![]() I had problems editing videos shot with my iPhone-Lightworks doesn’t know how to handle content shot in landscape mode, which appears upside-down and requires manually adding the Flip effect from the VFX tab, which can be inserted onto an entire timeline, or applied to individual clips. There are a decent number of tooltip hints that pop up as you use the software, but you’re on your own when it comes to digging up comprehensive help from the website, since none is available in the application. But it has limitations: You can’t simply drag the cursor to select a block of clips and move them all at once, a process that requires marking in and out points with Lightworks. This approach can be powerful once you get the hang of it, especially when fine-tuning by disabling individual picture or audio clips to prevent them from being changed. Editing relies heavily on angled brackets that appear at the head and tail of clips and change color based on the type of cut being made: White as you hover over clips, yellow while clicking and dragging, for example. I found the Lightworks method of timeline editing to be less intuitive than Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, or even Media 100, the venerable NLE software which is also now offered free of charge. BookwalterĮditors familiar with native Mac software like Final Cut Pro will have a hard time adjusting to cutting video in the Lightworks timeline. EditShare offers a downloadable demo project to get acquainted, along with a metric ton of tutorial videos, which novice users will definitely want to watch. Tucked away behind a comically tiny gear icon are the Lightworks system settings. Click “Create a new project” to start fresh, or double-click any thumbnail to open an existing project. Tabs at the top allow quick navigation between four different modes: Log for importing and organizing media Edit, which offers a familiar dual-monitor, timeline-based approach to editing VFX for applying real-time filters, transitions, and color grades and Audio, designed for working with sound.Īt launch, editors are greeted with a tiled grid of thumbnails where projects appear as they’re created. The rest of the Lightworks 14 user interface hews closer to what Mac editors have come to expect. Coming from years of experience with native Mac editing software, the transition was a bit jarring to say the least. Likewise, the file browser has a distinctly Unix look and feel that makes macOS seem like a second-class citizen. (The flexible “classic” mode is still available from the Project Layout settings.) With the organized, single-window UI comes an easier to use application, but Mac users won’t feel quite at home.įor starters, there are no menu options at all, and Lightworks shuns Apple’s traditional contextual menu shortcuts in favor of the Windows right-click approach. With version 14, developer EditShare has taken great strides to make the Lightworks more consumer-friendly, consolidating the previously modular user interface into a fixed, full-screen workspace. ![]() Bookwalterīy switching to the VFX or Audio tabs, editors can spice up their videos using fast, intuitive tools and real-time effects. Lightworks Console (now offered at the affordable price of “only” $2,800) for those who prefer more tactile control. There’s also support for AJA, Blackmagic, and Matrox I/O hardware, as well as the legendary The Pro version allows exporting in up to 4K resolution using any compatible file format, stereoscopic 3D output, and timeline rendering. If you take Lightworks Free for a test drive, be sure to check out the tutorials provided on the software’s website.Lightworks Pro requires a $25 per month subscription, with annual and perpetual license options also available. ![]() And frankly, I’m not sure Lightworks Pro would be at the top of my list. Is it worth the investment? Well, the people behind many famous films, including The Wolf of Wall Street, Pulp Fiction, and Hugo, thought so.īut when you start talking about paid video editing software, the list of options grows significantly. mp4) or at higher resolutions, you’ll have to upgrade - which means forking out your hard-earned moola. To export to regular ol’ video files (e.g. Second, and more importantly (and maybe even a deal-breaker for some), Lightworks Free exports only to Vimeo at 1080p and YouTube at 720p. It’s free, but it’s a little annoying to receive reactivation prompts that often. In addition to Mac and Windows, Lightworks Free runs on Linux and offers just about everything you would expect from good video production software - including a timeline editor, audio manipulation, color correction, and much more.įirst, you have to deal with a seven-day renewable license.
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