Top Free Windows Movie Maker Alternatives
11 January 2024 Senior Program Developer
Summary
Discover the best windows movie maker alternatives. With free and full-featured options, we compare their pros and cons.
Windows Movie Maker, formerly known as Windows Live Movie Maker, is a video editing software developed by Microsoft for Windows. This software offers a variety of tools for creating, editing, and sharing videos. With Windows Movie Maker, you can easily add transitions, music, and narration to your videos and then share them via email or CD. It is a user-friendly video editing software, perfect for beginners. Windows Movie Maker supports a wide range of popular media formats, including mp4, wmv, mkv, mov, avi, mpeg, mpg, mts, jpg, png, gif, mp3, and m4a.
Despite being a decent video editing software, Windows Movie Maker is now a thing of the past. In 2017, Microsoft officially ended its support for Windows Movie Maker on Windows 10 and removed the download link from its website. However, the application can still be downloaded and used. If you’re looking to edit videos on a Windows computer, it’s best to use an alternative video editing software to Windows Movie Maker.
There are many free video editing software. The following will introduce six software with good reviews, which you can choose according to your needs.
Renee Video Editor Pro, is a comprehensive video editing software that integrates the three major functions of video editing, screen recording, and format conversion. In terms of video editing functions, users can freely choose various editing tools such as cutting, cropping, adding background music, subtitles, and special effects. The video editing interface of this software is simple, and the video editing operation steps are very simple, even novices can get started quickly. Renee Video Editor Pro supports import and output of almost all mainstream video/audio formats, and can realize format conversion between video and audio.
Applicable operating system: 32/64 bit Windows
Renee Video Editor Pro – Multi-function Video Editing Software
Screen RecordingRecord screen and webcam in Windows computer.
Cut Videos & AudiosUsers are free to cut videos and audios clips with setting start and end time.
Multiple Edit ToolsMerge, crop, rotate, cut and transform video easily. Change and add background music, subtitles and remove watermark from video.
Format ConversionSupport to convert videos and audios into different formats.
Screen Recording Record screen and webcam in Windows computer.
Multiple Edit ToolsCut Videos & Audios Users are free to cut videos and audios clips with setting start and end time.
Multiple Edit ToolsMerge, crop, rotate, cut and transform video easily. Change and add background music, subtitles and remove watermark from video.
Format ConversionSupport to convert videos and audios into different formats.
advantage:
- Complete functions, a variety of editing tools can meet most of the video editing needs.
- Screen recording function, record all videos and content on the screen without limitation.
- Editable audio files.
- Support all mainstream video/audio format output.
- The operation is simple and suitable for novices.
shortcoming:Only Windows OS is supported.
You can use Renee Video Editor Pro for quick video editing:
① First, you need to download and install Renee Video Editor Pro to your computer. Open the software and click the (Video Toolbox) option.
② Click (Add File) to import video files. After importing the video file, in the upper menu bar, you can choose the “Cut”, “Rotate and Crop”, “Special Effect”, “Watermark”, “Music”, “Subtitle” or “Credit and Trailer” functions for further edit. Of course, you can also merge videos, add video transition effects, convert video formats, etc.
and video files, as well as record, edit, and render videos. With VirtualDub, you can easily delete video clips, replace audio tracks, crop and rotate videos, and adjust the video frame rate. Additionally, the software offers a variety of video filters including blurring, sharpening, embossing, and smoothing, and also allows for the creation of custom video filters.
VirtualDub can read (instead of write) MPEG-1 and process BMP still image sets. However, it cannot read QuickTime, MPEG-2, Real Media, or Windows Media file types. It is mainly used for editing video files in AVI format, although it can support editing MPEG video and various image file formats, but finally the video can only be saved as AVI files. Plus, this video editing software can handle video files up to 4GB.
Applicable operating system: 32/64 bit Windows
advantage:
- Simple and easy-to-use operation interface.
- Support editing large files, as long as the video size does not exceed 4GB, it can be edited.
- Third-party video filters can be imported.
- Provide screen recording function, and can record webcam camera.
shortcoming:
- There are fewer video editing features available.
- Only Windows OS is supported.
- Videos can only be saved in AVI format.
- Not all third-party video filters work properly.
OpenShot is a free and open source video editing software that enables you to create and edit videos effortlessly. With a wide range of video editing functions, you can easily trim video size, add special effects, transitions, subtitles, and mix/edit audio. It supports a variety of video, audio, and image formats, including MP4, AVI, TS, OGG, and more. The user-friendly interface of OpenShot makes it easy for beginners to create and edit videos quickly. While it may not have multi-cam editing capabilities, it offers advanced features like 3D animation tools and chroma key functionality, making it a suitable choice for professionals as well.
Compatible OS: Windows, macOS and Linux
advantage:
- Free, cross-platform video editor for Linux, Mac and Windows.
- It is a powerful video editor that allows you to cut, crop and merge video clips easily.
- Use a wide range of transitions and video effects for free, including chroma key, color filters, title editor, and more.
- It supports over 70 languages and can be translated online using LaunchPad.
- Allows you to export video files in 4K UHD 60fps and 2.5K QHD 60fps without watermark.
shortcoming:
- Computers with low hardware configuration may crash frequently when editing videos.
- Video rendering is slower.
The Windows 10 Photos app is the successor to Windows Movie Maker and offers similar features. It is a free photo viewer and video editor that received a major update with the Windows 10 Fall Creator Update. The new version has a user-friendly interface and allows for cropping, splitting, adding background music, text, 3D effects, filters, and adjusting video speed. To access the Photos app, simply click the Windows Button and search for “photos”. This app is compatible with Windows operating systems.
Applicable operating system: Windows
Note: The Windows 10 Photos app is installed on your computer by default, if you can’t find it, you can try to get the app from the Windows Store.
advantage:
- Friendly user interface and simple editing function.
- Windows 10 users can use it directly without downloading software.
- Easy to browse and search photos or videos.
- Offers a variety of 3D effects and filters.
- Video files can be exported to a computer folder or OneDrive.
shortcoming:
- There is no option to tag faces.
- Only Windows OS is supported.
VideoPad Video Editor is a versatile software that allows you to edit short videos and create movies for free. It is compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. The user interface of VideoPad is user-friendly, making the editing process simple and straightforward. With this tool, you can easily crop, rotate, split, or merge videos, and it offers over 50 video and transition effects. It supports all popular video formats, such as AVI, WMV, DIVX, MP4, and MPEG. Once you’re done editing, you can burn the video to DVD or Blu-ray or export it to a portable device. For those new to video editing, VideoPad Video Editor is an excellent entry-level tool.
Compatible OS: Windows, Mac
advantage:
- Minimalistic user interface, easy to use.
- The produced video can be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook or Flickr, etc.
- 3D video editing is supported.
shortcoming:Video editing features are limited.
Shotcut is a feature-rich video editing software that is completely free and open source. It offers a wide range of advanced tools and functions to help you create stunning video content. One of its standout features is the vast collection of video effects and filters it provides. Additionally, it supports 4K video editing and also offers audio editing capabilities. With support for hundreds of audio and video formats and codecs, as well as popular image formats like BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, SVG, TGA, TIFF, and WebP, Shotcut is a versatile choice for all your editing needs. Its user-friendly interface ensures a smooth and intuitive editing experience for users.
Compatible OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
advantage:
- Supports multiple audio, video, and image formats.
- Provides a variety of chroma keying and filter effects.
shortcoming:
- The interface for the operator is not as user-friendly as paid commercial apps.
- It does not allow importing external subtitle files in formats such as SRT or SUB.
- Sharing to popular websites directly from the software is also not an option.
- The software lacks support for 360 VR or 3D editing.
This article presents six alternative video editing software options for Windows Movie Maker. While they may not have the same level of features as professional software, they are all available for free or offer a free trial version. These options are ideal for beginners in video editing. Out of the six, Renee Video Editor Pro stands out for its diverse range of functions and user-friendly interface, making it a highly recommended choice for downloading and use.
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