The best media editing software

Media editing skills don’t have to come from a textbook. You need to get creative and make the best out of your media library by using editing software.

 

For charities with a limited budget, and charities with a lot more money to spend, there are digital tools to help with filters, fonts, and more.

 

Here, we round up the top editing platforms for your toolkit.

 

 

Canva

 

Canva is perfect for charities looking to brush up on their editing skills. The platform makes graphic and video editing easy. The web-based platform uses drag-and-drop functionality, so even those with basic skills can manage. Video and graphic templates are available for social media, so there’s no need to create from scratch.

 

Top tip: Canva is arguably the best all-around software for both video and graphic editing on a single platform. To remove the Canva watermark, a subscription is needed. Plans start from around £99.99 per year and charities get additional users for free.

 

 

Quik

 

Already well-known by amateur and pros, GoPro’s mobile phone app lets charities edit on the go. The app’s powerful editing tools produces professional quality images.

 

Quik specialises in adding music, video playback, colour, and crop enhancements. If you want to build skills, there’s also GoPro Player, Webcam, and ReelSteel. These editing tools are for video and film producers.

 

Top tip: The app also gives you free cloud-storage.

 

 

Vimeo

 

Vimeo makes sense for charities who want to edit video for social media, presentations, and business projects. It’s easy to use for both beginner and advanced users.

 

To start, the platform offers ready-made templates for social media posts. All that’s needed is customisation with captioning or additional tweaks. Behind the paywall, charities can tap into the team functionality for larger projects.

 

Top tip: Think beyond social media. This platform can create internal and external presentations.

 

 

Clipchamp

 

Similar to Vimeo, Clipchamp offers video editing software. The platform includes templates for YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

 

For charities looking to engage audiences using humour, there’s also the meme generator. Basic usage is free, but for quality videos over 420pi, charities need to pay for a subscription.

 

Top tip: The benefit here is the cache of stock image, so there’s no need to worry about copyright issues. Use them once you’ve decided on a subscription.

 

 

Lumen5

 

A relative newcomer on the scene, Lumen5 is a video creator and editor. The platform specialises in branded promotional videos and has worked with high profile corporate clients.

 

Best for charities looking to edit and enhance their own brand, Lumen5 includes video templates that can be used on YouTube and then distributed across multiple channels.

 

Top tip: There’s a mix of promotional, thought leadership, and emotional content templates on this platform. Use Lumen5 to create professional over informal media.

 

 

WeVideo

 

For video makers, WeVideo works on computers and devices. The platform offers good editing functionality, including size formatting, GIF creator, voice over, and screen recording at no cost.

 

With a subscription, charities can take advantage of more professional quality adjustments like green screen, better resolution, and unlimited use of stock images. To create videos free of watermarks a subscription is needed.

 

Top tip: The resolution varies with pricing plans, so make sure you produce with the quality you need.

 

 

Typito

 

Typito specialises in textualised videos. For charities looking to make simpler videos, this media editor is a good option. Create videos with your own font, branding, and colour palette, so that all media is easily recognisable.

 

The familiar drag-and-drop and timeline features make it easy for beginners to edit, add text, and adjust frames. Powerful but basic, Typito can chop and change YouTube videos, add and remove audio, create caption (SRT) files, and can offer customisable templates.

 

Top tip: Paid plans are limited by the number of projects, so choose what works best.

 

 

Pixlr

 

Perfect for charities looking to edit graphics only. Pixlr offers editing and design tools from the web-based platform and can open and amend different original file types like PNG, JPEG, and more.

 

There are also templates to choose from, so charities can create their own project. Pixlr comes with filters, colour effects, backgrounds, layers, and collage templates. Take advantage of the 30-day trial to create basic images.

 

Top tip: Pixlr has a resolution cap on images, so make sure that the quality works for your project before making a commitment.

 

 

TwistedWave

 

While having the ability to amend video and graphics are key, some charities may want to edit audio files only. TwistedWave is a web-based audio file editor. Editing tools includes zooming in and out, fades, copying, and pasting. Once the app has been downloaded, creators can record and edit from any device.

 

Top tip: This platform is perfect for audiobooks.