Free Video Editing Software?

ttf_Geezerhorn · Post by **ttf_Geezerhorn** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:26 pm

Like a good boy, I did a search first. But I didn't find anything, so I decided to start a new thread and see if anyone has any input.

What I am looking for is truly free video editing software. I want to take an existing non-copyrighted video that I got from someone and clip out the parts that I do not want. That's all. Nothing fancy. Just that.

Thanks for any input...

...Geezer

ttf_Matt K · Post by **ttf_Matt K** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:41 pm

What operating system? What type of file?

Mac has iMovie, which is bundled with the OS.

Windows has Movie Maker, which you have town download here as part of their Windows Essentials. Although it looses support in a few days, that doesn't mean you can't continue to use it. If you have a version of Windows older than 7, you can get their version of Windows Movie Maker although you'd have to do some digging.

These may be restricted if, for example, you're using a windows formatted file in Mac, or something proprietary on the Windows OS.

If by free you actually mean free (free speech not just free beer), Avidemux (http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/avidemux-portable for the portable version or http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/ for the desktop version) might suit your needs if you run Windows. Actually, this may be a better option than WMM looking at it, although I've never used it though personally so I can't personally vouch for it. I can tell you that the portableapp platform is good stuff, and they audit the applications the put on their suite.

ttf_JohnL · Post by **ttf_JohnL** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:57 pm

I've used Avidemux in the past; it's not fancy, but it'll do what Geezer wants with a minimum of fuss (just as long as the original video is in a compatible format).

ttf_Geezerhorn · Post by **ttf_Geezerhorn** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:07 pm

Lol. Just like most OP's, I didn't give enough info!

I use the latest & greatest Windows OS on my latest & greatest Dell desktop.

Let's say I want to be able to edit all common video files, from camcorders, phones and such.

I have Windows Movie Maker and it's great - as far as it goes. But I can't use it to edit anything that wasn't created in Movie Maker.

Thanks...

...Geezer

ttf_Matt K · Post by **ttf_Matt K** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:14 pm

Quote from: Geezerhorn on Jan 05, 2017, 03:07PMLet's say I want to be able to edit all common video files, from camcorders, phones and such.

Common is a little less common than you might think! What is Murphy's law? If it can go wrong it will? If you get something that'll work for most things, I can just about guarantee that there will be something that you want it to do that it won't be able to do. In which case, you'll have to find something specific as a work around. Part of the problem is that there are licensing issues with some of the proprietary formats, so even if you could find something, in some cases it might not be legal to encode/decode without having the software that does it buy a license to do so, which will mean that, unless the developers are buying said license and then not charging for it, impossible to get free.

So if you do encounter Murphy's Law and you can't use with Avidemux for a file, you can, for example, probably use https://ffmpeg.org/ to encode it into something it will. FFMpeg is pretty universal. You could also potentially use VLC to open the file and then save it as something else.

I'd give that a shot and if you run into issues see if someone else has had that problem. I'd bet you can get most of your bases covered with it.

However, Avidemux can do .mp4 as far as I can tell, which is what iPhones use, and MPG files which are what Android use, so you've probably got most of your bases covered.

ttf_Geezerhorn · Post by **ttf_Geezerhorn** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:19 pm

Thanks guys!

Looks like that Avidemux will do the job I want. The first test was a little cumbersome, but maybe I can streamline the process. Anyway, I was able to edit a music part out of a very long movie file and save it. Now I have to go practice my horn!

...Geezer

ttf_Matt K · Post by **ttf_Matt K** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 4:04 pm

Quote from: Geezerhorn on Jan 05, 2017, 03:19PMThanks guys!

Looks like that Avidemux will do the job I want. The first test was a little cumbersome, but maybe I can streamline the process. Anyway, I was able to edit a music part out of a very long movie file and save it. Now I have to go practice my horn!

...Geezer

ttf_davdud101 · Post by **ttf_davdud101** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:58 am

I'll tell you: HitFilm is HANDS DOWN the best FREE video editing software I've used. I've used of course Movie Maker, PowerDirector, iMovie, even After Effects/Premiere. HitFilm doesn't give you loads of templates (you can always downloads loads of content from the net, though), but the editing capabilities are about equal to those in professional, big-box software. Google it!

ttf_Geezerhorn · Post by **ttf_Geezerhorn** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:05 am

Quote from: davdud101 on Jan 06, 2017, 08:58AMI'll tell you: HitFilm is HANDS DOWN the best FREE video editing software I've used. I've used of course Movie Maker, PowerDirector, iMovie, even After Effects/Premiere. HitFilm doesn't give you loads of templates (you can always downloads loads of content from the net, though), but the editing capabilities are about equal to those in professional, big-box software. Google it!

I did. They sure do appear to love themselves! They wanted me to rave about them on FB and prove it by actually posting to my FB. Then they want me to sign up for their newsletter. I don't regard all these hoops to constitute a true freebie.

...Geezer

ttf_JBledsoe · Post by **ttf_JBledsoe** » Wed Feb 08, 2017 9:33 pm

Check out Davinci Resolve. The basic version is free, and it's a wildly powerful piece of software. The learning curve is steep, but you'll get a very powerful editor for free.

ttf_boneagain · Post by **ttf_boneagain** » Thu Feb 09, 2017 4:59 am

Meant to respond back in January, but lost track of the thread.
Family members recommended Blender to me.
Google searches come back with good comparisons on it vs. many of those posted here.
Link to a good article which includes links to "how to" videos for using Blender: https://opensource.com/life/15/1/current-state-linux-video-editing

ttf_Geezerhorn · Post by **ttf_Geezerhorn** » Thu Feb 09, 2017 5:06 am

Thanks guys. I settled on Avidemux. It does what I want. When I participate in a small brass ensemble for a local church worship service, they do a video recording of the entire service and put a private link to it on YouTube. Someone sends me that link and I download the whole video and then edit out the brass ensemble parts for my memory file. I'm building a file of photos, recordings and videos to someday help me remember all the pleasant musical things I have taken part in.

Avidemux works great for that and it's very (for me) intuitive. Easy to download, install and use. They haven't pestered me yet, although I probably should go back to their site and donate some money.

...Geezer

ttf_Geezerhorn · Post by **ttf_Geezerhorn** » Thu Feb 09, 2017 5:06 am

Thanks guys. I settled on Avidemux. It does what I want. When I participate in a small brass ensemble for a local church worship service, they do a video recording of the entire service and put a private link to it on YouTube. Someone sends me that link and I download the whole video and then edit out the brass ensemble parts for my memory file. I'm building a file of photos, recordings and videos to someday help me remember all the pleasant musical things I have taken part in.

Avidemux works great for that and it's very (for me) intuitive. Easy to download, install and use. They haven't pestered me yet, although I probably should go back to their site and donate some money.

...Geezer