3D capabilities help Sony's consumer-grade video editing software to stand out, and the precise editing and solid rendering speed make this an excellent option for consumers. Other features include YouTube sharing, DVD and Blu-Ray compatibilities, and an excellent Picture in Picture preview. The downside? The interface feels a little outdated, and definitely seems like a watered-down version of Sony's Pro software, as opposed to a product developed with the consumer's needs in mind. Price: $39.99. As the industry leader in video editing, Adobe Premiere Pro CC comes with a redesigned timeline and Paste Effects, which allows you to copy and paste the effects you need from one clip to another, making your editing faster and more efficient. Other new features include new sync settings, the ability to browse through your projects to find and combine clips faster, closed captioning features and improved multicam editing.

And as part of the Creative Cloud, it’s backed by the Adobe Creative Suite, integrated with and can be synced across multiple workstations. Price: $49.99 per month. Avid Media Composer's latest version comes with a wealth of new and improved features, such as accelerated high-res-to-HD workflows and automated media management to handle background media tasks while you focus on your creative vision. The $999 price tag is steep for amateurs, but worth it if you're looking for a professional-grade software. As the editing software of choice for summer blockbusters like Star Trek and The Great Gatsby, Avid Media Composer 7 can handle any editing challenge with ease. See also: As with any software, it's best to consider which features you'll need before you make a purchase. Small business owners or designers who want to create videos for professional use will have very different needs than consumers editing their home videos.

Be realistic about what you'll use, so you don't end up paying for software you don't need. You'll also want to consider which video formats you'll be shooting in, and therefore what the software's formatting capabilities are. This is important, as not all raw footage will work with every program. Do your homework before clicking 'buy.' Finally, you'll want to pay attention to sharing capabilities.

In the past, you only needed to worry about saving your videos to a DVD or a highly compressed video file, but the rise of and has resulted in new sharing options. If you're looking to share your videos to your social network, make sure that your software is capable of doing so. Our picks for the best video editing software on the market are in the gallery above, from beginners' options such as to the creative powerhouse that is the. You'll find software for any level of expertise and interest.

Don't see your favorite software here, or use one of these and love it? Share your recommendations in the comments section below. Editor's note: The original article has been updated to reflect a more comprehensive list of software platforms. Homepage image: Flickr, Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.

Dec 22, 2018 - It'll happily output in a format and resolution suitable for YouTube. Another professional video editor that's free to install on your Mac. May 16, 2018  So this first editing software is for mac, called iMovie. It is a basic video editor that is also 100% free and can be downloaded from the app store.