September 18

Video Editing Software: Getting a Free Trial Run

One question I hear a lot is, “Which Video Editing software is best?”

My answer always is, it depends entirely on your needs.  No one program is THE BEST!  There are lots of great ones, and personal preference varies.

Questions for you to consider are:

  • How complicated do you want to get?
  • What is your budget?

The higher grade video editing programs are complicated.  They take a while to learn.  I don’t say that to discourage you, but just to let you know what you are getting into.  If you want something quick and easy, you probably want to stick with a simple program, maybe even a free one.  Check out this post on free video editing programs.  Free video editing programs can still do a remarkable amount of things and are usually much simpler to learn, with more effects automated.  I strongly believe beginners should pick a relatively simplistic video editing program to learn on, then move on to a more advanced program.

Read on to see about getting a free trial version of the more advanced programs.

GET A FREE TRIAL FIRST

Being able to check out some editing software before you commit to actually buying it is a great way to take make an educated purchase.

Fortunately, lots of different software providers offer free trial versions as step one of enticing you to purchasing the full version.

Free software trial versions usually fall into one of two types:

  1. Software that’s fully functional that work for a short period of time, probably 30 days. Often, it will automatically add a watermark to your outputted move.
  2. A version that is only semi-functional, but you can clearly see the missing features.  These work without adding watermarks, which can be a branding problem.

In either case, you have the joy of using the software before  you decide whether you wish to shell out your hard-earned money on the fully loaded version.

Below I’ve listed the top video editing programs and tools that can be had on a trial basis. All of them are worth checking out if you want to try before you buy.

Adobe Premier – Adobe Premiere is an extremely popular video edit program.  Intermediate to Advanced. Expensive, so a free trial run is advisable.  Works on Mac and PC.

Adobe Premier free download trial is full functioned and lasts 30 days with a watermark through output.   You will have to register.

Adobe Premier download page

Sony Vegas Pro

Also very popular, ranks up there with Adobe and Apple, but not quite as widespread.   The full-featured version costs around $550.  You can get the basic version for about $75.

Some people absolutely swear by Sony editing programs.  Even the basic version is very powerful and can do a lot of tricks.

Sony Vegas Pro download page

Nero – Software for managing, burning, re-coding and manipulating audio and video data. The latest version, Nero 8 Ultra, can be tried free for 15 days before purchase. The trial version is fully functional except that BDAV authoring and playback as well as AVCHD and MPEG-4 formats are not supported.

The full version costs about $65.   The Nero trial version requires registration

Download free trial of Nero here.

Corel– Better known for the still image editing tools, they also have some basic entry level video tools under the Ulead range of products.

Ideal for video hobbyists and YouTube enthusiasts.  For beginners, it includes handy wizards that help you automatically capture footage, polish videos in minutes and create DVDs, complete with menus, titles, transitions and music.   Easy to create professional results for beginners.

To download Corel Video Studio 11.5, it requires registration.

Avs4You – A complete suite of editing tools that can perform many functions.

The downloads are fully functional, non expiring but have a watermark. If you want to get rid of the watermark you can click to register and pay a 1 year or unlimited registration fee

Click here to go to AVS 4 download page

Blaze Media Pro – Conversion, editing and audio software

This is a great bargain for some versatile and powerful software. For just $50 it will give you audio  and video  conversions, audio CD ripping, video construction, video decompiling, audio editor and recording, audio  and data CD burning, video CD  (VCD  and SVCD) burner, video DVD burner, video editor and movie editor (AVI, MPEG, WMV, etc.), MPEG encoder and decoder, the ability to convert (record) MIDI to MP3, WAV, WMA, and OGG, convert DVD audio to MP3, WAV, WMA, and OGG, DVD ripping, batch video processing (over 30 supported processing operations), video capture, AVI MPEG WMV video joiner, video compressor, media management, audio and video playback (including full playlist support), and more.

Blaze Media Pro works with AVI, MPG (MPEG-1 and MPEG-2), WMV, and ASF  formats.

The trial lasts for 15 days and is Windows only.

Click here to go to the Blaze Media pro page.

VEED Online Video Edit System

Veed is an online, in the cloud platform.  It’s a rather simple video editing tool which means it’s easier to pick up if you’re a beginner.  Being an online platform makes it easy to share video with remote team members. One thing I thought was truly unique about VEED is their servers run on 100% Renewable Energy, which is a trend I hope continues to help decrease environmental impact from fossil fuels.  Like all the others, you can get a free trial to see if it works for your needs.

VEED Online Video Editing

So there you have it, a list of great video editing software programs available for a free trial before you plunk down your cash!  Which one is right for you depends on how you want to use it.  Unless you really like the idea of detailed video editing work, go for the smaller, simpler programs.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to edit video, but truth is, it is a bit tedious.  If you are looking for quick, down and dirty, you actually would not want an advanced program since it has a much steeper learning curve.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips

Lorraine Grula


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free trials video editing, how to get a free trial with video editing software, try video editing programs free, video editing software free trials, video editing software programs


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  1. Hi DVD Burning.
    Thanks for the comment. Most people I know who have used both like Sony Vegas better. Premiere is kind of a cumbersome program and I’ve spoken with several people who do not like it at all.
    Lorraine

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