The best free video editing apps 2014
Best free apps to edit your footage for Mac, Windows and mobile
1/11
Lightworks
Lauded by many as the best piece of free editing software, Lightworks is a fully featured app that boasts a good amount of pro targeted features, including realtime editing and rendering, tilting effects and second monitor support. While a paid version is offered, the free option doesn't lack that much if you're just looking for a solid video tool, though the export options are limited to just YouTube.
Free | Download Lightwork here
2/11
Kate's Video Toolkit
Great for basic video editing needs, Kate's Video Toolkit doesn't really push the boundaries, but it still offers enough to make it worth a download. You can trim, cut and join videos together, add in a soundtrack and then export it in a variety of formats.
3/11
Avidemux
Another simple, open source app that packs all the basic features first time video editors need. Clips can be joined and trimmed, plus you can add in a bevy of filters, sharpen the images, rotate it and more.
Free | Download Avidemux here
4/11
VSDC Free Video Edito
A little trickier to get to grips with, VSDC in a non-linear editor and it can be hard to find instructions on how to use it properly. Though, if you stick with it you can be rewarded, as the app has a deep feature set and some interesting additions. There are drawing and correction tools, filters galore, transitions, effects and lots of export options.
5/11
Windows Movie Maker
As much a staple on PC's as iMovie is on the Mac, Windows Movie Maker is a straightforward app that requires very little editing knowledge. It is by no means packed with features, but it has a load of themes and basic options to mess about with your videos. You'll be able to add text, transitions and music, then when it's all done share your masterpiece with others.
6/11
Ezvid
This is easily one of the best free screen recording apps for Windows that we know of, thanks to a bounty of features and an intuitive interface. With a click of a button you can record, then the Speech Synthesis can automatically record you a voice-over for your videos. Other features include screen annotating, fast YouTube uploading and HD recording. Trimming is also supported, so you can edit your screen when you're done.
Free | Download Windows
7/11
iMovie
While it's not necessarily free to download, Apple's user-friendly editing app iMovie is included on all new Macs, and has been for a while. If you've purchased a new Mac in the last few years, you'll almost certainly have this installed on your machine. While it's no longer as fully featured as it once was, it's a great first step into video editing, giving loads of easy options, themes and quick ways to pep up your home movies. Sharing files between Apple services is, as you'd expect, really easy and you can upload straight to YouTube in a few clicks.
Free (with a new Mac) £10.49 otherwise | Download Mac
8/11
Photo Show – Movie Maker
Boasting a similar look and feel to iMovie, Photo Show has a nifty feature where it automatically adds in transitions as soon as you add video in, shaving time of the editing process. If you'd rather have more control, then you'll have access to two audio and two video tracks, image editing and a host of features, plus you can pull in video from loads of sources, like Flickr and Facebook.
Free (IAP purchases required for some features) | Download Mac
9/11
Moso
Focuses on video you've recorded from your webcam, rather than imported footage, quickly letting you cut and edit short messages to share via social media. Its headline feature though is the Real-Time Recording Technique, which makes it possible, through various keyboard commands, to easily add text and transitions into videos while they are still being shot.
Free | Download
10/11
Magisto Video Editor
If you'd rather not confine your video editing exploits to the PC, Magisto offers a pretty fully featured mobile environment to flex your creative muscles on the go. The headline feature of the app though is the automatic editing, which analyses video and photos and then creates a video, containing transitions and effects, without you having to put in any work at all.
Free | Download iOS | Download Android
11/11
Vid Trim
As the name suggests, this app is more about trimming your mobile videos into more manageable lengths, than full on editing, but it's still pretty useful. You can quickly turn video files into MP3s, grab specific video frames to share and add effects.
Free | Download Android