Video Editing Resources

Digital Media Production Tools

Video Editing Resources

FREE Video Editing Software

MAC or PC - Not available on a smartphone/tablet
Get started with DaVinci Resolve 17 by Black Magic Design. This is the best free video editor. Create professional-looking videos for YouTube or for home use to share with family and friends.

Free (most professional free software on the market)
No water marks
Computer needs to have minimum specs to operate (check the website)
More power software so a little more complex than some of the other software
Great online support with tutorials

MAC or PC - Not available on a smartphone/tablet
HitFilm Express 12 is a powerful and FREE video editor.

Free
Easy to use
No water marks
Software needs to be downloaded
Similar to Adobe Premiere without the steep learning curve

MAC or PC - Not available on a smartphone/tablet
OpenShot Video Editor is one of the best FREE video editors. Not only is OpenShot free but it is extremely easy to use.

Free
Easy to use
Software needs to be downloaded
Very similar to iMovie for all you MAC users

MAC, PC, iPhone and Android
WeVideo is an online video editor that works great for Chromebooks or any computer with access to the internet.

Easy to use
Free or inexpensive subscriptions
Great for editing Podcasts or Videos
Great tutorials on the website to get you started

MAC, PC, iPhone and Android
Filmora9 or FilmoraPro is professional video editing made easy. This video tutorial will show you how to use FilmoraPro. Create amazing videos with this powerful yet simple video editor.

Easy to use
Free or inexpensive subscriptions
Great for editing videos, Podcast editing is possible, but WeVideo is probably better.

MAC, PC, iPhone and Android
Canva now has the ability to make video editing easy. This video tutorial will show you how to use Canva for video editing. This software primarly uses stock templates that are very flexible however if you want to create more personalized videos this editor is a little limiting. This being said it is easy to use and create cool projects your students will be proud of!

Easy to use
Free or inexpensive subscriptions
Great app to use if you are already using it for other application. Only learn one app instead of multiple can get you creating faster!

Video Editing Software for Purchase

Why use video software that costs money?

That is a very good question, especially with all the free options that you have at your fingertips. One reason may be that you or your school already own the software. Another reason may be that you want to have a more professional output. Whatever the reason you may be using one of the following programs, I wanted to make sure I included some resources for them as well. iMovie may be the most known and used software on this list. It is a good software that has many nice features and is very user friendly. However, the most intuitive and user friendly software on this list is Final Cut Pro X. It is $199 per educational license. So unless you have a large media department at your school you probably don't have many of these programs available. Although for a relatively low cost you OWN the software and all the updates come included with your one time purchase. Since Apple released Final Cut Pro X there have been tons of updates, so this is actually are very good value. One of the down sides is that it is an Apple product and can only work on a MAC computer, the same as iMovie. Adobe Premiere Pro works with both MAC and PC. It has an educational subscription at $19.99 per month. This includes the ability to put this on 2 separate computers and also includes the whole Adobe Creative Cloud suite of programs: Photoshop, InDesign, Audition etc. Schools seem to have the Creative Cloud more often then the Apple software, but in my opinion Premiere Pro is a frustrating software that tends to over complicate simple functions and also has not caught up to some of the offerings that the free editing software includes. If you like Premiere Pro, I would suggest switching to DaVinci Resolve since it is free and is essentially the same software. If your school already owns Premiere Pro, it is a fine software that gets the job done. Just remember it could be a little frustrating for students to use.

Final Cut Pro X - Mac computers only

$199 per subscription (educational price)
Extremely User Friendly
Easy to Make Professional Looking Video
Motion Graphics included
Sound Effects included
Music Library included
Lots of free online tutorials
Can be used to edit Podcasts

iMovie - Apple Software - Mac Computers Only

Comes "free" with your apple product
Very User Friendly
Easy to Use
Limited functions, but good for beginners!
Can be used to edit Podcasts
This tutorial is for Apple computers only. You need to see the iPad/iPhone tutorial is that is the device you are using. iMovie is different for those devices.