Adobe Premiere Pro like software in 2020? A simple, solid editing program is what you’ll get with Apple iMovie. It’s been around for the better part of 2 decades, which speaks to its reliability as an alternative Premiere Pro editing option. If you’re looking to simply cut video, add basic effects and transitions, and 4K resolution movies, then iMovie will give you everything you need. If you’re interested in some more advanced features for professional editing features, this one is going to be too basic for your needs.
Ahh, Avid — the one NLE that editors love to hate. I trained in Avid in college, and as much as I hated slogging through the textbook and the antiquated features of the program, I grew to love it in a weird way. It’s incredible at handling feature-length projects, and the organization tools inside of the program are hard to match. It won’t blink at high resolution video, or shy away from a monster timeline. It’s the workhorse of all of the NLEs out there. It’s still the overwhelming choice of NLE for most Hollywood-level productions due to its enterprise and project-sharing abilities. And, I will say, after the upgrades in the recent update it looks a lot friendlier and modern compared to the blocky grey blob it used to be. If you are serious about becoming an editor for a post house or grinding your way to entering the ACE guild, Avid is the right choice.
If you’re working on a Mac and need a powerful video editing program, Final Cut Pro X might be the best Adobe Premiere alternative you can find. This mighty suite is developed by Apple and is available exclusively on macOS. Despite the fact that it can’t challenge the ubiquitous Premiere, Final Cut Pro X is still one powerful and well-polished piece of video editing software. It offers a user-friendly interface and supports 3D video. Moreover, you can combine it with Motion 5 for additional effects. Poor compatibility with Windows operating systems is one of Final Cut’s biggest weaknesses. Also, there is no free version of the program. See more details on Adobe Premiere alternative.
Hit Film Express is a full professional grade video editor which also happens to be completely free. Hit Film Express cannot only be used for your normal video editing needs but it can also be used to apply could video effects. And I am not just talking about your normal video effects rather about the proper VFX effects that you see in the movies including green screen effects, lighting effects, 3D-models, shootout effects, and much more. If your work requires to use video effects, Hit Film Express is the software that you should go with. Do note that it is a full professional grade video editing software so you will need to invest quite a bit of time before you can make use of all its powers. That said, on the plus side, unlike Adobe Premiere Pro, the software is totally free and there are no ads to ruin your experience.
Lightworks is a powerful software that supports all popular formats and can be a nice alternative to Premiere Pro. The free version contains many useful options from paid analogs, such as masks, a vectorscope for processing and controlling audio tracks, 3D video processing, etc. However, according to many users, Lightworks has one significant drawback. Its interface is very difficult to use and to understand. Moreover, you have to spend a lot of time installing the program.