SEO

13 Best Video Editing Software Tools For Beginners (2023)

Published

2 years ago

February 18, 2023

13 Best Video Editing Software Tools For Beginners (2023)

Video editing has a steep learning curve.

Many of the best feature-complete tools have complex user interfaces (UIs) and require advanced knowledge to use them effectively. They can also be hefty investments.

In evaluating beginner tools, I focused on two core areas: user-friendliness and price.

Some of the tools on the list are a bit more expensive, but they could be worth the price for their features and support.

Others are entirely free but more difficult to use. The higher learning curve could be worth it if you’re willing to invest time in the tool.

It doesn’t make sense to spend much on a tool until you’ve developed preferences for functions and UI elements.

Let’s look at some of the best places to start.

1. Adobe Premiere Elements

Price: $99.
Platform: Windows, macOS.
Experience Necessary: Beginner to intermediate.

Adobe is the gold standard in creative tools, and Premiere Pro is an industry-standard video editor.

Premiere Elements is an easier-to-use program targeted toward non-professional consumers.

The Elements family of software exists outside of Adobe’s Creative Cloud so you can purchase them individually without a subscription.

If you or your business is already subscribed to Creative Cloud, it might make more sense to try out Premiere Pro.

Premiere Elements comes with a price tag but gives you access to powerful features, such as:

Automated artificial intelligence (AI) editing functions.
Guided edits inside the program.
Templates.
Audio track library.

2. Adobe Premiere Pro

Price: $20.99 per month for individuals, $35.99 for businesses.
Platform: Windows, macOS.
Experience Necessary: Intermediate.

No list of video editing programs, even a beginner list, would be complete without Premiere Pro.

It has a much higher learning curve than Premiere Elements but does feature built-in tutorials to help you get started.

One of the biggest benefits of using Adobe is the Creative Cloud suite of software. It has an app for pretty much any creative task, and many of them integrate with one another.

You can add dedicated animation software to your subscription and use it alongside Premiere Pro, for example.

Much like VEGAS Pro, Premiere Pro likely offers the most advanced and powerful features compared to other programs in this list.

While it does offer helpful tutorials and videos, it’s quite complex. I wouldn’t suggest going right for Premiere Pro as a complete beginner.

The Adobe suite is, generally, for more advanced users who have honed their creative skills. But if you’re starting a creative journey and want access to various powerful tools, Adobe is worth a look.

If you’re already subscribed to Creative Cloud for another program, you can add Premiere Pro to your subscription to access capabilities like:

Export directly to social platforms.
Edit any format of a video file.
Automated color matching and correction.
AI tools.
Speech-to-text automatic captioning.
Motion effects and keyframe animation.
Robust sound panel for audio editing and effects.
Integration with other Adobe creative apps; add animation, image editing, and visual effects software to your plan as needed.
Stock images, video, and audio.
Motion graphics templates.

3. Animaker

Price: From $10 per month.
Platform: Browsers, iOS.
Experience Necessary: None.

Animaker is probably the most beginner-friendly tool on this list. You can create entire animations with easy click-and-drag functionality, as well as edit live videos.

If you need to produce short-form video content quickly and easily, this might be your go-to.

You can build animated characters, backgrounds, and text with a few button presses. And with lip-synching and motion features, it’s easy to make smooth, professional animations.

Key capabilities:

Create animations from scratch.
Easy-to-use interface and tools.
Apply effects, audio tracks, transitions, etc., to animations and live-action videos.
100 million+ stock image, video, and GIF assets.

4. Clipchamp

Price: Free or $11.99 per month.
Platform: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome browsers.
Experience Necessary: Beginner.

Clipchamp operates inside your browser, which makes it easy to access on the go but limits its power. Professionals will outgrow it quickly.

The core features of the program are free, including audio, video, and image stock.

Access to more advanced stock and editing features is gated behind the subscription. You can still use those features on a free account, but your video will be watermarked.

One of Clipchamp’s coolest features is its integration with different video platforms. It’s easy to create videos pre-formatted for YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest videos, as well as Instagram and Facebook ads.

Key capabilities:

Screen and camera recorder.
Preformatted exports for different platforms.
Templates and video, audio, and image libraries.
AI text-to-speech voiceovers.

5. DaVinci Resolve

Price: Free or $295.
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Experience Necessary: Intermediate.

DaVinci Resolve boasts a complete set of professional post-production tools.

It’s used by pros in Hollywood and offers everything from visual effects to transitions, animations, and audio post-production tools.

While it’s flexible with intuitive controls and training courses, it’s likely overwhelming for a beginner.

Trying to learn a complete workstation might not be ideal; Unless you’re jumping into complex video production right away, it probably features many tools that you won’t need.

There is a paid version of the software that you can grow into, but you likely won’t need it unless you’re committing to the platform as an advanced professional.

Key capabilities:

Color correction.
Node-based 2D and 3D effects.
Keyframe animation.
Effects and transitions library.
Audio editor, plugins, and effects library (including Foley sounds).
Audio recording.
Cloud collaboration on projects.
Complete, advanced video editing suite.

6. Hitfilm

Price: Free, $8.99 per month, or $12.99 per month.
Platform: Windows, macOS.
Experience Necessary: Beginner to intermediate.

Hitfilm boasts ease of use for any skill level. It features enough guided and templated content to make things easy for beginners, plus advanced tools to experiment with as you learn.

Hitfilm’s transitions and presets are easy to drag and drop on your timeline; It leans into intuitive, fast, easy-to-use tools.

You may find it less customizable than some other software in the list, but it’s more powerful than the Apple and Microsoft native tools.

Key capabilities:

Stock library, including footage, images, sound effects, and music.
Easy drag-and-drop functionality with presets and templates.
Color grading presets.
Plugins for visual effects, 3D animation, and motion tracking.

7. iMovie

Price: Free.
Platform: iOS, macOS.
Experience Necessary: None.

iMovie is Apple’s answer to a consumer-level movie editor. It boasts powerful features coupled with an interface Apple users will be familiar with.

It’s one of the most beginner-friendly programs on the list, but you might find that you outgrow it quickly.

Key capabilities:

Cross-functional between iOS and macOS. Edit the same video on multiple devices.
User-friendly effects, templates, filters, and other ready-to-use features.
Audio track library.

8. InVideo

Price: Free, $15 per month, $30 per month.
Platform: Browser, Android, iOS.
Experience Necessary: None.

InVideo is another tool perfect for beginners who don’t want to wade into the complexity of timelines, tracks, and advanced tools.

It’s a template-based program that works in your browser. It’s easy to customize templates for your liking, plus it’s got tons of stock and tools to make the process quick.

Being a browser app, it will be much less powerful than the in-depth software titles on this list. But that’s fine if you’re not looking for a tool with advanced use cases.

Like Animaker, it’s integrated with stock platforms to access stock images, videos, and audio.

The templates are organized into specific platforms and use cases, plus you can watch in-depth tutorials on the website.

Key capabilities:

Easy-to-use browser and app editor.
Many pre-formatted, well-organized templates to get you started quickly.
Plenty of shortcuts and quick functions.
AI tools.
Millions of stock files.
Cloud collaboration.

9. Media Composer

Price: Free or $23.99 per month.
Platform: Windows, macOS.
Experience Necessary: Beginner to intermediate.

Media Composer is a powerful tool with several different versions, from a free version for beginners to an enterprise software suite.

This program will have a higher learning curve than others, but the website offers a series of free tutorial videos.

It also offers practice footage that you can download and follow along with, making the learning process smooth.

As with other programs that offer multiple subscription tiers, you can grow into this software.

Start with the free version, and upgrade as you need more features. You’re less likely to outgrow it and have to learn a whole new program.

Key capabilities:

Video effects and stabilizers.
Audio effects.
Upgradable plan.
Advanced color correction.
Custom keyboard mapping.

10. OpenShot

Price: Free.
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Experience Necessary: Beginner to intermediate.

OpenShot is seriously underrated. It’s open source and free.

It doesn’t feature as much guided automation as some of the other tools on the list, so it may have a higher learning curve. However, it’s much more powerful and customizable – and there’s a comprehensive user guide if you get stuck.

As you get more familiar with video editing, you can learn advanced tools like the keyframe animation framework, audio editing features, and others.

Even professionals should find almost everything they need. This is a program you can grow into and learn new features as you need them.

Key capabilities:

Advanced timeline tools.
Video effects engine.
3D animations.
Keyframe animations.
Unlimited layers and tracks.
Title templates.

11. PowerDirector 365

Price: Limited free version, starts at $4.33 per month.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Experience Necessary: None.

PowerDirector positions itself as a “no experience necessary” video editor. There’s a free version you can try, but you’ll likely need to purchase a license to use it effectively.

This software features a large assortment of AI visual effects tools, blending tools, keyframe tools, and color tools.

It also offers a huge library of stock images, videos, and audio, as well as premade titles, transitions, templates, and animations.

There are also plugins for recording and livestreaming.

If you’re a beginner, you can use pre-made assets from start to finish to create a professional final product. Drop in customizable titles, intro templates, and animations.

Key capabilities:

Speech to text in multiple languages.
Recording and livestreaming.
Easy-to-use templates, animations, and transitions.
Huge library of stock.
AI audio and visual effects.

12. Shotcut

Price: Free.
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Experience Necessary: Beginner to intermediate.

Shotcut is open source and free, much like OpenShot.

Open-source tools tend to offer the best customization, but they take a little more work to learn and set up the way you like them. They’re also your best options if you’re a Linux user.

Shotcut features customizable UI layouts that you can save and switch between.

Once you get comfortable with the program, you can create different layouts for different tasks.

You can search for features and edit keyboard shortcuts. After a while, you’ll be able to perform tasks extremely quickly.

Key capabilities:

Mix different resolutions and framerates on a single timeline.
Supports native editing in many different formats (less converting/importing files).
Webcam and audio capture.
4k resolutions.
JSON animations.
Video effects and filters.
Audio filters.

13. VEGAS Pro

Price: From $12.99 per month.
Platform: Windows.
Experience Necessary: Intermediate.

VEGAS Pro is one of the most advanced and powerful tools on the list. Just like Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, and other complex editors, it may not be ideal for a complete beginner.

VEGAS Pro does provide tutorials, and it boasts the best versions of most of the features of anything else in this list.

It features AI filters and tools and a range of supported formats for native editing, effects, transitions, titles, color correction, and video repair. It has all the bells and whistles.

It can also export in social media-friendly formats and upload directly to YouTube and Vimeo.

Key capabilities:

Preset filter effects, transitions, and titles.
Direct upload.
Motion tracking.
Color correction.
Video repair and stabilization.
Complete, advanced editing suite.

Conclusion

Everyone was a beginner once.

Before you pick your video tool, you need to decide what kind of beginner you are.

Do you need a quick and easy solution because you don’t have the time or resources for in-depth editing? Then you may want to pick one of the less powerful tools, even if it comes with a price tag.

Are you a beginner looking for a tool to commit to and that you can grow into as you learn? You may want to pick one of the more powerful tools with multiple subscription tiers.

Are you the kind of beginner who loves to learn how to hack your workflows and customize everything? Try open-source software.

More Resources:

Featured Image: DC Studio/Shutterstock

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Mediavine Bans Publisher For Overuse Of AI-Generated Content

Published

10 hours ago

September 9, 2024

Max

Single continuous line drawing robot sitting near piles of work files.

According to details surfacing online, ad management firm Mediavine is terminating publishers’ accounts for overusing AI.

Mediavine is a leading ad management company providing products and services to help website publishers monetize their content.

The company holds elite status as a Google Certified Publishing Partner, which indicates that it meets Google’s highest standards and requirements for ad networks and exchanges.

AI Content Triggers Account Terminations

The terminations came to light in a post on the Reddit forum r/Blogging, where a user shared an email they received from Mediavine citing “overuse of artificially created content.”

Trista Jensen, Mediavine’s Director of Ad Operations & Market Quality, states in the email:

“Our third party content quality tools have flagged your sites for overuse of artificially created content. Further internal investigation has confirmed those findings.”

Jensen stated that due to the overuse of AI content, “our top partners will stop spending on your sites, which will negatively affect future monetization efforts.”

Consequently, Mediavine terminated the publisher’s account “effective immediately.”

The Risks Of Low-Quality AI Content

This strict enforcement aligns with Mediavine’s publicly stated policy prohibiting websites from using “low-quality, mass-produced, unedited or undisclosed AI content that is scraped from other websites.”

In a March 7 blog post titled “AI and Our Commitment to a Creator-First Future,” the company declared opposition to low-value AI content that could “devalue the contributions of legitimate content creators.”

Mediavine warned in the post:

“Without publishers, there is no open web. There is no content to train the models that power AI. There is no internet.”

The company says it’s using its platform to “advocate for publishers” and uphold quality standards in the face of AI’s disruptive potential.

Mediavine states:

“We’re also developing faster, automated tools to help us identify low-quality, mass-produced AI content across the web.”

Targeting ‘AI Clickbait Kingpin’ Tactics

While the Reddit user’s identity wasn’t disclosed, the incident has drawn connections to the tactics of Nebojša Vujinović Vujo, who was dubbed an “AI Clickbait Kingpin” in a recent Wired exposé.

According to Wired, Vujo acquired over 2,000 dormant domains and populated them with AI-generated, search-optimized content designed purely to capture ad revenue.

His strategies represent the low-quality, artificial content Mediavine has vowed to prohibit.

Potential Implications

Lost Revenue

Mediavine’s terminations highlight potential implications for publishers that rely on artificial intelligence to generate website content at scale.

Perhaps the most immediate and tangible implication is the risk of losing ad revenue.

For publishers that depend heavily on programmatic advertising or sponsored content deals as key revenue drivers, being blocked from major ad networks could devastate their business models.

Devalued Domains

Another potential impact is the devaluation of domains and websites built primarily on AI-generated content.

If this pattern of AI content overuse triggers account terminations from companies like Mediavine, it could drastically diminish the value proposition of scooping up these domains.

Damaged Reputations & Brands

Beyond the lost monetization opportunities, publishers leaning too heavily into automated AI content also risk permanent reputational damage to their brands.

Once a determining authority flags a website for AI overuse, it could impact how that site is perceived by readers, other industry partners, and search engines.

In Summary

AI has value as an assistive tool for publishers, but relying heavily on automated content creation poses significant risks.

These include monetization challenges, potential reputation damage, and increasing regulatory scrutiny. Mediavine’s strict policy illustrates the possible consequences for publishers.

It’s important to note that Mediavine’s move to terminate publisher accounts over AI content overuse represents an independent policy stance taken by the ad management firm itself.

The action doesn’t directly reflect the content policies or enforcement positions of Google, whose publishing partner program Mediavine is certified under.

We have reached out to Mediavine requesting a comment on this story. We’ll update this article with more information when it’s provided.

Featured Image: Simple Line/Shutterstock

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Google’s Guidance About The Recent Ranking Update

Published

1 day ago

September 8, 2024

Max

Google issues a statement about their recent algorithm update

Google’s Danny Sullivan explained the recent update, addressing site recoveries and cautioning against making radical changes to improve rankings. He also offered advice for publishes whose rankings didn’t improve after the last update.

Google’s Still Improving The Algorithm

Danny said that Google is still working on their ranking algorithm, indicating that more changes (for the positive) are likely on the way. The main idea he was getting across is that they’re still trying to fill the gaps in surfacing high quality content from independent sites. Which is good because big brand sites don’t necessarily have the best answers.

He wrote:

“…the work to connect people with “a range of high quality sites, including small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content” is not done with this latest update. We’re continuing to look at this area and how to improve further with future updates.”

A Message To Those Who Were Left Behind

There was a message to those publishers whose work failed to recover with the latest update, to let them know that Google is still working to surface more of the independent content and that there may be relief on the next go.

Danny advised:

“…if you’re feeling confused about what to do in terms of rankings…if you know you’re producing great content for your readers…If you know you’re producing it, keep doing that…it’s to us to keep working on our systems to better reward it.”

Google Cautions Against “Improving” Sites

Something really interesting that he mentioned was a caution against trying to improve rankings of something that’s already on page one in order to rank even higher. Tweaking a site to get from position six or whatever to something higher has always been a risky thing to do for many reasons I won’t elaborate on here. But Danny’s warning increases the pressure to not just think twice before trying to optimize a page for search engines but to think three times and then some more.

Danny cautioned that sites that make it to the top of the SERPs should consider that a win and to let it ride instead of making changes right now in order to improve their rankings. The reason for that caution is that the search results continue to change and the implication is that changing a site now may negatively impact the rankings in a newly updated search index.

He wrote:

“If you’re showing in the top results for queries, that’s generally a sign that we really view your content well. Sometimes people then wonder how to move up a place or two. Rankings can and do change naturally over time. We recommend against making radical changes to try and move up a spot or two”

How Google Handled Feedback

There was also some light shed on what Google did with all the feedback they received from publishers who lost rankings. Danny wrote that the feedback and site examples he received was summarized, with examples, and sent to the search engineers for review. They continue to use that feedback for the next round of improvements.

He explained:

“I went through it all, by hand, to ensure all the sites who submitted were indeed heard. You were, and you continue to be. …I summarized all that feedback, pulling out some of the compelling examples of where our systems could do a better job, especially in terms of rewarding open web creators. Our search engineers have reviewed it and continue to review it, along with other feedback we receive, to see how we can make search better for everyone, including creators.”

Feedback Itself Didn’t Lead To Recovery

Danny also pointed out that sites that recovered their rankings did not do so because of they submitted feedback to Google. Danny wasn’t specific about this point but it conforms with previous statements about Google’s algorithms that they implement fixes at scale. So instead of saying, “Hey let’s fix the rankings of this one site” it’s more about figuring out if the problem is symptomatic of something widescale and how to change things for everybody with the same problem.

Danny wrote:

“No one who submitted, by the way, got some type of recovery in Search because they submitted. Our systems don’t work that way.”

That feedback didn’t lead to recovery but was used as data shouldn’t be surprising. Even as far back as the 2004 Florida Update Matt Cutts collected feedback from people, including myself, and I didn’t see a recovery for a false positive until everyone else also got back their rankings.

Takeaways

Google’s work on their algorithm is ongoing:
Google is continuing to tune its algorithms to improve its ability to rank high quality content, especially from smaller publishers. Danny Sullivan emphasized that this is an ongoing process.

What content creators should focus on:
Danny’s statement encouraged publishers to focus on consistently creating high quality content and not to focus on optimizing for algorithms. Focusing on quality should be the priority.

What should publishers do if their high-quality content isn’t yet rewarded with better rankings?
Publishers who are certain of the quality of their content are encouraged to hold steady and keep it coming because Google’s algorithms are still being refined.

Read the post on LinkedIn.

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SEO

Plot Up To Five Metrics At Once

Published

2 days ago

September 7, 2024

Max

Google has rolled out changes to Analytics, adding features to help you make more sense of your data.

The update brings several key improvements:

You can now compare up to five different metrics side by side.
A new tool automatically spots unusual trends in your data.
A more detailed report on transactions gives a closer look at revenue.
The acquisition reports now separate user and session data more clearly.
It’s easier to understand what each report does with new descriptions.

Here’s an overview of these new features, why they matter, and how they might help improve your data analysis and decision-making.

▶ ️We’ve introduced plot rows in detailed reports. You can now visualize up to 5 rows of data directly within your detailed reports to measure their changes over time.

We’ve also launched these new report features:

🔎: Anomaly detection to flag unusual data fluctuations
📊:… pic.twitter.com/VDPXe2Q9wQ

— Google Analytics (@googleanalytics) September 5, 2024

Plot Rows: Enhanced Data Visualization

The most prominent addition is the “Plot Rows” feature.

You can now visualize up to five rows of data simultaneously within your reports, allowing for quick comparisons and trend analysis.

This feature is accessible by selecting the desired rows and clicking the “Plot Rows” option.

Anomaly Detection: Spotting Unusual Patterns

Google Analytics has implemented an anomaly detection system to help you identify potential issues or opportunities.

This new tool automatically flags unusual data fluctuations, making it easier to spot unexpected traffic spikes, sudden drops, or other noteworthy trends.

Improved Report Navigation & Understanding

Google Analytics has added hover-over descriptions for report titles.

These brief explanations provide context and include links to more detailed information about each report’s purpose and metrics.

Key Event Marking In Events Report

The Events report allows you to mark significant events for easy reference.

This feature, accessed through a three-dot menu at the end of each event row, helps you prioritize and track important data points.

New Transactions Report For Revenue Insights

For ecommerce businesses, the new Transactions report offers granular insights into revenue streams.

This feature provides information about each transaction, utilizing the transaction_id parameter to give you a comprehensive view of sales data.

Scope Changes In Acquisition Reports

Google has refined its acquisition reports to offer more targeted metrics.

The User Acquisition report now includes user-related metrics such as Total Users, New Users, and Returning Users.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Acquisition report focuses on session-related metrics like Sessions, Engaged Sessions, and Sessions per Event.

What To Do Next

As you explore these new features, keep in mind:

Familiarize yourself with the new Plot Rows function to make the most of comparative data analysis.
Pay attention to the anomaly detection alerts, but always investigate the context behind flagged data points.
Take advantage of the more detailed Transactions report to understand your revenue patterns better.
Experiment with the refined acquisition reports to see which metrics are most valuable for your needs.

As with any new tool, there will likely be a learning curve as you incorporate these features into your workflow.

FAQ

What is the “Plot Rows” feature in Google Analytics?

The “Plot Rows” feature allows you to visualize up to five rows of data at the same time. This makes it easier to compare different metrics side by side within your reports, facilitating quick comparisons and trend analysis. To use this feature, select the desired rows and click the “Plot Rows” option.

How does the new anomaly detection system work in Google Analytics?

Google Analytics’ new anomaly detection system automatically flags unusual data patterns. This tool helps identify potential issues or opportunities by spotting unexpected traffic spikes, sudden drops, or other notable trends, making it easier for users to focus on significant data fluctuations.

What improvements have been made to the Transactions report in Google Analytics?

The enhanced Transactions report provides detailed insights into revenue for ecommerce businesses. It utilizes the transaction_id parameter to offer granular information about each transaction, helping businesses get a better understanding of their revenue streams.

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