 or later
The LumaFusion app is equipped with a wide spectrum of professional video editing tools, that enable video content creators to edit their footage with ease. You can choose a project’s frame rate or its aspect ratio in order to meet the content specifications of the social network on which you want to share your videos.
There are six separate video tracks as well as six audio tracks on the app’s timeline, which means that you can use media files like photos, videos and motion graphics in your projects or create stunning soundtracks.
LumaFusion’s selection of visual effects includes effects like Chroma Key or LUTs and you can also utilize the app’s color correction tools to make your own effects. This iOS-based video editor supports fast and slow-motion effects so that you can create smooth slow-motion videos at 120fps or 240fps.
Pros
- Rich media library that contains free videos, sounds, and backgrounds
- Lets users animate effects with keyframes
- The app’s titler grants users full creative control over the process of creating titles for a video
- Excellent file-sharing capabilities
Cons:
- No video recording features
- Requires previous video editing experience
Check the detailed comparison between LumaFusion and Premiere Rush
5. KineMaster
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 10.3 or later
This video editor for iPhones and iPads grants you access to all the tools you are going to need to create videos that attract a lot of attention on YouTube. In fact, a lot of content creators who share their videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are already using KineMaster to edit their footage.
Adding text layers, stickers or overlaying several videos or photos is easy with KineMaster, while you can also choose from a variety of blending modes that let you decide how the images are going to be combined.
The app features rich filters, music, visual and audio effect libraries and it supports 4K video editing. However, each video you create with the free version of KineMaster is going to be watermarked, and you must purchase the monthly or the annual subscription in order to remove the watermark and gain access to all of the app’s features.
Pros:
- Excellent time-lapse and slow-motion video editing tools
- Offers a broad range of image and text overlays
- Allows users to animate layers with keyframes
- The app’s Asset Store contains hundreds of free stickers, transitions, and music
Cons
- You must make an in-app purchase to remove the watermark
- No video recording capability
- Limited color correction options
6. Magisto
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Creating a new video with Magisto won’t take much more than a few moments of your time. You just have to select one of the available templates such as Birthday or Wedding, import the footage from your phone’s camera roll and add music to your project. Magisto’s AI-powered super-smart editor will do the rest for you.
Such a quick and simple video editing process makes this video editor for iPhones and iPads an excellent choice for digital marketers who want to create tutorials or promotional videos they can share on social media.
Purchasing the Magisto’s Business Plan will grant you access to dozens of business-based templates that can help you grow your online audience and improve your brand’s visibility. Keep in mind that purchasing one of the available subscription models is necessary if you want to use Magisto for professional purposes.
Pros:
- A simple 3-step video creation process
- Huge library of royalty-free songs
- Offers a wide range of themes and templates
- Lets users create video collages and videos from photos
Cons:
- No 4K video editing support
- The free version of the app has limited capabilities
- More expensive than the competition
7. Filmmaker Pro Video Editor
Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases
Compatibility: Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Filmmaker Pro Video Editor is equipped with a versatile set of video editing tools that allow users to create attention-grabbing video content from their iPhones and iPads. The app lets you create as many audio and video tracks as your project demands, while it also supports 4K editing, although only on iPad Pro, iPhone SE and later iPhone models.
The Filmmaker Pro Video Editor provides more than thirty filters, as well as color grading tools that enable you to adjust a video’s contrast, exposure or brightness. Moreover, the app grants you access to Green Screen and Ken Burns effects that can be used to make your videos more visually dynamic.
In case you’re editing videos with the Filmmaker Pro Video Editor from an iPad you can use Apple Pen to draw over the footage you’re editing. The only downside is that you must make an in-app purchase to remove the watermark from the videos you export from this app.
Pros
- Excellent font selection
- Built-in fade-in and fade-out audio effects
- Offers support for 4K video editing
- The app doesn’t limit the number of projects you can create
Cons
- Pricy
- Limited file-sharing capabilities
- Requires previous video editing experience
8. QUIK
This is an app which was initially designed for Instagram users, but it quickly transitioned to being one of the best apps for video editing on iPhone. You can make a variety of tweaks to your videos such as fonts, titles, filters, styles and pace of the video and trims. It is easy and convenient for usage.
9. SPLICE
This is another convenient option that you can take advantage of. You would be provided with the chance to add transitions, filters, and text. You can adjust the speed as well as trim the video as you see fit. There is a lot of flexibility delivered by the video which is quite convenient.
Part 2: How to Edit YouTube Videos on iPhone with the YouTube Studio Application
Being able to edit the videos you’ve uploaded to YouTube on your iPhone is without a doubt something very beneficial. The YouTube iOS application - YouTube Studio is a powerful mini video-editing tool. You can easily trim your video, add different effects and filters in order to prominently enhance the way that your video looks as well as to add music as a background and many more.
To edit videos with YouTube Studio, you need to upload the video footge first. To upload the video, navigate to the upper corner of your home screen, and click on the icon like a camera. Now that you can allow access to camera and go through and select your videos, you can easily take advantage of the three convenient tools.
You can trim the beginning as well as the ending of the video quickly, and you can select new start as well as end points. However, you wouldn’t be able to separate the clip in two different ones. Once you are through with that, you can easily add different filter effects through the filter option – there are six of them that you can take advantage of. Furthermore, you can easily add background music by tapping on the music icon which is located in the lower-right part of your screen.
The YouTube Studio app might be a good idea, but it doesn’t provide you with all the necessary capabilities as it is rather limited.
As you can see, there are quite a lot of different ways to edit YouTube videos on iPhone and all you need to do is download a specific application or use the one which YouTube has built-in. There is no need for any previous specific knowledge or skills in video editing as they provide quite comprehensive features.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.14 or later
Secure Download
Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>
download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )
Check our guide for beginners about How to Edit YouTube videos with Filmora.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
- Title: "In 2024, Top Editors for YouTube' Writers and Creators - All Free"
- Author: Thomas
- Created at : 2024-05-31 12:40:36
- Updated at : 2024-06-01 12:40:36
- Link: https://youtube-help.techidaily.com/in-2024-top-editors-for-youtube-writers-and-creators-all-free/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
