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Top 10 Best Free Video Editing Software in 2018 for Mac Users. Many people are looking of free Mac video editing software since they have tons of videos and are eager to edit the videos either for better presentation or preservation.
Jul 25,2019• Proven solutions
Many people are looking of free Mac video editing software since they have tons of videos and are eager to edit the videos either for better presentation or preservation. Are there any free video editing software for Mac users that are really good? Many people ask this in forums. Here we compare some great Mac video editors, followed by the detailed information of each editor for your reference, and we also made a comparison table for Mac video editor in terms of video format, pros and cons of the 10 best free video editors for Mac. Check it out!
Updates: Are you also looking for video editors for Windows, Linux, mobile phone, or online? Check our latest post 36 Best Video Editors for All the Platforms.
Part 1: Best Free Video Editing Software for Mac Quick Comparison Table
We’ve summarized the features, pros and cons of these best video editing software for Mac users in the comparison table below. You can choose the best suitable one based on your editing skills and needs at the current stage.
| Level | Products | Input formats | Output formats | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For beginners | Apple iMovie | DV, HDV, AVCHD, Apple Intermediate Codec, Motion JPEG/A, iFrame, h.264, MP4, MOV.. | H.264/MPEG-4, MOV, AVI, DV.. | Available on iPhone/iPad; Comptiable well with Apple ecosystem | Audio is copyrighted |
| Avidemux | 3GP, ASF, AVI, FLV, H263, JPEG, MKV, MP4, MPEG, MPEG4, MPG, and OGM | AVI, FLV, M1V, M2V, MKV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, OGM and TS | Clean and easy to use interface; Open source software without built-in purchase | Exporting process is slack | |
| OpenShot | WebM, AVCHD, HEVC.. | MP4, AVI, MPEG.. | Provide free built in effects and animations; Support 3D title | Buggy at times; Freeze and crash often | |
| ZS4 Video Editor | AVI, WAV, Image Files | AVI, WMV, WAV, Jpg, Png | More than 120 built-in video effects; unlimited tracks | User interface is not friendly | |
| HyperEngine-AV | AVI, BMP, Cubic VR, DLS, DV, FLC.. | AIFF, AVI, BMP, DV Stream, FLC, MPEG-4.. | Includes twelve studio-quality effects; Create slide shows | Discontinued to release new version | |
| For semi-pros | Kdenlive | AVI, MP4, FFmpeg.. | QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG.. | Open source software | Not friendly for greenhands; Update slowly |
| Blender | STL, ABC, FBX.. | FBX, DAE, ABC.. | Fast poly modeling tools; Customizable input | Unintuitive layers system; Animation management is not smooth | |
| For pros | Davinci Resolve | MP4, MOV, MTS, AVI.. | QuickTime, AVI, R3D, MXF, DPX.. | Learning curve is not steep; Offer advance color grading | Single screen editing workflow is not friendly |
| Lightworks | MPEG-2, AVC, RED R3D, DPX, Apple Pro Res.. | MPEG4/H.264 | Package is lightweight; Only need 3GB RAM to use | Effect library is limited | |
| HitFilm Express | H.264, AVCHD, QuickTime, AVI, M2T, M2TS, MTS, MXF | H.264, Apple ProRes, AVI | High level ideo effects compositor | No motion graphics feature |
From the above comparison table, we can see there are so many pros and cons in different aspects. However, you may want to take look at another software - Filmora9- before you decide to use the one you like. It is anexcellnt Mac video editor that can meet your basic and advanced needs.
Part 2: Best Free Video Editing Software for Beginners: Wondershare Filmora9 for Mac (Video Tutorial)
Wondershare Filmora9 for Mac offers some persuasive advantages over other video editing tools available for Apple Mac. It not only includes basic video editing tools but also provides various advanced video effects for you to apply. Below are some features that can help you understand the best Mac video editor. Download it now to have a try!
- Supports almost all kinds of video formats, including MP4, AVI, MOV, AVCHD, MKV and more.
- Complete all classic video editing like crop, trim, cut, split and combine in a few clicks.
- Make your footage look like Hollywood film with color tuning tool.
- Make good use of your music with Audio Mixer and Audio Equalizer.
- Exclusive Action Cam Tool allows you to cut and merge large action cam footages within minutes.
- Advanced video editing tools like Tilt Shift, Face off, Mosaic, Jump Cut, etc for you to explore.
- Convert your edited to any popular video format or fit video to mobile devices.
- Burn your own DVD collection or upload to YouTube and Vimeo instantly.
- Up to 100 audio and video tracks to organize your project and layer media.
- Make exciting GoPro/action cam videos with precise speed controls.
How to Edit Videos with Wondershare Filmora9 (originally Wondershare Video Editor)
Import Media Files
Upload media files from your computer or transport from all kinds of cameras, smart phones and elsewhere. Or directly drag-n-drop them to the program.
Edit Your Video
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Easily complete basic video editing by clicking the icons above the timeline. Add different video effects and filters to personalize it. For advanced video editing, you can easily create green screen effects.
Save & Enjoy
Save your video in different formats, share via Vimeo, YouTube, burn to DVD and more.
Part 3: Top 10 Best Free Mac Video Editors for Beginners/Semi-pros/Professionals
We’ve done some research and found out the following free video editing software for Mac users. Some of them are for video editing novice, while some free video editing software are for professionals (but if you need to use the professional features, you may need to purchase the Pro version). Hope you can find the right video editor based on your needs from the following list.
Best Free Video Editing Software for Mac [Beginners]
1. Apple iMovie
iMovie comes with every new Mac (OS X) and you don't need to pay extra money for it. The latest iMovie 11 is a great and free video editor for Mac with many great features such as movie trailer, one step effect, audio editing, etc. And in just a few steps, you can share your movies to YouTube or export videos for your iPhone, iPad, etc. However, iMovie is only free if you buy a new Mac. And when getting started with iMovie, you will find it hard to master this software. All in all, iMovie is one of the best free video editing software for Mac users and receives good reputation. You can learn some iMovie video editing tips and trick at how to use iMovie.
Features:
- Supports editing 4K video
- You can also use it on iPhone/iPad
- 10 video filters are for you
Pros: Available on iPhone/iPad; Comptiable well with Apple ecosystem
Cons: Audio is copyrighted, so you need to download royalty-free music by yourself
2.Avidemux
Avidemux is another great free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Linux and BSD under the GNU GPL license and supports a variety of video, image and audio formats, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4, MOV, ASF, JPG, AAC, AC3, etc. High compatibility with many video formats is the highlight of this free video editing software for Mac. You can also cut ads from a TV recording, or just save a small part of the video.
It also offers some filters to use, such as color correction. You can apply these filters to your video to make it more beautiful.
Features:
- It supports AVI MP4 and ASF
- Based on H.264 encoder
Pros: Clean and easy to use interface; Open source software without built-in purchase
Cons: Exporting process is slack, which means it will take longer time
3.OpenShot
OpenShot is a free, simple to use open-source video editor for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It is a good video editor for beginners to learn and train video editing skills. If you just want to mae some basic editing without having to spend too much time, OpenShot can be one of your best choices.
Apart from doing basic video editing, you can also render 3D animation. This free editor for Mac also supports more than 70 languages. No need to worry about the language barrier to stop you from editing video.
Features:
- You can trim/slice video quickly
- Show waveforms while editing
- Offer templates to edit titles
Pros: Provide free built in effects and animations; Support 3D title
Cons: Buggy at times; It freezes and crashes often
4.ZS4 Video Editor
ZS4 Video Editor is a free video editor for Mac which provides media experts with a facility to combine a variety of media types into one (or more) output file(s). Besides Mac, it is also available for Windows and Linux. ZS4 Video Editor comes with over 150 built-in video effects which can help you bring your videos to the next level instantly.
More importanly, you can use it to combine various media files into one, like video, audio and photo. With this all-in-one editor, no more needs to install too many annoying apps.
Features:
- You can edit photos, videos, and audio files
- It is easy to use
Pros: More than 120 built-in video effects; unlimited tracks
Cons: User interface is not friendly
5.HyperEngine-AV
HyperEngine-AV is a free video editing software for Mac used to capture, edit, organize process, and export video, audio, and text to create DVD quality movies and slide shows. It comes with twelve studio-quality effects from Arboretum's Hyperprism suite of audio processors. Besides, it offers text features to display credits, section titles, or karaoke lyrics with fully editable font, size, type, color, style, alignment, and scroll direction. Definitely, HyperEngin-AV is really a good free video editor for Mac users.
Features:
- You can use it to create slide shows
- Supports capturing desktop and editing video
Pros: Includes twelve studio-quality effects; Create slide shows
Cons: It is discontinued to release new version
Best Free Mac Video Editing Software for Semi-pros
1.Kdenlive
Although the development team has moved full-stream-ahead on Linux, you can still use this excellent free video editor on Mac with packages available via MacPorts. Kdenlive supports almost all popular media formats, and you can easily add the files to software's multitrack timeline.
You can create 2D titles to light up project like aligning texts and rotating. For editing huge size of video file, it offers proxy to make the editing experience smoother.
Features:
- It allows you to edit several audio and video tracks
- You can customize shortcuts easily
Pros: It is open source software
Cons: Not friendly for greenhands; Update slowly
2.Blender
Like Avidemux, Blender is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD. It's a free 3D graphics application and considered as one of the best free video editor for Mac. It can be used for modeling, rigging, texturing, UV unwrapping, skinning, animating, rendering, water and smoke simulations, particle and other simulations, non-linear editing, compositing, and creating interactive 3D applications, animated film, video games, or other visual effects. Blender has lots of advanced features like powerful character animation tools, modifier-based modeling tools, a node-based material and compositing system, Python for embedded scripting and so on.
Features:
- It is a 3D creation suite
- It supports CPU and GPU rendering
- It has various sculpting tools and brushes
Pros: Fast poly modeling tools; Customizable input
Cons: Unintuitive layers system; Animation management is not smooth
Best Free Mac Video Editing Software for Professionals
In our impression, professional-thing costs a lot. But it isn’t true when coming to video editing software like DaVinci Resolve, Lightworks and HitFilm. There are two versions for those video editing software, and the lite version or the free version usually costs no money with limited features which makes them good choice for people who are looking for professional video editing solution to some degree.
1. Davinci Resolve
Blackmagic Design's Davinci Resolve has been growing from an advanced color-grading tool to an video post-production solution. If you are an experienced video maker and want to apply a high quality color correction/grading to your footage, Davinci Resolve's free basic version can be your choice.
Timeline curve function is a powerful feature for you to add keyframe if you want to edit a specific scene. Also it offers full 3D editing particle systems to let you release creativity.
Features:
- Multi track timeline you can choose
- Trimming video is easy to use
- You can adjust constant or variable speed
Pros: Learning curve is not steep; Offer advance color grading
Cons: Single screen editing workflow is not friendly
2.Lightworks
Lightworks is a professional video editing software for Windows and Mac, its free version offers you limited export option. It includes video effects, multicam editing, titling, as well as the multi layered timeline approach which is perfect for advanced video editing needs.
Features:
- It is a rewarded editor in the world
- It offers Proxy for 4K
- Compatible well with Mac
Pros: Package is lightweight; Only need 3GB RAM to use
Cons: Effects library is limited
3.HitFilm Express
HitFilm Express is more like a compositing video editor, compared with Adobe After Effects, it's more easy-to-use and friendly to semi-pros. People who are not familiar with the video editing process may find using HitFilm Express difficult.
Features:
- Various courses are available
- It offers Proxy for 4K
- More than 400 video effects
Pros: High level ideo effects compositor
Cons: It lacks motion graphics feature
Conclusion
You may have found the best video editor for Mac after reading this article. I’ll try my best to keep the list up to date, but if your favorite free video editor for Mac isn’t listed above, please leave a comment and let me know. This article is for mac version, click here to get more info about free video editing software for Windows.
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Easy-to-use and powerful video editor for all creators.
Bring up your video to a professional level with straightforward tools.
- Choosing Video Editing Software
- Video Editing Tips
Suppose you’ve just got home after a week of skiing in the French Alps. You recorded your adventures on a GoPro, and now you want to share your gnarly jumps and less-than-impressive crashes with the world.
However, before you upload your footage, you probably want to edit your GoPro footage. But which app should you use? Since GoPro Studio ceased to exist at the end of 2017, the decision has become more difficult.
In this article, we detail seven of the best free apps for editing GoPro videos.
1. GoPro Quik
Available on: Windows, Mac
GoPro Studio might not exist anymore, but GoPro Quik is alive and well.
The company has designed the app to be accessible to people who aren’t necessarily experienced video editors—though you’ll still find it useful even if you’ve worked with videos for a long time.
To start, the app will automatically import content from your device as soon as you plug it into your computer. Once your GoPro footage is on your hard drive, you can use Quik to create time-lapses, add panning effects, add sound, and a whole lot more.
If you’re an adrenaline junkie, Quik is also a great tool. It lets you add graphs, charts, and speedometers to show viewers how far, high, or fast you went.
Lastly, because it’s an official GoPro app, Quik makes it easy to update your GoPro devices with the latest firmware.
Download:GoPro Quik
2. VSDC
Available on: Windows
VSDC is targeted at intermediate users. It’s widely considered to be one of the best free video editing apps for WindowsThe Best Free Video Editors for WindowsThe Best Free Video Editors for WindowsEveryone takes videos these days. Yet powerful free video editors remain rare. We present the absolute best free video editors available for Windows.Read More users.
The editor is non-linear. For those who don’t know, this means you can place any object in any position on the timeline, then make it any size.
The app’s most important features include:
- Five categories of visual effects (color correction, object transformation, object filters, transition effects, and special effects)
- Color blending
- Masking (to hide, blur, or highlight certain elements of a video)
- A way to upload your videos straight to YouTube and social networks
In a nod to beginners, the app also offers one-click Instagram-esque filters.
Download:VSDC
3. Avidemux
Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Avidemux is another beginner-friendly tool. It has fewer features, making it easier to use, even if you don’t have any video editing experience.
The app’s three core features are cutting, filtering, and encoding. The encoding is surprisingly full-featured; the app has a vast number of export options, thus giving you complete control over the encoding process. The app also offers sharpening and de-noising filters.
On the downside, Avidemux does not include any transitions or special effects, and it does not use a timeline.
As such, Avidemux is excellent for small edits and creating quick cuts of your GoPro videos. If you want to undertake a larger project, you should look elsewhere.
Download:Avidemux
4. Lightworks
Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Lightworks is arguably the most powerful app on this list. Best free program like office for mac. However, it’s also one of the most difficult for beginners to get to grips with.
In truth, it’s somewhat remarkable that Lightworks is free. The app boasts professional-quality tools that—if used correctly—can make your GoPro video look like something that’s come out of a Hollywood film studio. If you think we’re joking, keep in mind that both The King’s Speech and Road to Perdition used the Pro version of Lightworks.
Features that’ll appeal to GoPro users include quick export to MPEG4/H.264 format for uploading to the web, background importing, rendering, and exporting, high precision trimming, text effects, and the ability to add voiceovers.
Download:Lightworks
5. WeVideo
Available on: Web
WeVideo is a bit different from the four pieces of software we’ve discussed so far. Instead of being a downloadable desktop app, WeVideo is one of the many free online video editors5 No-Signup Free Online Video Editors That Keep You Anonymous5 No-Signup Free Online Video Editors That Keep You AnonymousDon't install an app for simple video editing. These free online video editors can do it without asking you to register.Read More available.
There are several paid tiers which introduce additional features. However, if you just want to do some quick on-the-go editing before you upload your GoPro creation to the web, you won’t need all the extra bells and whistles.
The free version of the app includes 1 GB of cloud storage and the ability to download your edited videos back onto your computer.
6. VideoPad
Available on: Windows, Mac
If you’re one of the many people who lamented the demise of Windows Movie Maker, VideoPad is one of the solid alternatives to Windows Movie Maker5 Free Windows Movie Maker Alternatives5 Free Windows Movie Maker AlternativesWindows Movie Maker has finally been retired, so what are you going to use now? Try one of these free Windows Movie Maker alternatives.Read More. The interface will be familiar to anyone who spent time using Microsoft’s program.
As our VideoPad tutorialHow to Edit Videos Like a Pro With VideoPad Video EditorHow to Edit Videos Like a Pro With VideoPad Video EditorVideoPad Video Editor is an excellent free option for home users. Let's take a look at what this software offers you.Read More shows, using VideoPad is easy. Just load your GoPro video and any image and sound files you want to include, then take advantage of VideoPad’s seemingly endless selection of transitional effects and filters to personalize your creation.
Even if you’re a skilled editor, you’ll find plenty of tools to play around with, including brightness, saturation, and color.
When you’ve finished editing, you can burn your video onto a DVD, save it on your hard drive, or upload it directly to Facebook and YouTube.
Download:VideoPad
7. Hitfilm Express
Available on: Windows, Mac
We’ll end with another option for experienced editors: Hitfilm Express.
Like Lightworks, Hitfilm Express is a professional-grade app. If you’re not already familiar with video editing basics, you might find its interface to be too confusing.
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The editor includes cutting tools, audio filters, video filters, layers, masking, compositing options, and 3D video support. It can even create green screen effects.
If you want to do more, you can buy one of the developer’s many add-ons to extend the app’s functionality.
It’s worth mentioning that Hitfilm Express has unusually high system requirements. The developers recommend 8 GB of RAM, at least 2 GB of video memory (if you want to work in 4K UHD), and a graphics card that was released no earlier than 2012.
Download:Hitfilm Express
Get Even More Out of Your GoPro
GoPro’s position as the market-leading action cam is increasingly under threat from low-cost, high-quality alternatives. However, it is still the best action camera out there, and it also boasts by far the largest community.
If you have an old GoPro gathering dust on your shelf, perhaps it’s time to dust it off and hit the great outdoors. And if you don’t have one yet, consider trying one of these great GoPro budget alternativesThe 6 Best GoPro Alternatives for Limited BudgetsThe 6 Best GoPro Alternatives for Limited BudgetsGoPro isn't the only action camera brand worth looking into. Here are the best GoPro alternatives that might suit you better.Read More instead.
Explore more about: GoPro, Video Editing.
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VideoProc is also good.