Cut and edit your videos on your computer for free with our five top video tools. We have put together the top 5 programs from our CHIP download archive that make cutting videos child’s play.
- benefits
- very easy to use
- still works under Windows 10
- disadvantage
- has not been further developed for many years
- no longer up-to-date format support
1. DaVinci Resolve – our recommendation
If you don’t want to spend money on Adobe Premiere or other professional video editing software, you should check out DaVinci Resolve. Professional video editing at a very high level is possible here. Compared to the purchased version, you only have to do without 3D video editing and some effects. Otherwise, you can let off steam while editing video in HD quality on multiple audio and video tracks and enjoy the many supported formats.
- benefits
- Hollywood tool for free
- complete tool collection
- disadvantage
- no 3D processing possible
- Training is time-consuming
2. Shotcut – really good alternative
We can also recommend the freeware tool Shotcut for smaller private projects. It copes with modern codecs and HD material and offers editing options with multiple tracks, simple transitions and effects.
- benefits
- Fast and efficient
- wide support of formats
- disadvantage
- no integrated screen recorder
3. VSDC Free Video Editor – Top video editor
Free and yet powerful: The “VSDC Free Video Editor” is also a fully equipped video editing and video editing software whose range of functions can certainly be measured with tools that are subject to a fee.
The software can cope with almost any format and offers almost everything you could want from video editing software, from simple editing processes to complex image corrections. If you want to cut several videos one after the other, you will also receive suitable transitions such as cross-fades or transformations. With the “VSDC Free Video Editor”, experienced laypeople can do all video editing basics completely free of charge.
- benefits
- huge range of functions
- disadvantage
- Free version can be used with restrictions
4. Lightworks – Hollywood experience
The list of the best video editing programs should definitely include the professional tool Lightworks, which is even jointly responsible for some blockbusters such as Shutter Island, Pulp Fiction or Mission Impossible. The software is available in a pro version, which costs more than 300 euros. However, the free version also offers all the tools required for professional video editing. This is almost unique in the freeware market. The free version is primarily cropped when exporting the finished video clips, but you can export to Vimeo in Full HD – that should be absolutely sufficient for most users.
- benefits
- many formats importable
- great real-time effects
- disadvantage
- Free version clearly limited
5. SimpleVideoCutter
The user-friendly program SimpleVideoCutter helps you with simple video editing tasks. Especially if you want to extract individual scenes from a large collection of videos and save them separately, SimpleVideoCutter is exactly the right thing for you. Thanks to the clear user interface, you will find your way around straight away and you can get started right away without much prior knowledge.
- benefits
- very user friendly
- easy and fast
- disadvantage
- no German user interface