Video editing has become an integral component of marketing efforts. Small businesses, in particular, are increasingly investing in video production tools and software. A great video editing program is a must-have for any effective video production effort.
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Video editing programs are widely available. But finding the right software for your company’s needs can be trying. This article aims to help you in that decision-making process.
How to Choose the Perfect Video Editing Software for Small Business
Read below to learn about how to choose the perfect video editing software for small business:
1. Get the Right Features
You would undoubtedly choose video editing software based on the features on offer. This seemingly easy task is trickier than you would expect.
Video editing software has become fairly common in recent years. Most have become quite egalitarian as well. Not so long ago, editing software came with “premium features” for professional users. Not anymore.
The list of features on offer across various editing programs overlaps a lot. Therefore, it can be very difficult to make a clear distinction between different video editing software.
Similar features aren’t necessarily a bad thing either. Sometimes it can help you decide between brands solely based on cost.
Then again, business consumers should be able to distinguish software based on offered perks. Particularly, customers should be aware of the difference between necessary features and fluff.
When core features are identical, brands may advertise superficial features. There’s a danger in falling for these. You could end up paying hundreds of dollars for a wound-up feature you rarely use.
Therefore, it’s highly recommended to have a thorough understanding of features when you shop for video editing software. It would help if you have a good understanding of what you need from the start.
If you don’t, scroll down for important video editing software features you should spend money on.
2. Understand the Core Features You will Need
The video editing features you will need can individually differ. But you should mostly watch out for these:
Multiple File Capture and Transfer Methods
Most good video editing programs come with FireWire transfer. Sure, it’s used with footage from camcorders, but you never know when you might need it.
FireWire is the only way to transfer video files from a standard camcorder to a computer at high-quality. USB cables only do low-quality transfer.
In any case, the editing software must be compatible with multiple file transfer or capture methods. Otherwise, the software might be incompatible with your source files.
Basic Cutting and Chopping Functions
Video editing in the digital form is not too different from the traditional method. In the past, editors literally cut and pasted footage. These elementary functions define video editing software as well.
Therefore, the best video editing software for small business comes with the ability to cut and edit many types of video files. The ability to convert video files into other formats is a must, though some technical limits might exist.
The video editing software must offer the rights tools to cut video segments, shorten them, delete sections, and rearrange clips as you like.
Common cutting tools include the razor for splitting two clips. The normal cursor lets you move clips around. And, finally, the delete key lets you rearrange the segments.
These basic functions must be present in the software you purchase. Not only that, the software should offer these tools in the most user-friendly manner.
Here are the key features you need to focus on:
- Automated functions to create titles in a sequence
- Browser tool to import clips from your computer or another device
- Move-insert to rearrange clips without creating gaps
- Top editing and tail editing tools
3. Audio Editing Features
Audio editing is not the most important thing you would look for in a video editing program. However, it can be just as important when rearranging video clips.
Most video editing programs don’t offer DAW-style audio editing. But you can look for features such as adding background music, doing voice-overs, or including sound effects.
One important feature to look for is this: tools to make audio levels in multiple different clips the same. Audio editing features like this would make the video editing process much smoother.
4. Correction Tools
The correction tools make up the bulk of a video editing program. These can vary, but you should look for the following at least:
- Green screen removal (also known as Chroma Key). This is available in even the most basic video editing software for small business.
- Motion tracking
- Replacing background imagery
- Video stabilization
- Titling using keyframes
- Color correction tools, including advanced color grading
- Adjusting image position using keyframes
- Adjusting footage speed
- Auto synchronization for audio tracks
- Audio level adjustment
- Bins for organizing footage
5. Decide between Pro and Amateur Level Software
Video editing software still come in two different categories. One is for professionals, like film editors, broadcast journalists, or marketing video production teams. Amateur programs are aimed at at-home enthusiasts, vloggers, and other users who need video editing done, but not professionally.
Which does your business need? It depends. For example, is your small business creating high-end marketing videos? Or are you more interested in polishing up customer testimonial videos?
If your company’s video editing needs are minimal, then amateur editing software like iMovie might do. However, it’s highly recommended to invest in a professional-grade program. Professional editing software can make any video decidedly look better.
You can make up for lower production budgets with a great video editing suite. Say you are using a relatively low-end camera to shoot a promotional video. Use video editing software to enhance the final version with color correction and high-quality audio.
In this sense, investing in video editing software can actually save your business money. Rather than being forced to rely on costly equipment and video production, you can simply select a great video editing program instead. This might help your business compete with rivals with bigger budgets.
If you would like to understand more about budget cameras and their impact on video editing go to consumerhelp.guide.
6. Don’t Ignore Video Editing Computers
Consider this nightmare scenario: You spend hundreds of dollars on a high-end video editing program. Then you find out that the office computers can’t run the program.
Video editing software is highly processor intensive. Your computer would need to dedicate a lot of processing power and memory to run one of these programs. So your old Windows 7 PC at the office definitely won’t do.
High-end computers that pack the latest processor chips are recommended for video editing software. In any case, you need to focus on three aspects: processing power, memory, storage.
Processor Requirements
To run a modern video editing program, you need a computer with the latest generation Core i7 processor. It’s the fastest and the most efficient. An AMD equivalent like Ryzen would do as well.
You can technically choose a Core i5 computer. This is not recommended, however. As video editing software improves, computers would need more processing power. Therefore, Core i7 or Ryzen processors would future-proof your investment.
RAM Recommendations
Video editing requires as much RAM memory as your budget can afford. The minimal recommended RAM capacity is 8GB. But the highly recommended RAM capacity is 16GB for video editing.
If you can go up to 32GB, that would be perfect. The more RAM there is, the smoother the software would run.
Storage Goals
Lastly, don’t forget storage space. A computer with an SSD would be faster. But it might lack the actual storage space you need to save the footage.
Video files tend to be massive. Therefore, make sure there’s plenty of storage space in machines that run video editing software. Aim for more than 1TB of space.
Computers with HDDs can manage this. If you want an SSD as well, then choose a hybrid version. Hybrid storage combines SSDs for speed and HDDs for space.
What about the Graphics Card?
Do video editors need a really great graphics card? Actually, no. Most video editing software relies on the CPU, rather than the GPU, for executing commands.
You only need a great graphics card if you use software that relies mainly on the GPU. DaVinci Resolve is a good example of this. This program uses the GPU to run. So you need a top-end graphics card to get the best out of it.
Video editors don’t need to spend a lot of money on the graphics unit. A decent graphics unit would generally do. However, a good graphics card can make a significant difference in performance and output.
You can invest in a mid-their graphics unit like the NVIDIA GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 Ti. This would enhance the performance of some video editing programs.
In case the software you use is GPU-based, do invest in a high-end card. NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti, RTX 2080, or RTX 2080 Ti are all good options for this.
A graphics card will help 4k video editing, though it’s not necessary in this case either. It’s best to focus on your CPU specs to smoothly run video editing software.
7. Try a Free Trial before Purchase
Not sure what features you might end up using? Or are you unsure whether your computer is suited for running the program of your choice?
The best way to find the video editing software of your dreams is to try a free trial. Just about every software program offers at least a 30-day free trial.
Take advantage of these offers. You can best understand the program once you try the free trial version of it.
Some free trials may not include all features. But it would make the basic and most important features available to users.
You could try different software programs by signing up for free trials. This would allow you to decide which features you prefer. And finally, you would be able to choose the right program for your business.
Final Words
The right video editing software could make a world of difference in a small business’s marketing campaign. It can make up for low-cost production sets. Ultimately, great video editing is essential for reaching out to customers through video content.
Choosing the right video editing software, therefore, should be a priority for any small business marketing team. To pick the right one, pay attention to the features.
Invest in core, essential features and avoid superficial choices. Trying the free trial to pick software of your choice would help you decide which features you actually need.
Additionally, don’t forget to invest in good computers to run the software. Video editing programs are processor intensive. Choose a PC or a Mac with high-end memory, processing, and storage features to smoothly run the software of your choice.
Passionate Digital Marketer & Software Analyst. I recognize the importance of interactive engagement in today’s world and works towards building a steady flow of relevant, user-oriented content to obtain high-rank placement in search engine results.
