TechRadar’s best video editors 2018: premium editing software for professional results
By Adam Noyes
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2. Vegas Pro Edit
Vegas Pro Edit (formerly owned by Sony) is the smaller brother of MAGIX Vegas Pro. It’s one of the most accessible premium video editors for new users, which is an impressive feat for a fully featured, professional quality editing suite.
Vegas Pro 15 includes a huge set of filters and effects, which you can extend even further via plugins. You can chain effects together, then fine-tune with impressively granular controls. Every filter is highly customizable, but every option is clearly labelled and easy for even beginners to understand. For example, clicking the ‘Video FX’ tab above the timeline gives you a convenient animated preview demonstrating each preset before you apply it.
Every aspect of Vegas Pro’s interface and toolset has been carefully considered with accessibility in mind; for every advanced control, there’s an automatic or preset equivalent.
Vegas Pro Edit is also one of the most affordable premium video editors available; at the time of writing it’s available for a one-off fee of US$299 (£224, AU$399). Other payment options are available.
Vegas Pro Edit is only available for 64-bit Windows systems, but that’s pretty much its only drawback.
4. HitFilm Pro
HitFilm Pro is a premium video editor that’s a firm favourite with fanfilm makers – and with good reason. It’s packed with tools for creating stunning special effects, but is accessible enough for home users.
One of HitFilm Pro’s biggest selling points is the ability to tackle pretty much every aspect of video post-production within the editor. Animations, titles, audio editing and color grading are all accessible with a couple of clicks, but the interface is intuitively designed and never feels cluttered.
Effects can be queued, and drilling down through the software’s advanced options is a straightforward process.
Unlike the other video editors in this roundup, HitFilm Pro supports importing and animating of custom 3D models, complete with simulated 3D cameras, custom shadows and dynamic lighting. There are also impressive particle effects, and superb chroma-keying to minimize annoying spill.
HitFilm Pro will be overkill for beginners, but if you have a creative filmmaking project in mind then it’s a fantastic choice.
Platform: Windows, macOS