I was looking for a video editor that can help me cut and edit some simple video footage. What are some good choices?

Preference is one with a low learning curve. Paid is alright, as long as I can test it a bit beforehand.

Google is littered with nonsense blogs so I figured id ask the Lems.

  • Mothra
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    2 years ago

    DaVinci Resolve. It’s good and mostly free, allowing you to export up to HD resolution. Premium features include more transitions, fx, and higher resolutions but the basics are covered free.

    I can’t vouch for the low learning curve. It’s intuitive enough for basic basic stuff but I still find myself going to YouTube tutorials often. However- I’m always a slow learner, so it might be just me.

    • UsualMap@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      2 years ago

      A thousand times this. I have no idea why this isn’t a more popular option. Also it isn’t limited to HD - it’s limited to 4k.

    • tiredturtle@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      2 years ago

      I had been pondering on switching from Shotcut to DaVinci but exporting being limited to HD is bad news to me

        • Mothra
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 years ago

          Well, the more you know. Thanks for bringing this up! Cheers

  • I'm Hiding 🇦🇺@aussie.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    2 years ago

    Kdenlive is my go-to these days, but it’s interface can take a moment to get used to. Plenty of tutorials and such on YouTube, however.

    If you’re on a Mac, iMovie is as good as it gets for casual production. Look no further.

    Finally, if you’re on Windows and don’t like the look of kdenlive, I don’t see any reason not to use Windows Media Maker from Windows Live Essentials 2012. There’s a lot of crapware around these days pretending to be a modern version of Media Maker, but the old one still does what it needs to, and to my knowledge there’s no official replacement to date.

  • Opteryx@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    2 years ago

    Shotcut is quite powerful, fully featured, and absolutely free.

    Microsoft’s new ClipChamp is more user friendly and the most basic version is free, with some limitations.

    • bufordt@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 years ago

      ClipChamp has become my go to for quick editing. The primary free version limitation is export resolution (HD).

  • MobBarley@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    2 years ago

    ffmpeg, if you don’t mind the command line… there’s only two options you really have to know for editing, -ss and -t , starting time and length, respectively
    eg, ffmpeg input.mp4 -ss 00:01:40 -t 00:05:00 output.mp4
    that would clip out five minutes starting at a minute forty seconds in, the file names are obvious

  • Die4Ever@programming.dev
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    I use Videopad but I have a feeling the other suggestions might be better, I need to check these out. But I have tried Davinci Resolve before and I just felt like it was overkill for basic cutting up videos and Videopad seems nicer for simple editing.

    Also I think I remember Davinci not supporting mkv files? Maybe they’ve fixed it by now?

  • ngarjuna@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    2 years ago

    Not free but Premiere can be subscribed so if you just have some footage to cut you should be able to rent it for a month or two and let the sub lapse until you need it again. Might be a less intense learning curve for the cost of a month or two

  • mulcahey@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    2 years ago

    Lossless Cut is a good mix of free, powerful, and easy to use. I use it on my laptop for quick meme stuff