The best premium video editing software 2020: video editors for professionals

The very best premium video editing software for creating professional-looking projects.

On the face of it, getting hold of the best video editing software is no easy task. There are loads of options out there, all boasting brilliant features and innovative add-ons. But the option that will suit a professional video editor won't necessarily be the best for the enthusiastic amateur.

That's where this TechRadar guide to choosing the best video editing software comes in. We've used all the best (and worst) editors around and distilled them down to an easy-to-digest list of our favorites.

The most impressive programs make your everyday tasks like cutting, trimming, combining and applying filters to clips as simple as possible. Buying an inferior option will lead only to frustration and a less polished finished product. The tools we've picked out for you in this guide are the very best in their class.

If you're on a particularly tight budget, or only need a basic tool for a spot of quick trimming and cropping, take a look at our guide to the best free video editors too. But for those who need something more powerful, you'll want to stick with one of our overall best video editing software suites below.

Need the hardware, too? Discover the best laptops for video editing

The best video editing software in 2020:

1. Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Quite simply the best video editing software on the planet

Supports 360-degree and VR video

Huge assortment of filters

Customizable interface

Subscription model won't be for everybody

Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry-standard video editor and getting the most from it will require an investment of time as well as cash, but if you’re serious about video then it’s well worth the effort.

There's a vast assortment of stackable audio and video filters, support for 360-degree and VR video, native support for a huge number of raw file formats, and the ability to work collaboratively with others. You can even start editing your videos before they've finished importing.

This kind of power doesn't come cheap and the monthly or annual subscription fee adds up, but the lack of a large initial outlay makes Premiere Pro surprisingly accessible. It's worth downloading a trial of the other video editors here before making a decision, but Premiere Pro is extremely versatile and the cloud-based model means you won't have to pay for upgrades as they're released.

Read our full review: Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Adobe Premiere Pro | From $20.99 (£19.97) per month

Like all of Adobe's single app plans, Premier Pro costs around $20/£20 per month when you sign up for a year. That's excellent value for such an impressive piece of software.

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2. Apple Final Cut Pro X

A premium editor for Mac owners, with a unique interface

Smart 'trackless' timeline

Excellent file format support

Price includes major updates

High initial cost

This is a video editor aimed squarely at the professional end of the market, but Apple Final Cut Pro X is not needlessly complicated. Its interface is a little different to most, and is built around a 'trackless' timeline that encourages you to organize elements into specific 'roles', such as voiceover, music and titles.

If you're looking for a video editor to pair with your drone, Final Cut Pro is an excellent choice. It supports raw video from all the major makes and models, and is regularly updated with additional profiles. It also supports 360-degree video editing (fast becoming mandatory for premium video editing software) and HDR, with advanced color grading.

Rather than adopt a subscription model like Adobe, Apple has chosen to make Final Cut Pro available for a one-off flat fee. It's relatively expensive, but includes all major updates and will work out cheaper than Premiere Pro if you keep using it over a couple of years. If you own a Mac and are torn between Apple and Adobe, we recommend taking the free trials of both for a spin before making up your mind.

3. CyberLink PowerDirector

A video editor that puts premium tools within reach of newcomers

Wizard optimizes videos in seconds

Beginner and advanced interfaces

Fewer fine controls than some

If Adobe Premiere Elements and Apple Final Cut Pro X are overkill for your video editing projects, take a look at CyberLink PowerDirector.

Although PowerDirector is a premium, feature-packed video editor, it's also very forgiving, and offers a gentle introduction to post production that won't faze complete beginners. The Magic Movie Wizard is the ultimate example, paring the task of combining and optimizing videos down to a few clicks. You'll achieve better results by spending a while in the timeline editor, but for anyone who just wants to quickly piece something together to publish on Facebook, it's ideal.

That's not to say that CyberLink PowerDirector is dumbed down, though; far from it. The software also offers a standard post production interface based around control panels and a timeline. It sometimes takes a little while to drill down to the finer controls, but every filter and option is extremely flexible once you start exploring. Perhaps most impressive of all, CyberLink PowerDirector makes video editing fun.

4. HitFilm Pro

If you're interested in special effects, HitFilm is the editor for you

Intuitive interface

Superb for special effects

Overkill for beginners

HitFilm Pro is a premium video editor that's a firm favourite with fanfilm makers - and with good reason. It's packed with tools for creating stunning special effects, but is accessible enough for home users.

One of HitFilm Pro's biggest selling points is the ability to tackle pretty much every aspect of video post-production within the editor. Animations, titles, audio editing and color grading are all accessible with a couple of clicks, but the interface is intuitively designed and never feels cluttered.

Unlike the other video editors in this roundup, HitFilm Pro supports importing and animating of custom 3D models, complete with simulated 3D cameras, custom shadows and dynamic lighting. There are also impressive particle effects, and superb chroma-keying to minimize annoying spill.

5. Adobe Premiere Elements

A friendly introduction to video editing for complete beginners

Excellent tutorials for new users

Automated tools for common tasks

Simple step-by-step wizards

You may soon outgrow it

Of all the premium video editors in this roundup, Adobe Premiere Elements is the most beginner-oriented. It's designed to make video editing as easy as possible, and even its Expert interface is extremely straightforward.

Unlike Adobe's premium software (like Premiere Pro), Premiere Elements is only available as a one-off purchase, so you aren't committed to paying a monthly fee to keep using it. It's also one of the most affordable video editors around, which is impressive for a huge name like Adobe.

Some video editors assume a certain degree of familiarity before you begin, but Premiere Elements is ideal even for total beginners. Its interface features large buttons, clearly labelled. There are also some excellent tutorials included to help bridge the gap between creating a video using wizards and using the more traditional multi-track timeline.

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How do I choose video editing software?

There are several key factors, and price isn’t necessarily the most important: if it were, every Hollywood movie would be made in Apple’s free iMovie!

Let’s start at the end. What kind of video do you intend to make, and where is it for? There’s a world of difference between quick editing of home videos you’ll watch on TV and editing something for Netflix or cinema distribution.

You’ll need to consider what formats the software needs to export in, what level of quality it needs to output (HD? 4K? 8K?) and whether it can deliver the kind of visual effects you want to use. If you’ll be collaborating, your app will need to be compatible with the other people’s apps too.

There’s also you to consider. Are you experienced, or would a simpler app that takes you step by step through the whole process be more helpful? Do you want to have complete control over every pixel, or would you rather let the computer do most of the work? How future-proof do you need your app to be?

And then there’s price. Most but not all cheap or free apps are very limited; most but not all high-end editors are frighteningly expensive. It’s possible to pay too much and end up with an app that’s overkill, or to pay too little and end up inventing new and colourful swears when the app refuses to do what you need it to do.

Remember too that the more you can do, the more you’ll want it to do. Can your chosen app grow with your imagination?

What video editing software features should I look out for?

That depends on the kind of editing you’d like to do. For example, you might not need much in the way of visual effects if you’re just splicing together clips from Uncle George’s 90th birthday party. But there are some key things to consider.

First up, what formats and resolutions does the app support? Can it use the footage from your camera without converting? Can it export to the places you want to share your finished footage?

Do you need features such as green screen or picture in picture (if you’re a YouTuber, the answers to those to are probably yes)? Can you share directly with social media, if that’s your thing?

How many tracks can you use? Can you pull in footage and audio from multiple files, swapping between them as needed, or will you need to do some pre-production first because the app can only handle a couple of tracks at once?

Does the app have any smart features to make everyday editing easier, such as smart trimming of clips or simple editing modes? Is it easy to add titles, transitions between scenes or to adjust the colours?

If it’s a mobile app, can you transfer your project to continue editing in a desktop equivalent of the app?

What does 8K support mean for video editing?

8K is a screen resolution: that is, it tells you how many pixels (dots) make up the picture.

Here’s a list of the resolutions for TV and movies formats in recent years.

VHS 335 x 480

DVD 720 x 480

HD 1,280 x 720

Full HD 1,920 x 1,080

Then there was 4K. 4K can mean a few different things, but the version you’ll get on a 4K TV is called 4K Ultra HD and delivers 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. Take those numbers, double them and boom! 8K!

Do you need it? Almost certainly not. Chances are you don’t know a soul with an 8K TV or monitor, and that you don’t have and can’t afford a camera capable of recording in that quality.

What is 360 support for video editing?

Traditional cameras can only point in one direction, but 360 video uses clever cameras and/or clever processing combining the input from multiple lenses to get a full 360-degree video recording. You’ve probably seen it on Facebook or in a VR app: if you move up or down or left or right the video moves accordingly just as it would if you were actually there.

In fact, editing 360 video isn’t significantly more difficult than editing 2D video, but exporting is more complicated and many apps just can’t cope with 360-degree video in the first place. The video sharing site Vimeo strongly recommends using Adobe’s Premiere Pro CC (yep, our number one recommended video editing software) our if you’re serious about 360-degree video editing.

iMovie remains massively popular among YouTubers because it’s really easy and it comes free on their MacBooks, iPhones or iPads. For straightforward face-to-camera videos you don’t really need anything more complicated: iMovie has all the cutting, titling and transition effects you’re likely to need, and it supports green/blue screens for when you want to put yourself over something such as footage of gameplay. On PC, Microsoft Photos is an underrated gem. Adobe Premiere Pro CC, the entry-level version of Premiere Pro, is very popular too.

Need the hardware, too? Discover the best laptops for video editing