WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

As much as I've worked with it I'd say it was on par with Premier with a few extras integrated in that you don't with Premier. Check the videos on YouTube you might be surprised. You might also want to look at the total cost of both. It's a one time cost of $299 with Resolve.

kubota king Loc: NW , Pa.

Openshot is now available for windows . Tommy

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Cyberlink PowerDirector is very good. You may have a version of Microsoft's movie maker on your computer. I don't but my son does.

brent46 Loc: Grand Island, NY

Hit Film Express is an excellent program for the casual user and can be downloaded for free.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

As you are a LR Classic user, you already have a good quality video editor in Photoshop although many don't realize it is there and has been for years. No it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the bigger programs but it has a lot for simple editing. Multiple files, transitions, clipping, titles etc. I use it for creating time-lapses that you can check out here, https://vimeo.com/252176882. A quick You Tube search will reveal all you need to know to get started.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Can you list the video programs listed and whether they have a version for OSX?

pecohen Loc: Central Maine

I use Corel's Video Studio. It's inexpensive and I found it easy to use and quite adequate for my needs.

That being said, I use it mostly for creating slide-shows with some video interspersed in the production. I don't often spend a lot of time doing very detailed editing of the individual video clips themselves.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I think you mean can I list the half dozen under $100 programs I referred to. It's a slow morning so I'll give you the full version!

As others have posted, there are some free "non linear editors" that have good reputations. They include iMove for Apple. Others (that I think are Windows only) are Hitfilm Express and DaVinci Resolve (The free version of both are Hitfilm and DaVini are reduced capability versions that have an upgrade path to high priced versions. The free Windows Movie Maker used to be part of Windows but is not part of Windows 10. It can be hard to find a copy, but it does run on Windows 10. If you had it on your computer and upgraded to Windows 10, it does not go away.

Adobe is good at making all their software run on both Apple and Windows systems. That includes (my favorite) Premiere Elements ($60 to $100, depending on promotions) and Premiere Pro CC that you rent for $20 a month or include in the full $50 CC bundle. In that bundle After Effects and Audition are included to add audio and special effects capabilities to Premiere Pro.

A favorite for many Apple users is Apple's Final Cut Pro ($300?). It won't run on a PC and is priced well above $100.

The rest of the common under $100 NLEs run on Windows PCs, not Apples. A few have been mentioned already. They include Cyberlink PowerDirector, Corel VideoStudio, Pinnacle Studio, Magix Movie Edit and Vegas Movie Studio. The Vegas series was owned and developed by Sony, but sold last year to Magix, a German company.

How to pick? They appear to all work at the basics but are unique in different ways. One might be better at stabilizing GoPro footage. Another might not work if you are using H.265 footage from a DJI Phantom 4. Some will burn Blu-Rays and some won't. Some do better with MP4 footage and some do better with AVCHD footage. It is rare, but sometimes one NLE won't run on a particular computer but will on another. Cellphone footage varies by phone. For example a phone might use variable frame rate footage that can stall an NLE.

Reviews are all over the map because no individual will ever become an expert on more than a very few because they all have so many details and features. The best thing to do is collect some footage from your favorite cameras and phones and try one. They all have free trial copies. If you like what you see and enjoy making it work, stick with it. Trying to find the "best" or trying them all may be a complete waste of time. It could take forever and leave endless confusion.

My story includes playing with Windows Movie maker, finding Sony Movie Studio 13 would not run on my computer and trying Premiere Elements 9 because I found tutorials I could understand. I've paid to upgrade Premiere Elements every other version and am now on the current 2018 version.

Most of what I do is family and travel stuff. I did one with my brother about an antique gun that is my "greatest hit" at 4,000 views around the world: https://vimeo.com/36973087 Here is one from a recent trip to eastern Europe: https://vimeo.com/235100393 An ongoing project that I will never finish is collecting wildlife clips. An example: https://vimeo.com/146185237. An example of a no video, stills only slide show is: https://vimeo.com/238238918 As a slide show I used RAWs developed in Lightroom and rendered to a 4K MP4 file that plays gorgeously on a 4K TV. If you have a 4K TV, Vimeo has a download button so you can try it on a USB thumb drive in your TV.

I continue to use Premiere Elements because it works so well for me. My Adobe subscription gives me Premiere Pro and I intend to learn it. So far, each time I've started I've been distracted and have made no progress. What I've learned so far is that I think that I like Premiere Elements better for what I do than Premiere Pro CC.

Bill

mackolb

For the MacOS users who've been reading this thread, your Mac (and iPhone and iPad) come(s) with iMovie, an easy-to-use, flexible tool that can do most of the things any entry (and even seasoned) level shooter/editor could want to cut. . . . that's what video editing is.
And, every Apple Store offers "Today and Apple" workshop/sessions to deliver the fundamentals of using all Apple products, including editing on your Mac, iPhone and iPad, all of which are capable of getting you there! And best of all, they're all FREE, software and training.
BTW, while, I've been using FCP since v.1, I still use iMovie for some simple things that I can then bring to my FCP project. And, DaVinci Resolve is FREE and while there may be a learning curve, it is very powerful unless you want even MORE POWER in your editing, then there's a paid version.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

On an iMac, I use iMovie and Final Cut Pro X. On a PC, I’d use Premiere Pro.

therwol Loc: USA

Windows Live Movie Maker can no longer be downloaded from Microsoft. Support ended sometime last year. If you already have it on a machine, you're fine. If not, forget about it. By the way, I hung onto it because it can capture video from digital tape. Now that I've captured the video from all of my digital tape with it, I can ditch the old computer. Adobe Premier Elements took that feature out starting with version 13.

Capt_Yossarian

I've been using CyberLink PowerDirector. It's intuitive but quite powerful.

denman945

My money is on Cyberlink Video Director. Great program with tons of adjustments and special effects. Along with Video Director adding Color Director and Audio Director, you can do most anything you want. There is a trial period for all three of these programs at the Cyberlink website. Lots on You Tube, and Cyberlink has many, many tutorials for us who need visual for training! Check it out.

Peanut_the_cat Loc: Bradenton, Florida

I was much like you, a seasoned photographer, who wanted to get into video. I choose Power Director (now up to version 16). Muck to be learnt from You Tube. Just getting your feet on the ladder is the thing. The software recommended by PC Magazine.

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

Well you beat me on this one! The free version is pro level stuff and the paid version is still a bargain!