Movie Editing Software
Are you interested in learning more about movie editing software? Video editing, color correction, sound mixing, and other post-production tasks are made easier with the right tools. But what do professionals use to create a great video?
Editing video can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start or what type of software to use. But don’t worry! There are many fantastic tools available that can make a filmmaker’s job easier. Different tools are popular among amateurs, semi-professional and professional editors. Two of the most renowned and widely used post-production software are from brands: Adobe and Apple’s Final Cut Pro.
In this article, we’ll provide an in-depth look at ten (10) types of editing software used by today’s top filmmakers for their fast and efficient workflow so you can pick the most suitable one for your production needs.
Premiere Pro is one of Hollywood’s most widely used video editing programs. Adobe offers a comprehensive video editing suite that provides color correction, titles, audio graphics, video, and other features. Through its artificial intelligence (AI), Sensei, it detects and balances the light around actors’ faces.
A comprehensive toolkit and all the features necessary for video editing are included with Adobe Premiere. You should consider this product if you want to create a crisp and sleek video. It features a user-friendly interface and several top-notch features. Both novices and seasoned Hollywood movie directors can benefit from this software. It is easy to use and has plenty of tutorials and guides to assist you.
This software has edited several Hollywood movies, including Deadpool, The Florida Project, Gone Girl, and Act of Valor.
The Pro plan is priced at $20.99 and includes a free trial.
Final Cut Pro
Apple’s Final Cut Pro is an excellent video editor often used in Hollywood movies. Similarly to Adobe Premiere, this program offers a complete set of features for big and small-budget movie releases.
Hollywood movies such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and The Social Network, among others, have used it to refine their scripts. It is easy to use because of its streamlined interface.
It is well suited to the Apple ecosystem and is optimized for the Mac Pro. It includes advanced features such as effect options, a magnetic timeline, smart conform cropping, noise reduction, multi-cam editing, detailed color correction, and 360-degree VR support.
With its metal engine, it can easily edit large and complex projects. Your 4K project can be edited without experiencing any lag. It manages video footage at high speeds regardless of the frame rate’s height or the frame’s size.
Its pricing structure features a one-time payment option of $299.99 and a 90-day free trial to help you decide if it is for you.
Avid Media Composer
Netflix uses Avid Media Composer extensively. It provides video editors with the flexibility and creative freedom, next-generation toolset, and intuitive user interface they require to make their films stand out.
Avid is one of the most popular programs for professional movie editors. In addition to Oceans 9, Jurassic World, Wonder Woman, Superman Returns, and other prominent films, this technique has been used to polish TV shows, movies, and advertising commercials.
It offers high-end video editing tools for fine-tuning any video’s look, including adding titles and correcting colors. The audio editing tools provided by this software are among the best in the industry. In contrast to other programs, editors can easily send audio to sound engineers.
With its free version, you can begin editing immediately. There is no charge for editing eight audio tracks and four video tracks. There are two pricing plans available: the Media Composer plan at $23.99 and the Media Composer Ultimate plan at $49.99.
The Foundry Nuke
This is the industry-standard 3D compositing tool that you are looking for. Almost all Hollywood films and television shows use Foundry Nuke.
Among its features are advanced editing and review tools and node-based video compositing tools. Furthermore, editors can collaborate on workflows and achieve quality results with the flexibility they need.
Nuke provides features such as an editorial timeline, finishing, visual effects, color correction, playback in 4K, effects, conforming, compositing, and more.
In short, it is a powerful post-production tool that ensures pixel-perfect movies at all times. It is equipped with over 200 creative nodes, a scalable node graph, and an image processing engine to ensure all digital post-production challenges are met at all resolutions and scales.
Artists can work with images with multiple opacities. In addition, it supports OpenEXR standards and technologies such as USD and Hydra. You can rely on ACES and OpenColorIO for color management.
Nuke not only facilitates fluid workflows but also provides features for reusing tools, such as presets, toolsets, and gadgets. Using LiveGroups, you can also parallelize your Nuke scripts and share them with others.
With its Python and Pyside APIs, you can automate procedures and tasks, and you can write your image processing operations using either the BlinkScript node or C++ SDK.
Hollywood movies such as Blade Runner 2049 and Guardians of the Galaxy have been edited using this software.
This tool has a free version, and four paid versions: Nuke plan for $5,518, NukeX for $10,268, Nuke Studio for $11,868, and Nuke Render for $622.
Autodesk Maya
For animators to develop their skills as 3D artists, they need tools such as Autodesk Maya. Most animation films in Hollywood, including Disney films, use this program.
Using Autodesk Maya, a compelling storyline is brought to life through exceptional 3D effects, rendering, and highlighting.
Harry Potter, Half-Blood, Infinity War, Transformers, Iron Man, and computer games such as Prince of Persia and FIFA 09 are all infused with the magic of beautiful visuals.
The software’s features and tools assist in improving movie characters and performing other 3D displaying tasks.
There are three subscription plans available for Autodesk Maya, which cost 246 pounds per month, 1,968 pounds per year, and 5,610 pounds for a three-year subscription.
FUSION 17
FUSION 17 is one of the most popular 3D compositors in the Hollywood film industry.
It provides advanced solutions for 3D, motion graphics, virtual reality, and visual effects. This software has been around for over 30 years and is used to create some of Hollywood’s best TV shows and blockbuster movies.
A powerful node-based interface makes it possible to create sophisticated effects simply by connecting different image-processing tools.
The software provides incredible 3D and VR support, unlimited network rendering, GPU acceleration, and much more. Your movie will be enhanced with stimulating visual effects, dramatic titles, and broadcast graphics.
Here you can create precisely timed animations and create your own effects templates. The animation curve modifiers allow you to loop or mirror animations, squish or stretch keyframes, and add bounce to them. When you add effects or titles on the timeline, Fusion automatically adjusts the animations accordingly.
Various tools and effects are available on this platform to make any movie stand out.
Among the Hollywood movies that have used Blackmagic Fusion are ‘The Martian,’ ‘Ant-Man,’ ‘Red Sparrow,’ and ‘Thor.’
It costs $295 to purchase the software.
Adobe After Effects
Do you remember Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers Endgame’? That’s right, you heard it correctly. Several other Hollywood movies have used Adobe After Effects to create stunning visual effects.
The digital compositing capabilities of Adobe After Effects are well known. You can use the VFX software to create novel effects for your movie or television projects, such as the opening arrangements for science fiction films or the enchantment spells you see in Harry Potter.
Whether it is 3D movement, motion graphics, or animation, Adobe After Effects can handle it. There are several tools included in this motion graphics monster, including puppets, preset effects, built-in motion blur, animations, and an excellent camera for smooth movement.
The service is designed for professional editors and is available on a monthly basis. Each of the pricing plans includes an individual plan, a plan for educators and students, a plan for businesses and teams, and a plan for schools and universities. All of them have multiple pricing categories.
Lightworks
Lightworks has served the Hollywood film industry for over 25 years. It has been featured in numerous Hollywood movies, including Moulin Rouge, Bruce Almighty, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
It is an excellent solution for both small and large screens. You can use it to create incredible videos for 4K film projects, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms. Both enthusiasts and professionals will find it to be of excellent quality.
Despite the limitation in the output format, its free version offers plenty of editing features. Your final video can only be viewed in 720p without HD. Exporting your piece at a higher resolution requires a one-month license.
You can export videos in HD and 4K with the Pro version, which supports a variety of output formats. Your projects can be trimmed and edited according to your timeline and requirements.
The application provides an easy user interface, royalty-free audio and video content, effect keyframes, chroma-key, and support for wide file formats, including a variable frame rate media, Graffiti Pro bundle, Boris FX, and LUTs for color correction.
There is no information regarding pricing available.
Vegas Pro
Even after Vegas Pro was acquired by Magix, its appearance remained unchanged. Various upgrades and additions have been made to the program to make it one of the best in the industry.
It is well known for its clear timeline and picture-to-picture editing capabilities. It is available in a variety of versions to meet your needs. Furthermore, this tool is compatible with a wide range of plugins.
As well as providing special effects, it is compatible with a variety of project files and file formats. It is one of the most powerful video editors available.
If you are new to editing video, this software will assist you in becoming an expert. Additionally, it supports chroma keying, color correction, multi-cam editing, subtitles, etc.
Since it supports a variety of project files, you will be able to use this tool to edit your own videos from beginning to end.
Using its customizable interface, you can create a comfortable workspace. It is an easy-to-use platform with a low learning curve.
The technique has been used in films such as The Craving Heart, Paranormal Activity, Bred in the Bone, and television shows like Survivorman on Discovery Channel.
A Vegas Pro 365 plan is available for $11.99 per month, and a Vegas Post 365 plan is available for $17.99 per month.
DaVinci Resolve 17
DaVinci Resolve 17 is one of the best software tools for color correction and non-linear video editing.
The program has a rich feature set designed for those who wish to create quality, accurate videos/movies.
As you work on the visuals, you can refine your audio. Aside from having access to its professional 8K features, you can also curate modern screen-grade content.
It is possible to enhance your projects by integrating DaVinci with different tools. Video production is enhanced with video stabilization, custom timeline settings, facial recognition technology, and adjustment clips.
It includes a variety of collaboration tools, including a universal timeline for team collaboration.
Team members can communicate using the built-in chat feature. Furthermore, it offers audio scrubbing for Farlight audio files with up to 100 enhancements.
Using DaVinci, you can complete your big-budget commercials, TV programs, and even full-length feature films.
In the Fusion visual effects section, editors have access to more than 250 toolsets for tracking, rotoscoping, compositing, keying, and text animation.
Even with heavy RAW formats, the playback engine provides fast processing and high-performance editing. In addition, it can carry out multi-camera editing on up to sixteen cameras and multi-view playback.
Among the capabilities of the Neural Engine are facial recognition, speed warp retiming, and more. You can easily animate anything using keyframe editing. Its audio scrubbing and pitch correction feature allows users to understand dialogue without having to play videos more quickly.
It has been used to color grade or edit feature films such as ‘The Golden Circle,’ ‘Prometheus,’ ‘Robin Hood,’ and others.
There is a free plan and a paid option that costs $295.
While all of these programs provide great options for creating stunning visuals, they each have advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered when choosing which one best fits the needs of your particular project.
You would also need to make sure that whichever software you choose has all the bells and whistles you need to make a complete production because you do not want to pick up another program just to get a specific feature incorporated. No matter the choice you make, having access to the right resources makes all the difference when it comes to bringing your film creations to life.