Best Way on How to Edit Videos On A Mac For Beginners in 2024

Do you feel intimidated by all the video editing you see on YouTube and other video platforms? It must leave you wondering how to edit videos like a pro because you’re ready to create content and share what you have to offer to the world. Don’t feel overwhelmed with all the different ways of editing and those flashy features because you can do it yourself, too.

Yes, that’s right, and if you’re using a Mac, we’ve got a quick guide made especially for beginners to kickstart your way towards creating kick-ass videos. Read on as we talk about the best video editing software you can use and how to edit videos on a Mac.

Choosing a Video Editing Software

Before anything else, one of the first things to do is to select a video editing software that makes to job easier. Just make sure you choose software compatible with Mac OS!

Fortunately, there is numerous software you can use. We break them down below:

Paid Options

While numerous video editing software offers free trials, they are only open for a limited time or provide limited features. That’s why we recommend purchasing one you see as the best fit after using their free trial period.

But if you are starting out, we recommend keeping things simple, and you’ll probably use about 20% of the tools in advanced video editing software. That’s why we will primarily focus on iMovie and other more straightforward programs to get you started before you move on to the big ones.

If you’d still like to use paid software, be our guest! It will be worth investing in if you’re really into video editing in the long run. Here is the different video editing software you will need to purchase as it doesn’t come with your Mac:

Filmora Video Editor

Filmora Video Editor is an editing software helping you create professional videos with its special effects, motion graphics, overlays, and clean interface. The software has the option to use various texts for creative subtitles and captions.

PowerDirector 365

This is one of the best choices if you want to learn how to edit videos on Mac, as it’s user-friendly and offers both basic and advanced video editing features. It’s a premium video editing software with navigable features and professional tools without the high price.

It has a traditional timeline interface and streamlined design to easily add video overlays, transitions, and titles.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is best suited for professionals and beginners who would like to get into the video editing industry. If your dream is to create videos professionally, then Adobe Premiere Pro is the way to go. This software is industry standard, with professionals using it to produce content for mainstream media. The only downfall is the hefty price tag and the steep learning curve for beginners.

Final Cut Pro

Many people are aware of Final Cut Pro, as it’s a known advanced video editor with a selection of intelligent features and neat interface users can make Hollywood-level videos!

It’s similar to Adobe Premiere Pro, including the high price. But at just $300, you get all the features of Final Cut Pro for life.

iMovie

And how can we not forget iMovie? This is the OG and standard video editing app on all Macs today. Of course, the company ensured to design the software suitable for beginners and advanced editors but concentrating more on the former.

IMovie has various editing tools to create a polished video, but this is more of basic video editing rather than advanced features. You don’t only find iMovie pre-installed in Macbooks and iMacs, but in the iPad, and iPhone, among other Apple devices.

With all that in mind, these are just quick summaries of well-known video software. We have another blog post listing these video editing software, among many notable choices!

How to Edit Videos on a Mac

Today, editing videos on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok is now intuitive. It’s also easy to edit videos on your phone by selecting the “edit” button on your video. After that, you can easily trim the videos or edit their lighting. Since it’s easy to learn how to edit videos on those platforms and gadgets, we’ll focus more on editing a video on Mac.

Now that you’ve got your video editing software, the next question is about using it. Here are steps to follow based on some popular video editing software. Note that we will be talking about how to edit videos on iMovie, Filmora, and QuickTime, which are best suited for beginners:

How to Edit Videos on QuickTime

QuickTime isn’t the most advanced video editing software but a multiplatform tool that handles graphics, sounds, animation, videos, texts, and music. Here are steps to edit videos with this free software:

1. Open QuickTime by right-clicking on your video file, revealing the “Open With” command. Select QuickTime as the program you’ll open the video with.
2. Select the Trim or Cut command, which will delete unwanted scenes. You can do this by dragging the bars towards parts of the video you’d like it to end.
3. Click Save and export your new video file.
4. QuickTime has limited video editing features, including trimming, splitting, and rearranging clips however you want. It has no transitions or other effects to spruce up the video’s appearance.

How to Edit Videos in General

We’ll share with you the basic steps on how to edit videos in most software (mostly iMovie), including how to add captions and sounds:

Gather Media 

You can either AirDrop media files to your Mac, save them in a Drive, or send them via email. When using iMovie, you’ll be asked if you want to grant access to your computer’s video and photo library. We recommend doing so as it’s an easy way to get files into the app.

Launch the Video Editing Software 

Open your software, and you’ll be prompted to create a new project or open an existing one. In this case, we will create a new one. Give your project a name and title to easily find when you’ll go back to editing it.

Import Media 

Once you have your project set up, import media by either selecting “File > Open” or dragging your chosen files from the file location to the software.

Check all of your media files to ensure nothing is corrupted. You can also use this time to comment or label your favorite easily takes to find and place them in your final video.

Begin Editing

Cut out and delete your unwanted takes to begin editing, then watch through your clips again. From there, you can identify the “slow” videos and times that require trimming, splitting, or deleting.

We recommend cutting out the areas where there’s dead space or no sounds. It’s usually the beginning and end of videos. Or, if you find yourself saying filler words, cut them out to avoid a lengthy video.

Pro-Tip: You can select the aspect ratio or screen dimension, the frame rate, and the theme. iMovie can automatically add the titles and transitions, and you can edit how you see fit! But if you aren’t familiar with iMovie commands, do not choose shortcuts. Read the iMovie instructional guide before you begin video editing to get a gist of each effect and feature with more depth.

Add FX 

Spice up the video with open titles, music, sound design, and transition, among other fun and additional effects, to make your video cooler.

Note that since you’re still learning how to edit videos, don’t go too crazy! Experiment with the different basic features your chosen video editing software offers to see how it works. You won’t need to use all of them right away, but it’s worth knowing which is nice to use in your video now and the subsequent ones in the future.

For instance, try adding effects, like transitions, to the edits. There are pre-built libraries in video editing software you can utilize. But if you feel overwhelmed by all the features and possibilities, don’t worry; just experiment with them next time, then go deep too quickly.

Add Captions

One of the best things you can do for your video is add captions, especially if you plan to post your video on YouTube or other popular social video platforms.

According to a Verizon survey, about 92% of videos viewed from mobile devices are watched without any sound. That same survey showed that 80% of consumers are likely to watch an entire video if it had captions.

If you will create videos that drive more business and followers, add captions and texts. Understandably, it’s challenging to add captions and transcribe videos, so you can find third-party tools that will help you out with just that, like GoTranscript!

Quality Control 

Before you export the final video, watch it at least three consecutive times to ensure that aren’t any mistakes. We also recommend asking someone who hasn’t seen the video to watch it. They will give you a fresh perspective and critical feedback you can use to improve your video.

Export, Share, and Celebrate!

Once you are confident with your video, feel free to export it and share it on your social platforms! Now, you can celebrate and learn more as you continue video editing.

Wrapping It Up

There’s no need to feel intimidating when editing videos today. Remember, the first digitally-edited film was only released in 1985, which was five years after Alfred Hitchcock passed away. But prior to that, video editing required a ton of technical knowledge and years of learning. Thanks to today’s technology, you only need to follow a few steps, and you’ll actually find video editing easy and fun.

Hopefully, this guide on how to edit videos on a Mac helped you out! If you’d like to test your video editing skills, check out the software you can use for your Mac and follow the steps above. Good luck!