Editing isn’t just about cutting the footage anymore. Titles, graphics, music, sound effects and animations are in almost every video we see on the internet. But you don’t have to learn all of these skills yourself to create awesome videos.
Here are some of the tools I use and recommend to beginner and even advanced creators to add some finesse and final touches to video projects.
Premiere Rush
The first step is finding video editing software that works for you.
Premiere Rush is available for smartphone, tablet or desktop computers with all the capabilities to add title, graphics, adjust colour and edit audio.
A more compact program than the full Premiere Pro (which I use for all my video projects) it’s great for quick edits and beginner creators.
Rush is available on a subscription plan for about $15/month. You can try it for free and export up to 3 videos before it will prompt you to sign up for the paid plan.
Wondershare Filmora
Wondershare’s Filmora X and Filmora Pro are easy-to-use desktop editing programs with inbuilt effects, transitions and editing features.
The main difference between the two programs is the level of control you have over your edit. Filmora Pro has more advanced editing options including audio compression and noise reduction, motion tracking, masking and more advanced colour grading capabilites.
Depending on the level of intricacy you’re looking for in your edit will determine which version is right for you.
Storyblocks Audio
I use Storyblocks Audio to find music and sound effects for the majority of my videos.
You can apply filters to search for the mood, genre and instrument you’re looking for and also search for specific keywords to find the right track to suit your video.
You can choose either an individual license or a business license and you have unlimited downloads that are yours to use for life.
The right music can do so much to help you engage your viewers with your message.
Of course, there are thousands of people using platforms like Storyblocks and other royalty-free music sites to source for sounds. So to find something hopefully a bit unique I get quite specific with my filters and I also sometimes skip the first hundred tracks or so that have probably been downloaded hundreds of times before.
Viddyoze
If you’d like to add personalised animated titles, transitions and graphics to your videos have a look at Viddyoze.com
You can sign up for a one-off payment lifetime plan which gives you access to the first tier of animated templates, or access hundreds of additional templates by choosing a subscription plan.
Each template allows you to customise it by adding your logo or changing the colours or text to create an on-brand animation.
Artgrid.io
Every time a new image appears on screen our brains refresh. Viewership and retention increase when there’s more happening in a video – as long as the topic is engaging as well.
You can add more interest and even demonstrate talking points by adding some b-roll to your videos. I use Artgrid.io because I can download unlimited clips under my subscription.
You can either choose a ‘Creator 4K+’ plan to download ready to use clips or a ‘Pro Raw/Log’ plan to download less compressed files for more colour grading capabilites.
Rev.com
Captions are becoming a crucial part of a video’s success. Caption auto-generation has come a long way, but it doesn’t always get it right.
It can look unprofessional to have spelling and grammar mistakes in your captions and it can be off-putting for your audience.
At this point in time, Rev.com offers transcriptions for $1.25 USD per minute of video. Most hosting and streaming platforms allow you to upload a closed caption file when you upload your video.
If you’d like to read more about the benefits of captions check out this post.
I hope these tools help you to up your video editing game. If you’re not sure where to upload your videos when you’re ready to share them check out this post comparing YouTube and Vimeo.
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