What Video Editing Software Do YouTubers Use? (Free and Paid)
- Executive Producer
- Jan 30, 2019
- 6 min read
Michael Scott said it best: “When I discovered YouTube, I didn’t work for five days.”
YouTube has been around for nearly 15 years, and frankly, it’s hard to imagine what life was like before it existed. The first video uploaded to YouTube chronicled YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim’s trip to the zoo. The video is only 18 seconds long, and Karim clearly did not take advantage of video editing software.
Since then, the video-sharing website boasts more than 1 billion users. According toThe Artifice, “300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. You can watch videos in 61 languages, and [it] is available in 71 countries.”
YouTube’s influence is now at the point where it helps launch the careers of some of its users. Justin Bieber was famously discovered on YouTube by Usher. Even more recently, Steven Spielberg discovered his new Maria for his upcoming remake of “West Side Story,” because of her YouTube channel.
In addition, thanks to the monetization of YouTube, the platform has evolved to where some users have actually made a career by being professional “YouTubers.” After learning how to make a Youtube channel, these YouTubers sometimes receive millions of views. (Learn how to get more views on YouTube – for free!) Some of the videos that these YouTubers share include: tutorials on topics like makeup or cooking, performances of original music and streams of themselves playing video games.
What video editing software are YouTubers using in 2019?
Adobe Premiere Pro
Final Cut Pro X
Adobe After Effects
Freemake
iMovie
Shotcut
To keep a large following, YouTubers’ videos need to provide an optimal viewing experience. Karim’s grainy footage and poor sound quality won’t cut it anymore. On top of that, low-quality videos cannot possibly compete with the abundance of highly polished videos. With the help of video editing software, YouTubers are set up to produce the best possible videos.
The following video editing software solutions have been used by YouTubers to edit their content.
YouTubers make a living from this platform. That means they to select video editing tools that give them the tools to create content that keep their followers coming back for more. The following tools are commonly used by YouTubers.
YouTuber: Jake Paul
Jake Paul is a former Vine star turned Disney star turned YouTube star. His YouTube channel, which boasts more than 17 million followers, consists of songs and vlogs. Jake Paul has stated that he prefers Adobe Premiere Pro for his editing purposes.
Paul's software of choice: Adobe Premiere Pro
G2 Crowd Star rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars (661 reviews)
Overview: Adobe Premiere Pro is a video editing tool with a rich feature set that can be used from anyone from beginners to pros. This timeline-based video editing software solution can work in sync with all Adobe products in the creative cloud.
Features:
Precise and simple color grading to make curve adjustments easier for editors
A sound panel to remove background noise and reverb for clearer results
Drag-and-drop infographics directly onto your video
Pricing:
Adobe Premiere Pro is available at $20.99/month. Try out the product first by signing up for a free 7-day trial.
What users like:
“This is extremely user-friendly software. If you don't have much patience for reading instructions, you'll find that it doesn't take much to put an amazing slideshow together. This is a great software for YouTube vloggers or making company presentations.” — Adobe Premiere Pro review by a user
What users dislike:
“Rendering times are sometimes slow. I would like to know a bit more about how to export for YouTube — not the product's responsibility, but it would be cool it there could be a render option to render directly to Vimeo or YouTube.” — Adobe Premiere Pro review by Olivia C.
Recommendations to others considering the product:
“I really like using Adobe Premiere Pro and I would highly recommend for others to give it a try too. It may not be useful for every organization but if yours relies heavily on video content, this may be very beneficial to use.”
— Adobe Premiere Pro review by a user in nonprofit organization management
Reviews have been edited for clarity
YouTuber: Casey Neistat
Casey Neistat is a lifestyle YouTuber with more than 10 million subscribers. Neistat has stated his enthusiasm for Apple products, and he uses Final Cut Pro X for his YouTube videos (Final Cut Pro X is an Apple-only product). However, he has also mentioned that he thinks Adobe Premiere is a better all-around video editing software but hasn’t had the time to relearn a new system (Vlogger Gear).
Neistat's software of choice: Final Cut Pro X
G2 Crowd Star rating: 4.2 out of 5.0 stars (205 reviews)
Overview: Final Cut Pro X allows users to adjust the look, lighting, and animation of your video with simple controls. This Apple video editing software solution changes the game on post-production with 360-degree video editing, motion graphics and more.
Features:
Video noise reduction to improve the look of low-light images
Multicam editing functionality that allows users to automatically sync up to 64 angles of video, meaning you can edit clips from multiple cameras at the same time
Controls to create, edit and deliver closed captions
Pricing:
Final Cut Pro X offers a free 30-day trial. Once the trial is complete, users can purchase the product for a one-time fee of $299.99.
What users like:
“I like that it's user-friendly, has a lot of pre-made traditions/effects, and the multicam syncing is phenomenal. I also really appreciate the export-to-YouTube function. It eliminates having to export and then upload separately.”
— Final Cut Pro X review by Sara T.
What users dislike:
“A lot of features take lots of practice to be able to find the tool. There are keyboard shortcuts for a lot of the tools, but even they are complicated, sometimes encompassing several different keys.”
— Final Cut Pro X review by Bradley P.
Recommendations to others considering the product:
“If you need help getting to know Final Cut Pro X, check out ‘MacBreak Studio’ on YouTube for awesome tutorials.”
— Final Cut Pro X review by Joshua G.
Reviews have been edited for clarity
YouTuber: Unbox Therapy
YouTuber Lewis Hilsenteger is the face of Unbox Therapy. Previous to his status as a famous YouTuber, Hilsenteger worked at a computer repair shop. After answering countless questions about technology at his shop, he realized he could bring his talents to YouTube. Unbox Therapy shows videos of Hilsenteger “unboxing” tech products and giving his reactions on the particular product. He uses Adobe After Effects to create his videos.
Unbox Therapy's software of choice: Adobe After Effects
G2 Crowd star rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (494 reviews)
Overview: Not only can you create traditional movie effects with this video tool, such as transitions or titles, but Adobe After Effects even allows users to add stunning visual effects, such as adding fire or rain. This tool can be used in conjunction with any product from the Adobe Creative Cloud.
Features:
Created animated sequences
Offers tracking, keying and compositing
Can work as a media transcoder, audio-editor and non-linear editor
Pricing:
Users can purchase Adobe After Effects for $20.99/month. Try out the product first by signing up for a free 7-day trial.
What users like
“After Effects is easy enough for day-to-day motion graphics and titles, yet powerful enough for the most complex projects. There seems to be no end to what is possible to create - and having that tool set challenges me to grow as an artist.” — Adobe After Effects review by Kylene A.
What users dislike
“After Effects takes a lot of research and fiddling to finally figure out how to efficiently use it. Like most Adobe software, After Effects has nearly limitless possibilities, so figuring out how you'll use it in your roll can be overwhelming.” — Adobe After Effects review by Hunter C.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“If you have experience with other Adobe products you will be able to quickly pick up the interface. There are loads of free tutorials on youtube (some better than others) but usually easy to follow.” — Adobe After Effects review by Jess P.
Free video editing software options
Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro X may be among the most common video editing software solutions used by YouTubers, but they are not the only options. Maybe those two products simply don’t fit your style. Or maybe you’d like to check out something a little easier on your budget. Luckily, there are plenty of free video editing software tools available. Some highlights from this list include:
Freemake, a video editing software solution that is free of costs and time limitations.
iMovie, an Apple-based video editing software product that works across all Apple products.
Shotcut, a completely free, open-source, and cross-platform video editor.
No matter which video editing software you choose, you can rest assured that there's a product out there that will make you the best YouTuber you can be.
Do you want to create videos that rival those of famous YouTubers but aren’t sure where to begin? Take a look at YouTube video size to make sure your video looks its best.
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