My laptop is pretty basic - no dedicated GPU, just integrated graphics. I want to edit some simple YouTube videos but every program I try either requires a GPU or runs at like 2 frames per second. Are there any free video editing software options that actually work without GPU requirements? I don't need fancy effects, just basic cutting, transitions, and maybe some text overlays. Something that's truly free video editing no GPU required would be perfect.
For free video editing no GPU required, I'd definitely recommend Shotcut. It runs entirely on CPU and doesn't need any GPU acceleration. I've used it on laptops with just Intel HD graphics and it works fine for basic editing. The rendering is slower without GPU but at least it works, which is more than I can say for some other software that just crashes without a dedicated GPU.
OpenShot is another good option that doesn't require GPU. It's designed to work on integrated graphics. I've tested it on several systems without dedicated GPUs and it handles basic editing tasks reasonably well. The interface is pretty intuitive too, which helps when you're just getting started with video editing.
I had the same problem with my laptop. Tried Kdenlive and it actually worked without GPU acceleration. You have to make sure to disable hardware acceleration in the settings, but once you do that, it runs on CPU only. It's not the fastest for rendering but at least you can edit videos. For free video editing software that doesn't need powerful hardware, it's a solid choice.
If you're on a Mac, iMovie actually works pretty well without a dedicated GPU. It's optimized for Apple's integrated graphics. For Windows users without GPU, I'd second the Shotcut recommendation. It's probably the most stable free option I've found for systems without GPU acceleration.
I use VSDC Free Video Editor on my laptop with integrated graphics. It has a GPU acceleration option but you can turn it off and it still works. The interface is a bit clunky but it gets the job done. For basic editing without GPU requirements, it's worth trying out since it's completely free.