The need for an easy video editing software solution has become steadily more relevant in recent years as the major video editing software companies have battled each other in a game of one-upmanship.
The end result has been that the average consumer level video editing software has become incredibly feature rich but in the process, has become quite complicated as well.
You can’t keep adding features without having to add access to those features through the user interface and this inevitably results in complexity.
They all carry the claim of being “easy video editing software” or “simple video editors” when being described by their respective marketing departments but the truth is, they have become progressively more difficult to use.
I have been asked on a number of forums and through this site to recommend some truly simple video editing programs or an easy video editor that anyone can use.
Something that has all the basic features that a user would need without the shiny “bells and whistles” and complicated interface that comes with it.
I have listed what I think to be the best of this class below but keep in mind that just because they are classified as simple video editing software programs they are not crippled in any way.
They offer all of the basic features you will need to create your own videos with ease.
If you are just a beginner or really don’t see yourself spending hours alone in a darkened room editing your footage, or you just want to get your video masterpieces out as soon as possible with a minimum of fuss then you would be well served by the ones listed below.
They all cover the basic actions of cutting, slicing and dicing with transitions, audio control and a wide range of output formats.
*My standard disclaimer applies: Please, use the trials first to see how you like it and how it likes you and your computer setup before committing to a long term relationship!
Wondershare Filmora 12
Wondershare Filmora is a re-branding of the company’s original simple video editing software which comes in versions for both PC and Mac.
Previously it was just called Wondershare Video Editor then Filmora and now Filmora 12 and although not really an inspired naming originally, you have to admire the efficiency of it!
In terms of ease of use and simplicity without sacrificing functionality I think you would be hard pressed to go past this one.
The guys at Wondershare have been bugging me to take a look at it for a while now and unfortunately I have always put it in the “to do later” file and never got around to it until recently.
To put it bluntly, this little editor is awesome! It’s so… well… easy!
It downloads and installs very quickly and I was up and running within minutes.
The interface is a “non-techie” dream come true with no hidden menus or menu items that you have to know in order to access them, it literally is “what you see is what you get.”
Everything is available through an icon that sits in the little menu bar smack dab in the middle of your screen.
Take a look at this intro video they created using the software itself covering the latest additions and to get an idea of what you can do with it and how easy it is.
The key to how they made it so good is in the time Wondershare put into the back end of the software rather than the interface.
“Intuitive” is a word that is often bandied about in the software world but what it really means is that within Filmora 12 they have thought about every details of what the average person will be doing with the software and have anticipated those needs.
It doesn’t mean they don’t let you do things, it means they have designed the software so that you don’t have to keep answering endless technical questions about, “Do you want to do this?” or “Do you want to do that?”
If you want to add files to your library Filmora 12 just asks whether it’s from your computer or another device… not which device, not which version of the device, not what kind of file.
It’s just “give us a little clue and we’ll handle the rest!”
The same goes for every step of the editing process and even then the software has a wizard based semi-automatic interface that you can use to make it even more simple.
On the Wondershare website there are now numerous videos you can watch and really, if you just watch those you will have already seen just about everything you need to see to get up and running.
Filmora handles all the basic editing functions as far as cutting, chopping, slicing and dicing goes.
There is a range of filters for color correction and effects as well as simple yet effective audio controls.
It can deliver picture-in picture effects and even some still and motion graphics and on top of that can do green screen and capture still images from any frame in your video.
As far as sharing goes it comes with perfectly configured pre-set parameters for output to a wide range of mobile devices, online services like YouTube and FaceBook as well as burning DVDs.
All in all Wondershare Filmora is my new best friend when it comes to an easy video editing software program anyone can use.
You can read my complete Wondershare Filmora review here or click the link below to check it out on their site.
Click Here To See Wondershare Filmora
muvee Reveal Encore
If you are looking for easy video editing software in the strictest sense of the word “easy,” then it doesn’t get much better than totally automatic! And that is just what this one does.
Hard to believe I know but the fact is that muvee can achieve some pretty remarkable results given that the process is almost completely automated.
By using some very specialized scanning technology it can quite accurately identify various components of your videos and stills and at the same time analyze the speed of your chosen music.
In the end it slaps the whole thing together based on its calculations and voila! Movie magic!
Well OK, maybe not Hollywood magic but pretty darn good!
Although it may sound a little too good to be true there is a very large community of Muvee users who absolutely swear by the product.
Outside of the automated features it still offers a good set of manual editing tools that you can use to make final adjustments.
Click here for the full muveeReveal Encore Review
Click Here To See muveeReveal Encore
CyberLink PowerDirector 21
PowerDirector is my top choice at the moment for a fully fledged consumer level editing program and you can read the full review here.
From an “easy editor” viewpoint the CyberLink product contains within it a wizard based simple mode which the user can choose to enter either each time the software opens or as the default opening module.
Most of the “full” editors around today have a similar feature but for some, the implementation works more as an ill conceived afterthought rather than as a genuine choice for the user.
Of the available choices I would easily rate the CyberLink offering as superior to the rest and part of the reason for this may be that the simple mode was developed as a stand alone concept instead of a hack of an existing program.
Of course any time you want to get out of that simple mode you can instantly switch over to the full editor.
This one is worth taking a look at if you suspect you may at some point get bitten by the editing bug and may want to take your productions up a notch.
You can click here take a look at my full review of the program.
Click Here to Look at PowerDirector for Yourself
Some Other Good Alternatives… and some not so
Some readers may be surprised that I have not included a number of well known products on this page. Here are a few and my reasons for not including them:
Roxio Creator, Nero Multimedia Suite, and Cyberlink Media Suite.
All of these are multimedia packages rather than just easy to use video editing software.
They are all good products and if you have a use for ALL the features offered by these full program suites then yes, they are great and have good, easy to use video editing capabilities.
They all offer an image organization feature plus reasonably good image manipulation capabilities, audio editing, video editing and disc creation along with some kind of file distribution feature such as uploading to YouTube etc.
My only reservation with all of them is that most likely a dedicated video editor will have these features anyway while offering the full editing experience.
My pick of the bunch would be the Cyberlink offering because of a superior editing feature set, image manipulation and audio control.
You can take a look at the full features by clicking this link
Anything Else?
There are literally hundreds of video editing software programs out there and many that claim ease of use as their selling point.
You can spend the next year checking them out and still be no closer to a decision.
What I do know is that the software on this page is reliable, fits the criteria of easy or simple and will work very well for the majority of people.
Some Final Thoughts
What do most YouTubers Use to Edit their Videos?
A number of people have been asking me this question for a while now so I thought I would add it as a footnote to this page.
If you try to search online or especially on YouTube the most common answers to this question all refer to the absolute high end, professional video editing programs.
So, first of all let me be clear here, that concept is absolute rubbish!
Answers like that are either ego driven nonsense or an effort to get you to spend way more money than you actually need to.
Look at it this way.
All videos on YouTube roughly break down into about 7 different types.
They are:
- Informational or educational videos including “How to’s,” demonstrations, explainer videos, tutorials and Q&A sessions on various subjects.
- Vlogging which covers unboxing videos (sometimes overlapping into reviews) as well as lifestyle and opinion based video.
- Musical performance videos of both established artists, new artists and newbies doing their own thing.
- Original Content covering memes, comedy and skit videos as well as the occasional serious subject such as opinion pieces and amateur “news” type videos.
- Product or service reviews.
- Gaming.
I think that just about covers it and if you can think of anything else you will probably find it can fit into one of those categories.
The ONLY type of video listed above that would require any sort of advanced video editing software would be professional music videos.
The reason for that is that those videos are most likely shot in a broadcast quality format and were not specifically created for YouTube.
Every other type of video above can be created perfectly well in an entry level video editor like Filmora as listed at the top of this page.
Have you ever reviewed Adobe Premiere Elements? We had the 2018 version, but it drove my husband and I crazy, so eventually he bought Final Cut Pro. I now have to make all my videos myself, but as I am just a beginner Final Cut Pro wouldn’t be a good option and I am not crazy about the video effects they offer, so I asked for a trial version of the Premiere Elements 2022, as we could install that one in our Mac computer, but it is not very different from the 2018, just renders more quickly, something the 2018 is rubbish at and makes one waste a lot of time. Then tried the 2023, but that wouldn’t install in our Mac Catalina and on Windows 10 is awfully slow, to the point that it is unusable, even though we have a potent machine. Their customer service is awful and no technical service to speak of. It would be very good for me to stick with them, as I already knew the 2018, but it all didn’t work out. So now I started to learn how to work with the Final Cut Pro, but the problem was the magnetic timeline. I make music videos and it all got to be a complete mess, with bits of footage falling all over the place. It all sounds rather crazy…… How to professionals who make films much longer than my 3 or 4 minute clips cope with it????
Hi Francisca’
Well the answer to your question is yes! I have reviewed Premiere Elements in the past but I haven’t really looked at it for years now.
First up let me be clear here.
My experience with Adobe and their products has never been a good one.
They have a long history of forcing their users into their own little Adobe universe and Premiere Elements has always ben a sort of “after thought” to them.
They have often let the software just kind of die off then suddenly jump into action and try to get it updated again only to let it continue to die.
If I were you I would just drop it altogether.
I have taken a look at the videos you have on your YouTube Channel and the reality is that you DO NOT need any kind of advanced video editing software.
These days even the most basic programs like Movavi and Filmora are more than enough to meet your needs.
They are both simple to learn and use, will run well on computers that are a little underpowered and come in versions for Mac and Windows.
Movavi Review Here
Filmora Review Here
Hope that helps get back to me if you have other questions I am always happy to help.
Lance
Just wanted to thank you for the Filmora suggestion. For any MovieMaker users out there (looks like a bunch from the other questions), I have found the interface very similar and easy to use. My first time using it, I ripped sections out of 4 different media files, lightly edited, and had a useable video in less than 30 minutes.
I had tried many other options, and all of them had been a struggle to use. Davinchi was the best of those. I did not try any of your other suggestions as Filmora did exactly what I needed.
Glad to hear you liked it and thanks for letting me know!
My biggest problem with Filmora is the very small audio wave form on the timeline. If you’re trying to edit tightly to the audio, it’s challenging to the point of unbelievably frustrating. I’ve suggested they improve that, but apparently it’s not a big concern to many people other than me. 🙂
Also just downloaded Pinnacle and Corel Video Studio to try – wow, whopping file sizes, both of those are over 1GB.
I think I’ve used all of these over the years, never terribly satisfied with any of them. Guess I will upgrade CyberLink Power Director. It’s the closest to the way I like to work.
Hi Vicki,
Yes you are absolutely right!
Unfortunately most of the current consumer level video editing packages are rather weak as far as audio goes.
This applies to both the features and control on offer as well as just the simple convenience of being able to SEE IT!
For most people what they provide seems to be enough although as you have probably seen by your testing Pinnacle and VideoStudio are slightly better.
This year CyberLink released PowerDirector 17 and with the new audio module built-in, they have completely leapt to the front of the pack.