Want to learn how to edit videos? The best video editing software for beginners may not be as powerful as the best video editing software, but it simplifies a pretty complex process - perfect for newcomers or those who just want to cut content fast.
I rate Adobe Premiere Elements as a good starting point for beginners. Not only does it feature a relaxed layout and tons of tools, it'll also help you if you move on to the more advanced Premiere Pro. CyberLink PowerDirector is a good, beginner-friendly alternative that works on computers and mobile devices.
When testing the best video editing software for beginners, I'm looking for simple user experiences that mask a wealth of features and effects that add a professional touch to everything from social media clips and YouTube videos to feature-length films.
For more content creation tools, my team and I have tested the best free video editing software and the best video editing apps.
Quick list
Adobe offers a range of video editors like Premiere Pro to Rush - but Premiere Elements is its easy video editing software. It’s super-simple to get started learning the ropes, subscription-free, and comes with Adobe’s innovation and user experience.
Packed with features and powerful tools, CyberLink PowerDirector is really for prosumers. But we found the relaxed and efficient interface great for easing you in, growing with you as your skills improve. There’s even an app for video editing on mobiles.
Microsoft’s Clipchamp lets everyone create polished and professional content. It’s full of social media templates for marketers who need a lot of good-looking visual content fast. There’s an app, but it also runs in the browser, so no need for super-fast computers
If you can get past a handful of quirks with the interface, we found FIlmora by Wondershare to be seemingly built for beginners, yet with a big range of editing tools. It’s budget-friendly, too, which is ideal if you’re just starting out.
Magix Movie Studio has a familiar, welcoming interface, while its big buttons and playhead handles let you get really precise with your editing. You’ll find a range of templates, tools, and a large library of stock media.
Corel VideoStudio Ultimate is an intuitive video editor that has some surprising features. There’s a VFX-lite tool Face Effects and face-indexing for fast recall of video subjects. We especially liked the automatic transcription, which easily adds accessible subtitles to your productions.
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Nero Video has a great feature for those who are absolutely new to video editing - and it’s called Express Mode. This reduces the UI to the barebones basics. When you feel confident, you can switch to the feature-filled Advanced Mode.
Sleek, streamlined, and easy to use, Apple iMovie is free and pre-installed on most modern Macs. That makes it perfect for anyone who’s curious about cutting content. It doesn’t see many updates these days, but does integrate well with other Apple products.
Best video editing software for beginners overall
Adobe Premiere Elements is ideal for new video editors. It’s essentially Adobe’s consumer version of Premiere Pro, so it’s got the pro tools most everyday users need, and everything feels like it’s been designed to make it simple to start editing videos.
Premiere Elements is a good first step into the world of Adobe’s creative apps, making it easier to graduate to the more advanced Premiere Pro as your skills grow.
When we tested Premiere Elements, we were delighted to find you can switch between different interfaces depending on your experience. It’s a really nice touch for making the editing software accessible to a broader user-base. You’ll also find helpful tutorials and guides for understanding and performing pro-level techniques.
Unlike most Adobe products, there’s no Creative Cloud subscriptions. Premiere Elements is available for a one-off purchase.
There are two other Adobe video editors for beginners we’d recommend trying. For ultra-simplicity, Adobe Express free online video editor is best for short, social media-friendly clips. For making movies on the go, Adobe Premiere Rush is a great video editing app for beginners.
Read our full Adobe Premiere Elements review
Best video editing software for beginners and pros
CyberLink PowerDirector isn’t exactly a video editor for beginners - it’s ostensibly for prosumers, so it’s a lot more advanced than many we’ve tested for newcomers. But it’s undeniably easy to use thanks to its relaxed and efficient interface.
If you’re even vaguely familiar with software for editing videos, you’ll be right at home with PowerDirector. Everything is where it should be, everything works as it should do. We appreciated the fact that the software could handle a range of projects, from small editing jobs to complex final cuts without impacting stability and performance.
During our tests, we were especially impressed with the inclusion of keyframing tools and a good-sized animation library. Throw in titling tools, transitions, and effects, and you have a pretty powerful video editing program for beginners and experienced editors alike.
PowerDirector is available through a monthly/annual subscription or via a one-off payment for the lifetime license, with upgrade options. There’s also a free version - PowerDirector Essentials - but we felt this lacked a lot of features found in the paid-for editions.
Read our full CyberLink PowerDirector review
Best beginner's video editor for social media marketers
Clipchamp is a great place to start your video editing journey, tailor-made for those new to video editing and those who want to make a lot of good-looking videos fast.
This beginner’s video editing software runs in your browser - so, no need for a high-performance computer. A Windows desktop app is also available. It’s got everything most users will need, no more, no less.
The UI takes more than a bit of inspiration from Canva, but that’s not a bad thing. It means everything is nicely laid out, and everything is easy to find. Piecing videos together is a case of trimming, dragging, and dropping. You’ll find multi-track support for more complex projects.
Clipchamp, which is now Microsoft-owned, has one big USP: social media templates. These let you create clips for just about every platform out there in just a few clicks. Ideal if you’re boosting your video output as either a content creator or marketer.
It’s free to use, won’t put watermarks on your video, and you can export up to 1080p (or make GIFs). Monthly and annual subscriptions are available with a focus on commercial use.
Read our full Clipchamp review
Best budget video editor for beginners
If you can get past some interface quirks, Wondershare’s Filmora is one of our top choices for best beginner's video editing software for beginners.
Novice users will find familiarity in the video editing software’s straightforward timeline view, and find it easier to edit with handy, animated tooltips.
Built-in screen recording is a welcome feature not often found in video editing software, while absolute beginners will appreciate the option to change a clip’s aspect ratio, trim its duration and add over 20 filters to it at the click of a button.
There’s even direct integration with stock asset repositories like Giphy, Pixabay and Unsplash from within Filmora itself, making it a strong piece of video editing software for beginners, or even more advanced users looking for a professional stock library.
Wondershare Filmora is all about giving novices powerful, AI-driven tools that intuit what they want and give it to them. It’s probably the best video editing software for beginners for striking a happy medium between having lots of features and total ease-of-use.
Read our full Wondershare Filmora review
Best simple video editing software for beginners
Magix Movie Studio has seen several recent engine enhancements and feature additions that make it a great option for beginner video editing software.
The timeline interface won’t challenge newcomers, and Magix Movie Studio now includes bigger buttons and handles for video clips, making it much easier to edit with precision.
The main preview screen has also seen improvements, allowing you to move around footage and other material to easily create collages and split-screen content.
Several video templates designed to fit the aspect ratios of specific social media platforms, and footage taken from a smartphone will be resized automatically.
What we like less about Movie Studio is its byzantine business model. There are three tiers: Basic, Platinum, and Suite, and all of them can be purchased either outright or as a subscription.
Magix Content - a large library of stock photos, videos, samples, and even animation, is locked behind Platinum and Suite subscriptions. This would make a convenient Adobe Stock alternative, but you’ll be regularly paying for the privilege.
“Support for Intel, NVIDIA and AMD cards” is locked behind any version of Platinum and Suite, as are “Travel Maps”, “detailed” color correction (Basic has “easy-to-use color correction”), multicam editing and “Automatic Shot Match”.
The pricing model, and liberal use of contextless jargon, will undoubtedly confuse new video editors looking to get started without much thought. However, we’d say that Movie Studio’s Basic version meets that need.
Read our full Magix Movie Studio review
Best beginners video editing software for effects
Corel VideoStudio Ultimate is a smart choice for a beginner-level video editing software. It’s affordable, intuitive and the latest version comes with a number of impressive features that you may struggle to find anywhere else at this price point - which includes a buy-outright option.
The feature that most surprised us was a tool that automatically subtitles your video (transcription errors permitting), and allows you to export the results as an .srt file. Given the complexities surrounding subtitling - this could be a boon for accessible video going forward.
Otherwise, a GIF editor, “Face Effects” - a rudimentary VFX kit - and “face indexing” - a database of who appears in your videos and when, all make Corel VideoStudio Ultimate worth considering over others if you’re just looking to get started with video editing.
But there are some advanced features that make it contend against professional-level video editors like Adobe Premiere Pro for pure functionality. Non-linear keyframing will allow for custom-speed adjustments to your clips, and files rendered with the HEVC codec (also known as x265) are provisionally supported.
While some additional features, like AR stickers, need work, Corel VideoStudio Ultimate’s fundamentals are solid, making it more than acceptable at the consumer level.
It continues to receive updates that add to its feature set - including some clever transitions when we last looked - and we have no doubt that any edges will be smoothed out.
Those looking for a truly professional-grade video editor might prefer Corel’s Pinnacle Studio, which maintains the straightforward interface while packing in features like 8K video support.
Read our full Corel VideoStudio review
Best basic video editing software for beginners
Nero Video’s simple but dated interface makes it a decent choice for video editing software suited for beginners. Be aware that it comes without bells and whistles, but it’ll get the job done.
Like most beginner video editing software, the user interface consists of a timeline, control panel, and preview screen. In our review, we weren’t too impressed with the overall aesthetic, but even absolute beginners will find it intuitive.
Nero Video’s biggest draws for absolute beginners to video editing software are its ‘Express’ mode, which reduces the UI to its absolute bare essentials. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with the basics before advancing to the next stage. We also thought the ‘Live Guide’, which walks users through the process of editing their project, offers an accessible entry-point into video editing.
During our tests, we found that Nero Video manages well on older hardware. It’s an ideal piece of video editing software for beginners on low-spec PCs. Anyone else will likely want to consider more powerful alternatives.
Read our full Nero Video review
Best video editing software for beginners on Mac
With its sleek, streamlined, and incredibly easy-to-use layout, Apple iMovie is one of the best video editing software for beginners on Mac.
For a long time, the simple video editor was the go-to for Apple fans who had little to no knowledge of how to cut a movie. However, in recent years, its once-revolutionary feature set has stagnated, with updates seemingly few and far between. And that’s a shame, because there’s a lot to like with iMovie - especially if you’re already part of the Apple ecosystem.
If you’re willing to overlook the lack of regular updates, you’ll find iMovie is absolutely golden for creating videos in the simplest ways possible. The learning curve is low - in fact, it hardly exists at all - and it’s even available as a video editing app for iOS. Better still, the tool integrates well with other Apple products.
Once you’ve maxed out your skills on iMovie, Apple’s professional-grade video editor Final Cut Pro will be a great option.
Read our full Apple iMovie review
Best video editing software for beginners: FAQs
Which video editing software is best for beginners?
There's no right answer when you're finding the right video editing software as a beginner. It depends on lot of different factors, and can sometimes even be a case of going for the one you just like the 'feel' of during the creative process.
However, it's worth checking out Adobe Premiere Elements, Filmora, CyberLink PowerDirector, and Clipchamp if you want a beginner's video editor. They all offer something for different use-cases and skill-levels.
What is video editing software for beginners?
Video editing software for beginners tends to be simple to use. Often, they include Simple and Advanced modes, letting you switch between the two depending on your experience and skill. Video editors for beginners usually lack more complex tools and features that you'll find in heavyweight software like Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Apple Final Cut Pro.
However, many of the best alternatives to Adobe Premiere Pro feature simplified features, including green-screen technology and VFX. Generally, beginner's software lacks the more nuanced and granular control over your projects, but they're ideal for quickly cutting together clips and adding audio.
Which beginner's video editor do YouTubers user?
Content creators on YouTube use a lot of different video editing software, depending on the type of content they produce.
If your favorite channel uses special effects and lots of cuts, then they're likely using an editing tool that's a lot more powerful than you'd need for delivering a simple piece-to-camera video.
For really simple video editing, some even use the best screen recorders (and even the best free screen recorders). So, you can absolutely use video editing software for beginners to kickstart your own channel.
We've explored the topic in our guide What do YouTubers use to edit videos?
How to choose the best video editing software for beginners
Choosing the best video editing software for beginners can be difficult. As a beginner, you probably won’t be looking for a particular brand, or feature - just something that can get the job done and teach you the best way to do it.
That’s not to say you won’t find features that’ll help you along with your particular use case. Corel VideoStudio Ultimate’s GIF Editor, and Magix Movie Studio’s templates designed for social media exports, will be helpful to budding content creators. Others include the best VFX software, genuinely offering some of the best alternatives to Adobe After Effects,
The video editors most obviously geared towards newcomers will use a drag-and-drop timeline view - where, at minimum you’ll place your clips in the order you want them to appear. You’ll drag your media into the editor to import it into a media library, and from there you can drag it onto the timeline, move it around, trim it, and more - repeating the process for each new clip. Despite deceptive simplicity, editing film is resource-intensive, so make sure you have the best laptop for video editing or best video editing PC for your chosen software. Among creative industries, the best video editing Mac and MacBook laptops are a popular choice.
All of our choices for this listing use this view, and so, in theory, you can’t go wrong. But if you’re looking for something especially simple - Nero Video may be the choice for you, thanks to its optional simplified Express view.
At this level - it may simply come down to price. All of our choices have software packages that come in under $100, and that’s ignoring the range of free video editing software available across PC and Mac.
If features aren’t a concern, technical jargon is beyond you, and you’re just looking for “a video editor”, you could do a lot worse than picking one at random. We vouch for every single one of these choices, and ultimately the only person who can figure out the best choice for you - is you.
How we test the best video editing software for beginners
When we test the best video editing software for beginners, we’re looking for simplicity, and interesting features that professional-grade video editors like Adobe Premiere Pro might lack in favor of a more conventional industry-leading feature set.
Those interesting features typically include varying degrees of social media integration - from distinct resolution options designed for those services, to direct uploads to social media accounts. But they might also just be “fun” features, like Corel VideoStudio Ultimate’s AR stickers. Even when the execution isn’t perfect at the time of review, we appreciate the creativity, and trust that a developer will continue to polish these genuinely unique features.
A straightforward user interface is vital. Users should be able to intuit how to get the results they want from the software almost immediately. At the same time, the features available should cover the fundamentals, like importing, cutting, and manipulating footage. As we test, we look for software that meets these minimums, because as much as we love simplicity, we also want budding video editors to find value in the software they choose.
It’s important to look for simplicity and value at the same time because “beginner” is relative. At one end of the spectrum, you have someone who only wants to edit together a series of photographs as a gift for a relative, and at the other, you have someone a bit more technically minded looking to start a YouTube channel. The best video editors for beginners, we find, strike this balance well.
We test hardware on a variety of low-mid range hardware set-ups, as it’s wrong to assume that anyone new to video editing has access to top-of-the-line hardware. We perform renders using a range of video resolutions, lengths, and file sizes to put video editors through their paces. Renders on consumer hardware are an intensive process, impacting performance, and often prohibiting multi-tasking. At the same time, the rendering process should result in high-quality video files, otherwise a beginner may feel alienated and priced out from bringing their project to life.
So you can identify the best video editor for your new workflow, we’ve also compared:
> Adobe Premiere Pro vs Adobe Premiere Elements
> Adobe Premiere Pro vs Apple Final Cut Pro
