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HitFilm Express 16 review

Our Verdict

HitFilm Express 16 is a powerful and versatile editing program that will entreatment to newcomers besides as more than avant-garde users.

For

  • Completely gratuitous
  • Excellent characteristic set and tutorials
  • Good performance
  • Cross-platform (Mac, Windows)

Against

  • Minimum system requirements may be a barrier
  • Big file (one.07 GB when installed)
  • No Linux support
  • May accept slight learning bend for newcomers

Tom'southward Guide Verdict

HitFilm Limited 16 is a powerful and versatile editing program that will entreatment to newcomers as well equally more avant-garde users.

Pros

  • +

    Completely free

  • +

    Excellent feature gear up and tutorials

  • +

    Skillful functioning

  • +

    Cross-platform (Mac, Windows)

Cons

  • -

    Minimum system requirements may exist a barrier

  • -

    Large file (1.07 GB when installed)

  • -

    No Linux support

  • -

    May have slight learning curve for newcomers

HitFilm Express is a free, multi-track video editor with plenty of features to keep amateur and enthusiast videographers (and some pros) happy.

Now in version xvi, HitFilm Express has been updated with several new features and improvements such as the power to record voiceovers and support for decoding H.265 files. As expected, it's not every bit total-featured every bit the all-time video editing software packages overall, but HitFilm Express is the all-time gratis video editing software among the many such programs available.

Nosotros've spent hours putting it through its paces to bring yous this HitFilm Express 16 review. Read on to find out what nosotros like and don't like nigh information technology.

  • Best complimentary video editing software

Hitfilm Limited 16 review: Plans and pricing

HitFilm Express 16 specs

Apple: macOS 11.0 Big Sur, macOS ten.fifteen Catalina or macOS 10.xiv Mojave

Windows: Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit), Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)

Cyberspace connection: Required for online activation

Memory: 4GB RAM (8GB recommended)

CPU: 4th Generation Intel® Core™ Processors or AMD equivalent.

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 600 (Kepler) series (2012); AMD Radeon R5 240 (2013); Intel Hard disk drive Graphics 5000 (GT3) (2013) or better

Video memory: 1GB minimum (2GB or more required for 4K UHD)

HitFilm Express 16 is 100% free to utilise in its basic form. Simply download it, validate your costless license, and start editing.

Still FXhome, the UK-based developers of HitFilm, also offering a paid option as well every bit separate add-ons. You tin can either purchase the pro version — HitFilm Pro — for $349 (with 12 months of complimentary updates) or selection and choose features to customize HitFilm Express to your needs.

In the stop, the latter will cost y'all more than if you purchase all of the more 30 addition packs. But if, say, you only want or demand some VFX (visual effects) for a item project, you can pick up one or more than bundles starting at $x.

A screenshot showing HitFilm Express 16's donation options

(Image credit: FXhome)

When downloading the program, in that location'due south a slider bar to brand a donation but you tin can move information technology to cipher and get the software for gratis. If you do make a donation, even so, you'll get certain improver packs. While you lot can purchase add-on packs at any time, y'all'll save coin by going the donation route at the beginning.

Above you'll see just a modest sample of what you can get with a donation. Equally you movement the donation slider to the right, you lot'll run across additional packs that are available.

Hitfilm Express 16 review: Interface

Once you've downloaded and activated the programme, you'll see an opening page with links to a manual as well every bit tutorials and sample videos created with the software.

The manual tin be accessed directly from inside the program, simply although the user guide is thorough and searchable, it's probably easier to start with 1 of the many splendid tutorials — at least until you become familiar with where all the tools are located. There's also an active and useful HitFilm community to explore. Depending on how you learn best (and on your editing experience), you tin can jump right in, expect through the transmission or watch one of the tutorials.

The UI should be familiar to anyone who has worked with standard non-linear video editing programs. A clean layout includes trimmer and viewing windows as well as a media bin that holds your video assets for piece of cake access. Next to the Media tab, you'll also find menus for Effects, Controls (for tweaking a selected effect), a History list of all the edits you lot've done and a Text tab. You can "float" these panels or close 1 or more than to customize your workspace. You'll likewise find other tools scattered across the UI. Background colour can also be customized along a sliding scale from white to black.

The application'southward video and audio timelines are pretty standard and there are comprehensive drop-down menus for specific features and functions such equally furnishings, transitions, exporting and more than. HitFilm Express mostly provides elevate-and-drop ease of apply.

Drop-downward menus and the toolbar are, for the most part, self-explanatory and logically arranged; just mouse over a tool to reveal the tool's name and keyboard shortcut. Unless you're a full novice to video editing, it shouldn't take long to find your way around the program's basic features. Some sections are so densely populated with options, though, that it'due south a petty challenging to piece of work your fashion through the details in the drop-down menus.

Hitfilm Express xvi review: Features

If you lot're just getting started or only need the bare minimum to create your project, HitFilm Express is equipped with the basic tools needed to import, trim and combine video and sound clips. In addition to multiple rails support, users tin can easily apply transitions and add text. The latter offers a full complement of fonts, sizes and other variables to create interesting titles. Merely there'southward much more to the program than its core features, leaving plenty of room for you to grow your skills or to fully apply the editing skills you've already honed.

Since HitFilm Express is a slimmed-down version of HitFilm Pro, you'll find many features that become beyond the basics, particularly in the Effects console. Applied tools such as those for color grading, exposure and audio adjustments are plentiful in this panel. Creative options grow also, including various film looks, low-cal flares, gradients/fills and particles, to proper noun merely a few. Within many of these categories, there's a red "Buy" icon if you want or need private Pro version options. Sure, it's a great marketing tool for FXhome and, frankly, is very tempting for impulse buyers like me. But it's also helpful if/when the hundreds of available effects and variations don't quite meet your needs and y'all want to take things up a notch.

A screenshot showing HitFilm Express 16's light flare

(Image credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom's Guide)

What is fifty-fifty more impressive is that a gratis video editing software like HitFilm Limited offers and then many advanced features such as layers, compositing, keyframing, animation, motion tracking and 3D support.

With the release of version xvi, HitFilm Express has gained additional features. Perhaps the most notable and long-requested add-on to HitFilm Limited sixteen is a voice recorder. As the name implies, this feature allows yous to record your voice directly to an audio timeline. Just go to File>Record>Voiceover, adjust settings (if needed) and click the ruby-red microphone icon to showtime/cease. This is a welcome addition for almost users just is especially important for vloggers, YouTubers, game creators and documentary filmmakers, amongst others.

A screenshot showing HitFilm Express 16's voiceover

(Image credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom's Guide)

The new version now supports the H.265 codec (besides known as HEVC — High Efficiency Video Coding) for better and more efficient compression. This ways that H.265 video, which is used by some smartphones, drones and cameras, can now be dropped onto the timeline and used without you having to transcode the file.

Some of the other updates aren't necessarily mind-boggling only, rather, add together another layer of convenience to some tasks. For instance, one time yous finish a video (or are closed to completion), you can use a drop-downwards card in the Media bin to remove all unused avails. And video and audio timelines tin be locked in sync.

At that place are multiple ways to consign projects, sections of a video and individual clips but I have even so to effigy out which one is more efficient. But all methods offer the aforementioned (or similar) options including a list of presets. The latter offers standard output settings for Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, 1080p Hard disk, to name a few. And each preset lists the format, resolution, frame rate and compression settings. You lot can create and save your ain export preset, which is especially helpful if y'all have specific requirements for the finish utilise. You can also conveniently queue up multiple projects for export.

A screenshot showing HitFilm Express 16's output queue

(Epitome credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom'south Guide)

Hitfilm Limited sixteen: Operation

I tested the software on a 2019 MacBook Pro running Catalina 10.fifteen.7 with 64GB RAM, a 2.3 GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 processor and an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M graphics carte du jour. HitFilm Limited ran well on my laptop with no glitches. Video and audio clips played smoothly with no hesitation or stutter. Drop-down menus and other navigation was responsive, and effects previewed quickly after dragging and dropping them on the timeline.

Of form, we have to caution that your feel may differ depending on your system specifications and the size of your files. If you're loading multiple, very big files, using animation, importing and working with 3D objects, you may well need a more powerful set-up than I've used.

HitFilm Express 16 review: Verdict

HitFilm Express is the best free video editing software package available. A solid set of core features is complemented past an interesting — and useful — assortment of sophisticated options, guaranteeing that both newcomers to video editing likewise as more experienced users have the tools they need for a wide variety of projects.

The density and variety of features can be overwhelming at first, so you may demand a little help from tutorials and the user guide to detect everything this plan has to offer. But, in the finish, the user interface is fairly intuitive and piece of cake to navigate. Virtually users should be able to turn out a simple project shortly after launching the program and avant-garde users may find that HitFilm Express' features lonely provide artistic inspiration.

Over the years, I've tested many software programs and simply a scattering find a permanent home on my difficult drive. HitFilm Express is one of them thanks to its keen feature prepare and overall ease of apply. Of grade, the fact that information technology's costless is a real bonus.

Theano Nikitas is a freelance journalist and photographer. She's been writing nearly photography for more than 20 years, contributing countless reviews of cameras, lenses, accessories and software packages to Tom'southward Guide. Her work has also appeared in dozens of other magazines and websites, including CNET, DPreview, PopPhoto, Professional Lensman and Shutterbug.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/hitfilm-express-16

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