Whether you’re vlogging on YouTube, uploading to TikTok, or working for a movie studio, we break down the top video editing software based on features, capability, and price.

Overview

Adobe Premiere Pro Best for Professional Video Editing

Available at Adobe

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Apple Final Cut Pro Best for Professional Editing on Macs

$299.99 at Apple.com

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Apple iMovie Best for Easy Editing on Macs

$0.00 at Apple.com

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Corel VideoStudio Ultimate Best for Stop Motion and Motion Tracking

$59.99 at Corel $99.99 Save $40.00

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Movavi Video Editor Best for Fast, Fun Video Editing and Sharing

$79.95 at Movavi

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Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Best for Color Grading and Keyframe Editing

$70.76 at Amazon $78.77 Save $8.01

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Adobe Premiere Elements Best for Digital Scrapbooking

$99.99 at Adobe

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There’s nothing like moving images with sound when you want to make a strong impression. That’s why video is more important online than ever, whether on news sites, Instagram or YouTube. Couple that trend with the increasing availability of devices that can shoot high-resolution video—smartphones, GoPros, DSLRs, and mirrorless cameras—and the case for investing in powerful video editing software becomes clear. The best video editing software works for both professionals and hobbyists. It also keeps up with newer formats and supports 4K and higher resolutions.

More and more, we see features trickle down from professional-level software to the consumer category. Multicam editing, motion tracking, and advanced color grading have all made the leap. This trend is a boon to hobbyist movie editors, vloggers, and even people making videos for social media because the software designed for them simplifies procedures that are complex in pro-level apps. Another plus for people who use consumer-grade video editing apps is that they often get features relegated to separate apps in the pro world, like motion graphics, encoding, and color grading.

Below are your best options for video editing software. Read on after the product summaries to find our guide to choosing the best video editing software for your needs.

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Our Experts Have Tested 16 Products in the Video Editing Category in the Past Year

Vibersol Tech has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test. Table of Contents Best for Tons of Tools and Ease of Use Best for Professional Video Editing Best for Professional Editing on Macs Best for Easy Editing on Macs Best for Stop Motion and Motion Tracking Best for a Powerful Free Version and Pro-Level Tools Best for Fast, Fun Video Editing and Sharing Best for Color Grading and Keyframe Editing Best for Editing on a Budget Best for Digital Scrapbooking Multicam, Motion Tracking, and Yet More Motion Does the Software Support 4K Video? How About 8K? How to Edit Video on a PC Can You Edit Video on a Smartphone? What Are Color Grading and LUTs? Where Is the Action? Titles That Zing Speed Matters in Video Editing What’s the Best Free Video Editing Software? Do You Need 360-Degree VR Support? Audio Editing What About Apple Video Editing Software? What’s Not Here? The Final Shot Compare Specs: Our Picks Side by Side 

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Why We Picked It

CyberLink has long been an industry leader in speed and support for new video formats and effects, and it’s long been a PCMag Editors’ Choice winner among video editors. Despite its massive feature set, the program interface is clear and not as intimidating as fully pro-level software. It lets you do everything from the simplest clip trimming and joining to VR to multicam to keyframed effects. You can get it either by one-time purchase or subscription.

Who It’s For

PowerDirector is suited to serious video enthusiasts and YouTubers who want to do the most with their clips without needing a degree in film. Even professionals may find that it has everything they need.

Why We Picked It

Premiere Pro is an industry standard among professional video editing applications, coming from the leader in creative design software, Adobe. It offers all the effects, color tools, and collaboration and output options any pro could want. Recent updates have added impressive auto-captioning and the ability to edit video based on the text, as well as a new unified Color Manager and collaboration features. The program runs on both macOS and Windows. Premiere Pro is only available by subscription, so the cost is low upfront, but it adds up in the long run. That’s somewhat ameliorated by the frequent and sometimes impressive updates subscribers get.

Who It’s For

As its name suggests, Premiere Pro is for professional video editors. That said, plenty of serious amateurs use and enjoy it. It’s especially strong for those who need to collaborate with others, as well as teams who use Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite of applications.

Why We Picked It

Final Cut Pro has a rethought, modern interface with a “trackless” timeline. An editor who works in this interface for a while will come to enjoy its flexibility and realize that it offers just as deep a set of tools and capabilities as any app with a more traditional interface. A new iPad version of the app (requiring a $4.99-per-month subscription) dovetails nicely with the desktop application. Also new is an AI-powered Scene Removal Mask tool that removes the background in video without requiring a green screen.

Who It’s For

PROS

As evidenced by the number of top Hollywood movies and shows made in Final Cut Pro, the software is a good fit for professionals, but its usability makes it a fine choice for amateur enthusiasts as well, particularly those wanting to move up from Apple iMovie.

Why We Picked It

Simplicity joins a generous set of video editing tools in Apple’s entry-level app. We love the new Storyboards features that helps people craft compelling digital movies, rather than leaving them to their own devices. You also get somewhat advanced tools like chroma-keying, picture-in-picture, and audio filters. Moving up to Final Cut Pro from iMovie makes for a smooth transition, too.

Who It’s For

iMovie targets nonprofessionals like people who want to put together a video of that family vacation or Junior’s soccer match. But its Storyboard feature makes it a great starting point for those interested in filmmaking. Of course, it’s only for users of Apple hardware, as with most things Apple.

Why We Picked It

Corel first got our attention with its awesome stop-motion tool, and then reinforced that impression by being the first in this group with powerful motion tracking tools. It continues to add useful new tools while delivering fast performance and ease of use.

Who It’s For

VideoStudio is aimed squarely at the amateur videographer, YouTuber, and TikToker. VideoStudio is also a value play, with a reasonable one-time license price.

Why We Picked It

Davinci Resolve is a top-end professional video editing program that, while not the easiest to use, has a full-capability free version, making it appealing to amateurs as well as pros. The node-based editing workflow offers the ultimate in effects control, and the software is replete with keyframing, color grading, and audio tools. It renders video projects with category-leading speed (as long as you select hardware GPU encoding), and the company also makes cameras, consoles, and other hardware that tie in smoothly with the software.

Who It’s For

Resolve targets professional video editors and has been used in may top-of-the-line Hollywood productions, including Avatar, Dune, and Snakes on a Plane. But that’s not to say a determined amateur can’t take advantage of its generous free version and go as deep (or as shallow) into its toolset as they like.

Why We Picked It

Movavi is hardly a household name in video editing software, but it features a truly pleasing interface housing all the tools hobbyist video editors and YouTubers are likely to want. Good-looking effects and transitions are included as are a selection of soundtrack music. Exporting is among the fastest, and you can directly upload to YouTube or Vimeo. It’s also reasonably priced, with both one-time and subscription options. Versions are available for both macOS and Windows.

Who It’s For

Those just getting into video editing will appreciate Movavi’s clear interface and appealing set of tools for both video and audio. Everyone will appreciate its fast rendering and built-in uploading. It’s also good for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money on video editing software.

Why We Picked It

Pinnacle is a solid and longtime player in the video editing field. It packs a healthy helping of near-pro-level capabilities into a fairly intuitive interface. Pinnacle has mask motion tracking, titling, and great audio tools, among other features. For speed, this snappy video editing software is among the best. You don’t need to pay a subscription, either, though it’s not the lowest-priced option.

Who It’s For

Pinnacle Studio is video editing software for people who want more advanced tools than the company’s consumer-friendly app Corel VideoStudio. If you need mulitcam, keyframing, and the like, it’s a good choice for you. Those who don’t want to pay a subscription will appreciate its one-time pricing.

Why We Picked It

Filmora is a reasonably priced and easy-to-use video editing app that continues to receive new features. It has nifty features and capabilities, such as color matching, audio-syncing for limited multicam, motion tracking, and speech to text. It’s also a fine performer when it comes to export speed. Versions are available for both macOS and Windows.

Who It’s For

Filmora is for amateurs who want to keep getting new effect ideas for their videos but don’t want to dig into the weeds of a Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. It’s available as either an annual subscription or a reasonably priced perpetual license.

Why We Picked It

Premiere Elements makes it easy to achieve a lot of the effects that would be complex in Premiere Pro. The consumer level program contains many of the editing tools of a pro-level application, but it cloaks these in easy-to-use features and Guided Edits. If you want to have some fun with your video without stressing your brain with concepts like timecodes and keyframes, Premiere Elements is a good choice.

Who It’s For

Adobe characterizes the audience for Premiere Pro as “memory keepers”—those members of the family who want to preserve fun outings and events, spiff them up, and share them with friends and family. It’s also for people who don’t want to pay the subscription required by most of Adobe’s other software, while getting a good selection of the features. The software is available for both macOS and Windows.

Want to create beautiful images but feel like you can’t because you’re not artistic or tech-savvy?

With recent developments in AI art generation, you can now create images from scratch using only text input. You don’t need any artistic skills or experience.

It is important to select the right type of AI art generator to create special, legitimate, and sophisticated artwork.

In this article, we’ll be looking at AI art generators. I’ve tried each tool on this list and will share what I think, the images they create, as well as when each would be best to use.

Here’s a list of the best AI Image Generators:

1. Jasper Art

Jasper Art is the best AI art generator tool. Here’s why:

1. The process is simple. Write some descriptive words in the tool and Jasper Art will generate stunning images as an output.
2. Make art based on your imagination. You can explore distinct art styles until you find one that works best for you.
3. It’ll come up with your image for you. Unsure of what kind of image you want? You just need to write some descriptive words into the tool, and it will do the rest by itself.
4. Originality. It’s the best alternative instead of traditional stock photos.

So if you want to find a good all-in-one AI art generator, try Jasper Art!

Try Jasper Art for free →

Key features of Jasper Art

• Multi-language support
• Templates that you can use to generate art.
• The artistic styles of a photo can be aggressive, monochromatic, somber, or cheerful.
• The keywords can be ambient, realistic, or high resolution.
• If you need help using the tool, there is a support chat you can use.

My take on Jasper Art

The tool is very easy to use and it comes with some great tutorials for creating images. Plus, if you want to adjust the style or mood of the image, there are some helpful presets built in.

Jasper Art AI Images Examples

Examples of AI generated images for the prompt: “High quality realistic photograph of a modern house in the middle of a rain-forest”:

2. Nightcafe

NightCafe is a very popular AI art generator. Not only does it offer more algorithms and options than other similar platforms, but NightCafe is also incredibly user-friendly for those who are new to the world of artificial intelligence-generated artwork.

To create a piece of art Nightcafe, go to their website and enter a text prompt based on your imagination. Wait for 30 seconds. Just like that, you have a piece of art.

The art that is outputted is always original and one-of-a-kind because of the special AI algorithms used. These state-of-the-art software programs can generate digital art from scratch. They do this by finding the artwork that best matches the text input you enter. Therefore, all artwork produced by this tool will be unique and something that nobody has seen before.

Nightcafe pricing

Nightcafe’s pricing model is based on credits. For each image you generate, you’ll need to purchase a credit.

The community offers ways to earn credits, as well as provides opportunities to purchase them.

One enormous advantage of Nightcafe is the free trial.

• You can buy prints of your work, share them with others, or use them to create new pieces of art.
• Helpful Discord community and social features.

I chose the style of “dark fantasy”.

This tool not only helped me produce a second generation of my earlier image, but you can use it for free with other styles and settings. You’re even able to change the advanced settings.

Key features of Nightcafe

• Earn 5 free credits at the start and keep on earning them to generate images.
• You can buy prints of your work, share it with others, or use it to create new pieces of art.
• Helpful Discord community and social features.
• You don’t need to have an account to use Nightcafe.

My take on Nightcafe

Nightcafe is the best FREE AI generator for people who aren’t going to need more than 5 images a day. Best for entrepreneurs or website designers who are just starting out and don’t need tons of images.

3. DALL·E 2

DALL·E 2 is the best text-to-image generator for generating photorealistic images.

DALL·E 2 is an AI image generation model developed by OpenAI, the same company that created GPT-3, one of the best natural language processing models.

DALL E 2 has a unique process for generating images.

It’s called “diffusion” and basically, what that means is, the process starts with a pattern of random dots. Then, it fades that pattern until it becomes an image that represents specific aspects of what it is supposed to be.

DALL E 2 is easy to use and doesn’t require any special skills or training. The expansive composition feature is one of the key advantages. It can make images bigger than what is in the original space. This creates new high-quality images with compositions that differ from the original.

Like with other image generators, you need to give it a text prompt.

Key Features

• Generate multiple iterations of images.
• Expansive composition feature.
• Photorealistic results.
• Editing and retouching capabilities.
• Free trial.

My take on DALL E 2

This AI generator is unique because of the diffusion process, but the biggest con is the potential waiting time to get on the list. It’s not the most accessible option, but once you’re in, it’s an awesome tool that creates excellent images.

4. Midjourney

Midjourney is an AI art generator that’s used through a Discord server to generate images.

If you want to see what an image looks like, you can type in “/imagine” and the AI will show you a picture. If you are specific about what you want, then you will get a more accurate result. But if you are vague, sometimes you will get a better quality image than if you were specific.

Midjourney’s images are so great, that they look real. Midjourney’s AI image actually won an art contest and beat a true, human artist. Check it out here. The main point…Midjourney’s images are superb.

Midjourney pricing

The first 25 pictures are free. Then, if you want to keep using it, here are the plan options:

Plan Name	Cost ($/month)	Fast GPU Hours (hours/month)	Relaxed GPU Hours (hours/month)	Additional Features
Basic Plan	10	200 minutes (3.33 hours)	Not Available
Standard Plan	30	15	Unlimited
Pro Plan	60	30	Unlimited	Stealth Mode

My take on Midjourney

This AI art generator is really the best if you want to create super realistic images. The UX might be a downside for you if you are not familiar with Discord.

5. Canva AI Image Generator

Canva’s free Text-to-Image AI generator allows you to convert text into a variety of stylish images.

Canva’s AI art can be generated in different styles, including Photo, Drawing, Painting, 3D, Pattern, and Concept Art. You can also use the app’s photo editor to further enhance your AI-generated image. Additionally, you can explore Canva’s library of free media elements to add fun and interesting elements to your design project.

Key Features

• Easy to use, perfect for newbies
• Will give you several options of images when you type in your text
• Download and save your image, use it in any way you want!

My take on Canva

Canva is super easy to use and this free feature is great for people who probably won’t need to generate images on the daily.

How to create AI-generated Images using Canva?

To create an AI-generated image using Canva, simply:

1. To get started, go to the Text to Image app and enter your text prompt.
2. You can then choose any available image style, or use the “Surprise Me” option to get a random style.
3. Click on the AI-generated image to add it to your design.
4. You can then enhance the photo with Canva’s built-in photo editor, including adjusting the image setting sliders, adding depth of field with Autofocus, or applying exciting filters.
5. You can also add stickers, illustrations, and borders to your AI image, as well as put text on your image and play with different font styles.
6. When you’re finished, download your unique AI-generated image in a high-resolution image format, or save your design project that contains the converted images.

6. Deep Dream Generator

The Deep Dream art generator by Google developer Alexander Mordvintsev is a great tool for creating digital art using AI. With this tool, you can produce realistic images based on existing images quickly and easily.

This is how you use Deep Dream Generator:

1. Upload an image
2. Choose a style
3. Wait a few seconds for the software to output
4. Boom. Enjoy your image!

The primary usage of Deep Dream is creating digital art because it can use AI to replicate various painting styles from around the world and throughout history.

You can first choose a category, like animals, landscapes, or something more abstract. Then generate an image. You also get to select from a range of styles, including deep style and thin style.

Deep Dream Generator Pricing

My take on Deep Dream Generator

Deep Dream Generator is easy to use because all you need to do is upload an image. I thought it was great for re-creating images I already have and making them more unique. The name really does say it all; in a dream, you might have the same image of a person or place, but it looks all cool and different! That’s Deep Dream Generator for you.

7. Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is a revolutionary text-to-image diffusion model that can generate photo-realistic images given any text input. This innovative technology cultivates autonomous freedom to produce incredible imagery, empowering billions of people to create stunning art within seconds.

Overall, Stable Diffusion is a model that can generate images from text. It is easy to use, high quality, and GPU enabled. There are no limitations on what you can enter, and it is a great tool for generating quick results.

Stable Diffusion is unique because it generates AI art in two ways:

1. Creates an image by typing out the text.
2. Upload an image and watch Stable Diffusion transform it into art.

Key Features

• No limitations on what you can enter in the text
• Generates quick results
• Enhance your image and make it artistic

8. Photosonic

Photosonic is a web-based text-to-art generator that lets you create realistic or artistic images from any text description, using a state-of-the-art text-to-image AI model.

The AI model is based on latent diffusion, a process that gradually transforms a random noise image into a coherent image that matches the text.

You can control the quality, diversity, and style of the generated images by adjusting the description and rerunning the model.

Photosonic can be used for various purposes, such as:

• Generating inspiration for your creative projects
• Visualizing your ideas
• Exploring different scenarios or concepts
• Or, simply having fun with AI!

You can create art, images of landscapes, animals, objects, characters, scenes, or anything else you can imagine, and customize them with various attributes and details.

You can also use Photosonic to enhance or modify existing images by adding text annotations or filters.

Photosonic Pricing

Photosonic is free to try with 10 image generation credits that you can use to create up to 20 stunning images from any text description.

You can also earn more credits by sharing Photosonic with your friends and inviting them to join the app.

If you want to unlock unlimited image generation and access more features and settings, you can upgrade to a premium subscription for a low monthly or annual fee or purchase pay-as-you-go credits.

My take on Photosonic Pricing

I really enjoyed Photosonic’s free trial because I really got to feel it out for myself before comitting. I think the best thing about Photosonic is its versatility – you have so many options and so many things you can do with your images.

9. Fotor GoArt AI Art Generator

Fotor’s AI art generator lets you turn your photos into amazing pieces of AI-generated artwork with a few clicks. You can choose from a variety of filters to create a unique piece of art that looks like a real painting. You can also add frames or stickers to your photos to make them more interesting.

Fotor helps you create AI art that you can then sell as an NFT. You can export your masterpiece as an NFT and then sell it on different websites that specialize in NFTs.Fotor focuses on the NFT aspect of AI arts. After you create a masterpiece, you can export the NFT and begin selling it on various NFT marketplaces.

Key Features

• Easy for newbies to get started
• Focuses on the NFT aspect of art
• So many templates to choose from

Fotor GoArt AI Pricing

Plan Name	Cost ($/month or annually)
Basic	0
Pro	$8.99/month ($39.99 annually)
Pro +	$19.99/month ($89.99 annually)

My take on Fotor GoArt AI

This one is limiting in a sense, because it’s only an image-to-image generator. You can’t type in text to generate an image. However, this makes it a great option for people who already have images they’d like to enhance. The results are wonderful!

10. Artbreeder

Artbreeder is a website where you can create art by mixing and editing images. You can follow other artists, share your work, and remix others’ work to make it your own. There are a variety of tools available on the site, including a splicer that lets you create images by mixing them together and editing their genes.

Artbreeder has a strong focus on community, and you can join a variety of groups to find others with similar interests. You can also follow a feed of the latest art from the community.

Artbreeder is a great place to find inspiration for your next project or to simply explore the different ways that you can create art.

Artbreeder is completely free. The three main features of the platform are that it is free, provides unlimited images, and offers three image uploads. Additionally, users can download five high-resolution images and 600 animation frames.

Key Features

• Build and find a community
• Completely free
• Provides unlimited images
• Find inspiration and learn from others

My take on Artbreeder

Artbreeder is a great one if you’re dipping your toes into the AI image generator world. I thought it was a great one for me when I was starting out because I could find inspiration through other people and see what they were doing. This gave me the confidence to get the hang of it. It’s a great starting block.

11. starryai

starryai is a mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to generate art. Users provide a text prompt and the app creates a work of art based on those instructions. The app is free to download and there are a variety of customization options available.

Key Features

The key features of starryai are:

• AI art generator that turns your words into a work of art
• Customizable models, styles, aspect ratios, and initial images
• The latest AI methods to assist you in your art creation
• Available for free on iOS and Android

My take on starryai

One interesting thing about starryai is that it’s accessible only through your phone. Although I did say earlier this was a con, I do think it is great for people who don’t need to fully commit to AI image generators. I think starryai is great for people who need to use AI image generators, but not 24/7.

12. Runwayml

Runwayml is a platform that utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to help content creators with their editing process. It allows users to easily mask out unwanted elements from videos and photos, as well as add audio tracks and effects. One really cool effect is, Runwayml can remove the background of your image without using green screen technology!

Additionally, users can collaborate with fellow creators on projects. The platform has received praise from professionals in the industry for its ease of use and time-saving capabilities.

Key Features

• Uses AI and machine learning to generate images
• Time-saving capabilities
• Removes backgrounds without green screen
• Collaborate with other creators

 10. Fotor – Best AI logo generator from text

Fotor is one of the best all-around AI image tools, and generating logos is no exception. You get some free credits when you first sign up and can pay for more as you go. Alternatively, it offers premium plans if you will be using it long-term.

It works well for logos because it had a logo creation toolset before AI was even introduced. Now you can combine both features.

Its AI uses text prompts, so all you have to do is enter a description and hit the generate button.

This produces several different variations to pick from, which can then be refined via the toolbar with different style elements and parameters. There is also a shortcut to the original logo editor where you can take what the AI created and polish it manually.

Simply download the finished design and you get full rights to use it for your business or project. Because it’s AI-generated, no other user can create the same logo even if they used the same prompts.

• Get Fotor