No matter how expensive your camera or how skilled you are at using it, your raw footage won’t be good enough. If you want your videos to look professional, you need to install a video editor. If you want to add music or captions, or some special effects, there are some great video editing tools that can help.

But how do you choose the best editing software? We’ll try to answer this question. The best software for any person is the one they feel most comfortable with. Good software is easy to use while offering a robust video tool-set. This requires multiple editing modes. When you’ve finished building your video, your export options are important. The best editing software allows you to export a file optimized for social sharing sites such as Facebook and YouTube. Agree?

We have taken into account all these factors and prepared the list of the easy video editing software.

Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker remains one of the best free editing apps and the most popular one. Its design is simple and all you have to do is to drag video clips and photos to the application and they will be displayed in the order they were added. After this it’s very easy to add soundtracks and captions and save it as a video file. You can also upload it directly to the social sites.

Kate’s Video Toolkit

This software provides basic but very useful editing features. You can trim files or join them, make a sequence of videos with a soundtrack, link two videos with a transition. Kate’s Video Toolkit is extremely easy to use. If your editing needs are simple, you’ll like this app.

WeVideo

Cloud-based video editing services are very popular today and WeVideo is one of the best offerings. You get 5GB of cloud storage plus the ability to publish five minutes of video per month to Facebook, YouTube and another six services. Adding files is very easy. Applying special effects is also simple due to the range of options.

Avidemux

Avidemux is a small but capable open source video editor which can help you join clips, cut them and apply different filters: Add Logo, Flip, Rotate, Remove Noise, contrast colors and more. There are many options to help make sure everything goes as you expect. This app is worth a look, but it requires a little time to learn.

Lightworks

Lightworks has the biggest set of features among the free apps. Its real-time effects, feature-packed timeline, and smart trimming tools are so impressive that the program has been used to help produce top Hollywood movies such as Mission Impossible and Batman. The software is constantly updated. The latest version offers users the ability to edit videos with resolutions of up to 720p, has a modern looking UI and better export controls. All free of charge.

Machete Video Editor Lite 4.2

This is a specialist tool with just one main function: to trim all the unwanted bits out of your AVI or WMV videos. Machete is very easy to use. Open a video, mark the start and end points of a section, then either hit Delete or Save. There’s a small bonus feature: the ability to save video frames as images, but Machete is really all about trimming. And if you have an AVI or WMV to slice, this app is a good choice.

Wax 2.0e

Wax is an interesting video composing tool. It’s strictly AVI-only but absolutely packed with special effects. Wax can map your movie onto 3D objects, create explosive or particle effects, paint over your video with custom masks and more. Figuring out how it works can be a problem, but there are some great sample projects to help you get started.

VideoPad Video Editor 4.10

VideoPad is a powerful video editor that supports a wide range of file formats. The program cannot only import all the main video, audio, image and subtitle files, but also capture desktop activity and record from webcams or microphones. The program’s export options are also flexible. The interface looks much like many other editors, but it’s cluttered, with lot of tabs and menus. It will take a while to find your way around.

MyMovieLab Video Editing Assistance

If you don’t have enough time to edit your own videos, get expert assistance from MyMovieLab. This is a professional video editing service that is available 24/7! We’ll edit your videos according to your personal suggestions. Don’t worry about the visual effects, adding music and images – MyMovieLab will do it for you!