As internet bandwidth increases, the number of services offered in the cloud increases with it. As a result of increased broadband adoption, we are now seeing the rise of tools that allow you to create video online. These tools let you upload your footage to the site, make the desired edits to the footage, and then download the exported copy. These tools can seem like an attractive option, and for many people, they are. In this post, we'll go over the pros and cons of using online video editing software, so you can decide whether or not downloading a next video editor is worth it.
What is an online video editor?
Online video editors are pieces of video editing software that work entirely in the cloud. Before you can use files from your local machine, you must upload them to the server hosting the video editor. From there, the remote server handles all the hard work of crafting your edited video, and you control the interface right from your favorite web browser.
Although some of these editors are very basic, others include many of the same features you'd find in some of the downloadable video editors that you run from your local computer. They can convert between file formats, apply basic filters, and export to a download or to your favorite video sharing platform.
Advantages of an online video editor
With the descriptions out of the way, let's get to the reasons why you might want to use an online video editor instead of purchasing and downloading video editing software for your PC. Depending on your use case, online editors offer three major benefits that it can be hard for downloadable video editors to beat:
Cost-efficient
Online video editors usually work under a freemium model. You can create simple videos for free, and pay as you go for HD videos or videos with more effects. This is ideal if you are only doing a few videos at a time. If you plan on making videos regularly, you should do the math and figure out which option will be the most affordable.
Cloud storage
While you can certainly pay for cloud storage with a separate provider and back all of your audio and video files up with them, that's an extra cost and a few extra steps. Online video editors live in the cloud, so any video files you use with them are also in the cloud. Since video files are large, this can be a good alternative to keeping all those files around on your local drive. Just be sure to check the terms and conditions for each online video site. Some of them may delete your videos after a period of time or if you haven't used them in a while.
Runs on any platform
While the other benefits had caveats, this one is just a great feature that online video editors have. If you're using a Windows computer, it isn't all that hard to find video editors that work with your platform. But if you use a different system, or bounce around between several different systems, having a solution that can run in any browser is a big benefit.
Why you may want a downloaded video software
As you saw, many of the benefits for online video editors had exceptions to them. Downloadable software such as Pinnacle Studio, even in its most expensive package, is still very affordable. Over time, you could easily spend more on an online video editor. Although many people have great internet speeds, uploading and downloading large video files will still take a fair amount of time for some people; far more time than reading them from a local disk on a downloaded video editor.
One of the biggest reasons to use a downloaded video editor is flexibility. There are lot of great third-party plugins available that support nearly every downloadable video editor imaginable. These plug-ins bring functionality to the editor that can add professionalism to your finished product, make shots possible that otherwise wouldn't be, or make workflows easier. Such plugins do not work in online video editors.
Conclusion
For someone who occasionally works with video, online editors are worth a try. But for those who are doing video editing regularly and want to have the most powerful tools available, downloadable video editors such as Pinnacle Studio are still the way to go. To Learn more about the power of Pinnacle, contact us today.