Video is becoming an increasingly popular medium to communicate with. YouTube has always been popular, but the accessibility and success of TikTok has led to an explosive growth in the number of people who want to make videos. Growth has been so strong that Instagram has announced plans to shift their focus more towards video in order to remain competitive. Now is the perfect time for those with an interest in video to get started. But to do so, first you need film editing software.
What is film editing software?
What you see on YouTube or TikTok is rarely the footage as it was captured. Instead, footage is taken from the camera and processed in film editing software. This software allows the creator to cut out their bad takes, add titles and other special effects, and rearrange the order that the video was shot in. For everyone from a hobbyist to a professional, film editing software is a requirement.
How to choose the best film editor
When you begin your search for film editing tools, you'll find that there are a lot of options out there. Like any other popular activity, there are tools that are designed for absolute beginners who don't have very advanced needs, to full on movie production companies that need to pull out every stop in Hollywood's bag of tricks. For most people, the best software falls somewhere in between; a tradeoff of power and affordability. The criteria below will help guide you to ask the right questions as you evaluate your options.
Budget
If a given piece of software is out of your budget, then you must obviously eliminate it from your list of options. However, this doesn't mean you should pick the cheapest option. In fact, you should find software the meets the needs below and go with the best option that fits those needs while staying in budget.
Use case
Your current use case is a big part of what you'll be looking for in a film editing software. If you have the most basic of needs, then nearly any software will get you started. If you have specific requirements, such as the ability to add special effects or work with a particular format, you'll need to start narrowing down your list.
Future needs
This one is perhaps more important than your current needs, and an often overlooked component of selecting the best film editing software. As you get more experience and decide to grow as a producer of videos, your requirements are going to change. You may never want to make the next blockbuster, but bare-bones software is likely to be outgrown fast. If you choose software too basic for you to grow into, then you are spending money twice and starting over with a whole new learning curve.
Experience level
This is the contrasting consideration to future needs. Let's say you do want to become the next Hollywood blockbuster filmmaker, and you have the budget to buy the most high-end solutions. If you have no experience at all, how much will you struggle with your new software before you get the hang of it? Think of software used for film editing like a musical instrument. If you are learning to play the violin, you aren't going to go out and buy one from the toy aisle, but you also aren't going to buy a Stradivarius as your first instrument.
Conclusion
For most people, the ideal film editing software will reach a happy middle ground; a tool that's easy-to-use, but powerful enough to fit the needs of any independent filmmaker or YouTuber. Pinnacle Studio comes in three easy to use options that will cover every use case with an intuitive and easy to learn interface. To Learn more about how Pinnacle can help your film making dreams a reality, contact us today.