Recently spent a couple days looking around for software to edit videos. There is a wide variety of programs with a handful which are free or open source. Below are some that I spent time in. They are generally comparable to one another so you will have to check them to see if any have particular features you require.

Programs that take in existing videos and sound:

Shotcut is a free, open source, cross-platform video editor. You can easily add multiple video and audio tracks.

OpenShot is a cross-platform video editor that is quite similar to Shotcut. It has a bunch of transitions and effects built in.

VideoMeld is free for videos no longer than 5 minutes. I found it a bit more confusing that the first two programs in this list. It also comes with many video and audio effects. It only runs on Microsoft Windows 7 and later.

Kdenlive is another cross-platform video editor that is very popular. You can easily create Titles and dozens of effects are available, ranging from color correction to audio adjustments, as well as all the standard transform options.


Programs that lean towards capturing video and sound:


OBS Studio is a program used primarily for capturing audio and/or video from many different sources, typically during a live broadcast or streaming sports or game play. The user simply clicks on the different Sources to change video viewpoints or sound captures. And the show can be saved while being streamed.

Microsoft Clipchamp is Microsoft’s entry into capturing video/audio and editing it. A lot of the features are free but there is a Pro version which adds even more. Their site says “Everything you need to create show-stopping videos, no expertise required” which is pretty accurate. It comes installed with Windows 11.

To their credit they have a lot of free training videos on Youtube. So, check em out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA70RtjDixpexyodrgHnFMA

By Michael Todd

An IT Professional with over 30 years of experience with PC setup & troubleshooting, programming, consulting and the use of the most popular business applications. This is all about making the technology do the most for you, so you have more time to enjoy life.

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