New In 2024, Time-Lapse Photography Made Easy Top Apps for iPhone and Android

New In 2024, Time-Lapse Photography Made Easy Top Apps for iPhone and Android

Isabella Lv12

Time-Lapse Photography Made Easy: Top Apps for iPhone and Android

Best Time-Lapse Apps for iPhone and Android Devices

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Watching the time pass by in front of our eyes is mesmerizing. The fast forwarded scenes of beautiful sunsets, busy streets and all other types of vistas can be found anywhere from Holywood movies to YouTube videos. You don’t need professional camera equipment if you want to create time-lapse videos you can share on your social media accounts because there are plenty of apps that let you create these types of videos directly from your Smartphones. So, in this article, we are going to introduce you to some of the best time-lapse apps for iPhone and Android devices in 2020.

Best Time-Lapse Apps for Android and iPhone Devices in 2021

The quality of your time-lapse video doesn’t depend only on the number of tools an app offers, which is why you must do everything in your power to record the footage that doesn’t contain camera shakes or any other common mistakes. With that being said, let’s take a look at the five best time-lapse apps you can find on GooglePlay or on the AppStore.

1. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android 4.4 or later

Rating: 4.2

This Android-based application makes the creation of time-lapse videos look easy. You just have to select the speed at which you want to record a video, choose between 720p and 1080p resolutions and hit the record button. The app lets you increase the video’s speed up to 32 times, enabling you to create seamless time-lapses, although the video stabilization feature is only available if you’re recording a video at a normal speed. That is why you must ensure that your phone is perfectly stable while the recording is in progress if you want to create a smooth time-lapse. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile lets you share your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and other popular social media networks or save the time-lapse you’ve created to your phone’s SD card.

2. Slo Mo time lapse vid edit.or

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS 9.0 or later

Rating: 4.1

This is a video editing app that doesn’t offer video recording options. However, if you already have the footage you’d like to turn into a time-lapse video, Slo Mo time lapse vid edit.or may be one of the best options you have. Besides creating slow motion and time-lapse videos, you can also use this app to enhance the colors in the footage you’re editing, crop or trim video clips and add customized text overlays to the videos. The app also features a wide spectrum of filters and allows you to add sound effects or music to the video you’re working on. Keep in mind that you have to make an in-app purchase if you want to remove the watermark from your videos or if you want to export your time-lapse and slow-motion videos in Full HD resolution.

3. Lapse It Pro

Price: $2.99

Compatibility: Android 2.2 or later , iOS 11 or later

Rating: 4.1 on AppStore, 4.3 on Google Play

The seemingly endless list of options the Lapse It Pro offers makes it a perfect choice for all iPhone and Android users who want to speed up the footage they are recording up to 240 times. The app can be used in both Auto and Manual modes, which means that you can control ISO, Exposure or White Balance values while a recording session is still in progress. In case you don’t want to take photos or record videos with Lapse It Pro, you can import already existing footage into the app and turn it into a stunning time-lapse. The app’s render engine exports UHD 4K videos in remarkably short periods of time, so you can quickly share high-quality videos to any of the popular social media networks.

4. Hyperlapse from Instagram

Price: Free

Compatibility: iOS 9.0 or later

Rating: 4.4

Making time-lapse videos with this app is so easy that you just have to launch the app, hit the record button and point your iPhone towards the scene you’d like to capture. The best part is that you don’t even need an Instagram account to start using the Hyperlapse from Instagram app. You can increase the video’s speed up to 12 times, and you don’t have to worry about the camera shakes since the app features an automatic stabilization feature that is so powerful that you can shoot all your videos handheld. The time-lapse videos you create with this iOS-based app can be easily saved to your phone’s camera roll or shared to Instagram in only a few taps. The only downside is that Hyperlapse for Instagram doesn’t offer any video editing tools.

5. Framelapse

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android 4.0 or later

Rating: 3.8

Adjusting the frame interval, enhancing the colors in a time-lapse video or selecting the orientation of the video are just a few among countless video recording options the Framelapse app provides. Furthermore, you can control the exposure and white balance values manually or even use the built-in calculator to find out how long the video recording session is going to last. The app allows you to stop recording automatically by setting the duration of the recording, while you can also choose the preferred bitrate or the resolution of the time-lapse video. The free version of Framelapse contains ads, but you can purchase the Pro version of the app that offers even more powerful time-lapse recording options for just $2.99.

Conclusion

You no longer need professional cameras, tripods, and video editors to create seamless time-lapse videos that depict the passage of time at a certain location. Instead, you can just download an iOS or Android-based app that enables you to have complete creative control over the process of capturing time-lapse videos and share them with your friends on social media. Which app are you going to be using to record time-lapse videos in 2019? Leave a comment and let us know.

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Watching the time pass by in front of our eyes is mesmerizing. The fast forwarded scenes of beautiful sunsets, busy streets and all other types of vistas can be found anywhere from Holywood movies to YouTube videos. You don’t need professional camera equipment if you want to create time-lapse videos you can share on your social media accounts because there are plenty of apps that let you create these types of videos directly from your Smartphones. So, in this article, we are going to introduce you to some of the best time-lapse apps for iPhone and Android devices in 2020.

Best Time-Lapse Apps for Android and iPhone Devices in 2021

The quality of your time-lapse video doesn’t depend only on the number of tools an app offers, which is why you must do everything in your power to record the footage that doesn’t contain camera shakes or any other common mistakes. With that being said, let’s take a look at the five best time-lapse apps you can find on GooglePlay or on the AppStore.

1. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android 4.4 or later

Rating: 4.2

This Android-based application makes the creation of time-lapse videos look easy. You just have to select the speed at which you want to record a video, choose between 720p and 1080p resolutions and hit the record button. The app lets you increase the video’s speed up to 32 times, enabling you to create seamless time-lapses, although the video stabilization feature is only available if you’re recording a video at a normal speed. That is why you must ensure that your phone is perfectly stable while the recording is in progress if you want to create a smooth time-lapse. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile lets you share your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and other popular social media networks or save the time-lapse you’ve created to your phone’s SD card.

2. Slo Mo time lapse vid edit.or

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS 9.0 or later

Rating: 4.1

This is a video editing app that doesn’t offer video recording options. However, if you already have the footage you’d like to turn into a time-lapse video, Slo Mo time lapse vid edit.or may be one of the best options you have. Besides creating slow motion and time-lapse videos, you can also use this app to enhance the colors in the footage you’re editing, crop or trim video clips and add customized text overlays to the videos. The app also features a wide spectrum of filters and allows you to add sound effects or music to the video you’re working on. Keep in mind that you have to make an in-app purchase if you want to remove the watermark from your videos or if you want to export your time-lapse and slow-motion videos in Full HD resolution.

3. Lapse It Pro

Price: $2.99

Compatibility: Android 2.2 or later , iOS 11 or later

Rating: 4.1 on AppStore, 4.3 on Google Play

The seemingly endless list of options the Lapse It Pro offers makes it a perfect choice for all iPhone and Android users who want to speed up the footage they are recording up to 240 times. The app can be used in both Auto and Manual modes, which means that you can control ISO, Exposure or White Balance values while a recording session is still in progress. In case you don’t want to take photos or record videos with Lapse It Pro, you can import already existing footage into the app and turn it into a stunning time-lapse. The app’s render engine exports UHD 4K videos in remarkably short periods of time, so you can quickly share high-quality videos to any of the popular social media networks.

4. Hyperlapse from Instagram

Price: Free

Compatibility: iOS 9.0 or later

Rating: 4.4

Making time-lapse videos with this app is so easy that you just have to launch the app, hit the record button and point your iPhone towards the scene you’d like to capture. The best part is that you don’t even need an Instagram account to start using the Hyperlapse from Instagram app. You can increase the video’s speed up to 12 times, and you don’t have to worry about the camera shakes since the app features an automatic stabilization feature that is so powerful that you can shoot all your videos handheld. The time-lapse videos you create with this iOS-based app can be easily saved to your phone’s camera roll or shared to Instagram in only a few taps. The only downside is that Hyperlapse for Instagram doesn’t offer any video editing tools.

5. Framelapse

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android 4.0 or later

Rating: 3.8

Adjusting the frame interval, enhancing the colors in a time-lapse video or selecting the orientation of the video are just a few among countless video recording options the Framelapse app provides. Furthermore, you can control the exposure and white balance values manually or even use the built-in calculator to find out how long the video recording session is going to last. The app allows you to stop recording automatically by setting the duration of the recording, while you can also choose the preferred bitrate or the resolution of the time-lapse video. The free version of Framelapse contains ads, but you can purchase the Pro version of the app that offers even more powerful time-lapse recording options for just $2.99.

Conclusion

You no longer need professional cameras, tripods, and video editors to create seamless time-lapse videos that depict the passage of time at a certain location. Instead, you can just download an iOS or Android-based app that enables you to have complete creative control over the process of capturing time-lapse videos and share them with your friends on social media. Which app are you going to be using to record time-lapse videos in 2019? Leave a comment and let us know.

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Watching the time pass by in front of our eyes is mesmerizing. The fast forwarded scenes of beautiful sunsets, busy streets and all other types of vistas can be found anywhere from Holywood movies to YouTube videos. You don’t need professional camera equipment if you want to create time-lapse videos you can share on your social media accounts because there are plenty of apps that let you create these types of videos directly from your Smartphones. So, in this article, we are going to introduce you to some of the best time-lapse apps for iPhone and Android devices in 2020.

Best Time-Lapse Apps for Android and iPhone Devices in 2021

The quality of your time-lapse video doesn’t depend only on the number of tools an app offers, which is why you must do everything in your power to record the footage that doesn’t contain camera shakes or any other common mistakes. With that being said, let’s take a look at the five best time-lapse apps you can find on GooglePlay or on the AppStore.

1. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android 4.4 or later

Rating: 4.2

This Android-based application makes the creation of time-lapse videos look easy. You just have to select the speed at which you want to record a video, choose between 720p and 1080p resolutions and hit the record button. The app lets you increase the video’s speed up to 32 times, enabling you to create seamless time-lapses, although the video stabilization feature is only available if you’re recording a video at a normal speed. That is why you must ensure that your phone is perfectly stable while the recording is in progress if you want to create a smooth time-lapse. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile lets you share your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and other popular social media networks or save the time-lapse you’ve created to your phone’s SD card.

2. Slo Mo time lapse vid edit.or

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS 9.0 or later

Rating: 4.1

This is a video editing app that doesn’t offer video recording options. However, if you already have the footage you’d like to turn into a time-lapse video, Slo Mo time lapse vid edit.or may be one of the best options you have. Besides creating slow motion and time-lapse videos, you can also use this app to enhance the colors in the footage you’re editing, crop or trim video clips and add customized text overlays to the videos. The app also features a wide spectrum of filters and allows you to add sound effects or music to the video you’re working on. Keep in mind that you have to make an in-app purchase if you want to remove the watermark from your videos or if you want to export your time-lapse and slow-motion videos in Full HD resolution.

3. Lapse It Pro

Price: $2.99

Compatibility: Android 2.2 or later , iOS 11 or later

Rating: 4.1 on AppStore, 4.3 on Google Play

The seemingly endless list of options the Lapse It Pro offers makes it a perfect choice for all iPhone and Android users who want to speed up the footage they are recording up to 240 times. The app can be used in both Auto and Manual modes, which means that you can control ISO, Exposure or White Balance values while a recording session is still in progress. In case you don’t want to take photos or record videos with Lapse It Pro, you can import already existing footage into the app and turn it into a stunning time-lapse. The app’s render engine exports UHD 4K videos in remarkably short periods of time, so you can quickly share high-quality videos to any of the popular social media networks.

4. Hyperlapse from Instagram

Price: Free

Compatibility: iOS 9.0 or later

Rating: 4.4

Making time-lapse videos with this app is so easy that you just have to launch the app, hit the record button and point your iPhone towards the scene you’d like to capture. The best part is that you don’t even need an Instagram account to start using the Hyperlapse from Instagram app. You can increase the video’s speed up to 12 times, and you don’t have to worry about the camera shakes since the app features an automatic stabilization feature that is so powerful that you can shoot all your videos handheld. The time-lapse videos you create with this iOS-based app can be easily saved to your phone’s camera roll or shared to Instagram in only a few taps. The only downside is that Hyperlapse for Instagram doesn’t offer any video editing tools.

5. Framelapse

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android 4.0 or later

Rating: 3.8

Adjusting the frame interval, enhancing the colors in a time-lapse video or selecting the orientation of the video are just a few among countless video recording options the Framelapse app provides. Furthermore, you can control the exposure and white balance values manually or even use the built-in calculator to find out how long the video recording session is going to last. The app allows you to stop recording automatically by setting the duration of the recording, while you can also choose the preferred bitrate or the resolution of the time-lapse video. The free version of Framelapse contains ads, but you can purchase the Pro version of the app that offers even more powerful time-lapse recording options for just $2.99.

Conclusion

You no longer need professional cameras, tripods, and video editors to create seamless time-lapse videos that depict the passage of time at a certain location. Instead, you can just download an iOS or Android-based app that enables you to have complete creative control over the process of capturing time-lapse videos and share them with your friends on social media. Which app are you going to be using to record time-lapse videos in 2019? Leave a comment and let us know.

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Watching the time pass by in front of our eyes is mesmerizing. The fast forwarded scenes of beautiful sunsets, busy streets and all other types of vistas can be found anywhere from Holywood movies to YouTube videos. You don’t need professional camera equipment if you want to create time-lapse videos you can share on your social media accounts because there are plenty of apps that let you create these types of videos directly from your Smartphones. So, in this article, we are going to introduce you to some of the best time-lapse apps for iPhone and Android devices in 2020.

Best Time-Lapse Apps for Android and iPhone Devices in 2021

The quality of your time-lapse video doesn’t depend only on the number of tools an app offers, which is why you must do everything in your power to record the footage that doesn’t contain camera shakes or any other common mistakes. With that being said, let’s take a look at the five best time-lapse apps you can find on GooglePlay or on the AppStore.

1. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android 4.4 or later

Rating: 4.2

This Android-based application makes the creation of time-lapse videos look easy. You just have to select the speed at which you want to record a video, choose between 720p and 1080p resolutions and hit the record button. The app lets you increase the video’s speed up to 32 times, enabling you to create seamless time-lapses, although the video stabilization feature is only available if you’re recording a video at a normal speed. That is why you must ensure that your phone is perfectly stable while the recording is in progress if you want to create a smooth time-lapse. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile lets you share your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and other popular social media networks or save the time-lapse you’ve created to your phone’s SD card.

2. Slo Mo time lapse vid edit.or

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS 9.0 or later

Rating: 4.1

This is a video editing app that doesn’t offer video recording options. However, if you already have the footage you’d like to turn into a time-lapse video, Slo Mo time lapse vid edit.or may be one of the best options you have. Besides creating slow motion and time-lapse videos, you can also use this app to enhance the colors in the footage you’re editing, crop or trim video clips and add customized text overlays to the videos. The app also features a wide spectrum of filters and allows you to add sound effects or music to the video you’re working on. Keep in mind that you have to make an in-app purchase if you want to remove the watermark from your videos or if you want to export your time-lapse and slow-motion videos in Full HD resolution.

3. Lapse It Pro

Price: $2.99

Compatibility: Android 2.2 or later , iOS 11 or later

Rating: 4.1 on AppStore, 4.3 on Google Play

The seemingly endless list of options the Lapse It Pro offers makes it a perfect choice for all iPhone and Android users who want to speed up the footage they are recording up to 240 times. The app can be used in both Auto and Manual modes, which means that you can control ISO, Exposure or White Balance values while a recording session is still in progress. In case you don’t want to take photos or record videos with Lapse It Pro, you can import already existing footage into the app and turn it into a stunning time-lapse. The app’s render engine exports UHD 4K videos in remarkably short periods of time, so you can quickly share high-quality videos to any of the popular social media networks.

4. Hyperlapse from Instagram

Price: Free

Compatibility: iOS 9.0 or later

Rating: 4.4

Making time-lapse videos with this app is so easy that you just have to launch the app, hit the record button and point your iPhone towards the scene you’d like to capture. The best part is that you don’t even need an Instagram account to start using the Hyperlapse from Instagram app. You can increase the video’s speed up to 12 times, and you don’t have to worry about the camera shakes since the app features an automatic stabilization feature that is so powerful that you can shoot all your videos handheld. The time-lapse videos you create with this iOS-based app can be easily saved to your phone’s camera roll or shared to Instagram in only a few taps. The only downside is that Hyperlapse for Instagram doesn’t offer any video editing tools.

5. Framelapse

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android 4.0 or later

Rating: 3.8

Adjusting the frame interval, enhancing the colors in a time-lapse video or selecting the orientation of the video are just a few among countless video recording options the Framelapse app provides. Furthermore, you can control the exposure and white balance values manually or even use the built-in calculator to find out how long the video recording session is going to last. The app allows you to stop recording automatically by setting the duration of the recording, while you can also choose the preferred bitrate or the resolution of the time-lapse video. The free version of Framelapse contains ads, but you can purchase the Pro version of the app that offers even more powerful time-lapse recording options for just $2.99.

Conclusion

You no longer need professional cameras, tripods, and video editors to create seamless time-lapse videos that depict the passage of time at a certain location. Instead, you can just download an iOS or Android-based app that enables you to have complete creative control over the process of capturing time-lapse videos and share them with your friends on social media. Which app are you going to be using to record time-lapse videos in 2019? Leave a comment and let us know.

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

FCP X Pro Tutorials: Creating Realistic Green Screen Effects

FCP X: Create a Chroma-Key (Green-screen) Effect

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Chroma-key (also called “green screen”) effects are a staple in video production. What FCP X effect does is allow you to make the background behind an actor transparent so you can place the actor into a different environment than a studio.


This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


Getting Started

First, the best thing you can do to improve the quality of your keys is to improve how you shoot them. Here are seven basic production rules:

  • Actors should be at least 10 feet in front of the green screen. This avoids light from the background “spilling” around their body or shoulders.
  • In general, don’t cast shadows on the green screen. Be very careful shooting feet.
  • The green background should be as smooth as possible. Paint is always better than fabric; avoid wrinkles and folds.
  • The green background should be lit smoothly, both from side to side and top to bottom. I try to have the green background display between 40-50% level on the waveform monitor.
  • There is NO relationship between how the background is lit and how your actors are lit. This article will illustrate that.
  • Light your background for smoothness. Light your actors for drama.
  • Don’t worry about having the green background fill the frame. It only needs to completely surround the edges of your actors. Garbage mattes are used to get rid of junk around the edges.

Setting up the Key

fx chroma 01

The green screen image is always placed above the background. You can place either the green screen or background image into the Primary Storyline. I find it easier to put the background in the Primary Storyline, because it makes editing the green screen image easier. But this is purely personal choice.

Step 1: Select the green screen clip

From the Effects Browser > Keying category, double-click the Keyer effect, which applies it to the selected clip. (You can also drag the effect on top of the clip, if you forgot to select the green-screen clip first.)

fx chroma 02

Don’t panic if your image looks weird – we will fix it.

fx chroma 03

Click the Sample Color icon. This allows fine-tuning the selection of the background color.

fx chroma 04

In the green-screen image, drag to select a representative section of the background. I try to get close to the face, but not so close that I accidentally select loose hair or skin.

Your key should look better immediately. Most of the time, you can probably stop here. But there are three other adjustments that can make your key look even better:

  • Cleaning up the matte
  • Edge adjustments
  • Light wrap

fx chroma 06

Click the Matte button to display your key as a white foreground on a black background.

fx chroma 07

Your goal is the make the foreground solid white, which means opaque, and the background solid black, which means transparent. Adjust the Fill Holes and Edge Distance sliders until your key looks solid. (For REALLY bad keys, you’ll need to also adjust Color Selection, mentioned below.)

fx chroma 05

If an edge is too pronounced, or needs help, click the Edges icon.

fx chroma 09

Step 2: Tweaks Video

Then, click and drag a line from the foreground to the background in the Canvas. Drag the midpoint slider (where my cursor is) until the edge looks the best it can. Different video formats make this easy (ProRes), while others (HDV, avchd) make this much harder. Perfection is impossible – do the best you can.

fx chroma 09a

Final Cut provides four additional tweaks at the bottom of the keyer filter:

  • Color Selection
  • Matte Tools
  • Spill Suppression
  • Light Wrap

The first three are designed to clean up poorly shot keys – read the FCP X Help files to learn how these work. (I used the Color Selection tools to clean up the very dark key I use an example later in this article.)

Light wrap, though, is aesthetic. What it does is blend colors from the background into the edges of the foreground, to make the entire key look more “organic,” as if the foreground and background were actually in the same space.

This is a subtle effect, but very cool.

fx chroma 10

Twirl down Light Wrap and adjust the Amount slider and watch what happens. Drag the other sliders around and see what happens. The nice thing about this setting is that when it looks good to you, it is good. The amount of the effect is totally up to you. Remember, Light Wrap only affects the edges of the foreground and should be used subtly.

fx chroma 11

When you are done, you have a great looking key!

Clean up the Image with a Garbage Mask

fx chroma 12

Sometimes, however, you don’t have, ah, perhaps, the best green-screen image to work with. Here, for example, there are lighting instruments in the foreground, with a very inadequately lit green screen in the background. (Sigh… this is just pitiful.)

Once you pull the key – which is film-speak for creating a green-screen shot, as I described above – and get it looking as good as possible, there’s one more step: adding a garbage matte to get rid of all the garbage surrounding your actors.

fx chroma 13

Once you get your key looking as good as you can – which in this case isn’t all that good – drag the Mask effect (Effects > Keying > Mask) on top of the green-screen clip.

NOTE: The Mask effect should always be added after the Keying effect, so that the Mask is below the Keyer in the Inspector.

fx chroma 14

Then, drag each of the four circles to create a shape such that your foreground image is contained inside it, and everything you want to exclude is outside. Here, for instance, we removed the light stand, the edge of the green background and the tearing at the top of the image. I’ve found this Mask effect works best when applied to a connected clip.

However, the big limitation of the Mask effect is that you only have four points to work with. That’s where a free effect comes in, which allows you to create far more flexible shapes with it. It’s written by Alex Gollner and is available on his website – alex4d.wordpress.com/fcpx/ – I recommend his effects highly.

How to Create a Chroma-Key in easier ways?

Chroma-key, or green screen, is an essential part of every editor to make all kinds of effects. Is there any way to make this sophisticated procedure easier way? Yes, try Filmora.

In version 10.5 for Mac, Filmora added a new feature: AI portrait. It allows you to do a green screen effect with just one click.

By adopting AI portrait, you can add those stunning effects in simple steps: How to Remove or Change Video Background in One Step?

Or: How to Add a Shake Effect to your Videos?

Conclusion

The chroma-key filter in FCP X allows us to create some amazing effects. If you want to use green screen effects more easily, here is Filmora for you. You can appaly Chroma-Key effects with just a few click. Have fun playing with it.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Chroma-key (also called “green screen”) effects are a staple in video production. What FCP X effect does is allow you to make the background behind an actor transparent so you can place the actor into a different environment than a studio.


This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


Getting Started

First, the best thing you can do to improve the quality of your keys is to improve how you shoot them. Here are seven basic production rules:

  • Actors should be at least 10 feet in front of the green screen. This avoids light from the background “spilling” around their body or shoulders.
  • In general, don’t cast shadows on the green screen. Be very careful shooting feet.
  • The green background should be as smooth as possible. Paint is always better than fabric; avoid wrinkles and folds.
  • The green background should be lit smoothly, both from side to side and top to bottom. I try to have the green background display between 40-50% level on the waveform monitor.
  • There is NO relationship between how the background is lit and how your actors are lit. This article will illustrate that.
  • Light your background for smoothness. Light your actors for drama.
  • Don’t worry about having the green background fill the frame. It only needs to completely surround the edges of your actors. Garbage mattes are used to get rid of junk around the edges.

Setting up the Key

fx chroma 01

The green screen image is always placed above the background. You can place either the green screen or background image into the Primary Storyline. I find it easier to put the background in the Primary Storyline, because it makes editing the green screen image easier. But this is purely personal choice.

Step 1: Select the green screen clip

From the Effects Browser > Keying category, double-click the Keyer effect, which applies it to the selected clip. (You can also drag the effect on top of the clip, if you forgot to select the green-screen clip first.)

fx chroma 02

Don’t panic if your image looks weird – we will fix it.

fx chroma 03

Click the Sample Color icon. This allows fine-tuning the selection of the background color.

fx chroma 04

In the green-screen image, drag to select a representative section of the background. I try to get close to the face, but not so close that I accidentally select loose hair or skin.

Your key should look better immediately. Most of the time, you can probably stop here. But there are three other adjustments that can make your key look even better:

  • Cleaning up the matte
  • Edge adjustments
  • Light wrap

fx chroma 06

Click the Matte button to display your key as a white foreground on a black background.

fx chroma 07

Your goal is the make the foreground solid white, which means opaque, and the background solid black, which means transparent. Adjust the Fill Holes and Edge Distance sliders until your key looks solid. (For REALLY bad keys, you’ll need to also adjust Color Selection, mentioned below.)

fx chroma 05

If an edge is too pronounced, or needs help, click the Edges icon.

fx chroma 09

Step 2: Tweaks Video

Then, click and drag a line from the foreground to the background in the Canvas. Drag the midpoint slider (where my cursor is) until the edge looks the best it can. Different video formats make this easy (ProRes), while others (HDV, avchd) make this much harder. Perfection is impossible – do the best you can.

fx chroma 09a

Final Cut provides four additional tweaks at the bottom of the keyer filter:

  • Color Selection
  • Matte Tools
  • Spill Suppression
  • Light Wrap

The first three are designed to clean up poorly shot keys – read the FCP X Help files to learn how these work. (I used the Color Selection tools to clean up the very dark key I use an example later in this article.)

Light wrap, though, is aesthetic. What it does is blend colors from the background into the edges of the foreground, to make the entire key look more “organic,” as if the foreground and background were actually in the same space.

This is a subtle effect, but very cool.

fx chroma 10

Twirl down Light Wrap and adjust the Amount slider and watch what happens. Drag the other sliders around and see what happens. The nice thing about this setting is that when it looks good to you, it is good. The amount of the effect is totally up to you. Remember, Light Wrap only affects the edges of the foreground and should be used subtly.

fx chroma 11

When you are done, you have a great looking key!

Clean up the Image with a Garbage Mask

fx chroma 12

Sometimes, however, you don’t have, ah, perhaps, the best green-screen image to work with. Here, for example, there are lighting instruments in the foreground, with a very inadequately lit green screen in the background. (Sigh… this is just pitiful.)

Once you pull the key – which is film-speak for creating a green-screen shot, as I described above – and get it looking as good as possible, there’s one more step: adding a garbage matte to get rid of all the garbage surrounding your actors.

fx chroma 13

Once you get your key looking as good as you can – which in this case isn’t all that good – drag the Mask effect (Effects > Keying > Mask) on top of the green-screen clip.

NOTE: The Mask effect should always be added after the Keying effect, so that the Mask is below the Keyer in the Inspector.

fx chroma 14

Then, drag each of the four circles to create a shape such that your foreground image is contained inside it, and everything you want to exclude is outside. Here, for instance, we removed the light stand, the edge of the green background and the tearing at the top of the image. I’ve found this Mask effect works best when applied to a connected clip.

However, the big limitation of the Mask effect is that you only have four points to work with. That’s where a free effect comes in, which allows you to create far more flexible shapes with it. It’s written by Alex Gollner and is available on his website – alex4d.wordpress.com/fcpx/ – I recommend his effects highly.

How to Create a Chroma-Key in easier ways?

Chroma-key, or green screen, is an essential part of every editor to make all kinds of effects. Is there any way to make this sophisticated procedure easier way? Yes, try Filmora.

In version 10.5 for Mac, Filmora added a new feature: AI portrait. It allows you to do a green screen effect with just one click.

By adopting AI portrait, you can add those stunning effects in simple steps: How to Remove or Change Video Background in One Step?

Or: How to Add a Shake Effect to your Videos?

Conclusion

The chroma-key filter in FCP X allows us to create some amazing effects. If you want to use green screen effects more easily, here is Filmora for you. You can appaly Chroma-Key effects with just a few click. Have fun playing with it.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Chroma-key (also called “green screen”) effects are a staple in video production. What FCP X effect does is allow you to make the background behind an actor transparent so you can place the actor into a different environment than a studio.


This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


Getting Started

First, the best thing you can do to improve the quality of your keys is to improve how you shoot them. Here are seven basic production rules:

  • Actors should be at least 10 feet in front of the green screen. This avoids light from the background “spilling” around their body or shoulders.
  • In general, don’t cast shadows on the green screen. Be very careful shooting feet.
  • The green background should be as smooth as possible. Paint is always better than fabric; avoid wrinkles and folds.
  • The green background should be lit smoothly, both from side to side and top to bottom. I try to have the green background display between 40-50% level on the waveform monitor.
  • There is NO relationship between how the background is lit and how your actors are lit. This article will illustrate that.
  • Light your background for smoothness. Light your actors for drama.
  • Don’t worry about having the green background fill the frame. It only needs to completely surround the edges of your actors. Garbage mattes are used to get rid of junk around the edges.

Setting up the Key

fx chroma 01

The green screen image is always placed above the background. You can place either the green screen or background image into the Primary Storyline. I find it easier to put the background in the Primary Storyline, because it makes editing the green screen image easier. But this is purely personal choice.

Step 1: Select the green screen clip

From the Effects Browser > Keying category, double-click the Keyer effect, which applies it to the selected clip. (You can also drag the effect on top of the clip, if you forgot to select the green-screen clip first.)

fx chroma 02

Don’t panic if your image looks weird – we will fix it.

fx chroma 03

Click the Sample Color icon. This allows fine-tuning the selection of the background color.

fx chroma 04

In the green-screen image, drag to select a representative section of the background. I try to get close to the face, but not so close that I accidentally select loose hair or skin.

Your key should look better immediately. Most of the time, you can probably stop here. But there are three other adjustments that can make your key look even better:

  • Cleaning up the matte
  • Edge adjustments
  • Light wrap

fx chroma 06

Click the Matte button to display your key as a white foreground on a black background.

fx chroma 07

Your goal is the make the foreground solid white, which means opaque, and the background solid black, which means transparent. Adjust the Fill Holes and Edge Distance sliders until your key looks solid. (For REALLY bad keys, you’ll need to also adjust Color Selection, mentioned below.)

fx chroma 05

If an edge is too pronounced, or needs help, click the Edges icon.

fx chroma 09

Step 2: Tweaks Video

Then, click and drag a line from the foreground to the background in the Canvas. Drag the midpoint slider (where my cursor is) until the edge looks the best it can. Different video formats make this easy (ProRes), while others (HDV, avchd) make this much harder. Perfection is impossible – do the best you can.

fx chroma 09a

Final Cut provides four additional tweaks at the bottom of the keyer filter:

  • Color Selection
  • Matte Tools
  • Spill Suppression
  • Light Wrap

The first three are designed to clean up poorly shot keys – read the FCP X Help files to learn how these work. (I used the Color Selection tools to clean up the very dark key I use an example later in this article.)

Light wrap, though, is aesthetic. What it does is blend colors from the background into the edges of the foreground, to make the entire key look more “organic,” as if the foreground and background were actually in the same space.

This is a subtle effect, but very cool.

fx chroma 10

Twirl down Light Wrap and adjust the Amount slider and watch what happens. Drag the other sliders around and see what happens. The nice thing about this setting is that when it looks good to you, it is good. The amount of the effect is totally up to you. Remember, Light Wrap only affects the edges of the foreground and should be used subtly.

fx chroma 11

When you are done, you have a great looking key!

Clean up the Image with a Garbage Mask

fx chroma 12

Sometimes, however, you don’t have, ah, perhaps, the best green-screen image to work with. Here, for example, there are lighting instruments in the foreground, with a very inadequately lit green screen in the background. (Sigh… this is just pitiful.)

Once you pull the key – which is film-speak for creating a green-screen shot, as I described above – and get it looking as good as possible, there’s one more step: adding a garbage matte to get rid of all the garbage surrounding your actors.

fx chroma 13

Once you get your key looking as good as you can – which in this case isn’t all that good – drag the Mask effect (Effects > Keying > Mask) on top of the green-screen clip.

NOTE: The Mask effect should always be added after the Keying effect, so that the Mask is below the Keyer in the Inspector.

fx chroma 14

Then, drag each of the four circles to create a shape such that your foreground image is contained inside it, and everything you want to exclude is outside. Here, for instance, we removed the light stand, the edge of the green background and the tearing at the top of the image. I’ve found this Mask effect works best when applied to a connected clip.

However, the big limitation of the Mask effect is that you only have four points to work with. That’s where a free effect comes in, which allows you to create far more flexible shapes with it. It’s written by Alex Gollner and is available on his website – alex4d.wordpress.com/fcpx/ – I recommend his effects highly.

How to Create a Chroma-Key in easier ways?

Chroma-key, or green screen, is an essential part of every editor to make all kinds of effects. Is there any way to make this sophisticated procedure easier way? Yes, try Filmora.

In version 10.5 for Mac, Filmora added a new feature: AI portrait. It allows you to do a green screen effect with just one click.

By adopting AI portrait, you can add those stunning effects in simple steps: How to Remove or Change Video Background in One Step?

Or: How to Add a Shake Effect to your Videos?

Conclusion

The chroma-key filter in FCP X allows us to create some amazing effects. If you want to use green screen effects more easily, here is Filmora for you. You can appaly Chroma-Key effects with just a few click. Have fun playing with it.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Chroma-key (also called “green screen”) effects are a staple in video production. What FCP X effect does is allow you to make the background behind an actor transparent so you can place the actor into a different environment than a studio.


This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


Getting Started

First, the best thing you can do to improve the quality of your keys is to improve how you shoot them. Here are seven basic production rules:

  • Actors should be at least 10 feet in front of the green screen. This avoids light from the background “spilling” around their body or shoulders.
  • In general, don’t cast shadows on the green screen. Be very careful shooting feet.
  • The green background should be as smooth as possible. Paint is always better than fabric; avoid wrinkles and folds.
  • The green background should be lit smoothly, both from side to side and top to bottom. I try to have the green background display between 40-50% level on the waveform monitor.
  • There is NO relationship between how the background is lit and how your actors are lit. This article will illustrate that.
  • Light your background for smoothness. Light your actors for drama.
  • Don’t worry about having the green background fill the frame. It only needs to completely surround the edges of your actors. Garbage mattes are used to get rid of junk around the edges.

Setting up the Key

fx chroma 01

The green screen image is always placed above the background. You can place either the green screen or background image into the Primary Storyline. I find it easier to put the background in the Primary Storyline, because it makes editing the green screen image easier. But this is purely personal choice.

Step 1: Select the green screen clip

From the Effects Browser > Keying category, double-click the Keyer effect, which applies it to the selected clip. (You can also drag the effect on top of the clip, if you forgot to select the green-screen clip first.)

fx chroma 02

Don’t panic if your image looks weird – we will fix it.

fx chroma 03

Click the Sample Color icon. This allows fine-tuning the selection of the background color.

fx chroma 04

In the green-screen image, drag to select a representative section of the background. I try to get close to the face, but not so close that I accidentally select loose hair or skin.

Your key should look better immediately. Most of the time, you can probably stop here. But there are three other adjustments that can make your key look even better:

  • Cleaning up the matte
  • Edge adjustments
  • Light wrap

fx chroma 06

Click the Matte button to display your key as a white foreground on a black background.

fx chroma 07

Your goal is the make the foreground solid white, which means opaque, and the background solid black, which means transparent. Adjust the Fill Holes and Edge Distance sliders until your key looks solid. (For REALLY bad keys, you’ll need to also adjust Color Selection, mentioned below.)

fx chroma 05

If an edge is too pronounced, or needs help, click the Edges icon.

fx chroma 09

Step 2: Tweaks Video

Then, click and drag a line from the foreground to the background in the Canvas. Drag the midpoint slider (where my cursor is) until the edge looks the best it can. Different video formats make this easy (ProRes), while others (HDV, avchd) make this much harder. Perfection is impossible – do the best you can.

fx chroma 09a

Final Cut provides four additional tweaks at the bottom of the keyer filter:

  • Color Selection
  • Matte Tools
  • Spill Suppression
  • Light Wrap

The first three are designed to clean up poorly shot keys – read the FCP X Help files to learn how these work. (I used the Color Selection tools to clean up the very dark key I use an example later in this article.)

Light wrap, though, is aesthetic. What it does is blend colors from the background into the edges of the foreground, to make the entire key look more “organic,” as if the foreground and background were actually in the same space.

This is a subtle effect, but very cool.

fx chroma 10

Twirl down Light Wrap and adjust the Amount slider and watch what happens. Drag the other sliders around and see what happens. The nice thing about this setting is that when it looks good to you, it is good. The amount of the effect is totally up to you. Remember, Light Wrap only affects the edges of the foreground and should be used subtly.

fx chroma 11

When you are done, you have a great looking key!

Clean up the Image with a Garbage Mask

fx chroma 12

Sometimes, however, you don’t have, ah, perhaps, the best green-screen image to work with. Here, for example, there are lighting instruments in the foreground, with a very inadequately lit green screen in the background. (Sigh… this is just pitiful.)

Once you pull the key – which is film-speak for creating a green-screen shot, as I described above – and get it looking as good as possible, there’s one more step: adding a garbage matte to get rid of all the garbage surrounding your actors.

fx chroma 13

Once you get your key looking as good as you can – which in this case isn’t all that good – drag the Mask effect (Effects > Keying > Mask) on top of the green-screen clip.

NOTE: The Mask effect should always be added after the Keying effect, so that the Mask is below the Keyer in the Inspector.

fx chroma 14

Then, drag each of the four circles to create a shape such that your foreground image is contained inside it, and everything you want to exclude is outside. Here, for instance, we removed the light stand, the edge of the green background and the tearing at the top of the image. I’ve found this Mask effect works best when applied to a connected clip.

However, the big limitation of the Mask effect is that you only have four points to work with. That’s where a free effect comes in, which allows you to create far more flexible shapes with it. It’s written by Alex Gollner and is available on his website – alex4d.wordpress.com/fcpx/ – I recommend his effects highly.

How to Create a Chroma-Key in easier ways?

Chroma-key, or green screen, is an essential part of every editor to make all kinds of effects. Is there any way to make this sophisticated procedure easier way? Yes, try Filmora.

In version 10.5 for Mac, Filmora added a new feature: AI portrait. It allows you to do a green screen effect with just one click.

By adopting AI portrait, you can add those stunning effects in simple steps: How to Remove or Change Video Background in One Step?

Or: How to Add a Shake Effect to your Videos?

Conclusion

The chroma-key filter in FCP X allows us to create some amazing effects. If you want to use green screen effects more easily, here is Filmora for you. You can appaly Chroma-Key effects with just a few click. Have fun playing with it.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

The Ultimate Showdown: After Effects vs Adobe Premiere Pro

After Effects VS Adobe Premiere, 9 Differences Tell You Which One is Better?

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

This is perhaps the most asked question regarding video processing on the internet. And looking at the product descriptions on the Adobe site gives us a clue why. There seems to be a large overlap between the two programs, and technically there is, although as we shall see capability doesn’t always mean suitability, so the similarities are not quite as pronounced as they would appear.

With that in mind, it is worth looking at the key differences between After Effects and Premiere to get a clearer understanding of what is best for which situation and why you would pick one program over the other. So below are the 9 points that I will make a comparison.

Comparison Table

After Effects Adobe Premiere
Price $31.49/month $31.49/month
Offcial Features Create motion graphics and visual effects Professional video and film editing
Includes 100GB of cloud storage Includes 100GB of cloud storage
Support Phone/Live/Ticket/Training Phone/Live/Ticket/Training
Users Advanced/Average Advanced/Average/Naive
Device Win/Mac/Android/iPhone Win/Mac/Android/iPhone

This is a basic tutorial about Adobe Premiere, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora , which is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


After Effects VS Adobe Premiere

1Timeline

There are numerous editing differences between the two programs, but we will start with the timeline as it perhaps best illustrates the different focus of each package. Premiere has a very detailed timeline panel with a huge amount of functionality built in to move through and manipulate the contents of a project. After Effects, on the other hand, has less options for dealing with multiple clips and is designed to deal with the composite components in a more user friendly way.

The upshot of this would be the basic premise of the differences, for editing clips into a movie, whilst both can perform the task to an extent, Premiere’s timeline interface makes it a much easier process with many more options to make technical editing easier for the user.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

2Editing

In addition to the timeline, Premiere has an interface and toolset built for precise editing and clip manipulation, both audio and video. This is not surprising of course, Premiere is after all first and foremost an editing package. By contrast, whilst there is editing functionality within After Effects, it is neither as user friendly, nor remotely as comprehensive a tool set, and as such would not be a suitable environment for extensive editing workflow.

This is perhaps the crux of the differences between the two packages, for editing work Premiere offers a complete toolset far beyond the requirements for many projects, but as comprehensive as one wishes, whilst After Effects is focus more on composites and motion video work and has an editing tool set that is not conducive to efficiency and ease of use.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

3Audio Mixer

In today’s market the audio component on a video product can be as important as the visual aspects, the audio clip mixer within Premiere is a professional grade tool designed to offer precise control over a projects audio output and includes the ability to use VST3 industry standard plugins. Because After Effects is primarily a composite application it lacks the finesse of Premiere where audio is concerned. Again this shouldn’t be read as being an inferior program, it simply has a different focus.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

4Mercury Playback Engine

In terms of perceived functionality probably not the top of the list, but Premiere uses this to employ either software (useful) or hardware (brilliant), assuming you have a compatible graphics card, accelerated real time renderless viewing of clips and sequences. This creates a much faster workflow for editing than is possible with After Effects beyond the previously mentioned tools and interface restrictions.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

5 Multicam

In terms of editing this is where After Effects just isn’t comparable at all, the multi camera interface within Premiere is exceptionally featured and allows on the fly angle changes and edits and the ability to sync a single shot through numerous camera simultaneously. As said, the editing functionality on offer here is what Premiere exists for, and whilst both Premiere and After Effects are video manipulation packages, editing and composting are very different focuses, and the products reflect those differences.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

6Media Management

Often overlooked but very important for project fidelity, the media management facilities within Premiere are designed around the needs of editing production and enable a much easier organizational approach for large projects than that of After Effects.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

7Masking

This is where After Effects comes to the fore. The ability to create masks that track through scenes is a fundamental component of After Effects workflow and why it is so good for effects creation and compositing. None of these effects are readily achievable within Premiere as it ships, and even add ons will never achieve the fluidity and ease of use the purpose designed interface provides.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

8 Camera Tracker

The 3D camera tracker within After Effects is an incredibly useful tool designed to replicate the camera movements within a given scene to allow new layers to be added that precisely match the original scene, essential for composite work and simply not possible within Premiere.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

9 Effects

The collection of specific tools within After Effects for applying motion control effects, for color control, blurring shadows transitions and titles is vast, and whilst Premiere includes some of its own, it is clear that here After Effects has the edge and it once again highlights the different approach taken by each program. Premiere is primarily an editing application, it is designed to enable the fastest, most efficient and highest quality non-linear editing of a project possible. Within that framework it includes the ability, both natively and with plugins, to incorporate a limited range transitions and effects to aid the editing process.

After Effects, however, is an application built around effects, it is designed to allow an almost unlimited variety of effects, transitions and animations to be incorporated into a project via compositing and as such has a wealth of tools to enable the efficient workflow of those tasks, including some editing tools that would likely be needed for that job.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

Conclusion

I’ve seen it explained before in terms of Word and Excel. You can compose a letter in Excel and create a spreadsheet in Word with the tables functionality, but the end result will take much longer and never be quite as good doing it that way. This perhaps is the best way to explain the relationship between Premiere and After Effects.

Yes, a spec sheet makes the two programs seem somewhat comparable, but it is the focus of each application that shows why they differ so much. Ultimately, the best use of these programs is together, they complement each other perfectly.

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

This is perhaps the most asked question regarding video processing on the internet. And looking at the product descriptions on the Adobe site gives us a clue why. There seems to be a large overlap between the two programs, and technically there is, although as we shall see capability doesn’t always mean suitability, so the similarities are not quite as pronounced as they would appear.

With that in mind, it is worth looking at the key differences between After Effects and Premiere to get a clearer understanding of what is best for which situation and why you would pick one program over the other. So below are the 9 points that I will make a comparison.

Comparison Table

After Effects Adobe Premiere
Price $31.49/month $31.49/month
Offcial Features Create motion graphics and visual effects Professional video and film editing
Includes 100GB of cloud storage Includes 100GB of cloud storage
Support Phone/Live/Ticket/Training Phone/Live/Ticket/Training
Users Advanced/Average Advanced/Average/Naive
Device Win/Mac/Android/iPhone Win/Mac/Android/iPhone

This is a basic tutorial about Adobe Premiere, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora , which is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


After Effects VS Adobe Premiere

1Timeline

There are numerous editing differences between the two programs, but we will start with the timeline as it perhaps best illustrates the different focus of each package. Premiere has a very detailed timeline panel with a huge amount of functionality built in to move through and manipulate the contents of a project. After Effects, on the other hand, has less options for dealing with multiple clips and is designed to deal with the composite components in a more user friendly way.

The upshot of this would be the basic premise of the differences, for editing clips into a movie, whilst both can perform the task to an extent, Premiere’s timeline interface makes it a much easier process with many more options to make technical editing easier for the user.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

2Editing

In addition to the timeline, Premiere has an interface and toolset built for precise editing and clip manipulation, both audio and video. This is not surprising of course, Premiere is after all first and foremost an editing package. By contrast, whilst there is editing functionality within After Effects, it is neither as user friendly, nor remotely as comprehensive a tool set, and as such would not be a suitable environment for extensive editing workflow.

This is perhaps the crux of the differences between the two packages, for editing work Premiere offers a complete toolset far beyond the requirements for many projects, but as comprehensive as one wishes, whilst After Effects is focus more on composites and motion video work and has an editing tool set that is not conducive to efficiency and ease of use.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

3Audio Mixer

In today’s market the audio component on a video product can be as important as the visual aspects, the audio clip mixer within Premiere is a professional grade tool designed to offer precise control over a projects audio output and includes the ability to use VST3 industry standard plugins. Because After Effects is primarily a composite application it lacks the finesse of Premiere where audio is concerned. Again this shouldn’t be read as being an inferior program, it simply has a different focus.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

4Mercury Playback Engine

In terms of perceived functionality probably not the top of the list, but Premiere uses this to employ either software (useful) or hardware (brilliant), assuming you have a compatible graphics card, accelerated real time renderless viewing of clips and sequences. This creates a much faster workflow for editing than is possible with After Effects beyond the previously mentioned tools and interface restrictions.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

5 Multicam

In terms of editing this is where After Effects just isn’t comparable at all, the multi camera interface within Premiere is exceptionally featured and allows on the fly angle changes and edits and the ability to sync a single shot through numerous camera simultaneously. As said, the editing functionality on offer here is what Premiere exists for, and whilst both Premiere and After Effects are video manipulation packages, editing and composting are very different focuses, and the products reflect those differences.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

6Media Management

Often overlooked but very important for project fidelity, the media management facilities within Premiere are designed around the needs of editing production and enable a much easier organizational approach for large projects than that of After Effects.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

7Masking

This is where After Effects comes to the fore. The ability to create masks that track through scenes is a fundamental component of After Effects workflow and why it is so good for effects creation and compositing. None of these effects are readily achievable within Premiere as it ships, and even add ons will never achieve the fluidity and ease of use the purpose designed interface provides.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

8 Camera Tracker

The 3D camera tracker within After Effects is an incredibly useful tool designed to replicate the camera movements within a given scene to allow new layers to be added that precisely match the original scene, essential for composite work and simply not possible within Premiere.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

9 Effects

The collection of specific tools within After Effects for applying motion control effects, for color control, blurring shadows transitions and titles is vast, and whilst Premiere includes some of its own, it is clear that here After Effects has the edge and it once again highlights the different approach taken by each program. Premiere is primarily an editing application, it is designed to enable the fastest, most efficient and highest quality non-linear editing of a project possible. Within that framework it includes the ability, both natively and with plugins, to incorporate a limited range transitions and effects to aid the editing process.

After Effects, however, is an application built around effects, it is designed to allow an almost unlimited variety of effects, transitions and animations to be incorporated into a project via compositing and as such has a wealth of tools to enable the efficient workflow of those tasks, including some editing tools that would likely be needed for that job.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

Conclusion

I’ve seen it explained before in terms of Word and Excel. You can compose a letter in Excel and create a spreadsheet in Word with the tables functionality, but the end result will take much longer and never be quite as good doing it that way. This perhaps is the best way to explain the relationship between Premiere and After Effects.

Yes, a spec sheet makes the two programs seem somewhat comparable, but it is the focus of each application that shows why they differ so much. Ultimately, the best use of these programs is together, they complement each other perfectly.

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

This is perhaps the most asked question regarding video processing on the internet. And looking at the product descriptions on the Adobe site gives us a clue why. There seems to be a large overlap between the two programs, and technically there is, although as we shall see capability doesn’t always mean suitability, so the similarities are not quite as pronounced as they would appear.

With that in mind, it is worth looking at the key differences between After Effects and Premiere to get a clearer understanding of what is best for which situation and why you would pick one program over the other. So below are the 9 points that I will make a comparison.

Comparison Table

After Effects Adobe Premiere
Price $31.49/month $31.49/month
Offcial Features Create motion graphics and visual effects Professional video and film editing
Includes 100GB of cloud storage Includes 100GB of cloud storage
Support Phone/Live/Ticket/Training Phone/Live/Ticket/Training
Users Advanced/Average Advanced/Average/Naive
Device Win/Mac/Android/iPhone Win/Mac/Android/iPhone

This is a basic tutorial about Adobe Premiere, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora , which is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


After Effects VS Adobe Premiere

1Timeline

There are numerous editing differences between the two programs, but we will start with the timeline as it perhaps best illustrates the different focus of each package. Premiere has a very detailed timeline panel with a huge amount of functionality built in to move through and manipulate the contents of a project. After Effects, on the other hand, has less options for dealing with multiple clips and is designed to deal with the composite components in a more user friendly way.

The upshot of this would be the basic premise of the differences, for editing clips into a movie, whilst both can perform the task to an extent, Premiere’s timeline interface makes it a much easier process with many more options to make technical editing easier for the user.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

2Editing

In addition to the timeline, Premiere has an interface and toolset built for precise editing and clip manipulation, both audio and video. This is not surprising of course, Premiere is after all first and foremost an editing package. By contrast, whilst there is editing functionality within After Effects, it is neither as user friendly, nor remotely as comprehensive a tool set, and as such would not be a suitable environment for extensive editing workflow.

This is perhaps the crux of the differences between the two packages, for editing work Premiere offers a complete toolset far beyond the requirements for many projects, but as comprehensive as one wishes, whilst After Effects is focus more on composites and motion video work and has an editing tool set that is not conducive to efficiency and ease of use.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

3Audio Mixer

In today’s market the audio component on a video product can be as important as the visual aspects, the audio clip mixer within Premiere is a professional grade tool designed to offer precise control over a projects audio output and includes the ability to use VST3 industry standard plugins. Because After Effects is primarily a composite application it lacks the finesse of Premiere where audio is concerned. Again this shouldn’t be read as being an inferior program, it simply has a different focus.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

4Mercury Playback Engine

In terms of perceived functionality probably not the top of the list, but Premiere uses this to employ either software (useful) or hardware (brilliant), assuming you have a compatible graphics card, accelerated real time renderless viewing of clips and sequences. This creates a much faster workflow for editing than is possible with After Effects beyond the previously mentioned tools and interface restrictions.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

5 Multicam

In terms of editing this is where After Effects just isn’t comparable at all, the multi camera interface within Premiere is exceptionally featured and allows on the fly angle changes and edits and the ability to sync a single shot through numerous camera simultaneously. As said, the editing functionality on offer here is what Premiere exists for, and whilst both Premiere and After Effects are video manipulation packages, editing and composting are very different focuses, and the products reflect those differences.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

6Media Management

Often overlooked but very important for project fidelity, the media management facilities within Premiere are designed around the needs of editing production and enable a much easier organizational approach for large projects than that of After Effects.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

7Masking

This is where After Effects comes to the fore. The ability to create masks that track through scenes is a fundamental component of After Effects workflow and why it is so good for effects creation and compositing. None of these effects are readily achievable within Premiere as it ships, and even add ons will never achieve the fluidity and ease of use the purpose designed interface provides.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

8 Camera Tracker

The 3D camera tracker within After Effects is an incredibly useful tool designed to replicate the camera movements within a given scene to allow new layers to be added that precisely match the original scene, essential for composite work and simply not possible within Premiere.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

9 Effects

The collection of specific tools within After Effects for applying motion control effects, for color control, blurring shadows transitions and titles is vast, and whilst Premiere includes some of its own, it is clear that here After Effects has the edge and it once again highlights the different approach taken by each program. Premiere is primarily an editing application, it is designed to enable the fastest, most efficient and highest quality non-linear editing of a project possible. Within that framework it includes the ability, both natively and with plugins, to incorporate a limited range transitions and effects to aid the editing process.

After Effects, however, is an application built around effects, it is designed to allow an almost unlimited variety of effects, transitions and animations to be incorporated into a project via compositing and as such has a wealth of tools to enable the efficient workflow of those tasks, including some editing tools that would likely be needed for that job.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

Conclusion

I’ve seen it explained before in terms of Word and Excel. You can compose a letter in Excel and create a spreadsheet in Word with the tables functionality, but the end result will take much longer and never be quite as good doing it that way. This perhaps is the best way to explain the relationship between Premiere and After Effects.

Yes, a spec sheet makes the two programs seem somewhat comparable, but it is the focus of each application that shows why they differ so much. Ultimately, the best use of these programs is together, they complement each other perfectly.

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

This is perhaps the most asked question regarding video processing on the internet. And looking at the product descriptions on the Adobe site gives us a clue why. There seems to be a large overlap between the two programs, and technically there is, although as we shall see capability doesn’t always mean suitability, so the similarities are not quite as pronounced as they would appear.

With that in mind, it is worth looking at the key differences between After Effects and Premiere to get a clearer understanding of what is best for which situation and why you would pick one program over the other. So below are the 9 points that I will make a comparison.

Comparison Table

After Effects Adobe Premiere
Price $31.49/month $31.49/month
Offcial Features Create motion graphics and visual effects Professional video and film editing
Includes 100GB of cloud storage Includes 100GB of cloud storage
Support Phone/Live/Ticket/Training Phone/Live/Ticket/Training
Users Advanced/Average Advanced/Average/Naive
Device Win/Mac/Android/iPhone Win/Mac/Android/iPhone

This is a basic tutorial about Adobe Premiere, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora , which is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


After Effects VS Adobe Premiere

1Timeline

There are numerous editing differences between the two programs, but we will start with the timeline as it perhaps best illustrates the different focus of each package. Premiere has a very detailed timeline panel with a huge amount of functionality built in to move through and manipulate the contents of a project. After Effects, on the other hand, has less options for dealing with multiple clips and is designed to deal with the composite components in a more user friendly way.

The upshot of this would be the basic premise of the differences, for editing clips into a movie, whilst both can perform the task to an extent, Premiere’s timeline interface makes it a much easier process with many more options to make technical editing easier for the user.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

2Editing

In addition to the timeline, Premiere has an interface and toolset built for precise editing and clip manipulation, both audio and video. This is not surprising of course, Premiere is after all first and foremost an editing package. By contrast, whilst there is editing functionality within After Effects, it is neither as user friendly, nor remotely as comprehensive a tool set, and as such would not be a suitable environment for extensive editing workflow.

This is perhaps the crux of the differences between the two packages, for editing work Premiere offers a complete toolset far beyond the requirements for many projects, but as comprehensive as one wishes, whilst After Effects is focus more on composites and motion video work and has an editing tool set that is not conducive to efficiency and ease of use.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

3Audio Mixer

In today’s market the audio component on a video product can be as important as the visual aspects, the audio clip mixer within Premiere is a professional grade tool designed to offer precise control over a projects audio output and includes the ability to use VST3 industry standard plugins. Because After Effects is primarily a composite application it lacks the finesse of Premiere where audio is concerned. Again this shouldn’t be read as being an inferior program, it simply has a different focus.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

4Mercury Playback Engine

In terms of perceived functionality probably not the top of the list, but Premiere uses this to employ either software (useful) or hardware (brilliant), assuming you have a compatible graphics card, accelerated real time renderless viewing of clips and sequences. This creates a much faster workflow for editing than is possible with After Effects beyond the previously mentioned tools and interface restrictions.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

5 Multicam

In terms of editing this is where After Effects just isn’t comparable at all, the multi camera interface within Premiere is exceptionally featured and allows on the fly angle changes and edits and the ability to sync a single shot through numerous camera simultaneously. As said, the editing functionality on offer here is what Premiere exists for, and whilst both Premiere and After Effects are video manipulation packages, editing and composting are very different focuses, and the products reflect those differences.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

6Media Management

Often overlooked but very important for project fidelity, the media management facilities within Premiere are designed around the needs of editing production and enable a much easier organizational approach for large projects than that of After Effects.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

7Masking

This is where After Effects comes to the fore. The ability to create masks that track through scenes is a fundamental component of After Effects workflow and why it is so good for effects creation and compositing. None of these effects are readily achievable within Premiere as it ships, and even add ons will never achieve the fluidity and ease of use the purpose designed interface provides.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

8 Camera Tracker

The 3D camera tracker within After Effects is an incredibly useful tool designed to replicate the camera movements within a given scene to allow new layers to be added that precisely match the original scene, essential for composite work and simply not possible within Premiere.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

9 Effects

The collection of specific tools within After Effects for applying motion control effects, for color control, blurring shadows transitions and titles is vast, and whilst Premiere includes some of its own, it is clear that here After Effects has the edge and it once again highlights the different approach taken by each program. Premiere is primarily an editing application, it is designed to enable the fastest, most efficient and highest quality non-linear editing of a project possible. Within that framework it includes the ability, both natively and with plugins, to incorporate a limited range transitions and effects to aid the editing process.

After Effects, however, is an application built around effects, it is designed to allow an almost unlimited variety of effects, transitions and animations to be incorporated into a project via compositing and as such has a wealth of tools to enable the efficient workflow of those tasks, including some editing tools that would likely be needed for that job.

Adobe Premiere vs After Effects

Conclusion

I’ve seen it explained before in terms of Word and Excel. You can compose a letter in Excel and create a spreadsheet in Word with the tables functionality, but the end result will take much longer and never be quite as good doing it that way. This perhaps is the best way to explain the relationship between Premiere and After Effects.

Yes, a spec sheet makes the two programs seem somewhat comparable, but it is the focus of each application that shows why they differ so much. Ultimately, the best use of these programs is together, they complement each other perfectly.

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Looking Beyond FCPX: Top 10 Video Editing Software Options

Top Best Final Cut Pro X Alternatives on Windows & Mac & Linux [Free & Paid]

author avatar

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Back in 1999, Apple launched Final Cut Pro, and the software didn’t take so long to become the first choice for video editors and post-production agencies.

The main feature it has that makes it stands out from any other video-editing software out there is that it is made exclusively to operate on Mac only, and that allowed Apple to make it fully enhanced for speed and efficiency enabling it toedit 4K UHD footage with no rendering issues.

This video editing software will cost you $300 to buy, and as mentioned above it will require you to have a Mac OS, so if you don’t have both or if you are abeginner in video editing we are suggesting a few alternatives for you that you might choose one from to start your video editing journey.

Best Free & Paid Final Cut Pro X Alternatives on Windows/ Mac/ Linux

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora made professional video editing easy with its easy professional tools. Besides basic video editing tools, you can now group timeline clips, range markers, or add audio and video to unlimited video tracks. You can perfect your audio with the automatic audio sync, audio compressor, or audio noise reduction, and perform detailed color correction with plentiful presets auto-correction, and color wheels. It also supports animation and motion tracking. It is easy to use and has low system requirements. Download it now to have a try![Download Win Version](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/guide/download-btn-win.jpg) Download Mac Version

2. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source and cross-platform (Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X) video editor designed for quick video joining, trimming, and filtering tasks. It supports different video formats such as MP44, MPG, AVI, OGM, MKV, FLV, and more. Here is also a getting-started tutorial for Avidemux you can refer to.

free video joiner

Pros as an alternative to FCPX for Windows:

  • Open-source video editing software and free
  • A simple interface and easy to use

Cons:

May have problems dealing with some types of formats.

3. VirtualDub

VirtualDub is a strong video editing tool on Windows with many useful features that can help you make different kinds of changes to the video but keeping the video’s quality the same as before. It also has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Has video capturing option;
  • Can be extended with third-party video filters;
  • Has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files.

Cons:

Outdated UI design.

4. Video Toolbox

Video Toolbox is afree online video editing tool that has a rich set of video functions. But like many online apps, it imposes a size restriction of 300 MB for your video files. To use it, you have to register first and upload the target files either from the hard disk or online video sites. Then fish the merging task use the command from a drop-down.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Supports many video formats;
  • Different video editing options.

Cons:

Has the size limitation of video (600 MB).

5. Format Factory

Format Factory is a full-featured video and audio converter. It can convert video, audio, picture, and rip CDs, DVDs to other file formats, as well as create ISO image files. On top of that, it provides a subset of tools that handle file splitting and merging. You can also change the format and size of the output file.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Supports many video formats;
  • Basic video editing options.

Cons:

Can’t convert audio files.

6. Movica

This software is, in essence, a user interface for other open-source tools that are somewhat user-unfriendly, enabling an understandable user interface for the best free tools out there. As a software package though, there is nothing wrong with this approach, and the tools available for joining and merging are first-rate, and the software works very fast, whilst offering a wide range of compatible video formats.

The interface is a little clunky, but it does the job and the software has additional tools for other editing work such as cutting and trimming as well, the added functionality in combination with a more basic interface can make some operations a touch confusing though.

Movica

Ultimately a little more complicated to use, but very good.

PowerDirector 365 is a professional video editor in the Cyberlink family. It is a great Final Cut Pro alternative on Windows . Users can use multiple cameras to make various green-screen effects and make split-screen effects. What’s more, you can control frame-by-frame with its motion tracking. It also supports using plug-ins ranging from animated titles to travel packs. The official recommendation of the operating system is Windows 10/8/7. It works best on 64 bit.

Cyberlink PowerDirector 365

Pros:

  • 10 UI languages are supported including French, Dutch, and Korean.
  • It supports cloud storage for co-working.

Cons:

It only offers a limited learning course.

8. VEGAS PRO 17

Vegas Pro is a long-standing professional video editing software on Windows. Now, it just released Pro 17 to give it more features, so it is also an excellent Final Cut Pro alternative. At this time, VEGAS PRO 17 features a high-speed video editing experience with GPU acceleration and intuitive design. Those features were not specifically mentioned before. With the new color grading features, VEGAS PRO 17 can compete with Final Cut Pro.

VEGAS PRO 17

Very fast video editing with the newly released version.

9. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro needs to be mentioned whether you like this software or not. We can’t deny it is a great video editor on Windows. In fact, it has the largest number of users on Windows. With Premiere Rush, Adobe Premiere Pro has had a big update recently. It is the leading product for editing 8K videos. You can also use Rush to edit video on your phone and import it to your PC to have further advanced editing if needed.

Adobe Premiere Pro

After checking so many video editing software, I’ve summarized the main features of each video editor listed above. Hope that will help you pick up the best Final Cut Pro for Windows alternatives.

Supported OS Supported Format Video Effects Share to YouTube Easy to Use
Filmora Win/Mac MPEG-1/2,MPEG-4… Y Y Y
Avidemux Win/Mac/Linux/PC-BSD AVI,DVD,MP4,ASF… N N Y
VirtualDub Win MPEG-1,AVI… N N Y
Cyberlink PowerDirector 365 Win AVI,WMV,MOV… Y N N
Video Toolbox Win 3GP,AMV,ASF,AVI… N N Y
Format Factory Win wmv,asf… N N Y
Movica Win wmv,MPEG… N N Y
VEGAS PRO 17 Win WMV,FLV… Y N Y
Adobe Premiere Pro Win/Mac AVI,3GP,SWF… Y N N

Final Thoughts

After listing the above alternatives to Final Cut Pro X, and factors to help you make your decision, you can come up with the best common features and benefits you need the most for your video editing projects.

If you are a beginner and looking to use free video editing software, we highly recommend using ShotCut. This tool is very easy to use, and at the same time has been used widely by professionals, you can definitely start with this software.

If you already have experience in video editing and looking for free or low-budget software to finish your projects, then you can get Lightworks or the Pro version. This software is amazing and was used widely in the professional video editing market that is considered one of the most important alternatives to Final Cut Pro X.

Maybe you are a beginner and don’t mind paying a reasonable price to buy video editing software, in this case, Filmora just fits your needs. It won’t cost you much as a beginner and its friendly user interface will let you edit your videos smoothly with no complicated features like those found in other video editing software. Click the links below to have a try![Download Win Version](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/guide/download-btn-win.jpg) Download Mac Version

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Back in 1999, Apple launched Final Cut Pro, and the software didn’t take so long to become the first choice for video editors and post-production agencies.

The main feature it has that makes it stands out from any other video-editing software out there is that it is made exclusively to operate on Mac only, and that allowed Apple to make it fully enhanced for speed and efficiency enabling it toedit 4K UHD footage with no rendering issues.

This video editing software will cost you $300 to buy, and as mentioned above it will require you to have a Mac OS, so if you don’t have both or if you are abeginner in video editing we are suggesting a few alternatives for you that you might choose one from to start your video editing journey.

Best Free & Paid Final Cut Pro X Alternatives on Windows/ Mac/ Linux

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora made professional video editing easy with its easy professional tools. Besides basic video editing tools, you can now group timeline clips, range markers, or add audio and video to unlimited video tracks. You can perfect your audio with the automatic audio sync, audio compressor, or audio noise reduction, and perform detailed color correction with plentiful presets auto-correction, and color wheels. It also supports animation and motion tracking. It is easy to use and has low system requirements. Download it now to have a try![Download Win Version](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/guide/download-btn-win.jpg) Download Mac Version

2. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source and cross-platform (Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X) video editor designed for quick video joining, trimming, and filtering tasks. It supports different video formats such as MP44, MPG, AVI, OGM, MKV, FLV, and more. Here is also a getting-started tutorial for Avidemux you can refer to.

free video joiner

Pros as an alternative to FCPX for Windows:

  • Open-source video editing software and free
  • A simple interface and easy to use

Cons:

May have problems dealing with some types of formats.

3. VirtualDub

VirtualDub is a strong video editing tool on Windows with many useful features that can help you make different kinds of changes to the video but keeping the video’s quality the same as before. It also has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Has video capturing option;
  • Can be extended with third-party video filters;
  • Has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files.

Cons:

Outdated UI design.

4. Video Toolbox

Video Toolbox is afree online video editing tool that has a rich set of video functions. But like many online apps, it imposes a size restriction of 300 MB for your video files. To use it, you have to register first and upload the target files either from the hard disk or online video sites. Then fish the merging task use the command from a drop-down.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Supports many video formats;
  • Different video editing options.

Cons:

Has the size limitation of video (600 MB).

5. Format Factory

Format Factory is a full-featured video and audio converter. It can convert video, audio, picture, and rip CDs, DVDs to other file formats, as well as create ISO image files. On top of that, it provides a subset of tools that handle file splitting and merging. You can also change the format and size of the output file.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Supports many video formats;
  • Basic video editing options.

Cons:

Can’t convert audio files.

6. Movica

This software is, in essence, a user interface for other open-source tools that are somewhat user-unfriendly, enabling an understandable user interface for the best free tools out there. As a software package though, there is nothing wrong with this approach, and the tools available for joining and merging are first-rate, and the software works very fast, whilst offering a wide range of compatible video formats.

The interface is a little clunky, but it does the job and the software has additional tools for other editing work such as cutting and trimming as well, the added functionality in combination with a more basic interface can make some operations a touch confusing though.

Movica

Ultimately a little more complicated to use, but very good.

PowerDirector 365 is a professional video editor in the Cyberlink family. It is a great Final Cut Pro alternative on Windows . Users can use multiple cameras to make various green-screen effects and make split-screen effects. What’s more, you can control frame-by-frame with its motion tracking. It also supports using plug-ins ranging from animated titles to travel packs. The official recommendation of the operating system is Windows 10/8/7. It works best on 64 bit.

Cyberlink PowerDirector 365

Pros:

  • 10 UI languages are supported including French, Dutch, and Korean.
  • It supports cloud storage for co-working.

Cons:

It only offers a limited learning course.

8. VEGAS PRO 17

Vegas Pro is a long-standing professional video editing software on Windows. Now, it just released Pro 17 to give it more features, so it is also an excellent Final Cut Pro alternative. At this time, VEGAS PRO 17 features a high-speed video editing experience with GPU acceleration and intuitive design. Those features were not specifically mentioned before. With the new color grading features, VEGAS PRO 17 can compete with Final Cut Pro.

VEGAS PRO 17

Very fast video editing with the newly released version.

9. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro needs to be mentioned whether you like this software or not. We can’t deny it is a great video editor on Windows. In fact, it has the largest number of users on Windows. With Premiere Rush, Adobe Premiere Pro has had a big update recently. It is the leading product for editing 8K videos. You can also use Rush to edit video on your phone and import it to your PC to have further advanced editing if needed.

Adobe Premiere Pro

After checking so many video editing software, I’ve summarized the main features of each video editor listed above. Hope that will help you pick up the best Final Cut Pro for Windows alternatives.

Supported OS Supported Format Video Effects Share to YouTube Easy to Use
Filmora Win/Mac MPEG-1/2,MPEG-4… Y Y Y
Avidemux Win/Mac/Linux/PC-BSD AVI,DVD,MP4,ASF… N N Y
VirtualDub Win MPEG-1,AVI… N N Y
Cyberlink PowerDirector 365 Win AVI,WMV,MOV… Y N N
Video Toolbox Win 3GP,AMV,ASF,AVI… N N Y
Format Factory Win wmv,asf… N N Y
Movica Win wmv,MPEG… N N Y
VEGAS PRO 17 Win WMV,FLV… Y N Y
Adobe Premiere Pro Win/Mac AVI,3GP,SWF… Y N N

Final Thoughts

After listing the above alternatives to Final Cut Pro X, and factors to help you make your decision, you can come up with the best common features and benefits you need the most for your video editing projects.

If you are a beginner and looking to use free video editing software, we highly recommend using ShotCut. This tool is very easy to use, and at the same time has been used widely by professionals, you can definitely start with this software.

If you already have experience in video editing and looking for free or low-budget software to finish your projects, then you can get Lightworks or the Pro version. This software is amazing and was used widely in the professional video editing market that is considered one of the most important alternatives to Final Cut Pro X.

Maybe you are a beginner and don’t mind paying a reasonable price to buy video editing software, in this case, Filmora just fits your needs. It won’t cost you much as a beginner and its friendly user interface will let you edit your videos smoothly with no complicated features like those found in other video editing software. Click the links below to have a try![Download Win Version](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/guide/download-btn-win.jpg) Download Mac Version

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Back in 1999, Apple launched Final Cut Pro, and the software didn’t take so long to become the first choice for video editors and post-production agencies.

The main feature it has that makes it stands out from any other video-editing software out there is that it is made exclusively to operate on Mac only, and that allowed Apple to make it fully enhanced for speed and efficiency enabling it toedit 4K UHD footage with no rendering issues.

This video editing software will cost you $300 to buy, and as mentioned above it will require you to have a Mac OS, so if you don’t have both or if you are abeginner in video editing we are suggesting a few alternatives for you that you might choose one from to start your video editing journey.

Best Free & Paid Final Cut Pro X Alternatives on Windows/ Mac/ Linux

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora made professional video editing easy with its easy professional tools. Besides basic video editing tools, you can now group timeline clips, range markers, or add audio and video to unlimited video tracks. You can perfect your audio with the automatic audio sync, audio compressor, or audio noise reduction, and perform detailed color correction with plentiful presets auto-correction, and color wheels. It also supports animation and motion tracking. It is easy to use and has low system requirements. Download it now to have a try![Download Win Version](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/guide/download-btn-win.jpg) Download Mac Version

2. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source and cross-platform (Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X) video editor designed for quick video joining, trimming, and filtering tasks. It supports different video formats such as MP44, MPG, AVI, OGM, MKV, FLV, and more. Here is also a getting-started tutorial for Avidemux you can refer to.

free video joiner

Pros as an alternative to FCPX for Windows:

  • Open-source video editing software and free
  • A simple interface and easy to use

Cons:

May have problems dealing with some types of formats.

3. VirtualDub

VirtualDub is a strong video editing tool on Windows with many useful features that can help you make different kinds of changes to the video but keeping the video’s quality the same as before. It also has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Has video capturing option;
  • Can be extended with third-party video filters;
  • Has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files.

Cons:

Outdated UI design.

4. Video Toolbox

Video Toolbox is afree online video editing tool that has a rich set of video functions. But like many online apps, it imposes a size restriction of 300 MB for your video files. To use it, you have to register first and upload the target files either from the hard disk or online video sites. Then fish the merging task use the command from a drop-down.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Supports many video formats;
  • Different video editing options.

Cons:

Has the size limitation of video (600 MB).

5. Format Factory

Format Factory is a full-featured video and audio converter. It can convert video, audio, picture, and rip CDs, DVDs to other file formats, as well as create ISO image files. On top of that, it provides a subset of tools that handle file splitting and merging. You can also change the format and size of the output file.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Supports many video formats;
  • Basic video editing options.

Cons:

Can’t convert audio files.

6. Movica

This software is, in essence, a user interface for other open-source tools that are somewhat user-unfriendly, enabling an understandable user interface for the best free tools out there. As a software package though, there is nothing wrong with this approach, and the tools available for joining and merging are first-rate, and the software works very fast, whilst offering a wide range of compatible video formats.

The interface is a little clunky, but it does the job and the software has additional tools for other editing work such as cutting and trimming as well, the added functionality in combination with a more basic interface can make some operations a touch confusing though.

Movica

Ultimately a little more complicated to use, but very good.

PowerDirector 365 is a professional video editor in the Cyberlink family. It is a great Final Cut Pro alternative on Windows . Users can use multiple cameras to make various green-screen effects and make split-screen effects. What’s more, you can control frame-by-frame with its motion tracking. It also supports using plug-ins ranging from animated titles to travel packs. The official recommendation of the operating system is Windows 10/8/7. It works best on 64 bit.

Cyberlink PowerDirector 365

Pros:

  • 10 UI languages are supported including French, Dutch, and Korean.
  • It supports cloud storage for co-working.

Cons:

It only offers a limited learning course.

8. VEGAS PRO 17

Vegas Pro is a long-standing professional video editing software on Windows. Now, it just released Pro 17 to give it more features, so it is also an excellent Final Cut Pro alternative. At this time, VEGAS PRO 17 features a high-speed video editing experience with GPU acceleration and intuitive design. Those features were not specifically mentioned before. With the new color grading features, VEGAS PRO 17 can compete with Final Cut Pro.

VEGAS PRO 17

Very fast video editing with the newly released version.

9. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro needs to be mentioned whether you like this software or not. We can’t deny it is a great video editor on Windows. In fact, it has the largest number of users on Windows. With Premiere Rush, Adobe Premiere Pro has had a big update recently. It is the leading product for editing 8K videos. You can also use Rush to edit video on your phone and import it to your PC to have further advanced editing if needed.

Adobe Premiere Pro

After checking so many video editing software, I’ve summarized the main features of each video editor listed above. Hope that will help you pick up the best Final Cut Pro for Windows alternatives.

Supported OS Supported Format Video Effects Share to YouTube Easy to Use
Filmora Win/Mac MPEG-1/2,MPEG-4… Y Y Y
Avidemux Win/Mac/Linux/PC-BSD AVI,DVD,MP4,ASF… N N Y
VirtualDub Win MPEG-1,AVI… N N Y
Cyberlink PowerDirector 365 Win AVI,WMV,MOV… Y N N
Video Toolbox Win 3GP,AMV,ASF,AVI… N N Y
Format Factory Win wmv,asf… N N Y
Movica Win wmv,MPEG… N N Y
VEGAS PRO 17 Win WMV,FLV… Y N Y
Adobe Premiere Pro Win/Mac AVI,3GP,SWF… Y N N

Final Thoughts

After listing the above alternatives to Final Cut Pro X, and factors to help you make your decision, you can come up with the best common features and benefits you need the most for your video editing projects.

If you are a beginner and looking to use free video editing software, we highly recommend using ShotCut. This tool is very easy to use, and at the same time has been used widely by professionals, you can definitely start with this software.

If you already have experience in video editing and looking for free or low-budget software to finish your projects, then you can get Lightworks or the Pro version. This software is amazing and was used widely in the professional video editing market that is considered one of the most important alternatives to Final Cut Pro X.

Maybe you are a beginner and don’t mind paying a reasonable price to buy video editing software, in this case, Filmora just fits your needs. It won’t cost you much as a beginner and its friendly user interface will let you edit your videos smoothly with no complicated features like those found in other video editing software. Click the links below to have a try![Download Win Version](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/guide/download-btn-win.jpg) Download Mac Version

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Back in 1999, Apple launched Final Cut Pro, and the software didn’t take so long to become the first choice for video editors and post-production agencies.

The main feature it has that makes it stands out from any other video-editing software out there is that it is made exclusively to operate on Mac only, and that allowed Apple to make it fully enhanced for speed and efficiency enabling it toedit 4K UHD footage with no rendering issues.

This video editing software will cost you $300 to buy, and as mentioned above it will require you to have a Mac OS, so if you don’t have both or if you are abeginner in video editing we are suggesting a few alternatives for you that you might choose one from to start your video editing journey.

Best Free & Paid Final Cut Pro X Alternatives on Windows/ Mac/ Linux

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora made professional video editing easy with its easy professional tools. Besides basic video editing tools, you can now group timeline clips, range markers, or add audio and video to unlimited video tracks. You can perfect your audio with the automatic audio sync, audio compressor, or audio noise reduction, and perform detailed color correction with plentiful presets auto-correction, and color wheels. It also supports animation and motion tracking. It is easy to use and has low system requirements. Download it now to have a try![Download Win Version](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/guide/download-btn-win.jpg) Download Mac Version

2. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source and cross-platform (Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X) video editor designed for quick video joining, trimming, and filtering tasks. It supports different video formats such as MP44, MPG, AVI, OGM, MKV, FLV, and more. Here is also a getting-started tutorial for Avidemux you can refer to.

free video joiner

Pros as an alternative to FCPX for Windows:

  • Open-source video editing software and free
  • A simple interface and easy to use

Cons:

May have problems dealing with some types of formats.

3. VirtualDub

VirtualDub is a strong video editing tool on Windows with many useful features that can help you make different kinds of changes to the video but keeping the video’s quality the same as before. It also has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Has video capturing option;
  • Can be extended with third-party video filters;
  • Has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files.

Cons:

Outdated UI design.

4. Video Toolbox

Video Toolbox is afree online video editing tool that has a rich set of video functions. But like many online apps, it imposes a size restriction of 300 MB for your video files. To use it, you have to register first and upload the target files either from the hard disk or online video sites. Then fish the merging task use the command from a drop-down.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Supports many video formats;
  • Different video editing options.

Cons:

Has the size limitation of video (600 MB).

5. Format Factory

Format Factory is a full-featured video and audio converter. It can convert video, audio, picture, and rip CDs, DVDs to other file formats, as well as create ISO image files. On top of that, it provides a subset of tools that handle file splitting and merging. You can also change the format and size of the output file.

free video joiner

Pros:

  • Supports many video formats;
  • Basic video editing options.

Cons:

Can’t convert audio files.

6. Movica

This software is, in essence, a user interface for other open-source tools that are somewhat user-unfriendly, enabling an understandable user interface for the best free tools out there. As a software package though, there is nothing wrong with this approach, and the tools available for joining and merging are first-rate, and the software works very fast, whilst offering a wide range of compatible video formats.

The interface is a little clunky, but it does the job and the software has additional tools for other editing work such as cutting and trimming as well, the added functionality in combination with a more basic interface can make some operations a touch confusing though.

Movica

Ultimately a little more complicated to use, but very good.

PowerDirector 365 is a professional video editor in the Cyberlink family. It is a great Final Cut Pro alternative on Windows . Users can use multiple cameras to make various green-screen effects and make split-screen effects. What’s more, you can control frame-by-frame with its motion tracking. It also supports using plug-ins ranging from animated titles to travel packs. The official recommendation of the operating system is Windows 10/8/7. It works best on 64 bit.

Cyberlink PowerDirector 365

Pros:

  • 10 UI languages are supported including French, Dutch, and Korean.
  • It supports cloud storage for co-working.

Cons:

It only offers a limited learning course.

8. VEGAS PRO 17

Vegas Pro is a long-standing professional video editing software on Windows. Now, it just released Pro 17 to give it more features, so it is also an excellent Final Cut Pro alternative. At this time, VEGAS PRO 17 features a high-speed video editing experience with GPU acceleration and intuitive design. Those features were not specifically mentioned before. With the new color grading features, VEGAS PRO 17 can compete with Final Cut Pro.

VEGAS PRO 17

Very fast video editing with the newly released version.

9. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro needs to be mentioned whether you like this software or not. We can’t deny it is a great video editor on Windows. In fact, it has the largest number of users on Windows. With Premiere Rush, Adobe Premiere Pro has had a big update recently. It is the leading product for editing 8K videos. You can also use Rush to edit video on your phone and import it to your PC to have further advanced editing if needed.

Adobe Premiere Pro

After checking so many video editing software, I’ve summarized the main features of each video editor listed above. Hope that will help you pick up the best Final Cut Pro for Windows alternatives.

Supported OS Supported Format Video Effects Share to YouTube Easy to Use
Filmora Win/Mac MPEG-1/2,MPEG-4… Y Y Y
Avidemux Win/Mac/Linux/PC-BSD AVI,DVD,MP4,ASF… N N Y
VirtualDub Win MPEG-1,AVI… N N Y
Cyberlink PowerDirector 365 Win AVI,WMV,MOV… Y N N
Video Toolbox Win 3GP,AMV,ASF,AVI… N N Y
Format Factory Win wmv,asf… N N Y
Movica Win wmv,MPEG… N N Y
VEGAS PRO 17 Win WMV,FLV… Y N Y
Adobe Premiere Pro Win/Mac AVI,3GP,SWF… Y N N

Final Thoughts

After listing the above alternatives to Final Cut Pro X, and factors to help you make your decision, you can come up with the best common features and benefits you need the most for your video editing projects.

If you are a beginner and looking to use free video editing software, we highly recommend using ShotCut. This tool is very easy to use, and at the same time has been used widely by professionals, you can definitely start with this software.

If you already have experience in video editing and looking for free or low-budget software to finish your projects, then you can get Lightworks or the Pro version. This software is amazing and was used widely in the professional video editing market that is considered one of the most important alternatives to Final Cut Pro X.

Maybe you are a beginner and don’t mind paying a reasonable price to buy video editing software, in this case, Filmora just fits your needs. It won’t cost you much as a beginner and its friendly user interface will let you edit your videos smoothly with no complicated features like those found in other video editing software. Click the links below to have a try![Download Win Version](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/guide/download-btn-win.jpg) Download Mac Version

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Also read:

  • Title: New In 2024, Time-Lapse Photography Made Easy Top Apps for iPhone and Android
  • Author: Isabella
  • Created at : 2024-06-24 09:06:30
  • Updated at : 2024-06-25 09:06:30
  • Link: https://video-creation-software.techidaily.com/new-in-2024-time-lapse-photography-made-easy-top-apps-for-iphone-and-android/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
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New In 2024, Time-Lapse Photography Made Easy Top Apps for iPhone and Android