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The MacBook Pro (M3, 2023) is arguably the best laptop for creators, offering both power and energy efficiency. However, for you to actually create, you may need to install certain apps separately. Fortunately, for those who don’t want to spend a buck, plenty of free video editing software exists. They’re optimized for all new Mac models, so they’ll work just fine even if you don’t use a MacBook.
1 iMovie
The best free video editor for most users
iMovie for Mac is almost objectively the best free video editing software for most casual users. It offers support for two main project types: trailers and movies. As its name suggests, the former revolves around shorter videos that would act as excellent teasers or social media posts. Meanwhile, the latter offers more advanced tools, making it ideal for longer productions.
With iMovie, you can pick from several available templates, backgrounds, soundtracks, transitioning effects, audio effects, color filters, and so much more. You also get the generic features you’d expect from a video editor, such as trimming, stitching, cropping, and more. When you’re done, you can export the project as a video file that you can upload to pretty much any relevant service.
2 DaVinci Resolve
Collaboration, color correction, motion graphics
DaVinci Resolve is another excellent free video editing software for Mac. While the company offers a paid edition that unlocks the full set of advanced features, the free version can handle casual needs. Through DaVinci Resolve, you can rely on advanced color correction tools to adjust the hues of your footage. That’s not to mention that it supports motion graphics, making it ideal for those who work on animations. And with collaboration support, you can work with multiple people on the same projects, even when you’re physically apart.
With the free version of DaVinci Resolve, you’re getting a somewhat basic tool set. So, if you like the app’s approach and want to utilize its powerful features, you can optionally opt for the paid version. This would include AI editing capabilities, HDR grading, stereoscopic tools, automatic region tracking, and much more. And if you use other non-macOS computers, you’ll be delighted to learn that this cross-platform software is also available on Windows and Linux.
3 Blender
3D support, Python API, simulation
Blender is another excellent video editor for macOS, and it’s available for free. This app primarily revolves around 3D projects, but it also supports traditional video editing. Through it, you can render advanced graphics, sculpt and model objects, animate your creations, track motion, industry-standard simulation, and more. With support for the Python API, you can rely on these tools through scripting.
When it comes to video editing, Blender supports up to 32 slots for audio, video, masks, effects, and more. This should be sufficient for medium-sized projects and needs. You get to adjust the speed, layers, transitions, and keyframes. Plus, you can mix audio, scrub it, and visualize it with wave forms. If you enjoy using Blender, you can optionally support the developers by donating any amount. This helps keep the project alive and free for everyone.
4 OpenShot
Open-source, cross-platform, feature-rich
OpenShot is another feature-rich, open-source video editor for the Mac, and it’s available for free. Despite having an outdated user interface, OpenShot gets the job done reliably, and it’s packed with the right tools. For starters, it offers cross-platform compatibility, allowing you to use it across macOS, Windows, and Linux. With support for a wide range of video formats, you can expect it to successfully read any video file you import into it. Notably, its layer support is unlimited, giving you the freedom to create as many as your machine can handle.
OpenShot includes all the popular video editing tools you’d expect from an of the kind. You get to trim, rotate, and crop videos, drag and drop files, apply transitions, insert 3D animated titles, mix and edit audio, apply digital video effects, and much more. Considering it’s free, it certainly is one of the best video editors for casual Mac users.
5 CapCut
AI power, templates, online edition
Source: CapCut
Last but not least, we’ve got CapCut, a powerful video editor you can use on your Mac, iPhone, and even the web. That’s right, you can edit videos on CapCut’s website, without needing to download its native app. This is ideal for those who are low on storage or don’t need to edit videos very often. With this app, you get access to hundreds of thousands of commercial music tracks, stickers, effects, filters, and text styles, allowing you to customize your project as you wish.
With support for AI features, CapCut can deliver professional output that requires minimal input. These include image upscaling, color correction, portrait generator, video resizing, background removal, speech-to-text generation (and vice versa), collaboration, and so much more.
You don’t really have to pay for a video editor
As our list reflects, there are several video editing apps on macOS that both deliver powerful tools and cost nothing at all. Community donations fund some of these apps, while others offer optional paid editions with more features. Ultimately, you can download and use all of them for free, then delete the ones that don’t match your workflow. You could even rely on multiple ones for their unique features.
** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
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