Today, there is a lot of editing software at your disposal, so much so that sometimes it is difficult to choose! To find the most suitable for your use, it is advisable to ask the right questions, starting with the following: what type of video editor are you?
Whether you are a novice, demanding amateur, Youtube, student editing or professional video editing, the needs are different. Codecs, effects, features, interface, operating system … From safe values (Final Cut) to free software, here are all the tips for choosing your video editing software!
VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE: THE MAIN CRITERIA OF CHOICE
Whatever the use you want to make, whether to edit wedding and holiday films or to edit professional videos, here are the 6 essential criteria for choosing the right editing software. At the end of the article, you will also find 3 selection criteria for professional editors (and all those aspiring to become one).
WHICH CODECS ARE ACCEPTED BY THE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE?
Each rush or video is associated with a codec: it is a video compression algorithm. There are dozens! Your editing software must be compatible with the format of your rushes, whatever their source: sports camera type Go Pro, camera, smartphone, camcorder for the public, professional camera, etc …
Compatibility with good codecs facilitates the step of logging and allows you to switch to editing without having to transpose videos, a tedious step that will avoid choosing the skype the right software.
IS THE EDITING SOFTWARE COMPATIBLE WITH MAC, PC OR LINUX?
In addition to choosing an editing software compatible with your computer, it is advisable to opt for a program that runs on multiple operating systems. This can save you a lot of headaches if in the future, you change equipment for a Mac or a PC under Windows or Linux !
Choosing a cross-platform software (like Da Vinci Resolve or Premiere Pro ) allows you to find the same interface and the same functionalities from one operating system to another. This will save you from going through the software learning step, which is all the more tedious if there is little documentation available.
WHAT IS THE VOLUME OF DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE?
Indeed, to soften the learning curve of the software, the available documentation is extremely important. Abundant online resources (training, tutorials, forums, official resources …) will allow you to quickly tame the software.
Very popular, Premiere Pro is known for having a lot of online tutorials of varying quality.
IS THE EDITING SOFTWARE KNOWN TO BUG OFTEN?
This is also a fundamental point, especially if you plan to tackle big projects! Some video editing software is known to experience significant crashes: this is the case of Premiere Pro. Nothing is more frustrating than losing an unsecured project in full export! Similarly, Avid regularly presents minor bugs, fortunately, easy to correct for the most part. The ideal is to test the software in its free version on your computer, in conditions of sustained use, to get a clear idea of its stability.
