Truth be told, you can use any software you want for editing. There are plenty of free or relatively cheap pieces of video editing software which are perfectly capable and easy to learn. However, if you intend to work in a professional environment where you’re not always able to choose what you edit on, there’s a smaller set of choices.
In that professional environment, there are two answers to this question. Firstly, use what’s right for the project. And secondly, because there are multiple NLE’s in use, I would set out to learn at least two of the professional ones.
There’s no real answer to the question “Which NLE is BEST?”. Mainly because for every application someone loves, there’s likely someone out there who hates it. What’s more important is finding the right tool for the job.
The Major NLE’s
Avid Media Composer
Avid is still the main workhorse of feature films, TV and documentary. No longer eye-wateringly expensive as it was in the days before the digital revolution, if you want to be a professional drama or documentary editor, or an assistant editor in TV and film, then an ability to work on Avid Media Composer is a prerequisite.
Despite its refresh a little while back, it still has a 20th century feel to it and for Editors who are familiar with a more click-and-drag approach to editing (slow, but it’ll get the job done) the way you manipulate clips on the timeline can be disorientating. It does however have excellent media management and a fully-functioning trim mode in comparison to other options. It’s also very much designed to function in an environment where you have editors and assistant editors work on the same project, and where you’re handing elements over to other collaborators in post-production.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Premiere Pro has also been around in some form for several decades, has the advantage of making up part of Adobe’s suite of software (After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator etc), and seems to be the NLE of choice for short-form editors cutting content for the internet, social media, youtube etc, but is also used a lot in documentary editing.
It’s a lot easier to throw a load of effects and graphics and transitions onto a sequence in Premiere than it is in Avid, and although they’re both now sold under a subscription model, Premiere offers a more comfortable entry ramp than Avid’s paradigm which was built in the early ’90s to entice Editors cutting on film to switch to a digital solution.
Again, if you want to make money from your editing skills, being able to cut in Premiere is very useful. Adobe offer a 7-day free trial before the monthly subscription kicks in.
Final Cut Pro X
FCP X has spent a long time rebuilding the user base Final Cut had before Apple completely revamped and updated the application in 2011. Before then, its use had steadily grown in TV, independent filmmaking, documentary and short-form as the cheaper alternative to Avid. FCP X has a greater upfront cost than the subscription models of Media Composer and Premiere, but it will save you money in the long run, plus they have a 90-day free trial.
Some Editors love FCP X’s Magnetic Timeline and Keyword-based logging, while others hate it. It seems to be a stronger piece of software than the backlash to the post-2011 update suggests, with features added over the years to what was initially a stripped-back NLE. Lots of editors who like FCP X do so because they find it a faster way to edit.
DaVinci Resolve
Resolve is the newest major player in the field, having evolved over the last few years from its grading origins into a DIT’s favoured tool for syncing and transcoding, and a fully-featured NLE.
A growing number of Editors are fans, while others hesitate to use it for big projects because they consider it too new to have been completely battle-tested. In its current state, the Resolve website is an onslaught of info clearly aimed at professionals, rather than beginners, but if you can get beyond that, it is offered as a free version which has minimal limitations, so should be a good place to start learning a professional NLE. Plus, in 5 years time an ability to cut on Resolve may be a valuable skillset if their progress so far continues.
Lightworks
Lightworks is the forgotten major NLE. Also available for free, although they seem to be experimenting with their business model, having introduced tiered subscriptions alongside their free version.
Thelma Schoonmaker and Tariq Anwar cut on Lightworks and it has been used on plenty of major Hollywood films, but I don’t personally know anyone who uses it regularly.
The Others
If you’re looking to try your hand at editing without spending much, or anything, there are consumer-focused or even free video editors available. iMovie on Macs, and Video Editor (apparently Windows Movie Maker was discontinued a few years ago) on Windows offer a great opportunity to learn how to edit for free. I used to see people using Sony Vegas (now Vegas Pro) from time to time.
If you’re just dipping your toe into the editing waters then it may be worth looking into these to give yourself a taster, but be aware that you’re not going to be able to market yourself as a professional editor until you know how to use at least some of the professional tools.
Which one should you use?
If I was asked what a newer Editor wanting to take a more professional approach should use, I would recommend downloading Resolve and spending a bit of time getting to grips with that, then also trying out Avid Media Composer First, which is a free, scaled-back version of Media Composer. Then over time you can either continue using Resolve, or make the switch to Premiere, and if and when an Avid job comes along you should be familiar enough with MC First to be able to make the leap to the grown-up version.
But however you decide to go, my initial advice still stands, where possible use the NLE that’s right for you and for the project, but don’t forget that more skills equal more ways to pay the bills.
If you’re interested in not just which NLE’s I use, but in the other hardware and software too, check out the Kit List page which details what I use in my cutting room day in and day out.