When you take the time to learn a software, it is a terrible feeling to realize that you have outgrown it and need to learn a new one
But sometimes you can’t afford a nice one in the beginning
The only thing you can do is get the best you can with what you can afford
There are 9 good ways streamers can edit their videos:
- OBS Studio
- Flixier
- Hitfilm Express
- Premiere Pro
- Davinci Resolve
- Filmora
- Edit on Twitch
- Final Cut Pro
- iMovie
There are countless other options but these are highly reviewed for what they are
They range from the best-paid options to the best free options
When you are looking at software to use for editing, there are two major factors:
- Cost
- Ease of use
You can add features to that too but I consider that ease of use
Features make editing easier because you have the ability to do more
OBS Studio
OBS Studio is a two in one
It is a screen recorder and a video editor
It is completely free and decent for what it is
OBS Studio doesn’t have a lot of guidance though so the learning curve is tough and overwhelming
It is optimized for games which is a good thing for streamers and it can connect to many different platforms
There are some glitches sometimes
Overall, it is a great option if you are willing to get through the learning curve and have no budget to pay for something easier
Flixier
Flixier is a basic video editor that is easy to learn
You have to upload videos to the cloud before you can edit them and many say that it is underpowered
But for a basic and inexpensive video editor, Flixier is something to consider
A big con for me is that it has a monthly cost
It costs $14 or $30 a month depending on the plan (in 2022)
I am a fan of paying more upfront in order to avoid monthly costs
A positive is that Flixier can upload directly to platforms like YouTube because they are integrated
Hitfilm Express
Hitfilm Express is a powerful free software with many features
It is one of the most popular free editing software programs and is highly rated
While Hitfilm is free, you can buy extra features that range from $9-$39 and they will ask for a donation when you sign up
Because this isn’t a paid program, there is not a lot of support
If you think about it, that will be a common issue with free software because the business isn’t making the money needed for customer service
Another negative is that it needs a lot of computer power so you need a nice setup to effectively run the program
Premiere Pro
Premiere is an expansive editing program and one of the top 2 most popular for streamers
It is straightforward, easy to learn, and has many features
While it is easy to learn, there is so much that it can be overwhelming for new editors
This is a paid program
If you want to pay month to month, it costs $20.99 a month with the option to save with an annual plan (In 2022)
Premiere Pro is a highly rated editing software that makes learning to edit smooth and fun
Davinci Resolve
Davinci Resolve is another very popular software with both free and paid options
If you decide to get the paid version, it costs $295
This isn’t bad for a one-time payment and you get a lot of extra features
But as free software, Davinci Resolve is still a great option
Filmora
We use Filmora and we love it
It is the other top two editing software programs for streamers
There is a free version but it has watermarks and is hard to download
There are many features and presets that make it amazing for both beginner and experienced editors
Filmora also regularly puts out blogs and content to help users and give them support
To get the paid version, you can choose a monthly, yearly, or one-time fee
We got the one-time fee of $89.99
But you can pay $49.99 a year or $7.99 a month
As you can see, paying for more time at once gives you a large discount
We love Filmora because it is easy to use and easy to learn
Edit on Twitch
There are limited editing options on Twitch that can get a basic job done if you have to, but it isn’t great
There are not many options and Twitch is not optimized for it at all
I see this as an emergency option if you have to get your editing done and have no other options
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is another paid option that is popular
It can great organization, support, fast performance, and is easy to learn
Final Cut Pro doesn’t look like most other software so it can be a learning process for more experienced editors and isn’t a smooth transition if you ever decide to get something else
This one is for iPhones and MACs for $299
Once you pay for it, you get all future updates automatically
It does take a lot of storage on your device and only works for apple devices
iMovie
iMovie is an app for Apple devices that works pretty well
Editing on a cell phone is never the most preferred option but it works if you have an apple device and find yourself in a pinch
We know that growing on YouTube and TikTok depends on being consistent so having imovie is definitely a nice plan B if you need to edit with your cell phone
iMovie is a free app, but keep in mind that the files get very large and it takes a lot of resources from your phone
It also has limited features
But overall, not terrible for a free app that edits video on your iPhone