Finding The Right Editing Software For YOU!
Did you know that 95% of consumers agree that a company’s website makes an impact of their purchasing decision, and that the average user spends 88% more time on a website that includes video? However, 62% of consumers surveyed by Brightcove suggest that they would build a negative perception of a brand that published a poor-quality video. Crazy, right?
The way we present ourselves is crucial to our brand awareness and legitimacy, as customers want the content you put online to match the incredible quality your business provides. This is where video editing becomes so important. Video is the most effective way of promoting your brand online, and a good edit can help even a low-budget production achieve something that looks professional, eye-catching, and memorable. It is where the magic happens and where the pieces of the puzzle come together to make the video stand out and shine.
Seamless editing allows a video to flow, whereas noticeably unprofessional editing can leave awkward pauses, choppy transitions, and an overall unsatisfying viewing experience. Video without decent editing is like ordering a £50 steak from a Michelin star restaurant and it arriving with zero presentation, dirty cutlery and a scowl from your waiter. You have all the ingredients to make something special, however the finished product is poorly presented and ultimately leaves you feeling underwhelmed and disappointed. By editing your videos with care, you can avoid this. It allows you to refine your content and impress the audience, instilling in them a sense of confidence and trust in what you can deliver.
Using the most expensive software out there won’t necessarily mean that the edit will be perfect. Obtaining the right programme for the type of videos you’d like to make is far more important than having the priciest one, so consider the following options and think about which product will be right for you.
Premiere Pro
A mainstay of the editing world since its inception in 2003, Adobe Premiere Pro is commonly accepted as being one of, if not the best video editing software on offer today. It is used by millions worldwide from first-time YouTubers and social media marketers all the way up to Hollywood production companies.
Its main attraction is that it is an Abode product, so it has the backing of a trusted and experienced international company. Its standout feature however must be that it is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud licensing family. This system acts like Microsoft One Drive or iCloud as it gives you the ability to sync files across different Adobe platforms such as Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator and more. This cross-platform functionality is incredibly useful for uploading existing footage, images and music as it is all backed up and saved to a cloud system as you go, meaning you will never lose your progress. It’s like having insurance for all your precious content and remarkably comes at no extra cost.
Compared to the other programmes discussed in this article however, Premiere Pro probably has the steepest learning curve and will take the longest amount of time to master. The staggering abundance of features can be very daunting at first glance, and that’s why Adobe offers ‘Premiere Elements’, a stripped back, humbler version of Premiere Pro.
If you’re new to editing and aren’t planning on becoming an expert in the field, Premiere Pro’s complexity may scare you away, not to mention the obligatory fee of £20 per month (£240 a year). This is quite expensive, and the money you spend on this programme could be better spent elsewhere, especially when there are decent editing alternatives available for free.
However, if you really want to get into editing and use your new-found skills in a professional setting, then Premiere Pro is worth the money as the layout and availability of features provides a complete service that many professionals swear-by.
If you are short on time and don’t need all the Hollywood add-ons, these following alternatives might be more suitable as they are tailored towards beginners and won’t break the bank.
Power Director
First up on our list of affordable, easy to use programmes is Power Director. This app is perfect for beginners as it is simple, on your phone so you can use on-the-go, and it’s FREE.
CyberLink’s Power Director app has featured as an Editor’s choice on the Google Play store and is widely regarded as one of the top editing apps on the market for its ability to easily trim, cut and rotate videos with a single tap. It also provides an array of features that bring the detail of PC software to your mobile.
This app is brilliant for anyone who desires quality but doesn’t want to spend a lot of time, energy, and money on their edits. With Power Director, you can spend a couple of hours cutting together your footage, save the finished product to your phone, and upload to Facebook or Instagram immediately, meaning you can post more incredible content at a faster rate. Having this functionality in the palm of your hands anywhere you go allows even the busiest of us to produce amazing videos and make our vision come to life online.
However, if the free app isn’t enough and you feel like you could go further, there is also a desktop version which you can pay for, setting you back only £44.99 for one year (£3.75 a month). Although not as detailed as Premiere Pro, the Power Director PC version still offers a fast and reliable interface and supports 4K video editing. As a beginner, it might be best to try out the app first for free, then move on to the full version if you feel the need to expand your capabilities!
Saving a penny here and there can help a lot, especially nowadays when all of us are struggling through a global pandemic. That’s why we’ve chosen to include a couple of free editing programmes on this list.
iMovie
For Mac users, the built-in editing software iMovie is a fantastic place to start your adventure in the art of editing. In the name of simplicity, iMovie does lack some fancy features of the more advanced programmes, but we think that for a beginner editor, this is a good thing. It’s easy to navigate interface and instinctive controls are perfect for first-time users, and your beautifully crafted productions can be quickly shared to all your apple gear at the touch of a button, saving you time transferring files between different devices.
HitFilm Express
If you’re a Windows user, never fear, HitFilm Express is a quality and dependable programme that offers basic editing system for no cost at all. With quite a few more features available than iMovie, this programme offers a lot for very little, and would probably satisfy an intermediate editor’s desires. However, as some of the software’s more fun and interesting features come at a small extra cost, don’t be tricked by the ‘free’ selling point.
Whichever programme you decide to choose, you will be making a decision that could help you and your business grow in the long run. Video marketing is only getting bigger, so why not jump on the bandwagon and learn a new skill in editing? You never know, it could lead to great things in the future!
If you have any questions about editing, get in touch via the Contact page and our skilled team will be happy to answer them!