Editing Software
"What editing software should I use?"
The sidebar can be used as an index / table of contents.
Desktop Editing Software
Davinci Resolve
OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
Price: FREE (Forever) / $295 USD (Buy once, own forever)
If you've got a computer, my go-to recommendation is Davinci Resolve. It'll run okay on most systems, and has a robust free version that is more than enough to get you millions of subscribers. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux and has a massive community around it. There are unique tabs for different parts of the creation process (Assembly, Editing, Effects, Audio, Colour Grading) which are all extremely powerful.
I think it's pretty easy to use (but like all editors, a little overwhelming for absolute beginners) but also has an incredibly high skill ceiling. It's literally an industry standard for colour grading, and is plenty for any YouTuber.
Premiere Pro
OS: Windows, Mac
Price: ~$20 USD (Per Month)
Another tried-and-true industry-loved Editing Software. Huge community around it, and relatively easy to use (post-learning curve). Comparatively, has more presets / templates / plugins than Resolve and an equally high skill ceiling (within it's specific capabilities).
Pairs very well with other Adobe applications like After Effects and Audition, which must be purchased separately or as part of a Creative Cloud subscription.
The only / main reason I wouldn't recommend Premiere is the cost, but if you're fortunate enough to have your school / workplace grant you a free license, give it a shot!
Final Cut Pro
OS: Mac
Price: ~$$499.99 USD (Buy once, own forever)
Very popular software with a unique "magnetic timeline" workflow. It's incredibly powerful and can handle a lot of edits. Due to my lack of ownership of a Mac, I have not personally tried this software.
iMovie
OS: Mac
Price: FREE (Forever)
Great for beginners, and is probably already installed if you own an Apple Device. Can be good for learning the fundamentals and is probably plenty enough for many channels.
Kdenlive
OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
Price: FREE (Forever)
Completely Open-Source video editor with capabilities that try to compete with the "big guys". Worth trying if you want something free.
CapCut
Price: FREE (Forever) / ~ $8 USD (Per Month)
"The TikTok editing software". Has a lot of built-in effects which lowers the skill floor by far. Pretty solid for absolute beginners, but more seasoned editors will outgrow it quickly, and want something with more capabilities and technical settings.
Personally, I'm not a fan of it. It's quite limiting when you want to do more advanced stuff, and stops you from learning certain skills after a point.
ClipChamp
OS: Windows
Price: FREE (Forever) / ~ $11 USD (Per Month)
It's... alright. It's the modern "Windows Movie Maker" if you're old enough to remember that. Doesn't have any crazy bells and whistles, but it can get the job done. Nothing wrong with using it if you just want something simple, and the free version lets you export watermarkless 1080p, which is more than acceptable. It comes with Windows, it's just "fine", I guess. Inoffensive, it's just kinda there.
I would never suggest paying a cent for it, and would rather use Davinci's free version instead for it's additional capabilities.
Mobile Editing Software
CapCut (Again)
Price: FREE (Forever) / ~ $8 USD (Per Month)
"The TikTok editing software". As far as mobile editors go, it's pretty robust and has a lot of guides / tutorials available online for it.
More information in above section
iMovie (Again)
OS: iOS
Price: FREE (Forever)
Simple and easy to use, and will run on your Apple Mobile Devices. Comes with some stock tracks and effects which are good enough to learn the fundamentals. Powerful enough to make good videos.
Davinci Resolve (Again)
OS: iOS
Price: Free (Forever) / $94.99 USD (Buy once, own forever)
Davinci also has a pretty powerful iOS version of the desktop application for mobile. If you have an iPad, it's legitimately a solid option.
Other Video Editing tools
While these websites / programs are not individually good enough to handle all your video-editing needs, these "honourable mentions" can be very helpful in your process(es).
yt-dlp
OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
Price: FREE (Forever)
A command-line utility that can be used to download videos from YouTube and other sites.
Shutter Encoder
OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
Price: FREE (Forever)
Simple but very powerful GUI utility that can be used to convert, remux, and re-encode videos. Supports bulk processing.
Great for creating proxies, compressing video, or doing some very basic editing.
FFmpeg
OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
Price: FREE (Forever)
A command-line utility that can be used to convert, remux, and re-encode videos.
Extremely powerful and great for bulk processing, but can be very difficult to use. If you're not a particularly technical person, I would recommend Shutter Encoder or Handbrake instead.
Handbrake
OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
Price: FREE (Forever)
A powerful GUI utility that can be used to convert, remux, and re-encode videos. Quite robust and supports bulk processing.
Great for creating proxies, compressing video, etc.
While trusted by many, I'm not the biggest fan of it (I prefer Shutter Encoder). I can vouch that it is very powerful and good at it's intended purposes though.
Other Software I'd like some help writing about
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Vegas Pro
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Openshot
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Shotcut
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Hitfilm
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Any other software I haven't mentioned yet in reasonable detail