How To Edit Youtube Videos on a Budget

Are you planning on starting a Youtube channel? Perhaps you’re a gamer who wants to share your gameplay on Youtube or a vlogger who films his travel trips abroad. Whatever kinds of videos you’d like to upload, you must edit them first before posting them on Youtube. But we all know that editing videos can be a tedious job. In fact, it’s really hard to do if you don’t have the skills and the right tools. 

Today, there are many video editing apps available on the web. The professional ones often come with a pricey subscription plan that can cost as much as $200 – $600 annually. They’re also a bit too complex and might be overwhelming for beginners. 

If you’re new to the editing world and don’t have the skills and budget for professional video tools, the following are the best free and low-cost options for you. 

Top 10 Affordable Video Editing Tools 

Don’t have the budget to create amazing video projects? This post will show you how to edit youtube videos like a pro without spending a fortune. Read on to find out the best tools and applications used by many of the best content creators today! 

1. Youtube Studio

Price: Free 

How To Get: Youtube Studio can be accessed through (studio.youtube.com). If you’re already logged in on your Youtube account, you can find it in the top right corner by clicking your profile photo and choosing it from the drop-down menu. 

Youtube Studio is Youtube’s channel management tool which you can access through your Youtube channel. It provides you with basic video editing tools to help you polish your video before posting them. 

Aside from editing videos, you can also manage your live streams, see your analytics, and even use the platform to respond to comments on your videos. You can also manage different Youtube channels using YouTube studio. 

For a video editing tool, it’s free and very easy to use. The editing tools it provides are just simple though. You can add subtitles, royalty-free music, text, and transitions to your videos. You can also add an end screen to your video to direct your viewers to watch one of your related videos or subscribe to your channel. You can also organize your videos by adding them to a playlist. 

2. Apple iMovie

Price: Free for Mac users and iOS devices

How to Get: Go to apple.com/imovie/ to download the app for your iOS and macOS. 

Apple iMovie is a video editing software with an easy-to-use interface and beginner-friendly templates. Despite being free, it can produce amazing results that would mimic a professionally edited video. It might not have 360-degree video editing or more than two video tracks at a time, but overall it’s good for its value. 

The latest version of the app included new filters and 25 new soundtracks. They also patched various issues that users complained about. Aside from effects, it also has useful abilities such as the shake and noise reduction tool. It also has the ‘match color’ option which can make the overall color of the video consistent from start to finish. 

With its clean, elegant interface, Apple iMovie certainly stands out among the best free video editing software. If you’re looking for responsive, well-optimized, and robust video editing software, Apple iMovie can help. 

3. Videoshop – Video Editor 

Price: Free

How to Get: Videoshop is available on the Apple App Store 

Videoshop is a free video editor designed for creating personalized videos. It’s equipped with basic editing tools, filters, and unique effects to create a professional-looking video. The videos you make in videoshop are also sharable on various social media channels including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Vimeo, and Dropbox! 

With Videoshop, you can trim videos or split them into multiple clips. You can also add music and sound effect to your videos. If you wish to adjust your video speed, you can set it to slow or fast. It has all the basic and modern video editing tools you need. 

4. Videorama

Price: Free, optional In-app purchases for features and music

How to Get: Videorama is available on the iTunes App Store. 

Videorama is a powerful video editing software designed for editing mobile videos. Because of its beginner-friendly features and design, the app has become one of the most downloaded video editing apps in the app store. 

Created for editing social media videos, video drama is the best tool for editing short 60-second social media videos. With the app, you can combine videos and photos together while trimming them and previewing your changes in real-time. 

The app has a robust set of features you can apply to your videos. However, there are features, effects, and music that are locked and can only be accessed after purchase. Videorama is created by an indie developer team from Istanbul, Aperto. It was once featured by Apple and was downloaded by a million people in less than a year. 

5. Lightworks

Price: Free, Pro version $24.99/month or $174.99/year, One-time purchase available ($437.99)

How to Get: Go to (lwks.com/lightworks) to download the free version. 

Lightworks is an award-winning video editing software that was first developed in 1989. It’s currently one of the most popular video editing software that’s used to create tons of video projects online. 

Lightworks is one of the free video editing software that is as great as professional versions. It includes tons of amazing features including a project archive, 3D output, timeline rendering, and data backup. It also allows the creation of video content in various formats such as AVI, NLE, MXF, etc. With Lightworks, you can also export directly to Vimeo or Youtube.  

The only thing about Lightworks is that it can be a bit complex for beginners. There are tutorials available but you’d have to spend time learning the app. Lightworks also has a Pro version that starts at $24.99/month or $174.99/year. It can also be purchased one-tome at $437.99.

6. DaVinci Resolve 

Price: Free, One-Time Purchase ($295)

How to Get: Da Vinci Resolve is available in the Mac App Store and Amazon. You can also get it on the creator’s website (blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/). 

Developed by da Vinci Systems, DaVinci Resolve is a free video editing software with loads of amazing features such as color correction, motion graphics, visual effects, audio post-production, and more. Even if it’s free, the app is very powerful and suitable for professional use. 

What we like about DaVinci Resolve is that it’s almost an all-in-one app for your video project. You don’t have to switch to other software for different tasks. It’s currently the only video editing software that has combined video editing, motion graphics, and audio production in one tool. 

However, just like Lightworks, it might be a little complex for beginners. Learning the app inside and out will take some time. So, if you’re new to video editing software, this application can be overwhelming for you. DaVinci Resolve is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. 

7. VideoPad Video Editor 

Price: Free

How to Get: Videopad can be downloaded at (nchsoftware.com/videopad/) 

Videopad video editor is a video editor for creating professional-quality videos. It includes full video optimization from fine-tuning your video colors to splitting, cropping, or mixing clips easily.  

You can also choose from different kinds of video clip transitions. You can also add overlays, effects, and texts. For its audio tools, it has various audio effects available. You can also record your own narrations or use sound effects from their free sound effect library. 

Videopad comes with a simple interface that resembles many professional video editors. It also has the ability to preview clips, as well as show a timeline for your audio and video tracks. 

VideoPad also has options to share your videos with family and friends. There are options to share online directly to Youtube or upload them on your OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive. The app also includes 3D video editing.

8. HitFilm Express 

Price: Free 

How To Get: HitFilm Express can be downloaded at (fxhome.com/product/hitflm-express) 

HitFilm Express is a free video editing software built with professional-level tools for creating amazing content such as films or gaming videos. It’s a great tool for both beginners and professionals without a budget. 

One of its best features is its easy-to-use interface. Whether you’re editing gaming montages or cinematics, it can help you create the best quality video without spending a fortune. HitFilm Express also comes with a powerful effects library where you can find various styles and effects to modify your video. HitFilm Express even has its own motion tracking and animation tools so you can create visually-engaging animations for your audience. 

HitFilm Express includes a free 4k export in all kinds of file formats. There are also no watermarks in the project’s output. Overall, it’s a powerful free video editing software that won’t disappoint! 

Other Important Tips in Editing Videos

While it’s important to learn how to use video editing software, it’s also essential to know the best practices to keep in mind while you’re creating content and editing your videos. Here are simple but key factors on how to edit youtube videos for more traffic:

Create Good Thumbnails. Thumbnails are the first thing your audience will see when they browse your channel. Capture their interest by creating engaging and eye-catching thumbnails. 

Use images, texts, and music properly. If you want your viewers to keep watching your content, you need to complement your videos with fun images, texts, and music. Make sure that they all blend well together. 

Have an editing style. If you’d like to be remembered and your videos re-watched, you have to keep a style that’s unique and you can apply to almost all your videos. This means consistently editing your videos using the same thumbnail style, music, or transitions. 

Conclusion

Editing is one of the most important parts of video production. It’s crucial in the process of creating an engaging, polished, and successful Youtube video. That said, there are many low-cost budget video editors today so there’s no excuse to not have a well-edited video for your project. I hope the video editor software listed above and guide on how to edit youtube videos can help you create the perfect video for your next project!