VSDC Free Video Editor ‑ An In-Depth Review
If you are looking for the best free video editing software, make sure to check out VSDC. Chances are, it has everything you need – and in this post we’ll explain you why.
Format-friendly Software
One of the main benefits of this program is 100% format compatibility, which means VSDC works with all the popular video formats and codecs, including FLV, AVI, MPG, MP4, WMV and MKV. It doesn’t matter what device you are using to create your footage – a smartphone, an HD camera or a quadrocopter – you can effortlessly open it in VSDC. And while on that topic, VSDC also has the widest choice of output options: you can save your project in any format depending on what device it will be watched afterward: PC, Apple products, or even PlayStation, iRiver and Zune.
By the way, VSDC is the only free video editor that has an option to export in H265/HEVC codec, so if you work with 4K videos and would like to keep the highest output quality – that’s your best option.
User-friendly Interface
VSDC user interface is slightly old-fashioned, yet it is quite easy to use. The ribbon-style menu located on the top covers all the basic features the software provides: video and audio effects, adding objects to the scene and quick color correction filters. The menu on the right is for more comprehensive parameter settings.
The application utilizes Windows player in case you want to preview your edited video. When selecting the preview option the media player automatically pops up so you don’t have to look around for it. In case you want to avoid using media player then you can also make your own selection for previewing. So when performing preview you can also move from point to point of frame to frame. One disadvantage is that the interface does not synchronize with the frames when you playback the video file.
Smooth Start
In case you were wondering, VSDC free video editor is designed to run on Windows OS, and its system requirements are modest. The installer suggests having an additional gigabyte on your PC, which is much higher as compared to other video editors. Yet, once installed you see that it only uses around 1 MB of space from your hard disk. Before getting started it is important for you to get the system reboot and software performs the reboot function on its own after installation.
Most features are guided by the welcome panel, so you are unlikely to get confused. The entire process of performing editing is also very much simplified as you just need to follow three simple tutorial steps. You can also make use of VSDC channel on YouTube, where every step of working with the tool is covered – from creating a project to advanced Hollywood-style video editing techniques.
Conclusion
I highly recommend you trying VSDC, if you are looking for the best video editing software for Windows at zero cost. As an aspiring filmmaker on a budget or a video editing newbie unable to afford professional programs, you will probably be satisfied with what VSDC offers.
Bottom Line
Pros
- The application is the most affordable video editing software on the market. The free version is quite powerful, and even the PRO version ($19,99) costs significantly less than any other video editor.
- VSDC works with 4K videos.
- All the key features are available: transparency tools, Chroma key and PiP.
- VSDC Free video editor supports all the popular file formats.
- Installation file is much smaller in size as compared to other applications available.
Cons
- Some users may feel that the interface is slightly confusing at first sight, as the play back option is not as satisfying as expected.