June 22, 2017

Once you outgrow Movie Maker, choosing the next video editing tool might be challenging. On the one hand, professional software - such as Sony Vegas - is a bit pricey for an average user. On the other hand, there are dozens of free programs and if you start testing them one by one, finding the right option will take you a while.

Here is a piece of advice: set priorities. What is it exactly you are looking for and why? What features are essential and which ones you're ready to sacrifice? You may not find all the strong sides of Sony Vegas in one freeware, yet a combination of tools can replace a suite worth hundreds of dollars.

In this post we've reviewed the most feature-rich free video editors for Windows and their key advantages.

Lightworks: Trimming and Color Correction

Among video editing tools, Lightworks is a legend. According to the developers, it is widely used in Hollywood due to a fast and intuitive trimming feature. Fairly speaking, this is the only intuitive part of Lightworks. In fact, its interface is so far from being logical, it was easy to get lost at almost every step while testing.

Where Lightworks is unbeatable though, is color correction. Hats off to the developers - that part is at the level of Adobe Premiere or Adobe Lightroom! You have full control of the picture and can literally set up every parameter - the HSV and RGB panels are quickly accessible.

Key limitation of the free version: export is available to YouTube and Vimeo only (1080p), so you won't be able to save the project directly to your PC.

VSDC: Blending Modes and Gradient Tool

While on the subject of working with color, VSDC is worth checking out. Despite an old-school interface this software has a couple of unique features.

First, there is one unobvious advantage - VSDC performs a lot like a graphic editor. That means you can place graphic objects in the scene and modify them. There are many ways to make use of it, and a quick example is a cinema look: two black bars added on top and on the bottom of a scene. Most video editing programs suggest using masking for that purpose, which is more time and effort consuming.

VSDC also stands out with its set of 30+ blending modes applicable for color correction as well as such awesome effects as "Video in text".

Yet the most distinguishing feature here is "Gradient". In combination with the above described tools it practically provides endless possibilities for a creative mind.

Key limitation of the free version: None.

Videopad: Masking

If it was an interface contest, Videopad would have probably won the prize. Its timeline is incredibly intuitive and thought out to the last detail. The overall look produces an impression of Sony Vegas' "younger brother" - as you can't but notice similarities between two programs. Hotkeys are nicely implemented, though one can easily manage using a mouse only.

When it comes to features, Videopad is the best at masking. Applying a mask in most video editing tools can be a challenging process. In Videopad it is intuitively done in a couple of clicks, and by adding new red points you can change mask shape according to your needs. What's also remarkable, there is a separate effects window helping you focus on editing the object.

Key limitation of the free version: only two video tracks available and only personal use allowed.

Shotcut: Chroma Key (Green Screen)

Shotcut interface will look familiar to those having experience with Adobe Premiere. The former might not be as intuitive as the latter, yet Shotcut is considered more stylish and versatile. Shotcut developers also did a great job by implementing a multi-level action history, so there is a way to go back and apply undo/redo commands at any moment.

The biggest advantage of Shotcut, however, is a Chroma Key effect. The feature itself is nothing unique, but the performance makes the difference. First, Shotcut is capable of multicolor Chroma Key effect - that means you can remove background of any color, not just green or blue. Second, the number of clicks between adding a video clip to the timeline and the end result is lower than in alternative video editing programs.

Key limitation of the free version: while there is no paid version available, the current one appears to be unstable and crashes on Windows at times.

Conclusion

Is it possible to completely replace professional video editing software with a free tool? Probably, not. At least one component of the "Interface-Stability-Functionality" combination is missing in each program reviewed above. However, if you are ready to make concessions, they will save you a good amount of money without compromising quality.

October 2, 2017

The new release focuses on the editor’s availability to wider groups of aspiring and professional video makers. Those who own 64-bit Windows machines will benefit from a specially designed version, Chinese-speaking users will get an access to the interface translated into Simplified Chinese and educational institutions are now welcome to apply for a branded editor with premium features on board.

64-bit

One of the prominent strengths VSDC has always boasted having is being able to run smoothly even on low-ends PCs, in other words the app is light enough even for small capacity machines. From now on the Free Video Editor can be also much more convenient and faster for owners of the 64-bit Windows systems making users forget about RAM limitations, providing opportunities to be more multi-tasking without any risks of slow-downs and ensuring hassle-free processing of large HD files. This version also allows for coding/decoding speed boost: in case with H265 codec, it will double the export speed and in case with other codecs the increase rate will reach 20%.

Hello, world!

The VSDC interface has been already available in eight languages for a while and now it is time to expand to China. The first step is made - users will be able to find Simplified Chinese in the program settings. Along with that, technical documentation is regularly translated into the app languages– the first part of Help Manual is now available in French and German, and Japanese-speaking users can turn for help to text how-to in their native language.

Back to school!

An academic year has just started. There're lots of creative assignments for students ahead and VSDC team would like to do its best to help learners around the world achieve their goals and cope with challenges:

• a slideshow wizard can make any school/university project an easy and beautiful task;
• non-linear editing will help to process several video files right on the scene;
• quick filters, gradient and stabilization tools ensure the enhancement of the video image quality;
• voice over will enable students to record required comments in sync with video;
• college sports events can be highlighted with a timer, zoom and slow motion.

These are only a few of vast opportunities VSDC can offer schools, colleges and universities. The license terms of the Free version have always permitted an unlimited use of the editor by educational organizations. Those of them that require a specially branded version with all the features including premium are welcome to send their request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To download the new version of VSDC Free Video Editor, please, proceed to www.videosoftdev.com/free-video-editor

July 12, 2021

Maybe for some projects summer is a low season, but not for VSDC: with a new version released users can record their voice and add it to the footage, make texts or titles outlined and benefit from optimized memory.

Voice over/Audio recorder

Free Video Editor’s users have always been able to add any soundtrack to the created video projects. The new embedded audio recording tool allows everyone to add voice commentary using the system’s microphone right to a VSDC project. The voice over feature works as a convenient player app where it is possible to record speech or any other sounds.

VSDC Pro users can take advantage of the voice over option synchronized with a video project. For more user friendliness and precision, the recording is carried out along with the video preview in one and the same window that allows for adding audio comments at required parts of the movie.

Meanwhile, the free version users are welcome to turn to the Voice Recorder available as a separate utility among the app’s tools.

This new feature comes in handy for filmmakers, educational institutions and video games fans that often apply audio comments for making tutorials and let’s plays.

• ‘Voice over’ to be found in ‘Editor’ tab >> ‘More tools’ button.
• Free Voice Recorder to be found in ‘Tools’ tab >> ‘Voice recorder’.

Text processing enhancements

• To meet multiple users’ demands, text outline features have been designed. Making just a couple of clicks, movie-makers can not only select a necessary text font, size and color, but also apply contouring to their taste and needs. The option, available immediately after adding a text object to the scene, provides a wide array of outline presets whose opacity can be flexibly adjusted.
• Those using the Arabic, Aramaic, Azeri, Dhivehi/Maldivian, Hebrew, Kurdish (Sorani), Persian/Farsi and Urdu languages can now make use of the right to left writing option available in VSDC Free Video Editor.

Memory optimization

From now on it’ll be easier for users with a limited PC memory capacity to manage their VSDC projects. The optimization enhancement carried out increases the app performance stability and prevents it from crashes while working even with large size video files.

To download the new version of VSDC Free Video Editor, please, proceed to http://www.videosoftdev.com/free-video-editor

March 20, 2023

Rumor has it, the largest amounts of green cloth in the world are purchased by Hollywood. That magical combination of green color and a proper green screen software makes it possible for film crews to remain in cozy studios - whether they are shooting a romantic dinner in Paris, or a deadly fight between dinosaurs in Jurassic world. Disclosure: most movie fights are made with green screen, even if there are no dinosaurs involved.

Anyway, now that the technology is not a privilege of filmmakers only, you can bring magic to your videos too! And you certainly won't need Hollywood budgets for that. In fact, you'll be able to do it at zero cost. Keep reading, and you'll find the best free green screen software for Windows and for Mac preceded by expert advice on bringing your idea to life without spending a dime.

What you'll need:

• Green screen.
• Steady light.
• Camera.
• Picture to replace green background with.
• Green screen software (for Windows, download VSDC Free Video Editor. For Mac, iMovie is the best choice).

In this article, we'll walk through each part to explain the details and prevent you from making the most common mistakes.

Ah, one more important thing. We forgot to include imagination to the list! Although, since you're reading this, you probably have a brilliant idea already, don't you? If not, scroll down to the bottom of this post - you'll find 6 inspiring ideas for how to use green screen in your videos. But careful: after seeing this, you may never want to shoot regular videos again.

What is green screen and where to get it?

So what do they mean when they say "green screen", eh? Technically, we're talking about any (and I mean ANY) surface evenly coated with green cloth or evenly painted green. In fact, according to some video production experts, shooting in front of a painted wall is easier than stretching a piece of cloth onto a large object or a frame.

Of course, you can go to Amazon and order a ready-made collapsible green screen - affordable ones are often made of cardboard, thick paper, or fabric. Yet, we encourage you to keep your eyes open for zero-cost solutions. Is there a green wall in your building? A green chalkboard in your classroom or in the office? Hey, perhaps your friend owns a billiard table you could make use of! If you, however, choose to follow the DIY spirit - say, you've found a piece of green cloth in the attic - make sure to eliminate all the flaws affecting color evenness. Even the most professional green screen software won't be able to do the job properly if your background is heavily stained or wrinkled.

Advice for DIYers: when using green fabric, we recommend you to steam it well before shooting, or even better - wash it and let it dry hanging or stretched.

Let there be light

This one is important. Thick shadows will ruin your green screen effect, as well as reflections - see the part about color evenness. Here is a couple of tips on how to lighten it right.

• First, place the camera right in front of the scene object. If the room allows, don't place it too close, because later you'll have to maneuver between the green background and the camera to avoid dark shadows - you'll learn about it in the next paragraphs. Several feet is a perfect distance.
• Second, you'll need at least two sources of light positioned slightly higher than the scene object. Ideally, they should be hanging or fixed on two tripods, however, the placement doesn't matter much as long as there is a 45-degree angle between each light source and the center of the scene. Fluorescent or any daylight bulbs you probably have in your house, will do.
• Third, you'll have to spend some time finding the best spot for yourself (or the object you’re shooting, if it's not you). Your shadow is almost unavoidable, but your aim is to have it either outside of the camera frame, or smoothly and evenly spread inside. To achieve it, make sure there is a solid space between you and the green screen. In other words, step forward from the background – you’ll notice how the shadow becomes more transparent with each move. Keep experimenting with the distance until you find the optimal position.

One of the best how-to illustrations of how to lighten the object when shooting with a green screen has been published by Videomaker online magazine. Here it is below:

Do I need a special camera for that?

No, you don't. As long as you have a decent piece of green screen software and managed to achieve smooth light, you can use any device to record the video, even if it's your iPod. It all comes down to the overall footage quality.

Where do I get images or videos to replace green background?

That depends on what you have in mind! You can use photos and videos shot by you in advance, stock materials, or a fragment from a famous movie – it is entirely up to you. We just have a couple of recommendations, though.

First, if you're going to use something you recorded yourself, make sure both videos have the same parameters. Having a different quality footage as a background will ruin the effect, and you'll end up with a very unnaturally looking clip. And don't worry if your background footage has sound. You'll be able to remove audio from video during the editing process and add a soundtrack of your choice, so that the viewers will only hear what you want them to hear.

Second, if you're looking for high quality footage, you can check free stock video marketplaces. There are dozens of them online. Here are just few we've tested: Videvo, Vimeo Free HD stock, Pexels and Pixabay. Be sure to look through the terms and video quality description before downloading to avoid surprises. Most of these websites allow you to filter videos by their parameters. By the way, you may find a few videos already shot with the "green screen" as well! Videvo has at least three separate videos with a chicken, an alpaca, and a monkey recorded in front of a green background. Hey, perhaps, you have an idea on how to authentically add them to your clip.

How does green screen software work?

Alright, let's get technical. You may have heard the green screen effect also being called “Chroma Key”. Don't get confused. Technically, when you see "green screen" or "green background" - it means what it says. It is a green surface you use as a background when shooting a video and plan to remove from the scene during the post-production. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Chroma Key(ing), at the same time, is a general name for the process of isolating, removing and replacing (keying) a color (chroma) in a video or an image.

Here is a quick video tutorial showing exactly how green screen software works.

So, when we say "green screen software" we mean video editing software with a built-in Chroma Key tool or effect (we've noticed that terminology varies a lot from developer to developer, so again: don't get confused).

Here is the biggest surprise: the screen doesn't have to be green. In fact, blue color backgrounds are used as often as green ones. It can also be gray, pink, yellow or purple - the choice is yours. The idea is having a high level of contrast between the scene object and the background that will need to be removed. And since green is contrasting against most colors, it has become a de-facto standard for being "keyed". However, as you may know, computer software has no color preferences and will not judge you for not choosing green.

Now, when you click "Use Chroma Key" or "Remove background" buttons, two scenarios may happen. If the software Chroma Key tool is set up for green color by default, all the green will be instantly removed from the picture. Two things to remember here: light and clothes. If your light is severely uneven - say, you have strong shadows or reflections - certain parts of your background may be recognized as gray or white by the software, therefore, they will not be removed. You'll have to isolate and remove them manually, and sometimes it may affect the outcome. On the other hand, if your clothes, hat, accessories or anything apart from the background is green too - be sure not to see it after the keying process. Sometimes, this might be exactly what you're looking for. Like in this fantastic transparent T-shirt effect.

Sometimes, however, it can lead to unexpected post-production surprises, like this transparent weather forecast host, who obviously was wearing a green dress during that shooting:

Hey, now you know that weather forecasts are the most common use cases of Chroma Key effect!

Going back to the video editing magic. In the second scenario, if your green screen software doesn't have a default color for Chroma keying, you might need to set up the chroma (the color) to be keyed manually with an eyedropper tool. That means you’ll need to click anywhere on your video background to choose the color you want to remove. This technique will also be useful for uneven or poorly lighted screens, because you'll be able to choose the parts software failed to detect.

When the process of green/blue/pink screen removal is over, technically, what you have left is the scene object with a transparent background. Therefore, whichever image or video you overlay it with will fulfill the transparent areas and become a new background. Isn't it fascinating?

Free green screen software for Windows - VSDC

Well-known professional programs may cost you an arm and a leg, but if you want to stick to a zero budget, we recommend checking out VSDC because it's free and has a well-performing tool for removing green background from your videoVSDC is intuitive and lightweight, so even if you’re new to this, you’ll be able to figure things out.

Here is how to remove green background in VSDC

Once you've added your green screen video to the timeline, go to the menu at the top and choose Video Effects tab. Click on "Transparent" and proceed to "Background remover". By default, VSDC detects and removes bright green chroma, so if your video background happens to be bright green, it will disappear automatically once you apply the effect.

If it hasn’t happened, just select the eyedropper icon located in front of the Chromakey color settings and click anywhere on the background to specify the color you want to remove.

There might be a bit of green color left around your scene object, but you shouldn't worry about it. Go to the Properties menu on the right-hand side to adjust settings and remove the green border. You should be looking at the following parameters:

• Minimum brightness threshold.
• Maximum chromaticityU threshold.
• Maximum chromaticityV threshold.

Increase or decrease the values until you see that the presence of green has been minimized. Once that's done, all you need is to add your background picture and make sure your main video is placed at the front layer on the timeline. If it’s not, make a right mouse click on your main video (the one that had green screen initially) and choose "Up" or drag the layers around manually.

Removing green screen is way easier than it may sound. In fact, the process will take you less time than you've just spent on reading these paragraphs.

Download VSDC Free Video Editor

Free green screen software for Mac - iMovie

When it comes to Mac, the choice of video editing software is not that wide, but there is no need to go far searching for high-end programs. iMovie easily copes with removing green background from your videos, and what's more important - it's familiar, available and free for every Mac owner. What's also great about iMovie Chroma Key tool, is that it is multicolor by default. In other words, you can use both background color options - green as well as blue.

The keying process in iMovie, however, goes differently compared to VSDC. Once you have both clips added to iMovie timeline, you can literally drag a video with green/blue screen over a video that you want to appear as a background. Once you notice a green round "+" sign, you can release the mouse button. If the green/blue color of your background is solid enough, it should automatically disappear. If it hasn't happened, you need to open Video Overlay controls and choose green/blue screen in the pop-up menu.

I need ideas. Inspire me!

Glad you've asked! We've gathered 6 use cases which could not be solved without green screen software. Hopefully, you'll find them inspiring for your videos.

1. You need to be somewhere else - right now. Remember those movie jokes, when someone is taking a picture in front of a wallpaper with an exotic place on it? Have you ever faked photos from a hospital to avoid school or maybe...work? In short, green screens are capable of creating the desired environment on your photos and videos. Look at Jimmy Fallon and Karlie Kloss here pretending to have a graduation party.

2. You need to add emphasis to your message. Because what you're saying is important and needs to be heard. You got it. Add a special effect instead of a background to grab your viewers' attention. Doesn't Shia Labeuf look motivating with flames bursting behind him? You can do it too!

3. You want to invite a celebrity to your daily vlog, but have zero budget. Don't get discouraged! You'll be surprised how many videos of celebrities in front of a green screen are available online. Just a quick search shows John Travolta, Snoop Dog, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Jean Claude Van Damme. Pick one, use your imagination - voila.

4. You want to make fun of a friend wearing green. Each of us has that one friend - we are not here to judge you. Just make sure your friend has a sense of humor before posting the video on YouTube!

5. You want to record a Christmas video postcard, but it's 90 degrees above zero outside. Replace green background with freezing footage from Siberia! You may as well be sending postcards from Hawaii or Paris, while staying in your room.

6. You want to create a glossy looking video for business purposes. Just like for college graduation albums, shooting interviews and portraits using green screen is a common practice. Moreover, green screen videos are widely used for business presentations and software demo clips. Look at this video below - it can easily be integrated almost anywhere.

Now that you know how green screen software works and that you don't need to spend a fortune to make use of it, why don't you share your ideas on our Facebook page? We'd love to see what you've come out with!

To download the new version of VSDC Free Video Editor, please, proceed to www.videosoftdev.com/free-video-editor.