I'm a college student trying to make simple videos for class presentations and maybe some personal projects. I have zero video editing experience and my laptop is from 2016 with pretty basic specs. Looking for a free video editor easy to use that won't overwhelm me with complicated interfaces. Something that's good for entry-level users who just need to put clips together, add some music, and maybe basic titles. Any recommendations?
For a free video editor easy to use for beginners, I'd recommend OpenShot. The interface is clean and intuitive, much simpler than some of the other free options. There are plenty of tutorials online too. It runs well on older hardware and doesn't have a steep learning curve. Perfect for students just starting out with video editing.
I started with Shotcut and found it pretty beginner-friendly once I got past the initial learning phase. The interface isn't as polished as some paid options but there are great tutorial videos on YouTube. For a free video editor that's easy to use on older laptops, it's a good choice. The fact that it doesn't need powerful hardware is a big plus for students.
For complete beginners, I'd actually suggest starting with the simplest tool possible: the built-in video editor on your operating system. On Windows, that's Video Editor, on Mac it's iMovie. These are designed to be extremely easy to use and have minimal system requirements. Once you outgrow those, then move to something more powerful like OpenShot or Shotcut.
If you have a Mac, iMovie is hands down the best free video editor for beginners. It's incredibly easy to use and runs well on older Mac hardware. For Windows users, I'd recommend checking out VSDC Free Video Editor. The interface takes some getting used to but there's a wizard mode that guides you through basic edits, which is great for beginners.
I taught some friends using Olive Video Editor and they picked it up quickly. The interface is modern and not too cluttered, which helps beginners. It's still being developed so there might be occasional bugs, but for basic editing on older computers, it's a good free option that's easy to learn.