Ever wondered how some of the most renowned YouTubers make their fortunes simply by transforming raw footage into captivating storylines? Another staggering question that might spark curiosity within you is why 85% of the content consumed over the internet is in the form of video. The answers to all these questions lie in the effective use of video editing software that brings a narrative through videos to the entire world.
This is where one has to decide on going ahead with the most viable editing software that helps in conveying the intended message to the audience. However, choosing the right video editing software sometimes feels like standing at a crossroads with countless options of paths before you. This blog aims to help you decide between free or paid video editing software in the pursuit of your career. At the end of this blog, you’ll be able to make a distinction between the two and the one that suits your goals.
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Understanding your needs and mapping them with features of editing software
This section allows you to identify the current level of skill possessed and match it against the corresponding features of editing software that are relevant to start with. In other words, the section helps you determine the bare minimum features that are essential to kickstart your journey as a beginner, and additional features that correspond to other skill levels discussed below:
Features offered by free video editing software
For Beginners
If you’ve just started, free editing software usually brings you an abundance of features that would be more than required to begin your journey as an editor. This may include additional editing features like cutting, trimming, and simple transitions that are enough to bootstrap a video project for beginners. Similarly, as opposed to the most sophisticated editing tools, free editing software also makes beginners accustomed to the fundamentals of audio editing as well as its synchronization with video using voiceovers.
For Professionals
For someone having spent years in the roles of video production or filmmaking, utilizing the full potential of these video editing software is only possible with the efficient use of the paid version of such tools. Contrary to its free version, the paid counterpart is equipped with some of the latest technologies including chroma keying (green screen), 3D rendering, and Visual Effects (VFX) besides covering the basic functionalities.
Most professionals working on high-end products require acute precision involving ripple editing for finer cuts and performing edits simultaneously on an 8K environmentwhich is a highly potent feature among these editing software.
Evaluating the Contrast between Free vs. paid Video Editing Software
The above section discussed the relevance of assessing an individual’s skill level for suggesting the right variant of video editing software one must go ahead with. Here, we’ll closely see the different aspects of both versions to identify the staggering contrast in the offerings of both. Take a look at the table below to gain a better understanding of their key attributes:
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| Free Version | Paid Version |
| Performance & Stability: When it comes to this aspect of editing software, free versions may lead to higher rendering times and instability when dealing with high-resolution footage. | Performance & Stability: The paid counterpart can improvise the video’s consistency to enhance the efficiency of your footage. For ex, if the video quality is compromised when making MP4 files then the paid version allows to convert them to spatial precision. |
| Integration with third-party system: One may experience a very limited scope of integration with third-party applications, often restricted to basic functionalities | Integration with third party system: This, on the other hand, supports a wider range of third-party plugins thereby enhancing its video production capabilities to manifold. |
| Watermarks embedded output: Free editing tools usually feature brand logos or advertisements in the output video detracting from achieving the professional goals. | Interoperability across systems: Paid editing tools are cleansed of such brand logos, allowing for a clean an untampered video output. |
| User Interface: Free video editors are usually designed for ease of handling; this leads to a more UI design allowing to accommodate the basic needs of the learners. | User Interface: On the other hand, paid versions may overwhelm you with the complex interfaces that are packaged to offer a wider range of features and customization options. |
Final Thoughts
Let’s conclude this blog piece with our learning so far and the recommended choice of product that works well for the desired purpose. Upon performing analysis between the two, we observed that free version usually suits an individual that shows less affinity towards a complex User Interface, whereas paid counterpart is more suitable for professional with complex features for performing advanced editing.
Similarly, if you belong to a professional community then interaction with third-party plugins become the need of the hour, this is where the relevance of paid video editing tools is felt. Lastly, both the versions come with their sets of attributes and to choose any one between them should coincide with specific need of individuals.