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I'm working on a comparative list of both commercial and free video editing programs (NLE software). While there are tons of good commercial options, I can't find many acceptable freeware alternatives. So far I've got:

  • Lightworks
  • avidemux
  • LiVES

(I didn't list Windows Movie Maker since it sucks imho) I need about three more free video editing tools that I can mention. Which can you recommend?

Ok, to narrow the question down a bit: I'm looking not for highly professional software, but rather a ready-to-go program that's easy to use and not to bulked. It should offer at least two to three tracks. It has to run on Windows. It should offer all basic editing tools as well as a few preset effects and filters.

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    How about Blender?
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Sep 12, 2014 at 19:47
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    What OS should it run on? What are the requirements? Do you e.g. need support for multiple tracks, audio editing, composition effects? Please note that "list-type questions" (a la "just list all free apps") are not supported by SE sites, especially not Software Recommendations. This site is about high-quality recommendations for specific requirements. (apart from that: I'm using OpenShot on Linux, where there's also Cinerella which I once wanted to take a look at).
    – Izzy
    Commented Sep 12, 2014 at 20:35
  • Sorry, I added some info about what I'm looking for !
    – MoritzLost
    Commented Sep 12, 2014 at 22:54
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    This question and its topicality are discussed on meta.
    – Angelo Fuchs
    Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 18:36
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    You can also use hit film 3 express which is free
    – Aiden Grossman
    Commented Apr 1, 2016 at 18:27

3 Answers 3

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Here are a list of some free and commercial video editors -

  1. Pinnacle Video Spin (Free, I used it much often, easy to use)
  2. Sony Vegas Pro (Not free)
  3. ArcSoft ShowBiz (Commercial trial)
  4. Camtasia Studio (Commercial Trial, has necessary functions)
  5. WonderShare Video Editor (Commercial trial)
  6. Virtual Dub (Free)
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    VideoSpin seems to be limited to 640x480, has a big ad, and will not let you encode in MPEG4 beyond a trial period. Just FYI.
    – Patrick Szalapski
    Commented Feb 25, 2016 at 19:51
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How about PiTiVi? It's a Free Software video editor based on GStreamer. It's written in Python and should run on windows, although I wouldn't expect it to run as well there.

Have a look at the manual to see whether it fits your needs. PiTiVi main window

oh, they also have a fundraiser running.

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    Looks good, but there is no windows release ... you said it should run on windows, but how can I install it on windows?
    – MoritzLost
    Commented Sep 17, 2014 at 13:23
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  1. A very powerful one DaVinci Resolve Free edition. This one needs a modern graphics card.

  2. A really interesting option is HitFilm express. It is not only an editor but also a compositor.

  3. Avid is also a well-known developer on the industry and it has a free version, Media Composer First

  4. Another interesting program is VSDC. It has a logic a bit different because you work in "groups", for example, effects over a video.

  5. You also can use Blender for video editing. The time where Blender was confusing is over. You now have a layout for video editing.

  6. Open shot is an open-source video editor, that is lightweight.

  7. Another option is Shotcut that has some tools to color correct the video.

I would include too MovieMaker. It is not multi-track, but if is good enough to animate simple slides with transitions and kern-burns effect. You don't have real control over audio volume but you can mix the audio tracks on audacity and put a simple audio track. For a fast video I needed it worked fine.

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  • I bought Corel Video Studio and I have to say it wasn't quite up to par. The rendered playback would occasionally lag and screen capture didn't work from the start.
    – rootmeanclaire
    Commented Dec 28, 2016 at 19:20

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