

This allows you to create truly professional-looking videos, something you can’t do in many programs.

Two features we very much appreciated were the transparency and picture-in-picture functions. This is another UI feature that technically works fine, but could use some cleaning up. You can also use the option to Set Block Order, which will re-order existing clips. You have to manually line the cursor up exactly where you want to move the clip, then drag to there. It will only snap to the cursor, which also won’t snap to the clips. Unless you’re trying to move a clip to the beginning or end, it won’t snap to other clips. One thing that’s finnicky about the timeline is the drag and drop function. Open the clip in the wizard click your mouse a few times, and it will be properly oriented. If you’re dealing with sideways or upside-down smartphone videos, this is a clutch feature. One thing that is definitely easier with the wizard is one-click rotation. But veteran editors will find it easier to just use the timeline and menus. For what it’s worth, you can also do any of these things through VSDC’s File Sequence wizard. You can also apply transitions between clips, such as cross-fades and wipes. Once you’ve added your videos to the timeline, you can crop them, apply color presets, and trim them. VSDC is capable of any of the functions you’d expect from an ordinary editing suite. Cutting, splicing, and dragging are all pretty intuitive. Other everyday functions are easy to access. That said, it’s still perfectly serviceable for editing purposes. The small preview also tends to lag, because of the way VSDC processes your files. That said, there’s no full-screen preview. As you move the cursor along the timeline, this panel will show you whatever is on the screen. It can capture videos from YouTube, Facebook, and other popular sites, and save them in a usable format.Īs you’re editing, you’ll see a preview panel above the timeline.
#VSDC FREE VIDEO EDITOR REVIEW SOFTWARE#
To do that, you’ll need software like the 4K Video Downloader. One thing you won’t be able to do is capture video from the web. The menu is locked so sprites and shapes are at the top you have to scroll down to get to your videos. This is actually one of the less pleasing aspects of the software. Everything you import will be displayed in a menu to the left. You can also import pictures to create a slideshow, or to incorporate into a video clip. To create a new project, you can either import video or capture video, or by creating a blank project.

For example, you can create shortcuts to the functions you personally use the most. You can customize these as you gain familiarity with the program. Within each mode, there’s a different set of buttons and options. These include Activation, Edit, Editor, Export, Projects, Scenes, Tools, and View modes. Using the top menu, you can switch the toolbar ribbon between a variety of submenus. If you’re already familiar with Adobe or Corel, expect the control scheme to be noticeably less efficient. But it makes for a steep learning curve that can be challenging for new users to tackle. It’s not terrible use the software enough, and you’ll get used to where everything is. For example, you might have to right click a button, go to a submenu, and click a check box. It looks nice, but it can be tough to find various tools and features. This gives you a lot more flexibility than you get with a single-track timeline.Īt the same time, the interface can be a bit tricky to get used to. In other words, different video and audio clips can be combined infinitely. Different files occupy different tracks, and you can have as many tracks as you want. What they mean by “non-linear” is that you can stack multiple files at the same point in the timeline. You import files and drag the clips into a timeline, where they can be arranged. VSDC touts their “non-linear” editing system, but it’s actually linear, like all video editors. After we’ve taken a thorough look, we’ll know enough to render our final verdict. But how well does it actually work in practice? How easy is it to use, and what can you do with the finished videos? To find out, we’ll need to take a closer look at the software and how it works. Among other things, it offers Picture-in-Picture, H.265 encoding, and green screen support. This is a surprisingly powerful program with features that you’ll normally only find in paid apps. We’re about to review the VSDC Free Video Editor.
