Awesome Video Editing

The best value in professional editing—free version includes Hollywood-grade color correction, Fusion VFX, and Fairlight audio. Used on major films from Dune to Avatar. Studio upgrade adds AI features like Magic Mask, HDR tools, and multi-user collaboration.

Industry standard for content creators and agencies due to seamless integration with After Effects, Photoshop, and Audition via Dynamic Link. Recent AI features include Generative Extend, filler word detection, and auto-reframe.

The most feature-complete open-source editor, offering professional capabilities including proxy workflows, LUT support, and extensive effects. Runs on all major platforms with regular updates.

Built into Windows 11, offers watermark-free 1080p exports on the free tier—exceptional value for quick edits. Owned by Microsoft.

Leads in AI-powered features including auto-translation to 130+ languages and text-based editing. Great for team collaboration on social media content.

Dominates mobile editing with professional-grade features completely free—auto-captions, motion tracking, background removal, and no watermark. Owned by ByteDance with seamless TikTok integration.

The professional's choice for mobile, offering 6 video + 6 audio tracks, proper color correction, and export directly to Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro.

Essential for trimming videos quickly without quality loss. Uses lossless cutting (no re-encoding), making it instant for extracting clips from long recordings.

Powers visual effects on major film and TV productions with 270 effects and 3,000+ presets. Covers everything from photorealistic lens flares to stylized distortions with integrated Mocha tracking.

Academy Award-winning planar tracking. Industry standard for motion tracking and rotoscoping.

Free plugin for light effects, energy beams, and glowing elements. Popular for lightsaber and sci-fi effects.

Completely free with hundreds of transitions, text animations, and sound effects. Simple drag-and-drop installation for Premiere Pro and After Effects.

50+ plugins with unlimited templates, stock footage, and music. Comprehensive subscription for Premiere, AE, FCP, and Resolve.

The gold standard for film emulation. Applies camera-specific corrections before adding film stock characteristics for authentic cinematic results. Worth the investment for anyone serious about film looks.

Free professional colorist-crafted LUTs including LOG conversions. Great starting point for color grading.

Best comprehensive value with unlimited downloads across 20M+ assets including video templates, stock footage, music, fonts, and graphics. Lifetime commercial license on downloaded assets.

Free high-quality templates for Premiere Pro, After Effects, and DaVinci Resolve. Maintained by Envato.

Industry standard for audio restoration and dialogue cleanup, used on Oscar-winning films. AI-powered noise reduction and repair tools.

Voice Enhancement Assistant—simplified AI noise removal based on RX technology at an accessible price point for beginners.

Currently produces the most realistic output with properly synced dialogue and physics simulation. Best-in-class realism for realistic scenes with audio.

Cinematic AI video generation for narrative storytelling and multi-scene content. Available through ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscriptions.

Complete creative suite with free tier. Features Act-One motion capture for character animation and extensive tools.

Revolutionized editing with text-based approach—edit your transcript and the video automatically updates. Features automatic filler word removal, Studio Sound noise removal, and Overdub voice cloning for corrections.

Magic Box commands and 50+ AI video styles. Free with powerful AI features for quick social media edits.

Gold standard when accuracy is critical. Human transcription guarantees 99% accuracy and is used by major broadcasters. AI option at lower cost.

95-99% accuracy on clean audio paired with text-based editing makes it the most efficient workflow for content creators. 22 languages supported.

Free open-source transcription that handles accents and noise well. Self-hosted or via various services.

Industry leader trusted by professional studios for upscaling archival footage. Multiple AI models handle different scenarios—upscale to 4K/8K/24K, frame interpolation up to 16x. GPU-intensive but exceptional results.

Free web-based upscaling to 1080p/4K with no watermark. Great for quick enhancements without software installation.

Transforming colorist workflows with Just Click Match—instantly matches footage to reference images, getting 60-70% to the final grade in one click. OFX plugin described as game changer by professionals.

Hollywood-grade AI subject isolation without green screens. Essential for professional rotoscoping work. Requires Studio version.

Among the best web-based removal—handles complex backgrounds and multiple subjects. Free tier available.

Industry-leading realistic AI voices with genuine emotional depth. v3 Alpha adds emotional control via audio tags. Free tier provides 10,000 credits/month (~20,000 characters).

Unlimited downloads with perpetual licensing—downloaded clips remain licensed even after cancellation. 1.5M+ videos.

Specializes in cinematic quality shot on RED/ARRI/Phantom cameras. RAW/LOG formats available on higher tiers.

Free HD/4K footage with no attribution required. Commercial use allowed. Maintained by Canva.

Free high-quality HD/4K footage with no attribution required. Curated collection maintained by Envato.

Safest choice for YouTube creators—100% owned catalog eliminates any risk of copyright claims from PROs. 50,000+ tracks and 200,000+ SFX.

Best all-in-one value, bundling music with Artgrid footage, video templates, and AI tools. 35,000+ tracks.

Guaranteed YouTube-safe with all tracks pre-cleared. No Content ID claims. Some require attribution.

Complete professional DAW built into the video editor—up to 2,000 tracks, Foley sampler, ADR tools, and immersive audio support. Free and eliminates need for separate audio application.

Exceptional value at $60 for a full-featured DAW with native video editing support—rare among professional audio software. 60-day fully-functional trial.

One-time purchase with 6,000+ instruments/effects including the powerful Alchemy synth. Mac-only but exceptional value.

Excels at orchestral and cinematic compositions. MIDI export, sheet music, and full copyright on Pro tier.

Records locally on each device at up to 48kHz audio and 4K video, then uploads—eliminating quality loss from internet compression. Standard for professional remote podcast recording.

Text-based editing with Overdub voice cloning and Studio Sound enhancement. Edit audio by editing text.

Photography, cinematography, and Premiere Pro with 8M+ subscribers. Inspiring and practical content.

Best free DaVinci Resolve tutorials. Clear explanations for all skill levels.

Professional colorists teaching color grading techniques. Free 1-hour masterclass available.

Exceptional free training—comprehensive guides covering Edit, Color, Fairlight, and Fusion pages with optional certification exams. Start here before paid courses.

Phil Ebiner's Premiere Masterclass has 500K+ students. Frequent sales with courses often ~$15-20.

Universally considered THE essential book on editing philosophy. Murch's insight that editors should prioritize emotion (49%) over technical continuity (4%) has influenced generations.

500K+ members for general help and beginner questions. Welcoming community.

150K+ members focused on professional discussion and career advice.

User-friendly conversion with presets for most needs. Handles most conversion requirements.

Adds professional intermediate codec support (ProRes, DNxHD, CineForm) that HandBrake lacks. FFmpeg GUI for power users.

Industry standard for streaming and powerful free recording. Highly customizable with plugin ecosystem.

Best all-in-one for tutorial creators, combining recording with capable built-in editor.

Dominates thumbnail creation with thousands of YouTube-optimized templates, AI tools, and intuitive drag-and-drop. Free tier sufficient for most creators.

Industry standard for professional video review—frame-accurate commenting, version tracking, approval workflows. Direct integration with Premiere Pro, After Effects, FCP, and DaVinci Resolve. Owned by Adobe.

NVIDIA GPUs have significant advantages in video editing due to CUDA acceleration. RTX 5070 offers excellent 4K value (~$549), RTX 5090 recommended for heavy effects and 8K.

Budget-friendly 4K monitor with factory calibration. Delta E <2 color accuracy at ~$400.