Video Editing Software

[flyguy]

Am looking for video editing software to use on videos taken with Nikon D7100 and D850. Basic requirement is to be able to straighten out horizons that are not as level as they ought to be. For now I tell viewers what they are seeing is the curvature of the earth. I don't always have the luxury of a tripod when taking some videos.

 

[BirdDogDad]

If by chance you use a Mac, iMovie is a pretty powerful program (included with a Mac). If you have an Adobe subscription, Adobe Premiere is included with it, but it (like Final Cut Pro, which I use) has a steep learning curve and is probably overkill for what you'd like to do. Sorry I can't suggest any others.

 

[Ed Erkes]

If you are going to do a lot of videos and want to get serious about editing them, consider Davinci Resolve. It is quite powerful and, surprisingly, free, but it it is full featured with a significant learning curve. There is a free training course on their website.

 

[MartyD]

I would agree that Davinci Resolve is a very good option. They have a free version, Davinci Resolve and a paid version, Davince Resolve Studio. There are some limitations to the free version. The paid version has always been a one time purchase with free upgrades. If you plan on doing a lot of video editing they currently have a promotion where you purchase Davince Resolve Studio for $300 and you get the Speed Editor Keyboard free. They have lots of free training materials online. I found Davinci Resolve somewhat easier to learn that Adobe Premier. It can require a powerful processor and graphics card but there are ways to make it usable on less powerful computers.

I have also used Adobe Rush and it is not nearly as full featured as Davinci Resolve. It is an Adobe subscription product and cost $9.95 a month.

 

[Blue tit photo]

I also recommen Resolve, because it is super powerful and can run on quite basic hardware, but is greatly accelerated by a very good one.

 

[AstroEd]

If you are going to do a lot of videos and want to get serious about editing them, consider Davinci Resolve. It is quite powerful and, surprisingly, free, but it it is full featured with a significant learning curve. There is a free training course on their website.

I am looking at Davinci Resolve now, Is there any real benefit for the one time payment to get Davinci Studio for me being an armature beginner?

 

[Replytoken]

Am looking for video editing software to use on videos taken with Nikon D7100 and D850. Basic requirement is to be able to straighten out horizons that are not as level as they ought to be. For now I tell viewers what they are seeing is the curvature of the earth. I don't always have the luxury of a tripod when taking some videos.

Resolve does have some HW requirements, but it is among the most comprehensive of the free offerings out there. If it proves to be more than needed, Shot cut is a very simple program that is free as well. There are others, including Hitfilm Express that I mentioned above, but I have not tried all of them out so I cannot recommend them from personal experience.

--Ken

 

[AstroEd]

I THINK my system will run it but I plan to get the latest CPU and GPU available in a month or so. after I upgrade to the latest motherboard. It looks like $295 for Davinci Resolve Studio, and another $295 for the Fusion addon (their version of Adobe After Effects I guess. Trying to decide on getting the free to test or bite the bullet to get the paid, Once I can buy a Nikon Z9 I think I will be doing Wildlife Video as well as photography.

 

[JustinGriggs]

I THINK my system will run it but I plan to get the latest CPU and GPU available in a month or so. after I upgrade to the latest motherboard. It looks like $295 for Davinci Resolve Studio, and another $295 for the Fusion addon (their version of Adobe After Effects I guess. Trying to decide on getting the free to test or bite the bullet to get the paid, Once I can buy a Nikon Z9 I think I will be doing Wildlife Video as well as photography.

I'd definitely recommend using the free version of resolve for a bit. I've been using it for a couple years casually for some of my wildlife video and have barely scratched the surface of what the program is capable of and haven't yet found a case where I feel I needed to upgrade to the studio version, although some of my files from the z9 can be a bit noisy at higher ISO and the improved noise reduction tools that Studio has are making me consider upgrading.

Resolve is a beast, but also has quite a learning curve and I think going with the free version just to see if you like it is a great plan to start

 

[AstroEd]

I'd definitely recommend using the free version of resolve for a bit. I've been using it for a couple years casually for some of my wildlife video and have barely scratched the surface of what the program is capable of and haven't yet found a case where I feel I needed to upgrade to the studio version, although some of my files from the z9 can be a bit noisy at higher ISO and the improved noise reduction tools that Studio has are making me consider upgrading.

Resolve is a beast, but also has quite a learning curve and I think going with the free version just to see if you like it is a great plan to start

Downloading it now.

 

[Replytoken]

Downloading it now.

I think that you will find a lot to chew on with the free version. I find shooting and editing video to be a whole other level compared to still photography. You may get into it a bit and find out it is not necessarily your cup of tea, or that you want to keep things simple. The free version is a great place to start.


Good luck,

--Ken

 

[Woody Meristem]

I use Shotcut, a free video editing software. I've never used all of the features in Shotcut, manly using it for exposure, contrast, leveling and cropping -- but it can do much, much more with both the video and the sound. It's well worth downloading and trying, you'll not be out anything except a bit of time if you don't like it.

 

[MartyD]

I am looking at Davinci Resolve now, Is there any real benefit for the one time payment to get Davinci Studio for me being an armature beginner?

They just released Davinci Resolve 18, I purchased version 15 and have receive 3 upgrades as part of my purchase.

Here are some basic differences between the free version and paid studio version. I believe there is a chart on the Black Magic Design web site that details all of the features.
The free version will export 4k at 60fps and the studio version will do 32k at 120fps
The free version does not use GPU acceleration the studio version has GPU acceleration, probably one of the biggest advantages even for a casual user.
The studio version includes noise reduction
The studio version includes more visual effects
The studio version includes the neural engine which enables additional processing tools
The studio version has an enhanced color grading

The best advice is to use the free version until you find functions you need or you need increased processing speed.

If you decide to purchase the studio version look for the license key with the speed editor keyboard. When they released the speed editor keyboard you could buy the speed editor and get the studio version license key for $295. The speed editor keyboard is designed to work with Davinci Resolve and does make video editing easier. I don't know if that deal is still available or not. The only way to purchase Davinci Resolve is to have the license key sent to you, there is no online or downloadable license key.

 

[MartyD]

I THINK my system will run it but I plan to get the latest CPU and GPU available in a month or so. after I upgrade to the latest motherboard. It looks like $295 for Davinci Resolve Studio, and another $295 for the Fusion addon (their version of Adobe After Effects I guess. Trying to decide on getting the free to test or bite the bullet to get the paid, Once I can buy a Nikon Z9 I think I will be doing Wildlife Video as well as photography.

You don't have to buy the Fusion Studio, it is part of Davinci Resolve Studio but it is a separate download.