Tools for Easy Video Creation and Editing

Kelly Mirabella
7 min readOct 24, 2017

You have heard me talk about it many times before, video. Video should be an integral part of any good social media strategy. For those of you trying to market on Facebook, it is vital. There are so many creative ways you can utilize video as well as repurpose content you already have to create video content. Yes, you can go live, and that would certainly help you in the way of having to edit anything. But if you want to create video or edit video you will need the right tools to get the job done. If you are on a smaller budget and want to start creating video for your social media today this is the episode for you! Today I am going to share the tools I use to edit video for ecourses, social media content, and promos. I will also share with you some tools you can use to create video from slides and shorter video clips. You do not need a huge budget to get this stuff done, you just need a little time, some creativity and the will to make it happen.

When it comes to choosing tools for video editing I consider 3 main things

1. Is it easy to use

2. Can I create great video content quickly and

3. What does it cost?

I know that the gold standard for video editing is Apple’s Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro. But the thing is the learning curve is a bit steep for what I needed to get done so the following are the tools I have used or currently use that I love and get the job done without a ton of know how. I should note that, although I am a Mac user, I will be sharing video editing tools you can use on a PC as well.

iMovie

First up is probably the best free tool for editing video on the market. It also happens to be the 2nd tool I ever used to create video about 10 years ago. iMovie comes installed on all Mac computers. It has some great pre-built themes and transitions. You can easily integrate background sound, photos, and video to create a great product. Add in overlays and transitions for fun effects. Pro tip — don’t go overboard with the transitions and effects. It can be too much really fast. Once you have mastered iMovie and you really are ready to move into a more professional editing software, you may want to now look into Apple’s Final Cut Pro.

Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker was, in fact, the very first video editing tool I ever used, back in the day before I discovered my love for Mac computers. Although it was discontinued at the start of 2017, you can still download it through non-Microsoft websites. Movie Maker can do a lot of what iMovie can do only on a PC. I created some of my very first videos on this tool and since it’s free it is another winner when it comes to the novice who wants to create for hobby or perhaps just start to get their feet wet in the video editing world.

Camtasia

Once I started to create ecourses I knew I needed something that could do a bit more. I was looking for a tool that could edit screencasting video. This would mean I would need the ability to highlight, magnify, mark up and blur parts of my videos just to name a couple of the key things I needed. The tool I discovered that can do all this and more was Camtasia. Now easily my favorite video editing tool when it comes to tutorials and ecourses, Camtasia is available on both Mac and PC. The learning curve is a bit more than previously mentioned tools but it is a very powerful tool that keeps on giving. I love how easy it is to add voice over, closed captions and layer videos. I can also change the sizing of the video to fit any format in terms of dimensions. Camtasia is not cheap though. At $199 for a single license, it might be a bit steep for the bootstrapping entrepreneur. Lucky for me I got a killer deal from appsumo for only $49. My advice is to look for a deal on this software and if you see it, take the leap. Mostly I would give Camtasia a high rating for anyone looking to do videos that integrate screencasting, captioning, custom frames or special annotations over the video.

Filmora

If you are looking for software that is less for tutorials and more for vlogs and youtube videos then Filmora is the tool for you! I absolutely love how easy Filmora is and how quickly I can create professional looking video. Even on my laziest of editing days, I can fairly quickly turn out a video with fun intros, clean transitions, hip soundtracks and eye-catching overlays. Starting at only $39.99 for PCs and 49.99 for Mac users it is an affordable option. You can also get free themes to create really amazing videos or buy add-ins for more of a custom look. Filmore by Wondershare is used by a LOT of the YouTubers you see today. You do not need to be a professional video editor to get the job done and make it look amazing. Plus they have a great library of YouTube trainings to really help you master the tool in no time. If you are a vlogger or are interested in producing your own show this might be the right tool for you!

Okay, let’s say you don’t necessarily want to edit video but rather just create video from images, stock and shorter video clips you might have. No worries, these next three tools are for you. I have talked about each of these tools in previous posts but thought it was important to mention them in a post dedicated to video creation and editing.

Animoto

Animoto is my favorite tool for creating photo-based slide style video. This tool is perfect if you are doing a promotional video, for real estate listings, for product showcases or for a highlight reel. Within a matter of minutes I can pop out a video to post to my social networks and I can switch between landscape and square pretty easily. They have fantastic templates to choose from and a large library of music to make that video pop. Paid annually you can get the tool for $8 per month ($16 per month if you pay month to month) which is a killer deal if you end up using it as much as I do. They offer a free trial so go ahead and check it out for yourself. You literally do not need to have any video editing knowledge to create something that looks great!

Adobe Spark

Similar to Animoto, Adobe Spark allows you to create those photo, slide and short-form video clip style videos that are ever popular on social media. One of the big pros of Adobe Spark is the ability to save all of your branding (with a pro account) so it translates quickly into your creative. I personally prefer the transitions and templates on Animoto but I have also created some pretty stellar video content for my clients using Adobe Spark.

Animated Intros & Outros

Lastly, I want to share a tool with you that you can integrate into any video creating or editing software you ultimately choose. Render Forest is the place to go to get intros, outros, templates for video and more creatives to compliment your videos. If you want to step up the branding in your video, sites like RenderForest can help you do that pretty affordable. They have a couple of free assets available or you can buy premium assets starting around $10 per export. Another option for intros and outros that I have personally used a couple of times is IntroChamp. For less than $5 you can create a semi-custom animated intro or outro for your videos. It really gives it a nice professional touch so I say spend the extra bit to have something created that you can use consistently in your videos.

And there you have it! I hope you that you find the tool you need to create fabulous videos! If you are using a video creation or editing tool that you love that I didn’t mention in today’s show please let me know about it! You can comment on my blog (show notes), tweet to me @stellar247, or if you are on Anchor you can call in.

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As always I want to thank you for tuning in and have a stellar day!

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Kelly Mirabella

Social media consultant, entrepreneur, wife, mother and all around curious soul. I have dyslexia so please excuse my horrid spelling…Enjoy my random ramblings