9 Best Professional Video Editing Software of 2024

The Best Professional Video Editing Software: Do you want to improve the videos that you upload to social networks and make them look more professional? Do you become a YouTuber, create content for Instagram, make music videos, or do you want to start in the world of professional visual production as a filmmaker?

Best Professional Video Editing Software

These are undoubtedly some of the questions that will go through your head and that we will try to answer in this article:


9 Best Professional Video Editing Software

  • What is the Best Professional Video Editing Software to edit videos?
  • What Software do I use to make videos? 
  • What are the best apps or apps for editing?
  • What software do professionals use? 
  • How can I learn to use visual postproduction Softwares?

Let’s Be Honest Making Quality Videos Was Never Easy or Cheap!

Luckily we live in a time where access to the tools we need to make our videos is simpler, cheaper, and more accessible than at any other time in history. Today almost everyone has a mobile that records videos with better quality than cameras that cost thousands of euros just a few years ago!

Access to the best cameras to record videos, with which even Spielberg himself had dreamed in his beginnings, is more accessible than ever. That said, one of the biggest differences to get a good video that stands out among thousands is undoubtedly postproduction. And here we find many options.

In this article, we will review what is undoubtedly the best Softwares for current video editing.


How to Choose the Best Professional Video Editing Software to Edit Video?

For us, choosing an editing or postproduction Software is like choosing which soda you should mix with your favorite beverage. Anyone can work for you.

However, it is convenient to consider your personal needs to choose the best possible option. Here are some important aspects to keep in mind during the search:

  • Your budget: This is an investment, usually 4-5 years or more (like buying a car), so you will want to do things right. We all have trouble saving a few hundred euros that can These tools cost, so the price factor is something to consider when choosing an editing or production tool. It is important to think in the long term, and, fortunately, most of these companies offer free trials of their Softwares that will be more than enough to test the software and see that it covers our needs.
  • Which platform do you use: Although most Softwares have versions on the most popular platforms,  others only work on certain platforms, such as the case of  Final Cut Pro, which is only available for Apple MAC computers. If you have the platform on which the Software works, you will not have any problem. If not, you will have to consider the investment that will also require buying that equipment.

What Level Do You Have, and What Quality of Video Do You Need to Create?

If you are starting, you probably do not need to get many options for more professional video editors such as After Effect or DaVinci Resolve. (for which it is necessary several years of practice or courses in specialized schools to begin to master all their power!). Surely you want to start with a Software that you can easily understand, and that meets your needs to make music. Obtaining expert software from the beginning can not only take months of learning, but it can also be tremendously daunting short, a wrong choice can lead to frustration and abandoning your intention to create music…

  • On the other hand, if you are a little more experienced, you will surely want to look up and get expert-level software. These more advanced Softwares may be hard to control at the beginning, but they are a good investment for the future, which brings us to our next point.
  • Think about the future: If you are a beginner, you should take into account the comments above, and we recommend learning and progressively using the most professional tools, but on the other hand, never lose sight of the future. Most likely, after some time ( year surely), your needs begin to be greater, so you will surely need more options. If the video editor you initially chose has a low ceiling, you will eventually have to make a change and learn new software. We would like to come up with an intermediate solution – software that will take some time to learn, but with which one can immediately feel safe with the essential functions of music production. And also that it ultimately offers some more advanced features for when you are ready to take this path.
  • Relax:  We are in 2019, the digital era, and most of the video editing software today is very advanced. Whichever option you choose among all the ones we offer in this guide will not be a wrong decision. All the Softwares that we list have a significant development behind them, they have grown with the experience and contributions of hundreds of professional musicians who use it as a tool. They have huge communities with forums where to find support, YouTube tutorials, etc., anyone It ends up being your choice of software really will not be wrong. It will not go wrong, even if you are a beginner. So don’t be scared.

Top Best Professional Video Editing Software to Edit Videos

And explained these fundamental points that will help you find the perfect Software for you, let’s see what the best options are.


1. Final Cut Pro X

The Best Professional Video Editing Software if you have Mac OS X: Due to its fluidity and optimization for Apple computers, Final Cut is the most intuitive and useful tool when it comes to video processing. Followed closely by Premier and just ahead of it for the optimization of the mac for this Software. 

Best Professional Video Editing Software

This Software, developed by Apple, is one of the most used for professional video editing software. The latest version of this software, the X, was launched in 2016 and was a revolution in the world of visual creation.

Although at the beginning it had many criticisms, the developers have been able to quickly listen and correct some of the most demanded points by the previous users, making FCP X now a stable and very serious app for video editing at all levels.

One of the great advantages is that this software is fully optimized for Apple computers and laptops, so its performance is far superior to the competition in MAC. Something noticeable when rendering and managing video files of large resolutions such as 4K.

On the other hand, there are no versions of Final Cut Pro X for PC or other platforms other than MAC. FCPX is a tremendously intuitive and straightforward Software, but that is not why it loses power when it comes to more complex and professional projects.

Perhaps it is one of the professional Softwares in which it is easier to work, such as shortening a video and connecting with another, making it seem like a transition, this is due to its popular “magnetic timeline

Some of its latest developments include better treatment of audio files and sound effects associated with a video. Color correction options have also been added, something very important in today’s edition, with these new options you can now save and use certain color settings when you need it. Concerning editing compatibility, you can work on HDV, AVC, HD, and a wide variety of digital images and video files.

Advantage
  • Price quality
  • Simplicity. It is one of the friendliest and easiest editing programs to learn to drive
  • Workflow
  • Background Rendering = SPEED
  • It has the option “work area” to manage different projects at the same time, and you can make the change from one to another without a problem.
  • Lots of options for editing effects, audio and color corrections
  • Friendlier interface
  • Optimization It shows that it is made by and for Apple products
Disadvantage
  • It has fewer plugins than Premier
  • Inability to import edited videos through previous versions (to version X)
  • It can only be used in Mac OS X operating systems
  • Expensive if you do not already have a Mac (more expensive computers than Window systems)

2. Adobe Premiere Pro – The Multiplatform Classic

The latest version of Adobe Premiere Pro has a series of settings to professionally edit any video in real-time. The interface of the Software is quite friendly for those who use it for the first time, and you should only start a new project in the task pane to begin working with it.

Best Professional Video Editing Software

This software can be installed on both Windows and Mac operating systems without a problem, only a minimum of 8GB of RAM is required, although 16GB is recommended.

Advantage
  • Multiplatform PC and MAC
  • It is one of the preferred programs at the professional level. Even for film projects.
  • Lots of options.
  • Changes can be made in real-time, to take care of the integrity of animated graphics frames. Like those of intro and outro.
  • They have professional graphics templates for titles, credits or other items in their own stock.
  • Includes editing support for Sony X-OCN formats, or WAV files.
Disadvantage
  • Something more complex than Final Cut Pro
  • On Mac it shows that he is less optimized than his rival.
  • It requires a lot of RAM and a good video card

You have the option so that several projects can be edited at the same time, while other remote computers can be given access to see the editing process, with the read-only format.


3. DaVinci Resolve – The Hollywood editor you can use for FREE

With the latest version of DaVinci Resolve, Blackmagic Design has radically improved its editing Software to create one of the best video editing systems at any price, even in the face of options such as Apple’s Premiere Pro CC and Final Cut Pro X.

Best Professional Video Editing Software

Davinci now comes with Fusion, a powerful visual effects app (VFX) used in Hollywood movies, along with an excellent color corrector and audio editor. Despite doing more than most publishers will need, the full version of the study costs only € 269 (or $ 299). And not only that, you can get a reduced version with most of the features you may need to edit by example videos from Youtube or Instagram for a price of ZERO euros – FREE!

Advantage
  • Compatibility with PC and MAC platforms and other editing programs.
  • Price – perfect for the Studio option and very powerful FREE version.
  • Blackmagic is one of the favorite companies of Hollywood professionals and for the postproduction of film and TV.
  • A very powerful tool for color editing (widely used in professional films and series).
  • Special effects, tracking system, delete video objects quickly, transitions, etc.
  • Many performance improvements in versions 15 and 16
Disadvantage
  • Learning curve superior to Final Cut X Pro.
  • The latest versions significantly improve performance, but you will still need a current computer to handle it.
  • In more complex editions, you can sometimes get lost among too many options.

That NO doubt makes it the Best Professional Video Editing Software. With the only drawback that you will need a relatively current team for this powerful editor to work properly.

Blackmagic has dramatically improved performance for large projects, even if you are working in 4K with thousands of clips, effects, and timelines.

This is due to the new video playback engine, which is better optimized to use both the CPU and the GPU (or several GPUs if you have the Studio version). The result is lower latency, faster updating and rendering of the user interface, and better compatibility with complicated formats such as H.264 and RAW video.

Davinci Resolve vs. Adobe Premiere Pro

Compared to the latest Adobe version of Premiere Pro CC, DaVinci Resolve is faster in a couple of aspects but slower in others. On my Windows 10 laptop with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics and an eighth-generation Intel Core i7 CPU, Resolve loaded 4K H.264 clips from the Panasonic GH5S camera much, much faster than its rival. However, when rendering a timeline with the same files, it is Premiere Pro that has the advantage. Why is that so? When checking the task manager, it seems that Resolve is better using the GPU for playback, while Premiere uses it more during rendering.

I discovered that I liked this editor more than Premiere CC to organize, scale, and search for clips and basic editing functions.

I also prefer the Resolve cutting tools to those of Premiere Pro. It is more intuitive for operations such as trimming starts and tails of clips, sliding and positioning (move a clip relative to other clips or change its entry and exit point), unlink clips, and much more. I also love the “dynamic” trim that allows you to adjust the clips while you play them, and the latest version gives you better control over them.

In short, an option that advances enormously towards the leading positions among the best publishers and that by price and characteristics may soon become the preferred option for the new generations of content creators.

In addition to, of course, remain one of the standards of the Hollywood industry in the editing and colorimetry of feature films.


4. CyberLink PowerDirector

CyberLink PowerDirector is designed to be used easily by first-timers, while also having the technical specifications for thorough editing of any video.

It is oriented towards a medium level of technicality, but it is equipped with modern advances. It can be installed on any Windows operating system, and it needs at least 4GB of RAM to run on the computer without problems.

Best Professional Video Editing Software

The latest version incorporates TrueVelocity, rated by the parent company as the most powerful engine for video editing. It allows the execution of several 1080HD videos at the same time. It has more than 300 effects and transitions options. It also has functions such as the Chroma Key, which uses the green screen for the creation of special effects, intelligent and automatic color corrections, handles scenes recorded from different angles, and a long list of features and news.

Advantage
  • Designed for beginners, its interface is very easy to use for those who use it for the first time.
  • It has the necessary tools and more advanced tools for video editing.
  • Mobile edition for videos from your phone or smartphone.
  • Intelligent and semi-automatic tools for the treatment of color, luts, scenes, etc.
  • Very good quality price
  • Free 30-day trial
Disadvantage
  • It is not available for Mac operating systems.
  • Although you can achieve completely professional results, it is more designed for domestic projects.

5. Adobe After Effects 5 – Videos with special effects and more

If you require modification or add special effects to video or motion sequences, Adobe After Effects is the best option. Its operation is based on the superposition of layers, which allows adding effects of different types with which to achieve amazing results and special effects that are seen naturally in the video.

Best Professional Video Editing Software

This Software is used by multimedia professionals, graphic designers, and people who work for complex editing projects. And that is why it is undoubtedly the most complicated to handle, which we will discuss in this post.

Alternatively, other apps can be used for video editing. It is integrated with the entire Adobe family package so you can easily import files from apps such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Encore, Premiere, and others. Its technical requirements are also relatively high.

Advantage
  • Compatibility with PC and MAC platforms and other editing programs.
  • A very powerful tool to add special effects, impossible transitions, etc.
  • It has a 3D renderer, which allows improving the intersections within the video.
  • It gives you a nice and professional quality.
  • Versatility
Disadvantage
  • Technically it isn’t very easy to master
  • If you just want to do some simple video editing, it is not the right option

o work with ease, you will need a powerful processor, a high amount of RAM, and, if possible, a good graphics card.

It is available in versions for Windows and Mac alike.


6. Magisto – The online video editor for Artificial Intelligence

The innovative thing about this Software is the use of artificial intelligence to edit any video. Magisto is available online and works as an app that you can access from any browser for this simple purpose.

Best Video Editing Software

It is oriented for people of medium knowledge in publishing and companies in general. You just have to choose the music or elements you want to add, and the app is responsible for editing the video for you.

It also integrates very easily through mobile apps on both Android and iPhone. It is turning this tool into perhaps the best option to edit videos recorded on mobiles. Record with your cell phone, and edit from it any project without any problem.

The previous Softwares are some of the most powerful for professional works. Still, if you only want to create a video for your YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook or some other social network, you may not require the full power of these Softwares, and it will be enough for you With free software.

Although we have already mentioned Davinci as probably the most powerful free option at present, this Software is still highly complex, so the following free options may be more appropriate for quick editing and work with simple videos.

Advantage
  • Its operation by Artificial Intelligence makes the work more complicated for you.
  • You can use it from the comfort of your mobile.
  • It has a wide variety of filters and effects to improve any video.
Disadvantage
  • It only works for short videos. It has time limitations depending on the price plan.
  • It is less flexible than other options.
  • Monthly fees
  • Its operation by Artificial Intelligence makes the work more complicated for you.
  • You can use it from the comfort of your mobile.
  • It has a wide variety of filters and effects to improve any video.

7. iMovie

It is a simplified Final Cut. This Apple software is installed by default and for free on all Macs. With iMovie, you can make a quality video editing using the necessary controls for cutting, transitions, adding audios, titles, color effects, etc. simply and intuitively. It is also compatible with the iPad version.

Best Free Professional Video Editing Software

Operating System: Mac OS X – Apple


8. Windows Movie Maker

The Movie Maker is for Windows what the iMovie for Apple, the default video editing software that comes with the system, in which you can make your presentations with photos or videos, cut, make transitions or add music easily. It does not have the iMovie design, but it will also serve to make basic editions.

Best Free Professional Video Editing Software


9. VideoPad Video Editor

Another free and powerful alternative to edit your videos with many features and compatible with most video formats.

VideoPad Video Editor

With this Software, you can make transitions, add effects, speed adjustments, and a large number of options. It has a free version of the video with all the functions but available only for non-commercial uses.


What is The Importance of a Good Video Editing?

If you dedicate yourself to make videos or professionally direct your creation or even if you have a YouTube channel and want to improve the quality of your content. You must know how vital the edition is to improve or modify the file so that it can be marketed or transmitted through different audiovisual media.

With the editing of videos, you can add digital effects, audio, images, correct color to achieve a «movie look,» slow cameras. There is nothing that cannot be added in a video. The limit is your imagination!

This is how you can recreate even worlds that do not exist, distant galaxies, epic scenarios, etc. in postproduction But this article is about something simpler. To make improvements to a video, the needs or intentions of our project must be taken into account. Based on this, we can choose the Best Professional Video Editing Software to edit videos according to our needs and our specific case.

If you only need to add music or images, you can use basic editing Softwares that can be downloaded for free through the internet, or even a simple video editing app on our mobile or tablet may be enough.

But if on the contrary, we require a more professional and advanced edition, there are several software possibilities available in the market to make more complex videos and obtain more professional results.

Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premier are mandatory references for the most knowledgeable about the issue of the edition. But there are other Softwares available that serve this purpose, each with its characteristics, prices, advantages, and disadvantages. The list is huge, and every day it grows more, so the question is. These options can be used for different groups of people from multimedia professionals, photographers, media technicians, filmmakers (filmmakers) to YouTubers, or amateur video bloggers.


Which is the best professional video editor?

Increasingly, a professional video editor must cover more and more functions to meet various needs, whether it be 4K resolution, depth printing for 3D movies, or 360 ° recordings for VR (virtual reality) videos. As the corresponding hardware is increasingly in private hands, hobbyists also need video editing programs to edit such video material easily.


Conclusion

Each Software has the technical specifications necessary for each particular project. Choose the option that best suits your needs. Now, if you have any other suggestions or input about Softwares for video editing, you can leave your opinion in a comment.