When you’re just getting started on YouTube, there are a billion decisions to make. From choosing your channel name to picking your camera gear. And your video editing software.
Even the most brilliant raw footage won’t earn you many views without some serious editing. From basic jump cuts and music overlays to more complex transitions and effects.
After all, professional YouTubers depend on regularly wowing their audience with amazing edits.
Eye-catching transitions and effects are a YouTuber’s bread and butter.
Here are the most popular ones.
Eye-catching transitions and effects are a YouTuber’s bread and butter.
So, what do they use to get to that level? What video editing software do YouTubers use?
The short answer is: It varies. Depending on YouTubers’ editing skills and how complex their content is, they use different kinds of software.
Here are the most popular ones.
Quick Facts
- The top choice is Adobe Premiere Pro.
- Final Cut and Davinci Resolve are also widespread.
- iMovie is the tool of choice for beginners.
- Most YouTubers outsource editing, though.
Keep reading for the full scoop!
Contents
To start with, many a YouTuber has kicked off their career with a simplistic video editing software like iMovie.
When you’re just starting your channel and don’t want to invest a lot of $$$ in serious editing software yet, free tools like iMovie are a godsend.
Not only does it come pre-installed on Macs, iPads, it’s also pretty intuitive. If you’re just picking up the basics of video editing, iMovie is a good place to start.
Plus, it can handle pretty much all the basic edits and effects you need as a video beginner, from various transitions to text overlays. More recent versions even offer green screen (chroma key) and some storyboarding capabilities.
However, if you want to launch a professional YouTube career, iMovie just won’t cut it. Pro YouTubers, from MrBeast to the Logan brothers, all rely on more heavy-duty video editing software (or, more precisely, hire video editors who do).
If you don’t have an Apple device, just try whatever comes pre-installed on your device, or check out an online video editor software (we’ve got one example further down).
Quick tip: If there’s a trendy effect you can’t manage with your default app, chances are that you can use a separate video effects tool to create it and then reimport the output.
For aspiring YouTubers seeking a balance between functionality and ease of use, Movavi’s software emerges as a compelling choice.
Renowned for its intuitive interface, Movavi allows even beginners to create polished videos without a steep learning curve. It offers a rich array of features, from basic cutting and trimming to more advanced options like chroma keying for green screen effects and video stabilization, and a number of one-click AI optimizations. What sets the software apart is its emphasis on user-friendly design, making video editing accessible to all skill levels.
With a reasonable pricing model, it provides a cost-effective solution for those taking their first steps in YouTube content creation or looking to upgrade from more basic software. Whether it’s crafting vlogs, tutorials, or creative content, Movavi equips you with the tools to bring your vision to life.
Movavi’s personal Video Suite Plus is available at $99.95 for a 1-year subscription, which includes all essential video editing tools. Without a license, features are limited, but you can try some of its comprehensive features before making a purchase (the output will be limited and watermarked, though).
Access to Movavi’s expansive library of effects – stickers, animations and more – is a separate subscription priced at $49.95 a month, though there’s a 7-day trial for it.
Another of the most popular video editing software choices is Final Cut Pro.
Not only does it offer a user-friendly interface, it also is packed with high-powered editing tools, from magnetic timelines to advanced effects and grouping tools.
One of Final Cut’s biggest plus points is how easy it is to pick up basic editing skills. It comes with easy-to-handle ready-made transitions and effects, as well as capabilities for more complex tasks such as motion edits and 360-degree video.
Like iMovie, Final Cut Pro is Mac-exclusive. It comes with a one-time $299 price tag, but it does offer a generous 90-day free trial if you want to give it a spin.
There’s also a $5/month version for the iPad, which has a few restrictions.
Next up, Adobe Premiere Pro, which is part of the company’s Creative Cloud (CC) offer, is probably the single most popular video editing software overall.
In fact, it’s the industry standard for professional video editors (next to the enterprise-grade Avid Media Composer), and it’s what we use here at Tasty Edits.
Premiere Pro offers a sleek timeline, reliable 8K editing, and perfect integration with Adobe’s other CC tools. This includes Adobe Sensei, an AI engine that helps you automate repetitive parts of the video editing workflow, as well as the mobile-only Premiere Rush, graphics tools like After Effects, and the AI-first Firefly.
Adobe has also invested heavily into AI editing features, with prompt-based editing and generative extend among its latest major additions.
Pricing for Adobe Premiere Pro is a monthly subscription. To get access to the video editing software only, you’ll have to pay $22.99 per month (if you pay annually, and they throw in Adobe Express). To access the entire CC Suite, that price tag rises to $59.99 monthly. There’s a one-year student discount offer, though.
Next up, we’ve got a free cross-platform alternative for complex video edits: DaVinci Resolve.
Like Premiere Pro, it runs on both MacOS and Windows as well as on Linux.
This solution by Blackmagic Design offers a complex set of editing tools, combining editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post-production. The free version works with 8‑bit video formats at up to 60fps.
If you need higher resolutions or even more editing tools, you can get the $300 Studio version of Da Vinci Resolve. However, if you purchase a Blackmagic camera, like the Pocket Cinema 6K, you’ll get the Studio version for free.
Finally, there is FlexClip, a solid online video editing alternative for YouTubers with less video editing experience. It offers an intuitive and user-friendly platform and eliminates the need for cumbersome software installations, enabling you to create and edit videos fairly seamlessly.
Apart from fundamental editing functions like cutting and trimming, FlexClip also provides a variety of templates and tools for adding text, music, and transitions.
In terms of pricing, FlexClip comes as a subscription priced at $239.88 for a 1-year Business Plan. This also includes 9,600 AI credits per year, which you can use for any of the tool’s recent AI feature additions.
But finally, it’s time for a reality check. While Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro are the most popular professional editing tools for YouTubers, very few big YouTubers actually edit their content themselves.
Most professional content creators hire video editors to do it for them.
If you’ve ever edited anything – even simple clips in iMovie, and even with AI tool help – you’ll find that it takes tons of time. Even once you’ve picked up some solid editing skills, editing one minute of finished video can take an hour or more.
Professional YouTubers save that time by hiring video editing companies or freelancers. Not only do they get amazing edits to wow their viewers. They can also spend their extra time on coming up with more viral content ideas and shooting their raw footage.
The Bottom Line: What video editing software do YouTubers use?
When it comes to the most popular video editing software for YouTubers, iMovie, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere Pro are certainly the top three.
Among those, iMovie is a popular choice for rookie YouTubers learning the ropes. In contrast, Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro are industry-standard, professional editing suites to produce amazing results for YouTube.
FAQs
Among beginner YouTubers, iMovie is the most common choice. Pros opt for more high-powered options, especially Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro. Da Vinci Resolve is a powerful free cross-platform alternative.
Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editing software for YouTube in 2023. Final Cut Pro and Da Vinci Resolve are both solid alternatives.
Some YouTubers pick up serious video editing skills in the course of their career as content creators. Most big YouTubers, though, outsource video editing to professional editors to free up their time and get the best possible results.
