FEATURING:
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM YOUTUBE'S LEADING EDUCATORS
VIDEO EDITING
SOFTWARE GUIDE
AN INTRODUCTION TO, AND COMPARISON
OF, VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE
BY STEWART & ALINA CARROLL FREE
WWW.DRONEFILMGUIDE.COM
BELOW: APPLYING LUTS TO MAVIC 2 PRO FOOTAGE IN FILMORA9
IDENTIFY YOUR NEEDS
Editing...a Confession time...back in the day, editing felt like a bit of chore! A
decade later however, not only is it one of the most rewarding
necessary parts of the creative process, but one of the most important parts.
evil or the You see, an understanding of what you can do in your edit
best part of defines not only how you edit but how you shoot.
the creative Everyone's needs are different however, so for some, $299 Final
process?! Cut Pro X might be a necessity where as for others, free iMovie will
more than suffice.
In this guide we breakdown the key features we look for in editing
software to help you identify your own needs and wants. On the
next page we summarise the key features of 6 popular video
editors.
SOFTWARE COMPARISON
(1) Plugins available
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
FINAL CUT PRO X
$299 lifetime licence
Mac only
If you have a Mac and are looking for professional
software then FCPX is great in our opinion.
Thanks to its clean, intuitive user interface, It's
super fast to edit with FCPX. At $299, it's
expensive but includes all the features you will
need for pro-level editing. In the 8 years we've
been using it, we have enjoyed a constant stream FREE TRIAL
of upgrades to the software with no extra
payment required.
FILMORA X
$69.99 lifetime licence
Mac & PC
We are big fans of Filmora X. This established,
refined software is a pleasure to use compared
with more traditional editing software. It's
stripped down enough to be super user-friendly
for beginners yet is packed with professional
features like proxy editing, video stabilisation, lens
corrections and advanced colour tools. In our
FREE TRIAL
opinion, this is one of the best value video editors
on the market.
iMOVIE
FREE
Mac only
Great entry-level software with plenty of room to
grow with the likes of green screen and picture-in-
picture functionality. Definitely a great starting
point for Mac users.
DOWNLOAD
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OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
PREMIERE PRO
$20.99 / month
Mac & PC
Industry standard editor from Adobe most
commonly compared with Apple's FCPX. Does
everything you could as from an editor, especially
considering it's seamless integration with Adobe
After Effects (motion graphics/FX software).
Expensive though and not available as a one-time
payment. When packaged with After Effects it's in FREE TRIAL
the region of $50/month. For PC owners who
can't use FCPX, we recommend taking a look at
the next two options before committing to
Premiere Pro.
POWERDIRECTOR 19
$99.99 (lifetime licence)
Mac & PC
Very impressive software with some of the highest
specifications as you can see on our comparison
charts. Extremely established with a considerable
library of support materials online. 'Ultra' version
with fewer features is also available for $99.99.
FREE TRIAL
Available on Mac as of 2021.
DAVINI RESOLVE
FREE / Mac & PC
Extremely powerful video editing software with
probably the best colour correction/grading
options out there. Not the most user-friendly
software it has to be said but put in the hours to
learn it and reap the benefits. Plus, amazingly, it's
free!
FREE TRIAL
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DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Chroma Key
ONE
Surprisingly simple and available
with most editing software!
Green screen (chroma key) functionality allows
you to ‘key out’ the green background in a
classic weather forecast type setup. It's
surprisingly easy to do if you have a well
illuminated green background.
Place your green screen clip on the primary
storyline and place a background photo under
it on the timeline (see below). Apply the chroma
key effect and the software will remove all the
green pixels to reveal the background photo
Before the chroma key effect is applied. underneath.
Watch our green screen tutorial HERE!
After the chroma key effect is applied.
Photo of Glencoe placed under the primary storyline in FCPX
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Proxy Editing
TWO
Computer struggling? You could buy a new machine
OR better still, save your cash and do proxy editing!
Video editing is about the most CPU intensive activity you could ask of your computer.
Often things start out okay when you import footage but add some effects and
transitions and things can start to grind pretty quickly.
Rather than spend a small fortune to upgrade your computer every couple of years,
proxy editing is a better option. It's very simple - the editing software creates lower
resolution duplicate video files that are used solely for the purpose of editing on the
timeline. Come the time of export, the original high resolution files are pulled back in for
the highest quality output.
The only drawback is the extra hard drive space required to store the proxy files but
these can be deleted once the project is finished.
HEVC/H.265
THREE
Worth checking your editor supports this file format if
you have a GoPro action camera or a DJI drone.
High efficiency video coding (HEVC/H.265) is an advanced video coding standard capable
of delivering high quality video with smaller file sizes. Whilst H.264 remains the most
commonly used standard, GoPro and DJI are using this codec with some of their
cameras so it’s worth checking that your editing software supports this file format if you
have one of these cameras.
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Masking Tools
FOUR
Advanced creative opportunities (but
not essential for many users).
Masking tools allow you to layer two different video files and then cut out a section of
the top layer to reveal what is underneath. Professional editors allow custom shape
masks to be created in addition to the ability to feather the edge of the mask.
Whilst entry-level software may have masking features, it may restrict the masking to
predefined shapes.
Check out this video to see
how we use custom masks
in FCPX to remove
unwanted objects from the
table!
Masking is certainly a more advanced editing technique that you don't need to concern
yourself with if you are starting out. That being said, FilmoraX does a good job of
integrating masking effects in a user-friendly, accessible way.
ABOVE: Screen capture of FilmoraX's shape mask tool
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Lens Corrections
FIVE
Own an action camera? You're going
to need lens corrections!
Barrel distortion (fisheye) is particularly
common with the wide-angle lenses found on
action cameras and drones. Sometimes it's not
that noticeable but it can distort the features of
the face (as you can see to the left) and if there
are straight lines in your frame (e.g. the patio
doors in the photos below), it can be desirable
to remove the curvature in your editing
GoPro headshot before FCPX de-fisyeye effect is applied.
software.
Having lens corrections built-in to your editing
software is much more convenient than
processing the file in a 3rd party software or
tracking down a de-fisheye plugin.
In the example below we used Premiere Pro's
built-in GoPro lens distortions to straighten out
the shot's perspective.
GoPro headshot after FCPX de-fisyeye effect is applied.
Look at the straight lines in the patio doors...
Before lens correction After lens correction
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Audio Equalizers
SIX
It's not just about the video!
Some of the audio effects available with FCPX
Whilst your priority for video editing will in all likelihood be precisely that...video editing,
spare a thought for the audio in your project. All editing software comes with basic
audio control but if you're looking to do anything more creative then do check if your
software meets your expectations. Personally, we have rarely used anything but the
most basic of audio controls with the exception of the following - audio noise reduction.
Audio Denoiser
SEVEN
A life saver!
A common problem when recording audio is unwanted background noise, e.g. air
conditioning hum, wind noise, road noise etc. Some video editors have an audio
denoiser that helps remove these unwanted sounds. It's been a life saver for us on
more than one occasion!
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Video Stabilisation
EIGHT
Turn jittery handheld footage
into smooth cinematic footage!
By automatically cropping in on a video and repositioning the clip accordingly, video
editing software can remove unwanted shake in footage by way of post-production video
stabilisation. It's great for smoothing out handheld footage to give a more cinematic
result. We also regularly use it on gimbal and drone footage that is already smooth but
just needs that extra bit of help to make it super glossy.
Traditionally an advanced feature reserved for the likes of FCPX and Premiere Pro, video
stabilisation is now quite common on most editing software. It's not always a miracle
cure but used correctly, it's one of the most valuable tools in our editing workflow.
DVD Authoring
NINE
Rapidly becoming a thing of the past...
If you do plan to create DVDs of your projects then do check if your software supports
this as it's rapidly being phased out of circulation. Nowadays most TVs will allow you to
plug a USB thumb drive into the back and play video files directly into the TV. We would
recommend this method as the picture quality is much higher.
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Colour Tools
TEN
An enormously complex (and arguably over-complex
topic)...best to keep it simple!
Colour correction and colour grading are
essential stages in the video creation
workflow but they are not substitutes for
filming well in the first place! As such,
please don't get distracted in this
enormously complex subject!
Look for basic colour correction tools like
contrast, saturation and white balance
adjustments. After correcting your footage
you can then think about the grade, or
'look'.
Adding a creative colour grade to your
project is a great way of finding your style.
Our suggestion is to take screenshots of
films you like and see if you can emulate
their look. Are the blacks crushed or
faded? Is there a colour cast in the image,
e.g. an orange tint in the mid-tones or a
bluish tint in the shadows?
It can be quite difficult to create these
looks yourself, hence the popularity of
LUTs, our next tip.
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
LUT Support
ELEVEN
A bit of a phenomenon (or fad you could say) over the
last few years but very useful nonetheless!
Look-up-tables (LUTs) are a one-click way of colour grading video footage. They are
great fun and can produce some great results too. For increased chances of success,
apply to good quality, well exposed shots that have, if required, already been colour
corrected. Below you can see the selection of LUTs available in FilmoraX, named after
blockbuster movies like Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones.
LUTs are also very useful when it comes to creating your own presets to speed up your
editing workflow. Taking our YouTube videos as an example, the photo on the bottom
right has our own LUT applied. Rather than grade each video we shoot, we simply apply
our custom LUT.
After
Before
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Screen Recorder
TWELVE
Really handy for creators but not present in higher end
software for some reason.
Hardly a deal-breaker when it
comes to choosing your video
editing software but having a
built-in screen recorder is super
handy especially if you are a
YouTube creator. We regularly
film the screen when doing
FCPX or Lightroom tutorials but
it's not an option in FCPX for
some reason.
If you are using a Mac then
Quicktime has a screen
recorder but it's one more step
and would quite simply be
easier if it was built into the
editing software. Presumably
perceived as a more consumer-
end tool, this is one of several
areas where the mid-range
software beats the pro software
in our opinion.
FilmoraX features a very handy screen recorder.
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Split Screen Presets
THIRTEEN
Another handy feature not
present in higher end software.
In researching various editing software, coming from a background of FCPX, we were
pleasantly surprised by the number of time-saving features that entry-level and mid-
range software had that the pro-level software didn't. Split screen presets are one such
example. Sure, you can manually create a split screen effect using transform, crop and
masking effects in the likes of FCPX but it takes time and when it comes to editing,
anything that saves you time is only a good thing!
It's also true that the likes of FCPX and Premiere Pro have plugin packs available for
purchase that increase the functionality of the software but (a) the good ones cost
money, and (b) we've added 3rd party plugins to FCPX in the past that have crashed the
software. So for the purposes of this discussion we are comparing editing software on a
like-for-like basis.
Below you can see an example of split screen presets in FilmoraX.
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Picture-in-picture (PiP)
FOURTEEN
ANOTHER handy feature
missing from pro software.
Much like split screen
effects, picture-in-
picture is simple
enough to do with
transform, crop and
mask tools but if you're
doing it regularly, this is
a cumbersome way of
doing things.
Free iMovie has a great
PiP preset which I really
wish they had
incorporated in $299
FCPX!
Once two clips are
stacked, video overlay
settings become
available. Here you
can select Picture in
Picture and position
and scale the
uppermost clip. You
can even make creative
choices about border
thickness and drop shadow. PowerDirector 19 also has a really useful PiP designer. Again,
presumably perceived as a consumer-level feature, whilst there are plugins that can be used with
the more advanced software, it would be nice if PiP was incorporated (in our opinion!).
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Motion Tracking
FIFTEEN
Advanced functionality for
seriously polished edits!
Motion tracking follows the path of elements within the frame so that you can 'attach'
text for example to those elements. In the example below, the movement of the drone
was tracked and the words "Mavic Mini" attached so they rise smoothly on the screen
along with the drone itself.
Optical Flow
SIXTEEN
Advanced slow motion effects.
An advanced feature whereby the editing software creates new frames during slow
motion footage so as to avoid jumpy looking video. This allows the footage to be slowed
down to as much as 1% of the original speed. This effect was originally achieved with an
expensive plugin called Twixtor but FCPX incorporated its own version called optical
flow. Results can be mixed but when it works it can be quite amazing.
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Multicam Editing
SEVENTEEN
Essential when editing music videos,
weddings, events etc.
An advanced feature that allows you to edit multiple angles of the same thing at the
same time. An example would be filming a concert from three different angles. A
multicam editor will automatically synchronise the 3 angles by matching the audio
waveforms of the individual clips. Once this is done, you can play the multicam clip,
viewing all 3 angles simultaneously, cutting between the angles accordingly. It’s a very
efficient way of editing such a project.
Multicam editing is the main reason we settled on FCPX as our preferred editing
software. In the above example, we have 45 minutes of wedding speeches filmed from 3
angles. Without multicam automation it would be necessary to manually try and match
the individual clips - a tedious and time-consuming process.
When it comes to editing, simply play the multicam clip and the 3 screens on the left will
play simultaneously. Each time you want to cut to a different angle, click on the desired
screen and the cut will be made. This allows for almost real time editing of such a
project. It's an amazing productivity gain so if you are editing such footage then you
NEED multicam editing!
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
360 Video Support
EIGHTEEN
Probably the future...at some point...
We are big fans of 360 video and
believe the creative opportunities
afforded to filmmakers are only
just starting to be explored. What
we are not a fan of however is the
editing workflow associated with
360 video files.
Typically it is necessary to edit 360
files in the camera manufacturer’s
app, export the files and then
import them into your editing
software. For the time being, this
remains our preferred workflow
however video editors are slowly
introducing better 360 editing
tools into their software.
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Smooth Time Remapping
NINETEEN
A favourite with action cam enthusiasts!
Quickly cutting from real time to slow motion or vice versa is a popular editing
technique (think snowboarder doing a jump only for the footage to get really slow when
the snowboarder is mid-air).
This can be achieved by simply cutting a clip and slowing down the second section.
However the change in speed can be quite noticeable so a more professional look is
achieved when there is a gradual transition of speed into the slower or speeded up
section.
The screen capture below shows how this smooth transition from real time (100%
speed) to 10% speed is depicted on the timeline in FCPX.
Advanced Keyframing
TWENTY
Manual control over the
placement and timing of effects.
Example of keyframing in FCPX
Let’s say you want a blur effect to be applied 3
seconds after a clip starts. 10 seconds later you
want to increase the level of blur and 15 seconds
later you want to remove it entirely. This is achieved
by setting keyframes on the effect. Typically a more
advanced feature in editing software.
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
Video Denoiser
TWENTY ONE
Salvage grainy high ISO footage.
Cameras with small sensors (e.g. drone and action cameras) are always likely to
produce more noisy/grainy footage than large sensor DSLR/mirrorless cameras. Take a
look at the footage below from the Mavic Air and you'll see an example of this.
Matters get exponentially worse if you shoot on an ISO higher than 100 in low light
conditions so in the event that you find yourself with grainy footage, video noise
reduction can be extremely useful. It's been a life-saver for us in the past but it is
extremely CPU intensive and will grind your editing to a snail’s pace.
FCPX recently introduced their own video noise reduction but this remains an
advanced feature typically reserved for more expensive software.
Lots of noise in the shadows
DRONE FILM GUIDE'S VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE GUIDE
It's what you do with it that
counts...
In the same way that buying a camera doesn't make you a great photographer, buying
editing software doesn't instantly make an expert at editing. The good news is that you
can learn editing skills pretty quickly so be sure to keep an eye on our YouTube channel
for future editing content.
Also, keep in mind that if you put garbage into your editing software you're probably
going to get garbage out so keep building your camera skills as the more you can get
right in-camera, the better your films will be!
Other free software options?
In this eBook we have narrowed down the search to 6 established, user-friendly video
editors that we think give you the best chances of success depending on where you are
as an editor.
There are of course many other options that may be of interest so here is a list of some
others to check out:
Avidemux - Free
OpenShot - Free
Blender - Free
HitFilm Express - Free
Lightworks - Free
