Empower your creativity with the best video editing software for students – learn how to choose the perfect one with our expert tips.
If you are passionate about video editing, it is time to invest in some amazing software. Do not worry. It doesn’t have to be extremely expensive.
There are enough affordable and functional solutions for students to choose from. Let’s dive into how to make the best decision in this case.
1. Set the Budget
Before you start looking into programs, decide how much you are comfortable spending. The prices range hugely – there are plenty of free options along with top-tier editors that cost thousands of dollars.
Free solutions are great for beginners. But they are free for a reason – each of them is limited in some functionality. It can be a range of formats it can work with, poor performance, or little selection of editing features.
As for top-tier solutions, they are designed for professional use. They might be difficult to learn and have a lot of features you won’t need if you are editing for YouTube, social media, or personal use. The solution is to find a reasonable balance, for example, a prosumer level of software tools.
And the saved money students can put into educational resources or supplies.
For instance, you can use a professional paper writer service if you struggle with college papers. Such services deliver writing, editing, and proofreading assistance with all types of papers, from essays to dissertations.
Qualified writers help polish your work to excellence or they can do it for you. In any case, it is a great way to keep up with the curriculum and learn more about academic writing in the process.
Collaboration with experts allows learning insights and various tips, which will make you a better writer. At the same time, you’ll be able to balance out your passion for video editing with college responsibilities in a healthy manner.
2. Access The Learning Curve
There is nothing more frustrating than buying an editing program just to spend several months learning it before you are able to make a video.
Look through the official description and reviews to evaluate how huge of a learning curve each solution comes with.
A huge benefit is the software vendor provides templates and video lessons on how to use it. Also, there might be some premade auto or express modes. They will be handy to start editing right away.
Search for tutorials on YouTube as well. The most popular programs have a lot of them as there is a massive audience of users.
3. Learn About Video Format Support
The next factor to consider is the supported formats. The solution needs to work with the format your camera uses. If you use a drone, action camera, or 360 camera as well, consider the output format.
Read about the exporting video options. Some of the common formats are:
- MXF;
- Sony XAVC files;
- Apple ProRes.
In terms of exporting, the major options are:
- 4K editing;
- 360 editing;
- SVRT;
- GPU hardware encoding or decoding;
- Multi-GPGPU acceleration.
And consider the operating system you will be using it on. So make sure the solution works for Windows, macOS, or Linux (whatever you have).
4. Check Advanced Features
The next step is to look through detailed descriptions of functionality. Each comes with a specific set of advanced tools.
Some of them might be useful for you, while others are not. This depends on your process and goals.
Advanced features can include green screen editing, MultiCam, object tracking, instant color correction, or color match.
If you have a couple of options in mind, write a list of the crucial features for each of them and compare. The program that has the most of those that you need is an optimal choice.
5. Look For Other Special Effects
If you use background music and special effects in the process, make sure some of them are included in the package. If they are not included, you will have to buy them additionally.
So if there is a choice between two programs, the one with effects is better. Even if it costs more in terms of the license, it will be more affordable as you won’t have to buy separate add-ins.
For example, PowerDirector 365 comes with effects, stock videos, and photos. But Adobe Premiere Elements and Wondershare Filmora do not have those.
6. Consider Student Discounts
Some software producers offer student discounts. Check for them to save even more money.
Usually, you’ll need to prove your student’s status with an ID or report card. Such deals are available for all learners as long as they go to college, which is a great benefit.
Here are some great tools that come with such deals.
Autodesk
It offers a free license for 3 years, which is amazing. Under this license, you’ll get access to professional features, including video editing, 3D modeling, special effects, motion graphics, and architectural design.
Students can download all apps for free and go through a quick verification.
Adobe
Adobe Creative Cloud is available for students for about $20 per month. This is a pretty good discount that gives you access to Premiere Pro, After Effects, SpeedGrade, Photoshop, and Illustrator. To get the discount, you need to apply on the official site.
Lightworks
This is another powerful tool. It is available for free to anyone with a limitation of 720P maximum output. It is functional and user-friendly. Those who want to have no limitations on output need to pay for a license for Lightworks Pro. And this subscription is available at 50% for college goers. This is about $13 a month.
More Great Editing Software
There are a lot of choices to pick from, so read reviews and testimonials before investing your money. Here are some of the top editors to start from in your research:
- DaVinci Resolve;
- CyberLink PowerDirector 365;
- Adobe Premiere Elements;
- Apple Final Cut Pro;
- Corel VideoStudio Ultimate;
- Movavi Video Editor Plus;
- Apple iMovie;
- Magisto.
In Summary
Although the sheer amount of available programs can be overwhelming, with a structured approach, you can find the best affordable editing tool. Look for available functionality, learning curve, and pricing. Consider discounts and make sure you get what you need.
