

- Lightworks editing software how to#
- Lightworks editing software pro#
- Lightworks editing software software#
- Lightworks editing software license#
- Lightworks editing software free#
For example, its visual effects tools are easily accessible, and they let you tweak every aspect of the image to a fine degree of detail.
Lightworks editing software free#
Once you’re in though, it’s one of the most powerful free video editors you can find.
Lightworks editing software how to#
The Lightworks editor is powerful, but the program doesn’t do as much as some other consumer products to help total beginners learn how to use it. If you set anything different from your video, you’ll have to dive into settings and tweak them until you get it right. While it supports all the import formats that the paid version does, it can be tricky getting everything to import easily for the uninitiated-you have to define project settings like resolution, framerate, and so on before you import your files.
Lightworks editing software software#
On the plus side, the software is quite fast and includes built-in access to royalty-free music and stock video (from Audio Network and Pond5, respectively) for a wider range of creative possibilities.Lightworks guides you through the process of setting up your first project with simple tooltips, but they’re a far cry for the powerful tutorials and wizards available in some other software. 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.

Lightworks editing software pro#
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.
Lightworks editing software license#
Lightworks Pro requires a $25 per month subscription, with annual and perpetual license options also available.
