Free adept video editing software?

Question

Yes, this is another of countless free video editing software questions, but none of the others seems to fit my needs.

I have a problem, as the softwares in the answers look very complex and almost confusing. At the other side of the spectrum, there are answers like VirtualDub which allow for only simple video editing. I was looking for something in between those two. Really all I need is to be able to:

• Insert picture overlays
• Add music
• Cut and edit (have a timeline)
• Able to render in dimensions suitable for YouTube

Please don't answer back with Windows Movie Maker, as I cannot add overlays properly or put some of my music in (even though it accepts the file type, oddly enough). It's really just not set up well in my opinion either.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, free rarely equates to "feature rich" and "easy to use". The time spent to provide both of those things to users ends up translating to the group of programmers wanting to get paid for their time. I'm not saying this is never the case... just rarely.

That said, I want to make you familiar with Videohelp.com as it could quickly become your go-to site for everything and anything related to video editing.

Now, believe it or not, the type of movie file you want to edit makes a difference. Why? well, for instance, editing an AVI is very different from editing a MPEG file. Some programs can do both, but the two files are very different. It is easier to edit an MPEG file as opposed to an AVI file.

Here is a list of 20 editors, all perform different functions, most are free. You can try any number of them. But honestly, if you find a free, feature rich software suite that is complex to use, you are far better off learning how to use it, than searching for something else. There is a chance you won't find what you want.

Answer 2

I highly recommend VideoPad. I think it will be exactly what you are looking for. It has a very easy user interface unlike some of the other video editors out there. If you have any problems with it you can watch video tutorials on YouTube. Get VideoPad Here.