- Apple’s iMovie, which competes only with cross-platform free apps and Adobe Elements, is the obvious choice for the best Mac video editing software, thanks to its outstanding output, themes.
- Whether you're a Mac fan or a Windows wizard, we've got you covered. Read on for our pick of the best video-editing laptops out there. MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. A brilliant Mac with a difference. Huawei been busy designing a PC to break up the monopoly. The best computers for video editing in 2018; The best Walmart laptops in.
- Pc Vs Mac For Video Editing 2018 Movies
- Best Mac For Movie Editing
- Best Editing Software For Pc
- Pc Vs Mac For Video Editing 2018 Calendar
- Pc Vs Mac For Music Production
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Welcome to Custom PC Review’s Best Video Editing Computer Builds! Here’s where you’ll find PC hardware recommendations for putting together a video editing build that will help you render.
HomeStorageExternal StorageTop 6 Best External Hard Drives for video editing
If you have to work with high-definition media files, 4k videos, and similar things, you definitely need a system that has high performance. Storage is a very important factor as it may cut down time you have to wait for files to transfer from an hour or so to just a few minutes.
This is crucial if your job is video and media file editing. You can’t afford to waste a half hour or so every day just on file transfer. This may not be a problem if you work at an office every day but what if you have to travel?
Take your content from one place to another and edit it directly onto your external hard drive? There is no doubt that you need an external hard drive with high performance and big capacity.
We have created a list of Top 6 Best external hard drives money can buy for editing high-quality videos. With these drives, you won’t have to wait for ages for something to load or transfer.
How to choose the right external hard drive for video editing?
When choosing the right external hard drive, there are many criteria to consider. If you want to get more detailed about this, check our External Hard Drive Buying Guide. But if you are only interested in external drives meant for video editing then there are two main things: Performance or data transfer speeds and capacity.
You definitely need a drive that has high performance. Having a slow external hard drive can be irritating and annoying. The most important thing is that you lose your valuable time. Media content like 4k videos tends to take enormous amounts of space, so you also want a drive that features a capacity of at least 1TB. Let’s make it simple – you probably want an external hard drive that’s fast and has a huge capacity. Just don’t be surprised that these drives are not the cheapest ones on the market.
Our Top 6 external HDDs for video editing
Capacity | Type | Read / write speeds | Warranty | Check price |
Samsung T5 Portable | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Ext. SSD | 485MB/s / 480MB/s | 3 years |
Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim | 1TB, 2TB | Ext. HDD | 169MB/s / 151MB/s | 2 years |
LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 5TB | Ext. HDD also available as Ext. SSD | 289MB/s / 311MB/s | 1 year |
VectoTech Rapid | 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Ext. SSD | up to 450MB/s | 3 years |
SanDisk Extreme 500 | 120Gb, 240GB, 250GB, 480GB, 500GB, 1TB | Ext. SSD | 142MB/s / 170MB/s | 3 years |
Seagate Backup Plus Fast | 4TB for fast version | Ext. HDD | 236MB/s / 206MB/s | 3 years |
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6Samsung T5 – the fastest external hard drive on the market
Samsung T5 is one of our all-time favorites. It’s one of the leaders in the world of SSD. The main features of this drive are super slim form factor, data transfer speeds that can reach 485MB/s for sequential write and 480MB/s sequential read, and USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2. All that combined in a very well made casing with great build quality makes Samsung T5 very desirable device. Featuring capacities of up to 2TB, it’s also very spacious. We recommend this external SSD to anyone who is or wants to get serious with video editing. Backed up by a 3-year warranty.
5Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim – affordable price + good performance
Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim is the cheapest drive on this list. It only offers capacities up to 2TB and has a mechanical drive inside its super slim casing. So why did we include it in our list? Because this drive is super cheap, very portable and offers decent performance. We would recommend it to anyone who just has started video editing or don’t do it frequently. Perfect external hard drive for video editing amateurs.
4LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 – versatile external HDD
LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt is available as a 500 GB external SSD or can be much more spacious if it uses the regular mechanical drive. It’s fast in both versions. However, we would recommend the version with a mechanical drive as it features higher capacities. 500GB for video editing doesn’t sound too serious. You can get this drive with a Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 as well as USB type C. That’s not the only thing this external hard drive offer. It’s also rugged, meaning it will withstand shocks and drops.
Need a super fast external SSD that has tons of space? Want the best drive money can buy? Then VectoTech Rapid is made just for you. It features data transfer speeds of up to 450MB/s and have 4TB of SSD capacity. That’s huge. With this drive you will be able to manage the largest media files and edit them with no problems, just make sure your PC system is also very capable.
SanDisk Extreme 500 is quite small yet very durable external solid state drive. We will recommend getting 1TB version if you want to edit files on this thing. It may not offer as high data transfer speeds as Samsung T3 and VectoTech Rapid does, but it’s very fast and isn’t as expensive as those two competitors.
1Seagate Backup Plus Fast – large capacities, fast data transfer speeds
Ok, you need tons of space but don’t want to pay 200$+ for an external SSD. What now? The best choice is Seagate Backup Plus Fast. It features a mechanical drive that has a capacity of up to 4TB, and it’s pretty fast for an external HDD. The main feature is that it can combine capacity with decent performance in a good price range.
Conclusion
All of the external hard drives mentioned above are great choices. The only question is how much you’re willing to pay for a fast performing external drive? If you are a beginner and want something that comes cheap, then consider Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim. It’s not as fast as all the rest external drives on this list, it features a mechanical disk, not SSD flash memory, and in the result, it’s under 100$. However, it will still offer decent performance and will work just fine.
If you are serious about video editing, then you should probably look at external SSD like VectoTech Rapid and Samsung T5. These drives are super fast and offer capacities of up to 2TB for Samsung and 4TB for VectoTech Rapid. A higher capacity external SSD you can afford -the better. But if you really need tons of space and can’t pay so high price tag, consider Seagate Backup Plus Fast. This external hard drive has 4TB of capacity, and it offers very high data transfer speeds for a mechanical drive.
In the end, it all depends on how serious you are with video editing. If you spend a lot of your time editing videos, you should get a proper SSD external hard drive with at least 1TB of storage capacity.
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The Rundown
- Best From Hobbyist to Pro:Final Cut Pro X at Apple.com, “A video editing software that you can use even if you don’t have much experience.”
- Most Accessible Apple Editor: Apple iMovie at Apple.com, “If you haven’t done video editing before, this is a good place to get started before moving on to more serious software.”
- Best for Pros:Adobe Premiere Pro CC at Amazon, “A powerful video editor for professionals putting out movies, short films, and the like.”
- Easiest-to-Use Cross-Platform Editor:Adobe Premiere Elements 2018 at Amazon, “An easily approachable video editing software for those just getting started.”
- Best Open-Source Software:Shotcut at Shortcut.org, “A multi-track editing software like any other serious software, and you can readily rearrange the workspace to suit your editing needs.”
- Best Starter Freeware:Lightworks at Lwks.com, “Whether or not you need the free or paid versions is a question you can answer for yourself.”
- Best Freeware:DaVinci Resolve 15 at Blackmagicdesign.com, “Plenty of functionality to take your footage, organize it with data to help you find what you need, and edit it all together.”
- Best for Tutorial and Presentation Videos:Camtasia at Techsmith.com, “It’s a screen recorder and video editor built into one product.”
Our Top Picks
Best From Hobbyist to Pro: Final Cut Pro X
If you want a video editing software that you can use even if you don’t have much experience (and you plan on growing as a video editor while using it), then Final Cut Pro X is well worth your consideration. It may take a few tutorial videos to really get yourself ready to start doing much, but once you get your feet wet, you can do basic editing and learn more and more advanced tricks over time.
Pc Vs Mac For Video Editing 2018 Movies
While Final Cut Pro X is a professional video editing tool, it’s approachable enough for hobbyist videographers to get on board with. And it has a bit more reasonable price than some of the other serious pro video editing software. As a pro software, it comes packed with handy features to help you realize your vision.
The latest version of Final Cut Pro X has the multi-track timeline needed for editing but brings in the future of video and pro features. It supports 360-degree video, graphics, and effects. You can edit together video from multi-cam recording setups and easily switching between multiple angles. And, you can create HDR content. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Apple offers a free trial so you can see if this one is up your alley before you dive all the way in.
Most Accessible Apple editor: Apple iMovie
If you really just want to get started editing videos on your Mac, or even on your iPhone or iPad, then the easiest way is to get Apple iMovie. This is Apple’s free video editing software, and it runs on both Mac OS and iOS platforms, so you can do you video editing just about wherever you go.
For hobbyist and amateur filmmakers, Apple iMovie will have approachable tools to help you easily take your footage and edit a video with a clear flow. You’ll be able to combine multiple video files, layer different video and audio tracks, and add title screens to your video without much fuss. It even includes video filters and some special effects, including picture-in-picture.
The latest version of Apple iMovie keeps up with the trends in video, supporting 4K video editing. So, all that 4K video you capture on your iPhone can be turned into a movie in iMovie. If you haven’t done video editing before, this is a good place to get started before moving on to more serious software.
Best for Pros: Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Adobe’s Premiere Pro CC (Creative Cloud) software is a powerful video editor for professionals putting out movies, short films, and the like. Of course, it’s also a viable option for hobbyists looking to sharpen their teeth on a video editor that gets used in professional positions. If you’re not trying to go professional with your editing quite yet, you may want to check out the next pick.
Adobe Premiere Pro CC is a constantly evolving video editing software, as Adobe rolls out updates over time. Rather than buying a single edition of the software, you pay for a subscription as long as you’re using it. An added perk is that the software isn’t exclusive to Mac, so you can switch between different computers with different operating systems if you need to.
That subscription gives you access to Premiere Pro for editing all sorts of video, from 3D and even 8K. You’ll also be able to handle audio tracks, add graphics, manage light and color, and effectively put together whatever video you can imagine. If you use Adobe’s other software, like Photoshop or Illustrator, then Premiere Pro will be a great option for easily integrating different workflows.
Easiest-to-Use Cross-Platform Editor: Adobe Premiere Elements 2018
Adobe Premiere Elements 2018 is almost exactly what it sounds like. It’s a stripped down version of the pro Premiere software. This does make it a little less capable, and new features aren’t constantly rolling out to it, but it works as an easily approachable video editing software for those just getting started. And, without a subscription model, you can pay for the software once and you’re set.
If you’re an amateur just getting started with video editing, and especially if you’re not planning on going pro, then Premiere Elements 2018 will be an excellent pick for you. While Premiere Elements does give you plenty of tools for putting together multiple video, image, and audio files into one complete video, it also has some tools to help you make a better video if you’re not a savvy editor already. Plus, the software is available on both Mac and PC.
Premier Elements 2018 helps you organize the files you’ll be using in your video, and it can guide you through the editing process from beginning to end. It will also let you add in some fun little effects to spice up your video. And, in keeping with the times, it supports 4K video.
Best Open-Source Software: Shotcut
Shotcut is highly versatile free video editing software available on Mac and PC. Once you get past the somewhat steep learning curve, you’ll find you can do quite a lot with Shotcut. And, since it’s a free software, you have the option of seeing whether or not you like it without having to pay a cent.
Shotcut is a multi-track editing software like any other serious software, and you can readily rearrange the workspace to suit your editing needs. Shotcut supports a wide variety of file types for both input and output, including 4K video. Plus, you can edit audio, color, and lighting effects in Shotcut.
Though Shotcut isn’t the easiest software to just pick up and start editing videos with, the nature of being a free software means plenty of people are using it and making incredibly helpful tutorial videos or guides on how to use it. And, if you want a readily portable option, Shotcut is it, since you can run it directly off an external storage drive.
Best Starter Freeware: Lightworks
Best Mac For Movie Editing
Lightworks blends the offerings of a free editing software with a paid one. Compared to Shotcut, it has an easier learning curve, but some of the features that you’ll want may be part of the paid Lightworks Pro version, such as the ability to export your final product in more video formats and higher resolutions.
Whether or not you need the free or paid versions is a question you can answer for yourself later on though, as either will let you import a wide range of file formats, easily edit together multiple files, manage your audio, add titles, and tweak your visuals.
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The free version of Lightworks will be a fine option for anyone who isn’t concerned much about video resolution, as you’ll still be able to output web-ready 720p videos. But, if you try out Lightworks, like how it works, and want to stick with it as your video editor of choice, you can upgrade to the Pro software and start putting out high-quality video. Plus, Lightworks is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, so you’ll be able to stick with Lightworks even if you stop using a Mac later on.
Best Freeware: DaVinci Resolve 15
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If you’re ready to get started editing all kinds of videos and putting out the final product in a high-quality, 4K format without having to pay a cent to do so, then DaVinci Resolve 15 is a great option. While there is a paid Studio version, you’ll really only need to go with that if you’re planning to do some collaboration or want access to a few of the software’s more advanced tools and effects.
For the most part, DaVinci Resolve 15 is going to give you plenty of functionality to take your footage, organize it with data to help you find what you need, and edit it all together. Once you’re done, you can output in just about any format you need, whether you want the highest quality or something that’s ready to upload quickly to YouTube.
If you want a video editing software you can get serious with, then DaVinci Resolve 15 fits the bill. It’s just a bonus that the free version is so capable because it’ll give you a chance to try it for yourself and see if it feels like something you can really use.
Best for Tutorial and Presentation Videos: Camtasia
Camtasia is particularly handy if you’re planning to make videos that will use footage captured from your computer screen. That’s because it’s a screen recorder and video editor built into one product.
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With Camtasia, you’ll be able to record the screen and audio of your computer or even your iOS device. If you’re putting together tutorial videos, this capability will be incredibly useful. Plus, you have the option of adding webcam footage on top of the screen-captured video.
Beyond screen-capture, Camtasia also gives you multi-track timeline editing and tools for transitions, animations, audio and video effects, and annotations. If you want to make a presentation video, you can also add in a PowerPoint. So, whether you’re an educator, business professional, or just trying to put some tutorials up on YouTube, Camtasia offers tools you can use to capture and edit the video you need. A free trial will give you a chance to see if its tool and features a good fit for you.
What to Look for in Video Editing Software for a Mac
Free vs. paid - If you’re a beginner just dipping your toes into the world of video editing, a free software program is probably your best bet. If you have more advanced needs, you’ll likely need to pay to access the features you’ll need. However, most software programs have free trials that let you try them before you buy them.
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File compatibility - Before you commit to a new program, make sure it’s compatible with the type of video you’ll be shooting. While some programs support 4K video, others don’t, and yet others will support 3D and 4K. Be sure to consider both the input and output formats you’ll need.
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Extra features - Most video editing programs can handle the basics—merging clips, adding transitions, and laying down audio—but the extra features are what will take your video from amateur to expert. Look for handy features like multi-track timelines, filters, special effects, and more.