12 Non Linear Editing Apps You Should Know Of

12 Non Linear Editing Apps You Should Know Of

on Apr 23rd 2010 with 40 comments

    Whether we like it or not, non-linear editors (NLE’s) are a part of our daily lives. A lot of you might be stuck on one app (like me) but it is always good to explore what other possibilities out there. I am not trying to sway you or anything, but you never know if the grass may be greener on the other side.

    • Adobe Premiere Pro

      So, if you are using After Effects, chances are you know what Premiere Pro is and the big news that got announced about it a couple weeks ago. If you HAVE been living under a rock or in a cave… well the news is Premiere Pro CS5 is a 64 bit application in the new CS5 line of products. Along with being 64 bit they now have a pretty awesome feature called the Adobe Mercury Playback Engine which lets you accelerate your previews and overall workflow if you have certain GPU accelerated graphics cards. Overall, Premiere is a very strong application in the Adobe line, and with news of CS5 is going to give a lot of the other apps a run for their money.

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    • Avid

      Avid is one of the more popular apps when it comes to professionalism. When I say that, I don’t mean that the other apps in this list aren’t professional (although some aren’t), but Avid is considered by many industry professionals one of the best solutions for film editing, and news editing solutions. Avid has been around forever, one of the earliest non linear editing systems, now it is on the front lines when it comes to a streamlined environment when you need to route video in and out of different edit bays, into switchers, betamax decks, different displays or whatnot.

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    • Final Cut Pro

      Everyone knows Final Cut Pro, and how it has become the de facto editing system on Macintosh. Final Cut comes with Final Cut Studio which includes, Color, Motion, Soundtrack, and DVD Studio Pro, which gives you a fantastic arsenal of tools for all your post production needs. Final Cut is another one of the three top apps (included are Avid and Premiere) in the world that are most widely used, and if you are looking to work professionally, would be a great asset to learn and have in your freelancing toolbox.

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    • Sony Vegas Pro

      Vegas is another one of those consumer/prosumer apps that I have always been kind of on the fence about. I mean, it has everything you really need in an NLE app, 64 bit support, support of RED and other new media formats, ability to capture HDV tape, and a lot of the other features of the other big names, but for some reason it just doesn’t stand up to the other big dogs. Probably because Apple, Adobe and Avid have dominated the market for a long time, and Vegas holds it’s ground to this day, it just has yet actually broken through the barrier as a professional piece of software.

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    • Grass Valley Edius

      Edius has been around a while, but has never gained mainstream status, despite its robust intuitive interface, and ability to run AVCHD and the new, highly popular Canon EOS movie formats. Grass Valley (Canopus) are the company behind Edius, and actually at NAB they had one of the largest booths in the South Hall (if you were there). They have a lot of products, and this NLE didn’t seem too high on the list, but it nevertheless gets the job done if that is what you are choosing to use.

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    • Apple iMovie

      Oh, iMovie, how I despise thee. Being a trained professional editor, applications like iMovie, just seem pointless. But, for those that are just looking to make some cheesy fun movies with their friends, this is a great app. There are some very simple transitions that you can stick in, and it makes it really easy to load footage off of a tape based camera or files from the computer, but if you are looking to edit something that you have a paying client for, highly consider the above choices.

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    • Windows Movie Maker

      This is an app that I pretty much consider worthless aside from the user that wants to make quick shorts of their family. Windows Movie Maker wasn’t designed for much more than that. Basic transitions, a blah interface, and some reasonable compression makes this app good for that one niche market, the person that really doesn’t care if the edits are awesome, or the titles look generic. There is a reason why this and iMovie come bundled with their propreitary operating systems.

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    • Adobe Premiere Elements

      Premiere Elements is a dumbed down version of Premiere, geared towards the consumer base of customers, since a lot of those people won’t use extensive effects or multi-cam editing… or the other features that are included with the full version of Premiere. Think of Premiere Pro as the professional version and Elements as the consumer version. Elements just has the core features to create enough edits to get by and make a basic movie without having to worry about the perfections and fine tunes that you would with Premiere Pro.

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    • Debug Mode’s WAX

      Wax is a free app, with a very blah interface, but also works as a plugin into Motion and Premiere. It doesn’t really hold its ground and an NLE, but free apps are just that, free. This app has some interesting features like the ability to load 3D models, a particle engine, and the ability to extrude text in 3D, but it is still very limited into what it can do as an NLE.

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    • Zwei-Stein Video Editor

      Another free editor with not too much punch. We would like to think of free NLEs like Blender is to 3D, but that is just not what we are getting. With this piece of software you get some basic effects, keying techniques and stuff like that, basically, if you are just looking to put clips together with rough cuts or cross dissolves this might work for you, other than that, probably not.

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    • Jahshaka

      This isn’t really an NLE, but since we are on the subject of free apps, I figured it was probably worth mentioning. Jahshaka is a film and video compositing app that uses OpenGL and OpenML to give you close to realtime interactivity in your projects. Jahshaka was recently acquired by Cinefex and is in the process of reinvented to work better with today’s workflows.

      View Website

    • Pinnacle/Avid Free DV

      Avid DV is actually no longer offered, but there is an alternative with a 14 day trial… Pinnacle Studio Ultimate. Pinnacle has been another one of the consumer products that has never really been used professionally. Pinnacle is another one of those great applications for home movies or cheap skate videos with your friends, nothing professional.

      View Website

      • Now if you lot have some contrbutions of some of the apps that I have missed, I am sure there are many more, and all of you will have some very strong opinions on them, I encourage you to post your ideas, apps, rebuttals, thoughts and whatever else may come to mind after reading this. I like to hear what the readers say, and seeing it come straight from your mouths (or fingers for that matter) is more than I could hope for. So leave a comment and express your thoughts!

      If you enjoyed this post, please give it a vote on Digg or a stumble to say thanks!


Topher Welsh is TopherWelsh on Videohive
 
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Topher Welsh is a post production artist working mainly in the fields of motion graphics and visual effects. He is a freelancer out of Tacoma, Washington, and also runs www.VisualFXtuts.com, which provides a daily fix of tutorials from any and all applications in the visual effects industry. His personal website is found here: www.Toe-Fur.com.  

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  • http://www.vimeo.com/everettoptions Adam Everett Miller

    FIRST!!!… to prove I have no valuable insight dealing with the topic at hand.

    • The Judge

      So you’re just plain stupid …

      • http://visualfxtuts.com Topher Welsh
        Author

        Obviously you haven’t paid attention to the comments for the past couple of months, or on the internet, period…

    • aeguru

      @everett: Wow dude, you really are lame…as are your tuts.

      • http://visualfxtuts.com Topher Welsh
        Author

        And you are probably the guy that says “FIRST!!!!” at the beginning of every article, just your going by a different name. Obviously he was joking.

        Jeez people don’t have a sense of humor.

  • http://psdho.me PSDhome – Everyday free PHOTOSHOP files

    Great collection. Thanks for sharing it with us.

  • JW

    If the title is ’12 Non Linear Editing Apps You Should Know Of ‘, why would you then name a few applications that are just plain rubbish?

  • http://www.webguide4u.com WebGuide4U

    Editing apps not have to much inforamation on it. thanks 4 sharing

  • http://www.creativecaptain.com Hugo

    Heey, I don’t think Zwei-Stein is like Blender for CG. Blender is actually not the worst tool for CG artist, considering the fact that there are also programs like DAZ and Anim8or. I mean, Zwei-Stein is just too bad for this list. Although the idea of an article about editing software is preatty good, I don’t think this really gives a good impression of the editing software, their features and their position in the industry. Thanks for making time to write it though! :)

  • mr. obvious

    Pretty good list Topher! I agree with others in that not all 12 of these are worth knowing, since the top 5 are the only ones really worth “knowing” in the user sense. The others are fine to be aware of, but no one should be looking to use windows movie maker or zwei-stein, that’s for sure. :p
    Having worked in LA editorial houses the past 6 years, it’s also worth noting that for broadcast, we’re only talking about Avid and Final Cut. The others aren’t even close to being used when it comes to nationally televised commercials and tv shows. Major studios would laugh at someone looking for work as a Vegas or Premiere editor….

    • John

      Of course it is wikipedia, but I remember seeing a while ago that The Tonight Show and the BBC used Premiere. Not sure if that’s true or not.

      • mr. obvious

        It’s possible they used it on certain pieces for BBC (they’re overseas and I’m talking about US media), but I do know someone who worked at The Tonight Show as engineering support, and they use Avid. So far, In 6+ years of working in editorial I’ve yet to come across any studio (NBC/Universal, Paramount, Sony, Fox, MTV, CBS, ABC, etc.) that has used any program other than Avid or FCP.
        That’s not to say Premiere or Vegas is lacking in functionality; it’s just saying that for most national broadcast work, they are not tools seriously considered.

  • Danner

    NLE’s are for dealing with capturing from a camera or editing really long pieces. I use After Effects for editing everything else. When I absolutely HAVE to use a NLE – I use Vegas. Avid blows and we all know it does – just because it’s been around for awhile doesn’t mean squat – cause it blows! Vegas is the easiest to learn & use and for the record… it IS professional software. How dare you insinuate that it isn’t ;P!
    Seriously though… I do agree with JW… “12 Non Linear Editing Apps You Should Know Of” should not include movie maker and the other rubbish. I did find the info on wax useful though.

    Thanks Topher.

    • Joe

      Spoken like a true Vega user… (and I mean that in positive light).

      Vega users are probably the most consitently vocal supporters of their editing software… I sometimes see the users of Vega like a cult… but, a good cult. I beleive the VEGA users helps keep AVID, FCP, PPro on there toes when it comes to producing innovation WITH ease of use.

      I come from using a Vega equal NLE called Liquid… a way ahead of it’s times software editing application that could have potentially put AVID out of business if AVID had not bought it out… (well, I like to think that it could have put AVID out of business since it did many of the simple tasks years before AVID….heavy sigh… now Liquid is officially dead and being replaced with an upgrade to MC.)

      At any rate… good to see the VEGA crowd standing up for it’s application… I for one will never dish VEGA in a room full of VEGA users (…or even a room full of AVID users with only a handful of VEGA users)… they can be a tough group to handle and would have no problem with lynching the first person that dares to save VEGA is “average”… a’gasp.

      I admire the VEGA user guys/gals… they certainly standup for their application… and, rightfully so.

  • Intie

    I appreciate all articles on AETuts but I honestly don’t understand this one. Is it list made just for the sake of making list which has become so popular lately? Endless (and mostly pointless) lists of everything.

    This is supposed to be list of “NLE apps we *should know about*” yet you included appa that, quotting from artile, are
    - considered worthless or being despised
    - not really NLE
    - are no longer offered

    So why exactly should we know about them? I appreciate work you are doing for the site but I’d rather have no article at all than pointless article like this. Sorry.

    • http://visualfxtuts.com Topher Welsh
      Author

      Okay, so maybe you shouldn’t know about all of them, but it works as an informative article for some stuff you might never have heard of. There are a lot of noobs to the post world that find their way here, and a lot are students that work on a budget.

      and as for some not being an NLE, they are all NLE’s in the fact that they are non-linear editors… meaning you don’t edit in a line, like reel to reel back in the day. Basically any piece of software is an NLE because you can plug clips in wherever you want.

  • http://bluefx.net/store Gyorfi Szilard

    I use Sony Vegas for video editing,

    There is a way to import Sony Vegas projects in to After Effects.

    I have made a tutorial about this: http://www.bluefx.net/blog/import-sony-vegas-projects-to-after-effects/

  • John Ledford

    I thought the same thing right at the end of this article. Why should I know about them if they are pointless. But on the other hand this can be very useful for people just getting into NLE because they may think Windows Movie Maker is actually pretty good. I Movie may not be professional, but I have seen some pretty good stuff made with it. I thought Premiere was making a pretty good comeback but maybe I’m just reading to many Adobe forums. Who knows. I really liked the article. Hats off to Topher for having the guts to write it because I have a feeling he knew he was opening a can of worms.

    • http://visualfxtuts.com Topher Welsh
      Author

      Exactly right… I knew it was gonna cause a stir… and I didnt know how it was gonna go.

      But on another note.,..I think that Premiere is taking the NLE world by storm.

  • vic

    imovie was the first editing software i ever used. seeing as to how the powerbook i purchased back then literally emptied my wallet. but i learned a lot from using it, and i always say-never sleep on imovie, it may surprise us again–one of these days. but fcp is the sh!t (minus livetype and motion. pfff) adobe has the perfect package deal though. ae, ps, and premiere–sweet set. hell–ai to c4d to ae to premiere and back to ae. even sweeter (&64bit bump!!). cmon apple. get it together.

  • DJ

    Good summary. Agree with your listing Pinnacle in last place – I probably wouldn’t have listed it at all, in spite or (or perhaps because) of having spent close to $2,000 on it’s various iterations over the years. Unable to afford the “pro” version of anything – Studio 8 sucked many of us in with it’s advertising but didn’t come close to delivering. After many “upgrades” most of us came to realize that the company made its living on releasing what amount to “alpha versions” then letting its users flounder through the “upgrade” process until a “new version” was released – obviously for a fee. Then there is all the “plug-ins” and “activations” which entrap one into faux “loyalty” for fear of loosing ones investment. Obviously, I’m not fond of it; BUT, believe me I speak from experience!

    • DJ

      Oops… forgot to add that I’m not sure I would have placed Movie Maker above Elements but it seems that you are basically spot on. Excellent summary!

      • http://visualfxtuts.com Topher Welsh
        Author

        Well, I actually don’t have them in any order. I didn’t want to do that, for fear of being slayed by fans of Final Cut and Avid. haha…

  • Loay Emad

    Great Article.
    Thanks

  • http://www.306.sengroup.vn D4 Manager

    How about Ulead Studio or Corel VideoStuio. They are pretty easy to use.

  • Michael

    Good lord alot of people are upset by this article….Its just information people

  • Mikhail

    Did you check out Lightworks? They just recently went open source and is know free. Not sure how good it is however, never tested it or heard of it. Apparently it won some Emmy awards back in the days >.>

  • TheRedOwl

    I think the important thing to consider here is “12 NLE’s you SHOULD KNOW OF” not “12 NLE’s you should definitely use.”

    Don’t hate on iMovie Topher, it’s worlds better than Windows Movie Maker ;-)

    Pinnacle was such a blast from the past LMAO! That was the first program I ever used to edit videos. Then iMovie, then Final Cut Express HD, then FCP itself.

    I do agree Premiere is definitely rising in the world of NLE’s. I’m excited to see CS5′s iteration as I’ve not been a big user of it before. FCP 7 wasn’t that big of an improvement though it’s still my main NLE of choice.

    Sorry to Avid users, but I can’t even fathom how you can live with that disgustingly ugly user interface. The program itself is fine…the user interface and accompanying graphics, not so much.

  • TOny R.

    What? I just made a post over at VCP and will probably post one in my friends blog about Lightworks.

    Probably the best free NLE. It was used to cut Oscar nominated films and now its going open source and free for the community

    I think Premiere is moving in the right direction but Im willing to bet that Lightstorm is the program that will take the NLE world by storm. A free NLE than can edit real time? and RED files? Yep.. i thought so…

    hehe

  • nono

    ALA (Another List Article).

  • abhay sharma

    I know couple of editing tools that were used proffessionaly in many telivision channels in India few years ago that is DPS VELOCITY and EDIT. but now FCP has dominated the market clearly.

  • Adam

    I use Vegas for about 6-7 years.I like that software very much but I’m thinking for a long time to switch it with Premiere or Final Cut. Anyway AVID is one of the most fu***** program. Maybe I’m too young to use it, since I’m not making any serious projects at all.

    In many ways Premiere > Vegas but when I’m looking for a job as a motion designer/video editor – everytime I see final cut pro/Premiere + AE. Vegas (at least in Poland) is used by smaller companies I guess.

    All in all I love using Vegas to mix audio with video etc.

    Good article sir.

  • Nick

    Hey Topher you’ve already done Composing\VFX software rundown and now the editing programs rundown. I would like to see 3D programs rundown, even though I already have the overall the idea of most of them. Also, I would love to see your rundown of audio programs, that would be really useful. Hope to see something like that soon. I love your rundowns.

  • fran

    Actually, Final Cut and Edius are the mainly used in pro (head to head).
    Avid and Premiere are used just in certain studios with a heavy hardware tradition.

  • Reev

    I have to agree with most of the comments. This article is lame. These NLEs have their strengths and weaknesses no matter what their price tag. If creativity and “professional output” is limited by only 3 or 4 of them…I guess there’s a problem with the user.

    This is also an appeal to AETUTS to screen your posts and contributors thoroughly. We have read really good articles in previous years but this one is upsetting.

  • gern

    What about SpeedEdit? Great editor, no respect.

  • http://www.manjar.tv Luciano

    Hey hey hey!, blender is a great app, and not only you can model/sculpt/rig/light/render something looking pro, you can comp and EDIT your entire project you can even paint your textures inside blender (if you dare), but is a really robust piece of software, and the guy that wrote this article saying that free apps are just “free” by looking down at them should definitelly stop writing, and start learning more then maybe write again :D
    Cheers!

    • Daniel Ashby

      I believe that if you take a closer look at what he actually wrote about blender you’ll find that what he was actually saying is that Blender is a very good and competent program and that free NLEs (so far) aren’t.

      Though I feel obliged to point out that blender also includes a NLE mode, which it calls a video sequence editor. Its node system provides a means of doing some complex tasks like green screening and advanced color correction. You can also use movies as a texture on objects (and set the object to be shadeless) and proceed to composite as many videos as you wish in any form you can imagine. I would be interested in seeing a comparison between blender as an NLE and the programs listed above.

  • http://thevideogenius.com/ Lowell Brillante

    This article does an excellent job of representing the apps at the time it was written. I run a massive community for editors and definitely think these are the main opinions, albeit fcpx has changed things but this article was written before it came out and before creative cloud.

    Great job though.