List of video editing apps, what do you use?

redlinederby Monday, 11/30/2020
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A common question around here is which video editing apps do you use to put together race videos? You'll find a few threads that cover this topic, some directly, some more roundabout, but below is a list of video apps discussed so far.

This list covers some of the popular apps and a few you might not have heard of...and needless to say a Google search will get you a whole host of software that might fit your need and get the job done. You'll have to check each out to see if it works for your computer/device and if it fits your budget.

  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Final Cut Pro
  • Adobe Premiere Rush
  • iMovie
  • Filmora
  • DaVinci Resolve
  • Adobe Premiere Elements
  • MiniTool Movie Maker
  • Corel Video Studio
  • Pinnacle Studio
  • OBS
  • Video Maker
  • Power Director
  • Action Director
  • Filmora 9
  • OpenShot

What program do you use to edit video?

  • What feature do you like the most?
  • Is it easy to use?
  • Did you switch from one app to another, why?
  • How long does it take you to stitch together a video?


Discussion

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redlinederby 11/30/20
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Ultimately, what you use will depend on your budget and what type of features you want...but sometimes you won't know until you try one and see what it does (and can't) do. That's been my story with video editing.

I'm not looking for efficiency and speed rather than flash & effects. I loathe video editing so I want to be in and out as quick as possible.

I first felt a good sense of efficiency when I started using iMovie on my iPhone. I'm shooting video on my phone anyway so editing there would save me the step of transferring files. And iMovie works great and got the job done easily. It was tedious and repetative but I could get a full race put together in about an hour. The app is somewhat limited when it comes to fonts and styles and such but it's not too bad - in short, your video will kinda look like everyone elses. I'm also using an older iPhone so the screen is tiny and that's a pain too but worth the gains.

I've also recently tried using Adobe Premiere Rush and it's pretty good as a desktop app. It's a watered down version of Premiere Pro which means you get less control and effects but it's quicker/easier to jam clips together and added some basic wipes and music. I'm not exactly switching from iMovie yet but being on my laptop is just a lot nicer.

Maybe more useful...I have tried and did not like Corel Video Studio. The interface was clunky and it the quality of the output just felt janky. I have also tried Premiere Pro and while it's the big boy on the block, I found it very overwhelming and couldn't even put together a quick video. I know it has 1,000 features but I really only need 10...but if you're looking for complete control, PP is a good choice if you can afford it. I've also tried out several apps just found from Googling...too many to name and I've forgotten most of them. Anything that was "free" I tried and often removed them 10 minutes after seeing what they were...again, trial and error.

Here are some previous threads that include some discussion.


I decided to go with an app. Here are two videos I put together of a tournament I'm running.

youtu.be/cQAJQGm9CXk

youtu.be/SnUhbvvasdE


  • There are a couple of mis comments. Blue 3 was called blue 1 half way through the race and Viper is racing Audi in the next round not Red Ferrari. — RoadRunnerRacewayFan
  • Which app did you use? — redlinederby
  • Sorry I forgot to mention the name of the app. Film Maker. Its actually really user friendly and has some great affects I just haven't gotten to yet. The down side is that it is always showing you what you could have if you bought unlimited access and I have to use a picture of complete darkness then put text over it for the score and end part. for the part — RoadRunnerRacewayFan

I use one on my phone called Action Director. It's free, no watermark, no ads, easy to use.

I probably don't use this thing enough to tell you all the features, but I have been using it for years and love it! I have tried some other editors, but always come back to Action Director.

FYI, I use an Android phone, but I don't know if it's available for Apple.


  • Nice. Are you just using what it offers for free or did you purchase access to it all? — RoadRunnerRacewayFan
  • Just the free version.... I don't really do enough editing to warrant having the full version. But the free version has a lot of great features. — CalgaryDiecastRacing
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Chaos_Canyon 11/30/20

I use Premiere Pro. I've used iMovie and FinalCut Pro before but wswitched due to having a creative cloud membership so it was included in that and integrated easily with my other programs. 

I run up to 6 cams on my road track so impossible to edit just on my phone so desktop is the only option. 

I love the ripple editing (using the Q key to trim the clip at the play head and move the clip back in the timeline to the last edit point, CMD+K to cut the clip at the playhead) - this is the single biggest timesaver for me. I run all my cams continuously for a full set of racing then I load my chase cam into the timeline and cut that into races quickly first then go back and insert the extra cam footage for replays etc as needed. I also love being able to make presets for graphics and transitions as I can very easily reuse or adjust them for different videos without having to start from scratch every video

Generally from downloading the footage to having a finished race video of approx 8-10mins long takes about 4 hours with commentary and sound fx. The weekly DSPN reports though can take 8-9 hours. 

I find PP pretty easy to use for most things and because I'm doing 3 videos a week on average I've gotten into a good workflow groove and much more familiar with the program and what I can do with it but I'm still not pushing it to its limits as I'm looking for efficiency and speed  


  • I might need to pick your brain on using PP then because I couldn't figure out any of the presets or templates or anything that would possibly save time. I only have 1 cam so I'd like to think I could make good use of it. — redlinederby
  • Yeah man. Anytime. Happy to help — Chaos_Canyon
  • Seconded! I've had very similar experiences with PP like you have. — Kaiju_Colorado

I use davinci resolve (the free version).  It was my first jump into legit editing software after only having used the basic thing that comes with windows.  It's robust enough that I'm still only tapping into the power it has.

Finished the last video. One with con with film maker is that if you have big thumbs it is harder to use :)

youtu.be/6WTV038RxEg

I use CyberLink's PowerDirector.  I used to use Premier, but have since cut the Creative Cloud cord.

I have only known and used Adobe Suite with Premier Pro, Audition, After Effects, and Media Encoder. I learned them because of my job. I really like them because they can "talk" to each other. They make it easy to adjust loudness and remove noise in audio, sync clips, and most of all... Media Encoder reduces my render time immensely. Typically takes me 1 min to render 1 minute of video for YouTube at 1080p. So rendering a 30 minute video at 1080p only takes me 30 minutes or less.

Rubber Tow Rundowns - DIY Retaining Walls 

If you feel that Premier Pro has been too overwhelming, head over to Premier Gal on YouTube. She has great tutorials on basic to advanced stuff. Her videos are not that long and very informative. I have learned a lot of tips and tricks from her, as well as work colleagues. You can find her channel here: Premiere Gal YouTube Channel 


  • Totally agree. Also, check out video revealed. They also do some great and easy to follow tutorials — Chaos_Canyon
  • That's another good channel for tutorials! Maybe that would make a good article: List of Video Editing Tutorial Channels. — Kaiju_Colorado

Honestly i do it all on my phone. I use Power Director to edit my videos and adobe photoshop for android to edit my pics. Im good with my results.

Heres the playstore link to Power Director.

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cyberlink.powerdirector.DRA140225_01

we use Davinci Resolce 16/17 free version for putting the videos f Formaula Diecast together. I'm really pleased with it. I first used iMovie but was limited on what I could do. Now I'm very pleased with the change to Davinci Resolve.

I use 2 video editing apps on Android. First is Video Maker by InShot. It comes with many features such as cool transition effects, fast importing of videos and more. Disadvantage is that you couldn't add any photo/video layers which sucks. It's free for but there's a premium option if you want more and better effects and the like. The second one is VN which is also free. It has tons of features that are founded in premium alternatives. Thing is that it takes long to get the video to import and export (depending in the file size). Overall, these 2 editing apps are good  and I'm happy with the results of the video I've done :)

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CapperDeluxe 2/15/21

I've been playing with OBS good for Multicam live races and with use of scenes i can flick between shots at the touch of a button , another bonus is it can output to a livestream (youtube facebook twitch etc ) i started with 4 knock off go-pro's from wish but felt the quality though fine for multicam wasn't good enough for fullscreen racing so ahve changed to, My old iphone 8, my Pixel 5, ipad Pro , and Samsung Galaxy tab A6 all running droidcam and a webcam covering the start and finish gates , i really need to get myself a gimbal to do effective tracking shots and i need to formalise the track layout (probably in the garden )


  • I've used OBS in the past and it does work pretty well. I used OBS as a kinda live editor. Certainly for streaming I think it provides the most control. Not a very "friendly" app but powerful. — redlinederby

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