10 Best Video Editors for Mac

Video editing, especially in professional projects, are typically time-consuming, skill-dependent, and resource hungry. Those features can be more or less daunting if one doesn’t have the appropriate editing software, and given the sheer number of video editing applications out there, it is easy to see why choosing an ideal option is difficult.

Today’s article is a compilation of video editing software for Mac users that are suitable for different project types ranging from beginner to professional. Some of them are aimed at beginners for typical operations such as trimming, playback management, and screen filtering.

Others are more advanced with multiple monitor support, advanced colour grading, animations, and audio mixing. What’s common to all of them is that they are free.

1. iMovie

iMovie is the free linear video editing application available for all macOS and iOS users. It is designed for quickly creating videos using a simplified timeline editor.

It is optimized for green screen and 4k video compositing and offers features such as motion graphics e.g. travel maps and 3D globes, motion effects, animated drop zones for Hollywood-style trailers, etc.

Feature Highlights

  • Linear video editing
  • Drag and drop
  • Motion graphics
  • Trailer templates
  • Audio and video effects
  • 4k export to Vimeo and YouTube
iMovies Video Editor For Mac
iMovies Video Editor For Mac

2. DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is an advanced cross-platform video editor that combines 8K editing, visual effects, colour correction, and audio post-production into a single user interface for collaboration between professional editors, VFX artists, sound designers, colourists, etc.

Feature Highlights

  • Dual timeline
  • Source tape
  • Dedicated trim interface
  • Intelligent edit modes with improved trackers
  • Speed warp retiming and facial recognition
  • Radio-style audio scrubbing
  • Auto colour balance and matching, GPU accelerated scopes, curves with histograms
DaVinci Resolve Video Editor For Mac
DaVinci Resolve Video Editor For Mac

3. Shotcut

Shotcut is a free and open-source cross-platform software for native video editing with support for several audio and video formats, and a wide variety of keyboard shortcuts for easily manipulating media content.

Feature Highlights

  • Audio and webcam capture
  • Network stream playback
  • Frame-accurate seeking for several formats
  • Tone generator, support for JACK transport sync, video compositing across video tracks
  • Clip reversal
  • Video scopes
Shotcut Video Editor For Mac
Shotcut Video Editor For Mac

4. Blender

Blender is a free and open-source software for 3D modelling and video editing. It has an extensive toolset for sculpting, retopology, modelling, animation pipeline & rigging, 2D concept designing, motion tracking, masking, compositing, etc.

Feature highlights

  • Free and open-source
  • Animation & rigging
  • Rendering
  • VFX
  • Scripting
  • Video editing
  • Sculpting
  • Simulation
  • Pipeline
Blender Video Editor For Mac
Blender Video Editor For Mac

5. Lightwork

Lightwork is a professional non-linear editing software for editing and mastering videos in various formats. It is designed for beginners to easily get up and running with it while housing some of the features offered by expensive video editing software like Final Cut Pro.

Feature Highlights

  • Simple and intuitive user interface
  • Timeline editing and trimming
  • Audio and video FX presets
  • Royalty-free audio and video content
  • Lo-Res Proxy workflows for 4K
  • Export videos for YouTube, Vimeo, SD/HD, up to 4K
Lightworks Video Editor For Mac
Lightworks Video Editor For Mac

6. HitFilm Express

HitFilm Express features professional-grade VFX tools and video editing options for manipulating videos, creating films, or gaming videos. It is specially designed to be used by beginners and video editors without a budget.

Feature Highlights

  • Unlimited tracks and transitions
  • 410+ effects and presets
  • 2D and 3D compositing
  • Mask editing and rendering
  • Intelligent search
  • Adaptive trimmer
  • Picture in picture
  • 3D camera projection
HitFilm Express Video Editor For Mac
HitFilm Express Video Editor For Mac

7. KdenLive

KdenLive is a Qt and KDE framework-powered video editing software designed to provide a free solution for basic and professional video editing projects. It boasts a robust feature set that allows users to create professional-grade video projects.

Feature Highlights

  • Free and open-source
  • Multi-track video editing
  • Configurable user interface and shortcuts
  • Audio and video scopes
  • 2D titler
  • Proxy editing
  • Automatic backup
  • Keyframeable effects
KdenLive Video Editor For Mac
KdenLive Video Editor For Mac

8. HyperEngine AV

HyperEngine AV is an award-winning video editing application that enables users to capture, arrange, edit, and process video, audio, and text in a trackless, free-form document in order to create movies and slideshows.

Feature Highlights

  • Free and open-source
  • Non-linear video editing
  • Realtime video processing
  • Still-capture video editing
HyperEngine AV Video Editor For Mac
HyperEngine AV Video Editor For Mac

9. Openshot

Openshot is a free and open-source video editor built with the aim of providing users with an accessible application that supports several formats, unlimited audio & video tracks, animation keyframes, etc.

Feature Highlights:

  • Powerful curve-based keyframe animations
  • Cross-platform video editing
  • Unlimited tracks/layers
  • 3D animated titles and effects
  • Video transitions
  • Frame accuracy
  • Audio mixing and editing
Openshot Video Editor For Mac
Openshot Video Editor For Mac

10. Avidemux

Avidemux is a simple video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering, and encoding tasks with support for many file types including DVD compatible MPEG files, AVI, ASF, MP4, and other codecs.

Feature Highlights

  • Free and open-source
  • Simple UI
  • Colour filters
  • Customizable options for output, audio, display, hardware acceleration, threading, etc.
  • Video filter manager
Avidemux Video Editor For Mac
Avidemux Video Editor For Mac

Now that you know the best options available for your macOS setup, pick the ones that appeal to you and dig more into their feature list to conclude on which of them is perfect for your video project.

Are there other free video editing software for Mac users that you will like to see added to the list? Make your suggestions and tell us what makes them special below.

Divine Okoi is a cybersecurity postgrad with a passion for the open-source community. With 700+ articles covering different topics in IT, you can always trust him to inform you about the coolest tech.

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