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But you may also want to see PCMag's deep-dive review, which is less positive.VSDC Free Video Editor is a non-linear tool. If you want to learn more before downloading and installing, check out the reviews at. Oh, and did I mention the price? It's free. I also had to manually export (and then import) the audio from an imported video VSDC didn't automatically divide the clip into two layers.Īssuming you can live with issues like that - and, truthfully, all video editors have their UI oddities - VSDC Pro can help you produce some polished movies. What's more, video preview happens in a separate, pop-up window. As you drag your cursor along the video timeline, the video position image doesn't update until you release the cursor. First and foremost: There's no real-time video scrubbing. Now for the bad news: Although VSDC's interface is attractive and fairly straightforward, there are a couple major UI headaches. It also includes extra masking and chroma-keying capabilities and premium tech support. What does Pro get you? Support for hardware acceleration and more media types more advanced settings and audio waveform editing. It offers some decidedly higher-end features, including masking and chrome-key tools and support for 4K video. On the video-editor spectrum, VSDC falls somewhere between Microsoft Movie Maker (free, but very limited) and Cyberlink PowerDirector (around $75, but very capable). VSDC Pro has a nice ribbon-style interface and some real editing chops, though a few aspects of the UI are annoying. (Be sure to click Buy Now and complete the checkout process don't just click Download.) Update: Owing to a glitch in the company's payment-processing system, which was producing a $1.99 charge for some folks, I've changed the above link to take you to a special landing page just for this giveaway. And today, and for a limited time, it gets even better: You can get VSDC Video Editor Pro for free when you apply discount coupon CNet_VSDC100 at checkout. Turns out there's a pretty good freebie option: VSDC Video Editor for Windows.
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Another: desktop video-editing software tends to be pricey, or at least expensive enough that you maybe think, "Nah, why bother?" One reason: editing on a smartphone is not fun. Actually, everyone shoots a lot of video, but few people take the time to actually do anything with those clips. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page.Įveryone's a filmmaker these days.
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