2. iMovie - Best for Instant Movies

iMovie is one of the best video editing software for beginners for Mac users. This free, nonlinear editor lets you make basic edits fast and has a new Magic Movie mode that will create a video for you from selected media.

 

 

3. VideoPad - Best for Social Media

VideoPad is an affordable desktop software for Windows and Mac users. This easy-to-use video editing software has excellent social media output options and drag-and-drop templates.

 

 

 

 

7 Best Video Editing Software for Beginners

1. PowerDirector - Best Overall

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

Overall Rating: 10/10

Beginner-Friendly Tools: 10/10

Key Features:

• Title templates
• Pop-up designers to help make video creation easier
• Chroma key for simple green-screen effects
• Share directly to social media

PowerDirector is a feature-packed, award-winning, easy-to-use video editing software. It’s PC Mag Editor’s Choice for 2022 and Tech Radar’s Top 2 Video Editing Software of 2022. In terms of consumer-friendliness, professional editing features, and compatibility with new technologies and formats, PowerDirector is our program of choice.

With a wide range of professional features, PowerDirector doesn’t fall under the category of beginner software. However, the program’s user interface is highly intuitive. You’ll be able to jump in and start editing right away – even if you have little to no experience with video production. If you are worried about needing help, there are plenty of learning materials. 

You can find hundreds of tutorials on the Official PowerDirector YouTube Channel, there’s a blog filled with great how-to articles, and the CyberLink Learning Center is perfect for getting started. 

PowerDirector is the best video editing software for beginners because it has many features that make even complex processes easily accessible. For example, when you launch PowerDirector, you will be given a choice of 4 different modes - Full Mode, Storyboard Mode, Slideshow Creator, and Auto Mode. Both the Storyboard Mode and Auto Mode are great for first-time editors. The Storyboard Mode allows you to drag and drop clips together, add audio clips, and apply effects and transitions. Auto Mode uses the Magic Movie Wizard to help you make your first movie from scratch in just a few simple steps. 

PowerDirector also features libraries of fonts, stock media, transitions, premade motion graphics, and complete project templates that can give you a great jumpstart on any project. You also have access to express project templates, which speeds up editing and video production.

 

 

2. iMovie - Best for Instant Movies

 

 Compatibility: Mac

Overall Rating: 9/10

Beginner-Friendly Tools: 10/10

Key Features:

• Autosave function
• Reduce background noise
• Color correction
• Cinematic Mode

Apple iMovie is an easy-to-use video editing software only available for Mac users. We recommend this software over others on this list because of the range of basic video editing features and sharing options. iMovie is free, and many users regard the software as an entry-level product.

It’s a nonlinear editor, which means you can edit and cut videos, music, and graphics without changing your original files and in any order. You can use the software to crop videos, cut audio/video clips, and improve audio quality. You can also add text, video, and graphic overlays. 

Export directly to your computer or upload to Facebook and YouTube. iMovie is one of the best video editing software for beginners because of the new Magic Movie feature. It makes an instant movie out of your selected media files - complete with titles, transitions, and music. 

On the downside, iMovie lacks advanced video editing features, such as audio-video sync capability.

 

 

3. VideoPad - Best for Social Media

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

Overall Rating: 8/10

Beginner-Friendly Tools: 9/10

Key Features:

• Direct video upload to YouTube and Facebook
• Video optimization for search engines
• Sound effects library
• 3D and 360-degree editing

VideoPad is a relatively basic video desktop application for Mac and Windows computers. This video editing software is affordable with a straightforward but outdated interface, which is why it’s third on our list.

VideoPad is an easy-to-use video editing software with features to streamline your social publishing workflow. For example, you can quickly complete your video’s metadata, such as the title tags and description— without using YouTube’s publishing tools. 

You get all the basic editing features and tools for direct content capture, including voiceover. In addition, you can add files to your project by dragging and dropping them on the timeline, and you can crop the content to keep the parts you want. 

You can also use the Video Maker Wizard to create videos with professional templates easily. High-value features you get with the software include stereoscopic 2D to 3D conversion, camera shake reduction, and exporting in multiple resolutions. 

While it is one of the best video editing software for beginners, VideoPad is somewhat outdated and lacks advanced features such as multi-camera editing. It has a library containing extra features, but you have to pay for each one you want to add. 

Most learning materials for VideoPad are a few years old, so you can’t rely on them if you’re new to editing.

 

 

4. Movavi Video Editor - Best for Quick Edits

 

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

Overall Rating: 7/10

Beginner-Friendly Tools: 9/10

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop editor
• Built-in library of sounds, music, intros, and videos
• Direct sharing and exporting to popular formats
• Chroma key

Movavi Video Editor is video editing software you can use to create a video from existing clips. We found the platform to be one of the best video editing software for beginners because it is straightforward, and you can trim the in and out points of clips by dragging the edges. 

The software doesn't have a keyframing feature, but it automates most of the effects, such as fading or panning, which you can access in the Tools section. You can also navigate each frame to make accurate edits. In addition, it offers a wide selection of titles, effects, video stabilization, and picture-in-picture.

The Movavi Video Editor is straightforward, but the software has some limitations regarding media importing. You can import media from your computer's internal storage or external drives, and the software can also record directly from your built-in camera. However, you can't import media from an AVCHD camcorder, and the screencast recording is only available if you purchase the Video Suite.

 

 

5. Adobe Premiere Elements - Best for Organizing Media

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

Overall Rating: 7/10

Beginner-Friendly Tools: 8/10

Key Features:

• Guided edits for advanced projects
• Video stabilization
• Noise reduction tool
• Match music length to video

Adobe Premiere Elements is a cross-platform, easy-to-use video editing software. It is a beginner-friendly version of Adobe Premiere Pro, professional editing software used in Hollywood movies and television shows. 

Premiere Elements is available in three modes: Quick, Guided, and Expert. In addition, it recently added the Organizer, a separate app that automatically tags your video files using facial recognition. This software also helps you select and organize the clips you want to edit. 

While editing, the program creates a low-resolution version of your clips to save time, but you can render your project at any time to see the full-resolution result. In addition, Premiere Elements offers features such as Auto-Reframe, Smart-Trim, and the ability to pull high-quality photos from your video footage. 

Though there is an “Expert” mode, it is essential to understand Premiere Elements is not for professional results. It is ideal for home movies and very little more. What keeps Premiere Elements from being the best video editing software for beginners is the program’s slow output rendering, lack of multi-cam support, 3D, and 360-degree editing. Also, this is not the right choice if you want a video editor to start and eventually move into intermediate or even advanced editing. 

 

 

6. Magix Movie Studio - Best for Simple Edits

Compatibility: Windows

Overall Rating: 7/10

Beginner-Friendly Tools: 7/10

Key Features:

• Split-screen
• Over 900 effects, transitions, and titles
• Image stabilization
• Frame-by-frame editing

Magix Movie Studio makes the cut as one of the best video editing software for beginners because it has a one-of-a-kind multi-format timeline so you can freely arrange video, audio, and photo media files on each track. There’s also a Storyboard Mode to help organize the editing process. 

This easy-to-use video editing software comes with intuitive color correction tools you can apply automatically or manually, depending on your editing expertise. It offers tools like Split, Remove Beginning, and Split Movie for one-click solutions to simple edits. Movie Studio’s speed adjustment tools will help you easily apply slo-mo and warp speed effects to your videos. Export your finished product to YouTube and Vimeo quickly, with direct upload and fast rendering speeds. 

Bizarrely, the company’s Editing Wizards and templates are only available in the more advanced Premium version of the software, and not in the software for beginners where they could benefit from the extra help. Because it is so new, user reviews are sparse, and the few available mention lots of crashing. You might want to wait until Movie Studio 2022 is more established and has ironed out any issues before purchase.

 

 

7. Windows Video Editor - Best for Windows Photos Users

Compatibility: Windows

Overall Rating: 6/10

Beginner-Friendly Tools: 7/10

Key Features:

• Customizable titles and credits
• Draw feature
• Transition overlays
• Fade effects

Windows Video Editor (which replaced Windows Movie Maker) is an easy-to-use video editing software included with Windows 10 and up. 

The Auto Movie option makes this one of the best video editing software for beginners, allowing you to quickly put together a completed video in no time at all. Video Editor has basic track editing tools, such as trimming, adjusting audio, and splitting clips. In addition, you can add music, text, motion, and 3D effects to your videos with Windows Video Editor. It also offers a good collection of filters and themes.

Windows Video Editor has been somewhat hidden inside the Windows Photo App, and most people don’t even realize it’s there. It is a quick and easy way to add flair to personal videos, but Windows Video Editor won't cut it for anyone making YouTube videos, Facebook ads, or marketing videos.