Comparison_of_video_editing

Comparison of video editing software

This is a comparison of non-linear video editing software applications. See also a more complete list of video editing software.

1 General information
2 System requirements
3 High definition import
4 Feature set
5 Output options
6 Target market
7 See also
8 External links

General information

This table gives basic general information about the different editors:

	Developer	Year of first release	Year of latest release	Latest version	List price (USD)	License
Adobe Premiere/Premiere Pro	Adobe Systems	1991	2008	CS4	$799	Proprietary
Adobe Premiere Elements	Adobe Systems	2004	2007	4.0	$100	Proprietary
Avid Free DV	Avid	?	?	1.8	Free (No Longer Available)	Proprietary
Avid Xpress DV	Avid	2000	?	4.8	No longer Available	Proprietary
Avid Xpress Pro Studio HD	Avid	2003	?	5.8	$1695	Proprietary
Avid Liquid	Avid	2003	?	7.2	$999	Proprietary
Avid Media Composer	Avid	1989	2008	3.0	$2495	Proprietary
Avidemux			2007	2.41	Free	GPL
Cinelerra	Heroine Virtual	2002	2008	4.0	Free	GPL
Edius	Canopus / Grass Valley	2002	2008	5.0	$799	Proprietary
Final Cut Express	Apple	2003	2007	4	$199	Proprietary
Final Cut Pro/Studio	Apple	1999	2007	6	$1299	Proprietary
Avid Free DV	CyberLink PowerDirector	2001	2008	7	$69.95, $119.95	Proprietary
FORscene	Forbidden Technologies	2004	?	15 April 2007	from $2/hour	Proprietary
iMovie	Apple	1999	2007	7.1.4	$79 (as part of the iLife suite); free on new Macs	Proprietary
Kdenlive	Open Source Community	2002	2007	0.5	Free	GPL
Kino	Open Source Community	2000	2008	1.3.0	Free	GPL
LiVES	Salsaman	2002	2008	0.9.9.2	Free	GPL
MainActor	MainConcept	2004	2007	5.5	$199 (No longer available)	Proprietary
Media 100	Media 100 (now part of Boris FX)	2006	?	11.6.3	$1495.00	Proprietary
Pinnacle Studio MediaSuite	Pinnacle Systems (now part of Avid)	2000	2007	11	$129.99	Proprietary
Pinnacle Studio	Pinnacle Systems	2007	2008	12.1	$129.99	Proprietary
Serif MoviePlus	Serif (Europe) Ltd.	2003	2006	5.1.1.27	$79.99	Proprietary
Sony Vegas	Sony Media Software	?	2007	8.0c	$449.96	Proprietary
Ulead MediaStudio Pro	Ulead Systems (now part of Corel Corporation)	?	?	8.1	$399.99	Proprietary
Ulead VideoStudio Plus	Ulead Systems (now part of Corel Corporation)	2000	2007	11	$99.99	Proprietary
VideoThang TM	VideoThang LLC	2007	2008	2.0.1	Free	Proprietary
VirtualDub	Avery Lee	2000	2008	1.8.6	Free	GPL
VirtualDubMod		2002	2006	1.5.10.2 b2542	Free	GPL
Windows Movie Maker	Microsoft	2000	?	6.0.6000.16386	Bundled with Windows	Proprietary
	Developer	Year of first release	Year of last release	Latest version	List price (USD)	License

System requirements

This table lists the operating systems that different editors can run on without emulation, as well as other system requirements. Note that minimum system requirements are listed; some features (like High Definition support) may be unavailable with these specifications.

	Windows	Mac OS X	*nix	Processor	RAM	HDD
Adobe Premiere Pro	Yes	Yes (as of CS3)	No	1.4 GHz, SSE2 compatible processor	1 GB / 2 GB when editing HD	4 GB
Adobe Premiere Elements	Yes	No	No	SSE2 compatible processor	512 MB	4.5 GB
Avid Free DV	Yes	Yes	No	933 MHz Pentium, 667 MHz PPC	1 GB	?
Avid Xpress DV	Yes	Yes	No	933 MHz Pentium, 667 MHz PPC	1 GB	20 GB
Avid Xpress Pro HD	Yes	Yes	No	Pentium 4, PowerMac G5	1 GB	20 GB
Avid Liquid	Yes	No	No	Pentium 4 or higher	1 GB	20 GB
Avid Media Composer	Yes	Yes	No	Pentium 4 or higher	2 GB	20 GB
Cinelerra	No	Yes	Yes	500 MHz	256 MB	?
EDIUS Pro/EDIUS Broadcast	Yes	No	No	Pentium 4 3.0 GHz+	1 GB	800 MB
Final Cut Express	No	Yes	No	500 MHz	384 MB	1 GB
Final Cut Studio	No	Yes	No	1.25 GHz G4, Intel Core Duo or Xeon	1 GB	4 GB Apps
FORscene	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	256 MB	Any
iMovie HD	No	Yes	No	PPC G4 or faster, Intel based Macs	256 MB	10 GB
LiVES	No	Yes	Yes	800 MHz	128 MB	10 GB
Kdenlive	No	No	Yes	600 MHz	256 MB	1 GB
Kino GTK	No	No	Yes	?	?	?
MainActor	Yes	No	Yes	700 MHz	128 MB	?
Pinnacle Studio MediaSuite	Yes	No	No	1.4 GHz	512 MB	1.7 GB
Pinnacle VideoSpin	Yes	Yes	No	1.4 GHz	512 MB	150 MB
Serif MoviePlus	Yes	No	No	Pentium II or AMD Athlon XP	128 MB	149 MB
Sony Vegas	Yes	No	No	1.0 GHz	1.0 GB	200 MB
Ulead MediaStudio Pro	Yes	No	No	800 MHz	256 MB	800 MB
Ulead VideoStudio Plus	Yes	No	No	Pentium 4 or higher	256 MB	1 GB
Merging Technologies VCube	Yes	No	No	Pentium 4 or higher	512 MB	800 MB
VideoThang TM	Yes	No	No	Pentium 4 or higher	512 MB	300 MB
Video Edit Magic / Express	Yes	No	No	500 MHz or higher	256 MB	200 MB
Windows Movie Maker	Yes	No	No	1 GHz for best performance	128 MB	2 GB
	Windows	Mac OS X	Unix	Processor	RAM	HDD

"Unix" includes the similar Linux, BSD and Unix-like operating systems.

High definition import

The table below indicates the ability of each program to import various High Definition video formats for editing.

	720p HDV	1080i HDV	DVCPRO HD	Uncompressed HD	IMX	AVCHD	XDCAM HD	HDV	AVC-1	DNxHD	REDCODE
Adobe Premiere Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (3rd party)	Yes (3rd party)	?	Yes	?	?	?
Adobe Premiere Elements	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	?	?	?	?	?
Avid Media Composer	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
Avid Xpress DV	No	No	No	No	No	?	?	?	?	?	?
Avid Xpress Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
Avid Liquid	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
Cinelerra	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
EDIUS Neo	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	?	?	?	?	?	?
EDIUS Pro	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
EDIUS Broadcast	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
Final Cut Express	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
Final Cut Studio	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes
FORscene	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
iMovie HD	Yes	Yes	Yes (3rd party)	No	No	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
LiVES	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Kdenlive	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Kino GTK	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
MainActor	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Pinnacle Studio MediaSuite	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	?	?	?	?	?	?
PowerDirector	?	?	?	?	?	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
Serif MoviePlus	Yes	Yes	?	?	No	?	?	?	?	?	?
Sony Vegas	Yes	Yes	Yes (3rd party)	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
Ulead MediaStudio Pro	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	No	?	?	?	?	?	?
Ulead VideoStudio Plus	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	No	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
Merging Technologies VCube	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
Video Edit Magic	?	?	No	?	No	?	?	?	?	?	?
Windows Movie Maker	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	?	?	?	?	?
	720p HDV	1080i HDV	DVCPRO HD	Uncompressed	IMX	AVCHD	XDCAM HD	HDV	AVC-1	DNxHD	REDCODE

Feature set

	High Definition support	Non-destructive editing	Full-screen playback	Storyboard mode	Video tracks	Audio tracks / max channels	Timecode display
Adobe Premiere Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes, on separate monitor	Yes	99	99	Yes
Adobe Premiere Elements	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	99	99	Yes
Avid Xpress DV	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	8 tracks, unlimited layers	8 tracks, unlimited layers	Yes
Avid Xpress Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	24 tracks, unlimited layers	24 tracks, unlimited layers	Yes
Blender	Yes (via ffmpeg)	Yes	Yes	No	Unlimited	Unlimited / 2	No
Cinelerra	Yes (any resolution)	Yes	Yes	No	Unlimited	Unlimited / 16	Yes
EDIUS Neo	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	unlimited realtime layers	unlimited realtime layers	Yes
EDIUS Pro/EDIUS Broadcast	Yes	Yes	Yes, on both PC & TV monitors in realtime	No	unlimited realtime layers	unlimited realtime layers	Yes
Final Cut Express	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, in the Media Browser	99 per sequence	99 / 2 per sequence	Yes
Final Cut Studio	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, in the Media Browser	99 per sequence	99 / 24 per sequence	Yes
FORscene	Input only	Yes	Yes (podcasts)	Beta test	2	4	Yes
iMovie HD	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	1	2	Yes
Kdenlive	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unlimited	Unlimited	Yes
Kino GTK	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?
LiVES	Yes (any resolution)	Yes (multitrack mode only)	Yes	No	Unlimited	audio per video track + backing audio / 2 channels	Yes
MainActor	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Serif MoviePlus	Yes	Yes	Yes, & on separate monitor or TV	Yes, partial	Unlimited	Unlimited	No
Sony Vegas	Yes (any resolution)	Yes	Yes	No	Unlimited	Unlimited/Max Channel 16	Yes
Pinnacle Studio	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	2	4	Yes
Ulead MediaStudio Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes, on separate monitor	?	99	?	Yes
Ulead VideoStudio Plus	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7	9	Yes
Merging Technologies VCube	Yes	Yes	Yes, on both PC & TV monitors in realtime	No	Unlimited Tracks and Layers	Unlimited / 16	Yes
Video Edit Magic / Express	?	Yes	Yes	No	2 / 1 (Express)	2 / 1 (Express)	No
Windows Movie Maker	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	1	1	Yes
	HD	Non-destructive	Full-screen	Storyboard	Video tracks	Audio tracks	Timecode display

Output options

	DVD	High Definition	Smart phone	Java phone	QuickTime	Windows Media	MPEG-4	XML/EDL	Print to tape	Web, not hosted	Web, hosted	Podcasting
Adobe Premiere Pro	Yes	Yes (Blu-Ray)	?	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
Adobe Premiere Elements	Yes	Yes (Blu-Ray)	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Avid Xpress DV	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?
Avid Xpress Pro	Yes	Yes (Blu-Ray)	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?
Blender	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Cinelerra	Yes	?	?	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?	?
EDIUS Pro/Broadcast	Yes	No	?	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?
Final Cut Express	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes (3rd party)	Yes	No (as of 2.5)	Yes	Yes	?	Yes
Final Cut Studio	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes (3rd party)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes
FORscene	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes (MPEG 2)	Yes (MPEG 2)	?	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
iMovie HD	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes (3rd party)	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes (with .Mac)	Yes
Kdenlive	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
Kino GTK	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
LiVES	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	?
Serif MoviePlus	Yes	?	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
Sony Vegas	Yes	Yes (Blu-Ray)	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?
Pinnacle Studio	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ulead MediaStudio Pro	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	?
Ulead VideoStudio Plus	Yes	Yes	Yes (via plug-in)	Yes (via plug-in)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes (with DropShot)	?
Merging Technologies VCube	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	No	?
Video Edit Magic	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Windows Movie Maker	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes (WMV only)	No	No
	DVD	High Definition	Smart phone	Java phone	QuickTime	Windows Media	MPEG-4	XML/EDL	Print to tape	Web, not hosted	Web, hosted	Podcasting