Need to edit video on Mac? Whether you’re a pro content creator or just getting started or need to make videos at work or home, the right video editing software for your Mac can make a world of difference.
Apple itself has long been at the forefront of producing excellent video editing software, with Final Cut Pro for professionals and iMovie for consumers, but there are plenty of capable third-party Mac video editors, too.
But all is not lost. There's a selection of capable, free video editing apps for Mac to sink your teeth into. Some are made for beginners, while others will satisfy seasoned video editors thanks to the impressive feature sets on offer.
Here is the list of the best video editing software for Mac to suit varied needs.
1. iMovie
iMove is a free, consumer-grade video editing software for Mac computers. It's well-optimized for Apple hardware and suitable for most personal projects.
iMovie is free for anyone who owns a Mac. Plus, the iOS version is free for all iPhone and iPad owners. The software targets consumers who want to quickly create videos with footage stored in their Photos library. To facilitate this, iMovie uses a simplified timeline editor that doesn't allow for multi-track editing.
Despite the linear editing and basic UI, iMovie is a highly optimized application that can handle 4K video and green screen compositing. It lets you generate titles, drag-and-drop transitions, and add motion graphics like 3D globes or travel maps. It also supports picture-in-picture video and slow-motion/fast-forward effects.
The app has built-in music and sound effects that are ready to go. It can generate Hollywood-style trailers using footage that you supply. Additionally, the app allows you to export directly to YouTube and Vimeo at up to 4K resolution. So, if you were looking for an all-in-one, free video editor for your Mac that's simple to use, this is it.
Price: Free
2. Filmora
Filmora is one of the finest video editing software for Mac. Its USP is a simple drag-and-drop interface with over 800 video effects, including professional plugins like OpenFX, Boris FX, and NewBlue FX.
And that’s not it; the software also boasts some amazing features like speech-to-text, speed ramping, auto reframing, audio ducking, color tuning, video stabilizing, etc. Moreover, a smart AI portrait mode greatly enhances your video by manipulating the background’s depth of field.
Overall, Wondershare FIlmora is a feature-packed video editor. Yes, you might find a few features missing. But its user-friendliness makes it perfect for beginners and my favorite pick of them all.
Price: Free with in-app purchases
3. DaVince Resolve
A powerful, professional-grade video editor that unfortunately lacks the color-grading tools the developers are famous for.
The Studio version of DaVinci Resolve costs $295, but the basic version is completely free, which still includes the same high-quality image-processing abilities as the pricier version. You get a powerful video editor, some of the best color correction capabilities around, and even support for external hardware panels to enable faster editing.
There are limitations, of course. The main one is that Resolve can only output in SD, HD, or Ultra HD, although that is likely more than enough for most users. Also, the app places limits on some advanced grading and tracking tools. However, these restrictions are mainly in place to convince professional users to upgrade.
This is the best video editing software for Mac when it comes to color and audio tools.
Price: Free
4. Adobe Premier Pro
This is a top video editing software for Mac from a reputed brand like Adobe has everything that most users are looking for. It can edit 8K and virtual reality content, making it unique and one of a kind in the segment.
Since it’s an Adobe product, it works with Photoshop, After Effects, Adobe Audition and others. The Adobe Premiere Pro has been used to edit feature films, such as Deadpool, Gone Girl, Terminator Dark Fate and many more.
Price: $20.99/Month
5. Movavi Video Editor
This video maker combines an easy-to-use interface with professional editing options. Whether you need to replace the background of your video with the Chroma key tool, add animation, adjust the brightness and saturation of your video, or edit the audio track – Video Editor Plus by Movavi will work perfectly.
Other options of this free video editor include cutting and cropping videos, adding filters to them, video merger, slideshow maker, and many others. Besides these, the program offers a built-in library of effects: music, backgrounds, titles, transitions, and stickers. If you want to turn your ideas into engaging videos quickly and easily, you should definitely try Movavi’s Mac video editor.
Price: Free with in-app purchases
6. Lightworks
Lightworks is the perfect choice for those who want to edit videos in a simple interface on Mac. Despite the simplicity of the interface, the software doesn’t compromise the quality of output.
The free version includes video effects, multi-cam editing, titling, and the usual multi-layered timeline approach you'd expect from a comprehensive editor.
It provides you access to a plethora of amazing effects and royalty-free media right from the timeline. This best video editing software on Mac comes with a set of tutorial videos. Lightworks lets you export the content to a wide range of formats.
Price: $24.99/Monthly
7. Cyberlink PowerDirector
Cyberlink PowerDirector is a powerful video editing software for your Mac. It offers easy-to-navigate features for beginners, expert editors, and everyone in between. It includes AI-powered tools that allow you to edit videos quickly and easily by transforming your projects with the click of a button.
When we first encountered it, what caught our attention was the wealth of solid features packed with this tool—most of them available for free.
This Mac moviemaker houses more than 3,000 effects and templates, and to top it off, it has around 6.4 million stock videos and photos. These features are just the tip of the iceberg, as there's so much more to explore in PowerDirector. Our only gripe with it—if we had to nitpick—would be the watermark with the free version.
Price: Free; Premium subscription costs $4.33 per month
8. Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is seen as the natural progression for an iMovie user, or at least those in the Apple ecosystem. Although it's a paid tool, Apple offers a whopping 90-day free trial period. That's about three months, give or take. So, we decided to add it to our list at the end here as a bonus of sorts.
For those of you who are just stepping into the world of video editing or just have a few projects you need to take care of, the Final Cut Pro free trial could be your best option.
There's a basic drag-and-drop space, a slew of editing effects, and a powerful media organization tool with Smart Collections and Auto-Analysis. It also supports 360-degree content and has functionality for the best VR headsets.
All in all, Final Cut Pro is another piece of beauty from Apple that celebrates artists and their creativity.
Price: $299.99
9. WeVideo
WeVideo is one of the best video editing software for Mac for creating tutorial videos. It has hundreds of pre-made templates in categories such as How-To: Recipe, Hairstyling, Online Classes, and many more. This Mac video editor also includes YouTube intros and outros, as well as a screen recorder for training videos and tech demos. Add animated titles and background music, and you have all you need to easily create a professional video tutorial - even if it’s your first time editing.
WeVideo is filled with beginner-friendly Mac video editing tools such as drag-and-drop effects and transitions that are applied with one click, and a robust stock library with royalty-free videos, images, and music. There’s also an instant resize tool to cover all your social media needs with little effort. This video editing software for Mac also comes with all the usual tools to edit videos, like crop, trim, split, and merge.
10. OpenShot
OpenShot is a free and open-source software for Mac video editing. It is one of the best video editing software for Mac for first-time editors who desire simplicity. The clean interface and limited feature set will help beginners get used to Mac video editing without bogging them down with features they don’t need. The interface is fully customizable, and users can choose a bare-bones view that only features the tools they regularly use to edit videos.
OpenShot has everything you need to edit videos, including wide format support for video, audio, and image files. This Mac video editor can manipulate clips in many ways, including scaling, trimming, rotation, alpha, snapping, cropping, and resizing. It also comes with some playful emojis and graphics which can be used to add flair to home videos.
Price: Free
Above are my ten favorite video editing software for Mac. If you want to know my choices for Windows PC, check our video editing software for Windows.
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