Making professional YouTube videos is not as easy as shooting the footage and uploading them directly. There’s a lot of post-production work that needs to be taken care of, especially if you’re looking forward to start your own professional YouTube channel. Therefore, in addition to purchasing an expensive camera or a studio microphone to record high quality footage or audio, investing in a good video editing software is absolutely necessary for handling all the post-production work. With these software, you’ll be able to remove unwanted portions of the actual footage, enhance the video overall, and even add animations or transitions. So, if you’re already interested to buy a good video editing software, but you’re confused regarding which one to go for, here are the 12 best video editing software for YouTube videos.

To make things easier for you we have divided this article into sections based on user requirement. You can click on the link below to quickly jump to the section that interests you the most.

Best Video Editing Software for Beginners

1. Adobe Premiere Elements

If you’re a novice in editing videos, then the Adobe Premiere Elements software is a good place to start with. It’s pretty much a stripped down version of the hugely popular Adobe Premiere Pro, that’s much more easier to use, but lacks plenty of advanced features that we’ve seen on its bigger brother like multicam, 3D editing, etc. Thanks to the neat and user-friendly interface, even beginners will find it easy to work with. Premiere Elements boasts features like Guided Edit that lets users apply effects across multiple clips or the entire video at once. The face detection feature is capable of bringing the faces front and center them automatically in order to make the videos more memorable.

Supported Platforms: macOS, Windows Supported Input Formats: H.264 (.mp4, .m4v), H.264-encoded QuickTime (.mov, .mp4, .m4v), MPEG-1 (.mpeg), MPEG-2 (.m2v, .mpg) and others. Supported Output Formats: H.264 (.mp4), H.264-encoded QuickTime (.mov, .mp4),MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and others Price: ($99.99)

Priced similarly to Adobe’s Premiere Elements that we just discussed above, Corel offers a plethora of creative tools that content creators can choose from. The company manages to keep the software up to date, as the latest version boasts 360-degree editing prowess. VideoStudio has a simple, uncluttered, yet elegant user-interface that’s much suited to budding YouTubers who doesn’t have much experience in video editing. The software fully supports 4K Ultra HD video, so there are no complaints in this department. The motion-tracking feature that this software has to offer lets users add text, objects and even effects, that’s capable of following a moving subject.

Supported Platforms: Windows Supported Input Formats: AVCHD, DV, HDV, AVI, MPEG-1/-2/-4, DVR-MS, M4V, WebM, 3GP, WMV, DVD titles, MOV (H.264), MKV, XAVC, MXF**, HEVC (H.265) Supported Output Formats: AVCHD, DV, HDV, AVI, MPEG-1/-2/-4, UIS, UISX, M2T, WebM, 3GP, HEVC (H.265), WMV Price: ($79.99)

If you currently own a Mac, then you’re in luck as you’ll be able to access and enjoy Apple’s iMovie software for free. With iMovie, you can edit 4K footage without breaking a sweat. What makes this editing software special is because of how well it’s integrated with the hardware. The clean and minimalistic user interface is sure to please the beginners who wants to get the job easily done. iMovie manages to impress us with a feature called Trailers that provides you with a template in order to organize and present your videos. Well, if you’re not concerned about that, just seamlessly drag and drop the clips around in the timeline. In addition to being able to create a soundtrack using built-in music and sound effects, users will be able to choose songs from their iTunes library, GarageBand and even their own narration.

Supported Platforms: macOS Supported Input Formats: DV, HDV, AVCHD, Apple Intermediate Codec, Apple Animation Codec, Motion JPEG/A, iFrame, h.264, some, but not all, varieties of MP4, MOV. Supported Output Formats: H.264, HDV, Apple Pixlet Video, Apple VC H.263, MPEG, and HDV among others Price: (Free)

When it comes to offering a simplified video editing experience, “Wondershare Filmora9” is second to none. The software comes with a host of presets such as filters, transitions, and overlays to let you craft your videos without getting stuck into complexities or having to go through a steep learning curve. With the easy-to-use tools, you can comfortably cut, crop, merge or rotate videos. Not to mention, it also provides 4K editing support allowing you to edit and export 4K videos, which could be a big deal if you want to produce high-quality videos that can get the most out compatible devices like 4K smart TVs.

Supported Platforms: macOS, Windows  Supported Input Formats: MKV, MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV, MPEG, GIF, etc.  Supported Output Formats: WMV, MP4, AVI, MOV, F4V, MKV, TS, 3GP, MPEG-2, WEBM, GIF and MP3 Price: Free, $49.99 for the premium version 

1. Final Cut Pro X

Developed by Apple, the Final Cut Pro X is one of the most popular prosumer-grade video editing software that content creators love to use. Some of the most popular YouTubers and filmmakers out there prefer using Final Cut Pro, for all their post-production work and that includes us as well. We use Final Cut Pro X to edit all our videos for our YouTube channel. Multi-cam editing, XML importing and external monitor support are some of the features that you normally expect from an advanced video editing software, and Apple’s Final Cut Pro manages to deliver that. It features the Magnetic Timeline 2 with color coding and flexible lanes that’s significantly fast and easy to use. Users will be able to make use of Clip Connections to add B-roll, sound effects and music to the timeline. The software is capable of handling multicamera projects with automatic syncing based on audio waveforms, and it even has support for up to 64 camera angles.

Supported Platforms: macOS Supported Input Formats: H.264, Apple Animation codec, Apple ProRes (all versions), AVHCD, DVCAM, DVCPRO, and more Supported Output Formats: Apple Pro-res, H.264, HDV, MPEG, and HDV among others Price: $299.99

This video editor is considered as the primary rival to Apple’s Final Cut Pro and it’s a significant upgrade if you’re coming from a beginner-level software like the Premiere Elements 15. Well, as the name suggest, the software targets the prosumers who want access to advanced tools for their post-production work. Just like the Final Cut Pro, Adobe’s top-of-the-line video editing software is used by filmmakers and popular YouTubers alike. The user interface is neat and uncluttered which is to be expected from a top-notch video editing software. Premiere offers the four edit types namely Ripple, Roll, Slide and Slip that can be easily accessed from the left of the timeline. Similar to Adobe’s Photoshop, Premiere Pro boasts layer support, in order to make adjustments. There’s a feature called Warp Stabilize that does a great job at smoothing out a shaky video.

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS Supported Input Formats:  MP4, MPEG, MPE, MPG (MPEG-1, MPEG-2), M2V (DVD-compliant MPEG-2), MTS (avchd), MOV, FLV, AVI Supported Output Formats: H.264: AAC, 3GP, MP4, M4V, HEVC (H.265), MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, among others Price: $19.99/month (Billed annually)

On YouTube, your video’s audio quality matters as much as the video quality. If your audio is not good, nobody is going to watch your video doesn’t matter how good your visuals are. That’s why Sony Vegas Pro has always been one of my favorite video editing software in the market because of it brings enhanced audio editing features. While other editing software like Final Cut and Premiere Pro provide some control over audio editing, Vegas Pro brings a full-fledged audio editor. It allows you to edit high-res multi-track audio to match with your video quality. 

Supported Platforms: Windows Supported Input Formats: DV, HDV, AVCHD, NXCAM, MOV, MP4, WMV, MPEG-1/2/4, H.264/AVC, and more.  Supported Output Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, AVCHD Disc, (DV-)AVI, MJPEG, MXF, MOV, WMV, XAVC, XAVC S, MPEG-1/2/4, H.264/AV, and more Price: ($399 to $799)

What puts “DaVinci Resolve 16” at the forefront of video-editing for pros is the combination of 8K editing, visual effects, audio post-production, and color correction. So, if your need demands your video editor to be efficient in all these pivotal parameters, this one could well be the right answer. Another area where Resolve 16 has an edge over many other rivals is the highly intuitive UI that can enable you to switch between effects, colors, audio, and editing seamlessly which can play a decisive role in amping up your productivity. Plus, the adjustment clips make it more convenient to apply effects and grades to clips on the timeline.

One of my favorite features of Resolve 16 is the ability to work with all the major post-production software packages. Therefore, you have the liberty to use AAF, XML, and even EDLs to move your projects between many other well-known video editors like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Avid Media Composer (starting $23.99). Everything considered, it’s one of the top video-editors for YouTube, which pros would love to have.

After gaining some experience on video editing, you might want to move away from the beginner-level, in order to access a certain set of advanced tools for your professional work. Well, the Cyberlink PowerDirector 16 Ultimate is one such software that can help you widen your horizons with its unique set of features. In terms of performance, this software easily manages to outshine most of the competition as the rendering speed is top-notch. It’s capable of Multi-cam editing and has support for 3D and 4K footage, so there are no doubts regarding the software’s potential. The user-interface is sleek and clean, in order to make it easy for the users to understand.

Although Corel VideoStudio lets you edit 360-degree footage, the PowerDirector manages to take this feature to the next level by letting the users import 360-degree footage or start a whole new 360-degree project, and then add transitions and effects using the variety of tools that this software has to offer. If you have an action camera that shoots in super-wide angle, PowerDirector has a dedicated Action Camera Center that provides camera profile corrections for vignette and fisheye. It even helps in reducing camera shake which is a major plus. Similar to several other video editing software that’s available today, you’ll be able to upload the final footage directly to YouTube. That being said, for an asking price of under 70 bucks, we think the PowerDirector 16 offers more value to the intermediate user, compared to the Premiere Elements and Corel VideoStudio.

If you didn’t know earlier, both Pinnacle Studio and VideoStudio software are developed by Coral. Consider this to be the more feature-packed variant of the VideoStudio that primarily targets beginners. If you’re used to VideoStudio, and you want to access more advanced set of features, we’re pretty certain that you’ll enjoy using Pinnacle Studio. Although the user-interface is not the sleekest of the bunch, Pinnacle Studio shines where it matters the most, as it’s jam-packed with effects and has native 64-bit operation. Motion tracking with mosaic blur, 360 degree video editing, split screen video, stop motion animation, etc. are just some of the features that this software manage to offer.

The Pinnacle Studio 21 boasts over 1500 effects, titles and transitions that users can choose from. If you want to make tutorial videos of this editing software, there’s a Live Screen Capture option that lets you capture the screen, system audio and voiceover at the same time, and later on import it to the timeline in order to edit and enhance it. Users will also be able to combine up to 6 cameras in the Multi-camera editor, which is nothing short of impressive to say the least. Pinnacle Studio’s Audio Ducking feature will make sure that foreground and background sound are always well-balanced, so there are no complaints in this regard. Although it’s slightly more expensive than the PowerDirector 15, we think this software is worth every penny that you’re paying for, especially if you’re upgrading from Corel’s VideoStudio.

1. Adobe After Effects

Being available of nearly 24 years, Adobe After Effects has been leading the market as far as compositing software are taken into consideration, as it’s the most sought-after software for handling visual effects. Whether it’s a YouTube video, or Television show or movie, chances are, After Effects was used to enhance the visuals.In fact, we use Adobe After Effects to make the cool transitions and animations you see in our videos.

Last on the list, we’ve got a powerful VFX software developed by FXHomeg4 that’s capable of handling your professional post-production work. Although it might not be as advanced as After Effects, HitFilm Pro has a lot to offer. The software offers a variety of options like Editing, compositing, VFX and animation tools that content creators can take full advantage of. In addition to this, the HitFilm Pro also includes a suite of 150 plug-ins that can be used for other non-linear editing software. The latest version of HitFilm Pro has improved a lot in terms of 3D rendering, and has even managed to surpass the likes of After Effects in terms of features. The software has a plethora of visual effects and presets that users can choose from.

If you’re currently looking forward to start your own professional YouTube channel, it’s high time you realize that post-production is equally important as purchasing a high-end camera. In order to completely enhance the video that you record and make the content much more engaging to your subscribers, we highly recommend you to invest in a good video editor. Well, we’re glad that we could list out some great video editing software for making pro-grade YouTube videos for your channel.