Sep 02, 2020. Top 12 Video Editing Software for Mac 1. Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Verdict: Adobe Premiere is the most popular video editor for all the platforms. Verdict: Lightworks can be downloaded for free without a time limit. The program has multi-channel input.
- Photo Editing Software For Mac
- Best Rendering Software For Mac
- Editing Software
- The Best Free Video Editing Software For Mac
- What is the best alternative to YouTube Video Editor in 2020?
- Is there some free video editing software for YouTube available in the market?
Oct 27, 2019. Aug 20, 2020 Top 5 Best Free Video Editing Software for Mac Beginners 1. Apple iMovie. The latest iMovie 11 is a great and free video editor for Mac with many great features such as movie. Avidemux is another great free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering, and encoding tasks.
- What is the best video editor for YouTube free?
YouTube is not only a great place to watch videos but also a fantastic platform to share your own created videos with friends all over the world. Uploading videos to YouTube is easy, but it is not easy to create an awesome video. More and more YouTube users want to find a professional video editing software for YouTube, free or paid.
Can't Miss: What Video Editing Software Do YouTubers Use
Yes, you will come across many free or paid YouTube video maker or editor software over the Internet to cooperate. All YouTube video editing software has distinct features that you should look out for and pros and cons. The following top 5 free video editors for YouTube will give you a good starting point.
In short: If you're looking for the best video editing software for YouTube (like me), you'll love this guide.
Now, let's get started.
Filmora Video Editor - Best YouTube Video Maker [Free or Paid]
Filmora Video Editor for Windows (or Filmora Video Editor for Mac) is the best video editing software for YouTube on Mac or Windows. This video editor for YouTube has many effects that you can use to personalize your video when editing. They include intro/credit, where you will enjoy multiple templates and transitions to help develop a flawless exchange from one scene to another, sound, effect and filters. The selection will be all yours to make, and you should be very keen on what you decide to use with your video. Furthermore, this powerful YouTube video editing software supports many file formats and guarantees high quality to edited files.
Key Features:
- This video editing software for YouTube has video color correction, which allows for adjustment of brightness, saturation, and contrast.
- A green screen is another feature that makes it possible to replace the background.
- Scene detection helps to know when changes have been made to scenes.
- Face off offers fun faces for making a video funny.
- PIP effect makes it possible to overlay more than one video together.
- Handy video editing tools and provide various video and audio effects.
- Different output options help you directly upload a video to YouTube or Vimeo for sharing as you like.
Easy Steps to Use This Best Video Editing Software for YouTube
The Filmora YouTube Video Editing software is very affordable and can edit both videos and audios. With this software, you can edit the YouTube video, which helps apply effects or customize your video.
Step 1. Import the Video for YouTube
At first, you need to download the Filmora Video Editor from the official website. After the installation, you can import the video clips by two methods. Click the 'FULL FEATURE MODE' from the main window. You can directly drag your videos to the software or click on the 'Import Media Files Here' button to import all video clips to Filmora Video Editor.
Step 2. Edit Your Video Clips
Drag the video clips to the timeline directly, now you can adjust the video clips' order by clicking on the video clips and drag, and you can also trim unwanted video clips.
Step 3. Add Effects to Your Videos
After you cut and splice the video clips to a complete video you want to post to YouTube, you can choose to add some effects on the video to make it unique.
For example, you can add filters to the video, click on the 'FILTERS' option from the menu, and see all the Filmora Video Editor's filters. Please select a suitable filter and drag it to a timeline to apply.
In addition to the filter, there are many other effects you can apply to your videos, including transitions, overlays, audio effect, and others as follows:
- How to overlay videos (picture in picture)
- How to make a split-screen video
- How to make cool videos with effects
Step 4. Export the Videos to YouTube Directly
After you are satisfied with your video editing, you can preview the excellent video in Filmora Video Editor first and then export it to YouTube directly.
Photo Editing Software For Mac
Bonus:
If you want to learn more technical skills about how to perform the Filmora Video Editor, please check the below video tutorial to find something you might not know before:
Top 4 Free YouTube Video Editing Software for Windows, Mac OS X
iMovie (Mac)
When you are looking for the best free YouTube video editing software program to use with Mac, iMovie will be the best choice to consider. This free video editing software for YouTube allows for easy importing of videos and editing to add effects, insert titles, and add soundtracks. A simple drag and drop will help you add files to the program.
Pros:
- This video editor for YouTube is straightforward to use. And it is the best alternative to the YouTube Video Editor.
- This video editing tool has a friendly interface and allows for the sharing of edited videos online. Those are the standout advantages you will enjoy.
Cons:
- One of the most significant disadvantages of iMovie is the inability to import files in MP4 format.
- It is not readily available because of its price tag that ranges around $14.99.
Windows Movie Maker (Windows)
This YouTube video editing software is another best video editing software for YouTube videos, and Microsoft designs it. You can create, edit, and publish your videos using this program on online sites like YouTube and Facebook. That will help in enhancing your overall editing experience. It has support for many transitions, effects, and titles to help customize the video.
Pros:
- The key advantages of using this software program are available for free.
- This video editor for YouTube is easy for beginners to learn.
- This video editing tool offers a variety of editing tools and functions and perfect for photos slide shows.
Cons:
- When you choose this program, expect to enjoy limitations on the number of features you will enjoy because it comes for free.
- This video editing tool is not suitable for advanced users.
- It is highly prone to crashing down, thus not reliable enough.
YouTube Video Editor (Windows and Mac)
This free YouTube video editor allows for easy customizing of video files through specialized tools and effects. It would be best if you chose the right combination of those that will suit your video editing. Also, the program helps in trimming down the size of videos.
Pros:
- You will have an easy time learning how to use this program.
- This video editing tool works at high speeds, and it is available for free and allows adding music to video.
Cons:
- Its availability for free means this program comes with limitations on some features.
- You will enjoy only the basic features.
LightWorks (Windows and Mac)
This free editing software is a professional, free video editing software for YouTube that you can use to work on any YouTube files. It's non-linear and has support for resolutions amounting to 4K. It works well with videos on both HD and SD formats. If you have a film that you want to edit, LightWorks will be an excellent choice to consider at any given time.
Pros:
- The ability to customize is the most significant advantage of using this software program.
- Different platforms support other pros.
- Support for professional video editing and availability as paid or free versions.
Cons:
- This video editing tool lacks FireWire support for Linux.
- The pro version has changed in pricing and does not offer any help with essential hints alone.
Write in the End
Although some online video editors or editing apps for YouTube provide the most promising results, there aren't as good as professional video editors available for Windows and Mac. One of the most significant disadvantages is that you will not edit the videos if you don't have an internet connection. Moreover, if your video needs a lot of editing, you can't perform all the functions using online video editors.
So, suppose you want to create a fantastic video or have some YouTube video requirements. In that case, I'd like to strongly recommend the Filmora Video Editor or Filmora Video Editor for Mac for your reference. It can help you quickly make a cool video with effects.
[Attention]
This post is focused on the video editing software for YouTube, so if you want to find video editor for other platforms like Chromebook, etc., you can view the recommendation in this site.
Related Articles & Tips
While the stock Photos app on Mac packs a few photo editing tools, it is not meant to replace a robust and professional photo editing app. If you want your photos to look good, you need to start looking at third-party photo editors that offer more features and control. I understand that extensive photo editing is not for everyone as most of the people don't want to spend hours editing their photos. But that's the beauty of having options. You can choose as intensive or automatic photo editing app as you want. You can even get photo editing apps for Mac that can enhance your photos with a click. I have tested and collected a list of 8 best photo editing apps for mac, both free and paid to help you on your photo editing journey.
Best Photo Editing Software for Mac in 2020
Different people have different requirements when it comes to photo editing and not one app is the best for everyone. That's why, to make things easier for my readers, I have divided the 8 photo editors into different sections. The sections are not totally exclusive because as these photo editing software come with a huge set of overlapping features. That being said, the sections will help you get a clear idea of what you are looking for.
- Affinity Photo
- Luminar 4
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC
- Pixelmator Pro
- GIMP
- Fotor Photo Editor
- Photolemur
- AuroraHDR
- darktable
Best Pro Photo Editors for Mac
1. Affinity Photo
The first photo editing app on our list is something that I am using for the last two years and is one of the two photo editing apps that rely upon. The app features professional tools and supports almost all the know file formats including JPG, TIFF, PNG, GIF,PDF, PSD, and RAW photos. It comes with all the basic photo editing tools that you can expect from a pro photo editing app such as red eye removal, cropping, selection, painting and drawing tools, color correction tools, masks, filters, layers, and more. It also features an uncluttered UI with clearly marked tools which are both easy to find and use. Affinity Photo also brings support for extensive keyboard shortcuts which makes the photo editing more enjoyable and fast once you put some time into learning the software.
While there is a bit of learning curve, which is understandable, the developers offer tons of written and video tutorials which is more than enough to get anyone started. I am also fond of its non-destructive photo editing approach which keeps the original photo intact until you manually override it with your edited photo. There's also support for extensive history and users can easily undo/redo changes up to 8000 steps.
Finally, it also offers an Apple Photos plugin allowing you to do minor adjustments right inside the Photos app. The only missing feature here is a Digital Asset Management or DAM which means you can not use it as a photo repository, something Adobe Lightroom users will surely miss. If that's not a concern for you, I can recommend this app without any hesitation.
Get Affinity Photo:Free trial, $49.99
2. Luminar 4
Luminar 4 is a full-fledged pro photo editing tool for Mac which is also the easiest to use. Since I switch from Affinity Photo to Luminar, I have more than halved the time I used to spend on photo editing without any drop in quality. That is a deal that I am going to take any day. The before and after photo that you can see in the Affinity Photo section took me around 5 minutes to edit, while the picture you are seeing below took me just one click. It is because Luminar 4 comes with a set of more than 60 filters, some of which even use artificial intelligence, to enhance your photos with just a click.
The filters use a set of pre-configured presets that change depending on the subject of the picture. In my experience Luminar 4 works best for portraits and scenic shots. Luminar 4 also lets you adjust the presets if you don't like the results. You have access to all the photo editing tools such as masks, layers, gradients, color correction, and more. You can use them to make manual changes to your photo just as you do with any other pro photo editing app. The filters allows you to get quite near to your end result with just one click. From there, you can make the minute adjustments to get your perfect photo. One of my favorite features of Luminar 4 is its before and after slider. I can instantly visualize the changes that I have made and compare the edited image to the original image.
Luminar 4 also has a built-in DAM. You can organize, rate, browse, and sort photos just like you can do on Adobe Lightroom. Like Affinity Photo and other pro photo editing apps mentioned in this section, Luminar 4 is a beast when it comes to photo editing. However, it's a beast that can be easily tamed and used to perfection without creating any problem for us. Whether you are a professional photo editor who needs to save time or an amateur who wants to learn professional photo editing, Luminar 4 is a great photo editing tool for either use-cases.
Get Luminar 4:$89.99
3. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC
No photo editing app list can be complete with mentioning Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC as it is one of the most powerful photo editing app that you can get on your Mac. Apart from the obvious photo editing features, the biggest benefit of using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC is that it comes with a fully functional Digital Asset Management or DAM which allows users to not only manage their entire photo catalogue but also upload it to cloud so they can access it from anywhere. That is one of the biggest strength of Adobe Lightroom and if that is something you want, currently, there's no better app out there.
Coming back to the photo editing tools, the Adobe Lightroom CC is packed with them. It might not be as easy as Luminar but it doesn't lag behind when it comes to power. You get access to all the usual tools including blend, blur, layers, color correction, color matching, and more. I love its easy-to-use sliders that give users complete control over the light and color properties of their photos. It also lets you shift focus and sharpen your photos to highlight your subject or reduce distraction in the image. My biggest problem with Adobe Lightroom CC is its subscription-based pricing system which makes this only viable for people who are using this to earn money. If you are just using the app for yourself, both Affinity Photo and Luminar will serve you better as far as return of investment is concerned.
Get Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: $9.9/month
4. Pixelmator Pro
Pixelmator Pro is another pro photo editing tool for Mac which you should try. The app not only brings an extensive collection of tools for editing and retouching photos but it also allows you to paint, create graphics design, add effects, and do so much more. However, since we are focusing only on photo editing software for Mac here, we will keep our interested limited to those features only. I used Pixelmator Pro for about a month and I found that it has everything that you might need from a photo editing software. In fact, the new 1.5 update of Pixelmator Pro also brings a ton of other features that you won't find on most of the photo editing tools on this list. For example, it now supports multi GPUs (looking at you Mac Pro) and RAW editing workflows with the new Pro Display XDR.
Pixelmator Pro comes with a new ML-Enhance mode which uses artificial intelligence trained on a catalog of 20 million professional photos, to automatically fine-tune 37 individual color adjustments. Just like Luminar, this feature gives you a great starting point for making fine-tuned adjustment to your photos. That said, the ML-Enhance, only has one pre-set and I like Luminar's approach far better. I do like the new ML Denoise feature which removes noise and image compression artifacts from photos. Not many photo editing apps for Mac can boast of this feature. I quite enjoyed using Pixelmator Pro and if you don't like any of the above-mentioned software, you should give a chance to Pixelmator Pro.
Best Rendering Software For Mac
Get Pixelmator Pro:Free trial, $39.99
Best Free Open Source Photo Editing Apps for Mac
5. GIMP
GIMP is Adobe Photoshop for people who like open-source software. GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program is packed with features and allows you to make pro-level editing of your photos. Since it is an open-source app, it is completely free of charge. That said, GIMP also comes with the problems that most open-source app suffer from which is to say that it's UI looks old and is not at all user friendly. In fact, GIMP is one of the hardest image editing apps you will find on this list. You will need to spend quite a bit of time in learning its ins and outs and only then will you be able to take full advantage of its potential.
I found GIMP to be too hard for my taste. I remember one time I mistakenly made a change to its workspace and it took me almost 15-20 minutes to get it back to the version I was familiar with. That being said, thousands and thousands of Mac owners are using GIMP everyday for their photo editing needs, so, I might be an anomaly here. Once you put in enough time to learn GIMP, you will find that it has all the features that you need now and might need in the future.
Get Gimp:Free
6. Fotor Photo Editor
If you are looking for a free yet accessible photo editing software, take a look at the Fotor Photo Editor. It might not be as powerful as GIMP but it is fairly easy to learn which makes this a great image editing app for beginners. The app supports importing and exporting of a wide range of image formats including TIFF, JPEG, and PNG, and even RAW files. When it comes to features, Fotor brings enough tools that you won't find it dragging you down unless you are a pro user.
One of my favorite tool of Fotor is batch processing.It allows me to apply preset conditions to images in batches thereby saving me a lot of time. Other features of Fotor include effects, borders, the ability to create collages, tilt-shift, and more. To explain simply, Fotor is basically an easier and watered-down version of Lightroom, Luminar, or other pro image editing apps for Mac on this list. While the app is free, recently it has also released a Fotor Pro version which brings more features and costs $39.99/year. You can compare the free and paid version of Fotor by clicking on this link.
Get Fotor: Free
Best One-Click Photo Editing App for Mac
7. Photolemur 3
I thought long and hard whether I should include this app on the list or not as the app technically doesn't allow you to edit photos. Still, I know that there are users who don't want to spend time on editing photos but also want their photos to look decent. Well, if you are one of those people then this is the app for you. To use, Photolemur, all you need to do is drag and drop pictures on it. You can do it in batches or one by one. Once you drop images on it, it will apply AI to identify scenes, colors, and faces and enhance them automatically.
Remember, you will not have any control over the retouching what-so-ever. However, in my testing, the app produced respectable images in 90% of the cases, hence, it made the list. The one place it fails 100% of the times is when you already have high-contrast images with popping colors. Apart from that, it works fairly well. I will say it again, it's not a photo editing app which you should use if you want total control. However, If you really don't want to spend even a minute on learning to edit and editing your photos, this is your best option.
Get Photolemur 3:$35
Editing Software
Best HDR Photo Editors for Mac
8. AuroraHDR 2019
If you work with HDR or High Dynamic Range photography, AuroraHDR 2019 is the best app you can get. For those who are not familiar, HDR combines multiple images (low exposure, medium exposure, and high exposure) to create an image with better dynamic range. What it means is that your photos will have better ratio of light and dark. Your iPhone already does this if you have this setting turned on while you are taking pictures. However, In a more traditional sense, a photographer takes three photos in different exposures and combines them in an HDR photo editing app to get the best results.
For that work, AuroraHDR 2019 is the best tool out there. AurorHDR 2019 is made by the same developers who make Luminar and hence I found that both apps had more or less same user interface with a focus on different photo editing styles. Remember, if you don't work with HDR photos manually, you really don't need to get this app. That being said, I used it with same photos that I use on other photo editing apps and the results were quite impressive. This app is definitely not for everyone, but some of you might enjoy using this.
Get AuroraHDR 2019:$99
Bonus: Best Free Raw Photo Editing Apps for Mac
darktable
If you read the article thoroughly, which I hope that you did, you will know that all the pro photo editing apps that I mentioned above, including Lightroom, Luminar, Affinity Photo, and Pixelmator Pro support RAW files so it wasn't really necessary to create this section. Especially because if you are a professional who works only with RAW photos, you must be already using quite pricey RAW photo editor. Still, I was so impressed with this app that I didn't, not want to include this on my list, especially when it's completely free to use.
In fact, the description on its website articulate things about this app far better than I could so I will just post it here, 'darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer. A virtual light-table and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, lets you view them through a zoomable light-table, and enables you to develop raw images and enhance them.' If this is something you need, you should click on the link to download it right now.
Get darktable: Free
Best Image Editing Apps for Mac: Final Thoughts
The Best Free Video Editing Software For Mac
While all these photo editing apps are good, you will find that some of them suit you better than the others. For me, Luminar and Affinity Photo work the best and hence I am still sticking to those two. But you should choose the one that fits your editing style and needs. If you find this article informative, comment below to tell us which photo editing app you found to be the best for you.
