Editing Softwares
There are various editing software options available, depending on what you're looking to edit—be it text, images, videos, or audio. Here’s a rundown of some popular choices for each category:
- Microsoft Word: A powerful word processor with extensive formatting options.
- Google Docs: A cloud-based word processor with real-time collaboration features.
- Scrivener: Great for writers, with tools for organizing and structuring long documents.
- Notepad++: A versatile text editor with advanced features for coding and script editing.
Image Editing:
- Adobe Photoshop: The industry standard for photo editing and graphic design.
- GIMP: A free and open-source alternative to Photoshop with many advanced features.
- Adobe Lightroom: Focuses on photo management and enhancements rather than detailed editing.
- Canva: User-friendly for creating graphics and social media posts with drag-and-drop ease.
Video Editing:
- Adobe Premiere Pro: A professional-grade video editing software with a vast array of tools.
- Final Cut Pro: Apple’s high-end video editing software with powerful features and a smooth workflow.
- DaVinci Resolve: Known for its advanced color correction and grading tools, also offers strong editing capabilities.
- iMovie: A good choice for Mac users looking for a simpler, beginner-friendly option.
Audio Editing:
- Audacity: A free, open-source tool for audio recording and editing with a wide range of features.
- Adobe Audition: A professional-grade audio editing software with advanced capabilities for mixing and mastering.
- GarageBand: Apple’s easy-to-use software for music creation and audio editing on Mac.
- Reaper: A highly customizable and affordable option with a robust set of features for audio production.
PDF Editing:
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC: Offers comprehensive tools for editing and managing PDFs.
- Foxit PhantomPDF: A strong alternative to Adobe with many similar features.
- PDF-XChange Editor: Provides a range of features for editing and annotating PDFs.
- Smallpdf: A web-based tool for basic PDF editing and conversion tasks.
Each software has its strengths and might suit different needs or preferences, so it’s worth exploring a few to see which aligns best with your projects.
The best video editing software in 2024
What makes the best video editing software?
At the very least, a video editor needs to be compatible with your source material and allow you to make basic edits. (Some video editors will even perform these basic edits for you, allowing you to adjust things after the fact.) But a lot of video editing demands more advanced features. So as I tested, I looked at a variety of criteria to be sure I was selecting the best video editing software for a wide range of users:
Basic editing: Every video editor needs a simple, easy-to-use interface for composing a simple edit. This includes easy ingesting of content, the ability to quickly access tools like splice or turn off snapping, and ideally the ability to customize the interface.
Advanced editing: While not all editing jobs need advanced tools, certain projects require things like chroma keying (green screen), object tracking, video stabilization and lens correction, multi-camera editing for quickly switching between perspectives, and color adjustment. I kept my eye out for and played around with these advanced features as I was testing each video editor.
Efficiency: Video editing can be a resource-intensive task, so performance matters. Being able to adjust preview quality or easily create proxy files for fast editing is important. Similarly, I was looking for a range of options when it comes to exporting. And easy integration with other platforms was a huge plus.
Tutorials and assistance: The more advanced a video editor becomes, the more you'll need to tinker and learn. Good help content and video tutorials are important, but so is a healthy community producing YouTube videos, forum posts, and blog articles to help you learn quickly by doing.
Extras: It's not unusual to find integrations with stock video and music tools, additional downloadable templates and graphics, or other extra features that enhance the editing experience, like audio mastering and motion graphics interfaces, video converters, and tools for organizing footage. When available, I tested these extras to see if they added value to the app.
Basic editing: Every video editor needs a simple, easy-to-use interface for composing a simple edit. This includes easy ingesting of content, the ability to quickly access tools like splice or turn off snapping, and ideally the ability to customize the interface.
Advanced editing: While not all editing jobs need advanced tools, certain projects require things like chroma keying (green screen), object tracking, video stabilization and lens correction, multi-camera editing for quickly switching between perspectives, and color adjustment. I kept my eye out for and played around with these advanced features as I was testing each video editor.
Efficiency: Video editing can be a resource-intensive task, so performance matters. Being able to adjust preview quality or easily create proxy files for fast editing is important. Similarly, I was looking for a range of options when it comes to exporting. And easy integration with other platforms was a huge plus.
Tutorials and assistance: The more advanced a video editor becomes, the more you'll need to tinker and learn. Good help content and video tutorials are important, but so is a healthy community producing YouTube videos, forum posts, and blog articles to help you learn quickly by doing.
Extras: It's not unusual to find integrations with stock video and music tools, additional downloadable templates and graphics, or other extra features that enhance the editing experience, like audio mastering and motion graphics interfaces, video converters, and tools for organizing footage. When available, I tested these extras to see if they added value to the app.
What about AI video editors?
There's a growing number of AI video apps designed to create videos from scratch. They're impressive, and there are editing features included, but they're not what you need if you're looking for a true video editor.
So while some of my picks here do make use of similar technologies, it's not the focus of this roundup. If you're looking for text-to-video generators or related tools, take a look at
picks for the best AI video generators.
List of video editing software
DaVinci Resolve 
Adobe Premiere Pro
Final Cut Pro
iMovie
PowerDirector
Adobe Premiere Pro 2021 (PC/Mac) Digital Key 1pc
Lightworks
Avid Media Composer
Blender
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