Premium Video Editors

If you’re really serious about your project, feel free to use a professional video editing software.  Here are some really good ones:

• Blender is a free, open-source video editing and 3D animation suite available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.  Because it is so full-featured, it will probably have a steep learning curve, especially if you don’t have a strong background in professional editing and animation.
  • For tutorials, visit Blender’s support page
  • To download Blender, go to blender.org/download

 

• Lightworks is free for non-commercial use but requires a license if you want to use it to make money.  It is built for a professional user adience and it, too, is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac users.
  • For tutorials, visit Lightworks’s Tutorial Page.
  • To download, go to https://www.lwks.com/ and navigate to their Downloads tab.

 

• Adobe Premiere is professional video editing software available across platforms exclusively through Adobe’s Creative Cloud Suite, which is about $50/month.  Adobe does allow you to edit projects seamlessly across devices and platforms (including mobile devices), and you can generally access Premiere on university computers, though it is unlikely to be available in a K-12 setting.
  • You will have to find most of your tutorials by searching for them online, but you can get started with this 20-minute tutorial for beginners.
  • You can get Adobe premiere through the Creative Cloud

 

• Final Cut Pro X is professional video editing software available only for Mac computers.  It costs about $300 for a one-time purchase.  It is probably available on university computers but is unlikely to be widely available at a K-12 school.
  • You will have to find your own tutorials for individual questions, but you can get started with this 13-minute tutorial for beginners.
  • You can purchase the Final Cut Pro app for your Mac here.