With the increase of streaming services there is also a demand for new productions and with this cost of producing short films and documentaries getting cheaper and cheaper by the month most users now have professional level cameras in the palm of their hands. 4K recording is now the standard on most mobile devices and so the opportunities to create and capture your own films and documentaries is at everyone’s fingertip.As far as editing this crisp footage even though most phones have some type of built in editing capability it’s always best to use external editing software. There are many programs that can help you edit these videos professionally . Some are even free to use. We will make a brief review of the most popular video editing software currently available .
Adobe Premiere
Without a doubt, one of the most widely used software by freelance filmmakers and editors use today is Adobe premiere .
Adobe has been betting heavily on its entire suite of imaging tools for decades and Premiere Pro is one of its flagship software that remains popular until today.
Whether you use a DSLR camera , mobile phone or a prosumer camera , Premiere allows you to import the files without having to convert them. This is a big selling point and a big reason why some editors alternate between premiere and Final Cut Pro.
In addition, it complements very well with Adobe’s After Effects compositing software to which is the preferred post production solution for many studios. Premiere also has other extra tools from Adobe like Encoder and Audition that integrate seamlessly for increased functionality.
Adobe Premiere is a very intuitive tool, and there are thousands of tutorials on Youtube to help anyone learn how to use it. In addition, it has the strong backing of one of the most powerful software companies that constantly updates and adapts to the evolution of the camera market.
It is available for both Mac and Windows on a monthly subscription basis.
Canva
Online content collaboration solutions are becoming more and more popular and Canva was one of the first tools to embrace the power of the cloud to enable content creators to use online based editing software. While Canva is mostly known for its graphic design and image generating capabilities it also has some nice video editing features that make it a great choice for indie and documentary producers. Like everything else Canva does , video editing is easy and intuitive . You can start editing videos with just a few easy steps , start by creating a new project from scratch or select from different inspiring video templates next select your scene. You then get access to the video timeline which resembles those of other video editing programs, here you can add audio or video files from Canva’s library of video clips and graphics that you can simply drag and drop into your video . Start using the free version of Canva today and if you like the ease of use and want to dive deeper by upgrading to a pro plan and access advanced features .
Animoto
Animoto has everything DIY marketers and video content creators require to drag and drop their way to epic and professional level films and documentaries. Designed with success for indie creators in mind, Animoto makes it so simple for just about anyone to create their own feature videos in minutes. Animoto is a video editing software that allows users to create stunning videos, from simple family slideshows to professional level productions to marketing videos that can help promote your business. With Animoto’s powerful cloud based video editing features as well as a vast music & stock library, and templates at your disposal you can create any video imaginable.
Invideo
InVideo is a fairly new competitor to Premiere and Final Cut that helps you to transform your content into great videos. Their target market is media companies, small businesses, and brands that wish to expand audience engagement through the power of video content. InVideo is ideal for marketers, publishers, and professionals that are looking for alternative video editing solutions. Probably one of Invideo’s strongest selling points is the collaborative cloud editing features that allows remote groups of editors to collaborate on the same projects, something that used to require all editors to be in the same location to achieve.
Final Cut Pro
Probably the most popular video editing solution in the market. Final Cut Pro is a favorite among film students and young editors who prefer a mac environment . The biggest con with Final Cut Pro is probably it’s biggest strength: the fact that only Mac users can use the software does limit a certain segment of video content producers but the tradeoff is probably the most stable local editing environment available.
EaseUS Video Editor
is a relatively simple movie and video editing software in the industry, but the EaseUS brand has been recognized by users around the world looking for data recovery, computer backups and partition management disks. EaseUS software has worked in the fields of computing and technology for more than ten years. It is a recognized software development company that recently released an impressive video editing software for beginners and professionals.
Windows Movie Maker
Windows Movie Maker, known as Windows Live Movie Maker, is a small and lightweight movie editing program that originally came with Windows 20 years ago. It has relatively simple functions, allows users to combine video clips and sounds, and add basic special effects. For those who use some small-scale home cameras, Windows Movie Maker is a good choice. It’s simple to learn so it’s fine for novice or inexperienced editors.
Note: Windows Movie Maker is no longer available for download on Windows 10. Although you can search for the download link for Windows 10,
iMovie
iMovie is a semi-professional video editing software developed by Apple Inc. It is not as robust as Apple’s more popular Final Cut Pro but has enough features to put together a decent indie film. Since the WWDC in 2010, iMovie had an iOS version with iMovie for iOS and macOS, you can easily create a indie masterpiece and stunning movies with 4k resolution. Download the latest version on your official website so you can enjoy the most inspiring video editing experience, including the film’s trailer, new audio edition, one-step effects, people finder, sports and news topics, world premiere, etc.
iMovie is free and easy to use, but you have to use it on a Mac or iDevice computer.
Avid Media Composer
AVID was one of the pioneers of non-linear video editing. In the 1990s it became the most widely used tool by film and television editors. It has different versions for each audio visual industry. For example, it has software designed for more broadcast on air live news editing, for live streaming, and also for cinematic post production.
That’s why it’s one of the most popular video editing software in the industry. The one used for movies is Avid Media Composer. And you can also download a free reduced version.
Streaming services production guidelines
For those aspiring film makers looking to get their productions accepted by one of the more popular streaming services we strongly recommend you review the below guidelines from each of the major streaming services that accept independent film and documentary productions.
