The growth of video marketing and digital platforms has spiked the number of video editors employed today globally. They upload almost hundreds of new videos on across platforms every day, which means a video editor is making and cutting those videos. Today most video editing software is nonlinear, i.e., you can move the footage around, have multiple tracks, add sound and music simultaneously, and a lot more customizability.
If you are an enthusiast looking to get your first break in as a video editor or you might be a semi-pro video editor wanting to join the big leagues, you are at the right place. Here we explore how you can choose the best video editing software for your needs and take your videos up several notches.
- What’s Your Budget?
The number of video editing software has grown dramatically in the last decade. While the two stalwarts are still the cream of the crop, many new online video editors like this website here are available at a reasonable price. Like any other purchase, the choice of best video editing software for you depends on the size of your pocket or your clients’ pocket. However, as we will see, it’s’ not the only consideration, but it’s an important one and therefore is the first one.
Presently there are a dozen video editing software available that fit every shape and size of requirement. They use some video editing software to edit Hollywood blockbusters while others have free design templates that can churn out social media marketing videos in less than 5 minutes. So the first step is to understand which software fits your budget. It’s not always necessary to buy the most premium one because, as you’ll see later, it depends on several factors like messaging, end product, and user interface. If you are a first time user, then you can try any of the free software. Next in line are semi-pro users, where the cost is typically around the $400 mark. Finally, there are the professional editors such as Hollywood movie editors who use premium video editing software typically between $1000 to $3000.
- Suitable User interface
In the world of operating systems, there are two kinds of users.
1 – The Mac Loyalists and
2 – The Windows Experts
Since the revolution of personal computing, the two camps have clashed on many things but primarily on who offers the superior user interface. The two video editing software that offers unmatched user interfaces are Adobe Premiere Pro Windows and Apple) and Final Cut Pro (exclusive to Mac).
So while choosing the most suitable software for yourself, you must consider which interface you are familiar with: is it the Windows or the Mac interface? Look at all the features and capabilities each software allows you to play with. If you are doing social media marketing with the use of drag-and-drop interfaces should suffice; however, if you are looking for advanced features, you might want to take more time to decide after trying a bunch of different interfaces. Choosing your interface is a crucial piece as it will determine your workflow and usability, further empowering you to produce better and engaging videos.
- Learning Resources, Community Forums, and Free Trials
Several video editors want to try a bunch of different software before buying a licensing one. If you or someone like that, then look at video editing software that offers trails. The most preferable once our monthly trial is a good amount of time to understand if the software is suitable for you. Testing many video editing software during their free trial period is one of the fastest ways to learn about their interface, features, upgrades, stability, and creative tools.
The world of video editing is changing. The bottom line is that you also need to keep learning with the changing industry. Often many free and run-of-the-mill video editing software don’t have money and updated learning resources, avoid those. To keep improving yourself as a video editor, you need to keep learning. So before making a choice, look at which software has extensive learning resources, Helpful community forums, and customer service helplines that keep you in the know and how
- Audio Control and Features
A great video editor is not just proficient at video editing but also understands the finer details of audio editing. An editor’s responsibility is to create an audio-visual narrative that is interesting and inspiring and engaging. When you consider which video editing software you should use, think deeply about which one offers maximum audio capabilities and features. It will not only save time but also a lot of effort while you are editing your video.
Audio editing features like separating audio video tracks, audio transitions, cutting, trimming and, additional audio mixing is an added advantage and will only make your videos superior. Most consumer-level video editing software offers few features for audio editing. The Youtube Video Editor is one of them. Check out this link here to try out an online Youtube video editor from InVideo. If your end product demands Dolby quality sound, they might limit your options to a handful of video editing software. Finally, when considering, look out for control the editing software offers and the file formats in which you can do your editing.
- Keep your end product in mind.
It is necessary to choose your video editing software as a video editor, keeping the end product in mind to get the best results. Let us explain, for example, the end product that your client needs perhaps requires 3D animated effects, 4k resolution videos along with high definition sound.
Now to deliver such a video, you would need software capable of handling those requirements. In that case, you might have to license softwares like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X.
The underlying difference between a good and created video editor is the ability to deliver quality videos in a stipulated time. To narrow down and choose the best video editing software based on your needs, you can look at various product review websites, comparison pages, and customer reviews. If you are a video editor for marketing videos, you perhaps don’t require such top-end video editing software and can choose some free online video editing tools available. Keep in mind the video you are creating as well as the needs of your client.
Conclusion
Understanding what you want and what your client’s needs are for the videos you produce is not just crucial but necessary. Choosing the best video editing software is not a one time process — it is a continuous evaluation that depends on several factors, several of which we have discussed above. Some other factors upon which you can make your choice are software that offers you more functionalities, seamless timelines, more customizability, upgrading features, and special effects options. As you work with more and different video products, you might find that the best video editing software for you is probably not one but two. Especially with today’s challenging and rapidly evolving times, keeping yourself updated regularly and flexible is the key to becoming a great video editor.
