Professional Film Editing Software For Mac

HitFilm Express is a free video editing software with professional-grade VFX tools and everything you need to make awesome content, films or gaming videos. Perfect for beginners, film students, gamers, YouTubers, or any creative without a budget.

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BestVideo Editing Software for MaciMore2020

Your Mac is a great tool for editing video, but the software needed can get a little pricy. If you're looking for something less expensive, or at least want to see what is on the market, you've come to the right place. These video editors for Mac should get the job done.

The Granddaddy: Adobe Premiere Pro CC (one-year subscription)

Staff favorite

The leading video editing software for film, TV, and the web, Adobe Premiere Pro CC is also one of the most expensive. Plus, it's now only available through monthly or yearly subscriptions. For this, you also gain access to Premiere Rush, which allows you to capture footage and start editing on all your devices.

$240 at Amazon

For consumers: Adobe Premiere Elements 2019

Considered a less powerful (and cheaper) sibling to Premiere Pro, Premiere Elements is available on Mac and Windows and allows you to do basic and intermediate edits. And yes, you only have to pay for it once -- until a new version is released, of course.

$90 at Amazon

Signature selection: Apple Final Cut Pro

If you're looking for an option not owned by Adobe, you should consider Apple's Final Cut Pro. Ideally suited for professionals, this software combines video editing and media organization. Extend your capabilities by adding third-party workflow extensions.

$300 at Apple

Apple's freebie: iMovie

Available for free in the Mac App Store, iMovie features classic themes, chroma-keying, audio tools, and a brilliant, yet simple interface. You can enhance your iMovie experience by using the iOS version on the iPhone and iPad.

Free at Apple

Universal choice: Lifeworks Pro (one-month subscription)

Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, Lifeworks Pro is ideally suited for anyone just stepping into video editing as well as long-time users. You can download a free version with output format restrictions or purchase a monthly or yearly subscription that unlocks everything.

$25 at Lifeworks

A packed freebie: DaVinci Resolve 16

The free version of DaVinci Resolve 16 offers editing, visual effects, motion graphics, color correction, and audio post-processing. For $300, you can purchase the studio version, which adds multi-user collaboration, 3D tools, FX, and more. This software is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Free at Blackmagic Design

Free and open-source: Blender

With Blender, you receive a free and open-source 3D creation suite. Tools are available for video editing, modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and game creation. If you're looking for something a little bit different that is supported by professionals and hobbyists alike, this is the one to check out.

Free at Blender

Easy to learn: OpenShot

Also open-source, OpenShot is a quick-to-learn, yet powerful video editor. Offering 3D animations, trim and slice, video effects, and much more.

Free at OpenShot

Two in one solution: Camtasia

Both a screen recorder and video editor, Camtasia allows you to combine or split clips, trim, and speed up or slow down footage. From there, you can preview your masterpiece through the video editor. Add effects to add polish to your videos. Camtasia is available for Mac and Windows and is available for free through a 30-day trial.

$250 at TechSmith

Lots of choices

Video editing software for Mac comes at various price points, with some even being open-source. Our favorite, Adobe Premiere Pro CC, is the most complete solution available. For this, however, you're going to pay monthly. With this, you'll also receive Premiere Rush, which lets you capture footage on all your devices.

We also highly recommend Apple's extensive Final Cut Pro and the consumer offering, iMovie. All the ones on this list are worth taking a look. Both let you stay in the Apple ecosystem and avoid Adobe products. The choice is yours.

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Apple didn’t get its reputation for performance and accuracy from nowhere.

Everything from phones to paper-thin notebooks are engineering to work efficiently, and this makes their MacBooks ideal for all levels of video editing.

Besides integrating extremely well with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and many other third-party photo/video editing software, they offer a streamlined experience that will work well in any freelance or industry position.

In this guide, we’ll point out some key points for choosing the best MacBook Pro that will most effectively work for video editing at various levels, and showcase some of our own recommendations as well.

Quick Summary

  • For the casual creative, we recommend the 13-inch MacBook Pro with 256GB SSD, which offers quality performance without unnecessarily bulking up the specs. It doesn’t offer touch bar, but it is portable and sturdy.
  • If you certainly aren’t a hobbyist but not a pro either, 13-inch MacBook Pro with 512GB SSD is a better choice. The storage has been beefed up a bit, and the touch bar offers a new dimension of functionality.
  • Lastly, the professional creative looking to max out their performance power would be best served with a 15-inch MacBook Pro with i9 Processor and 512GB SSD. This model offers insane amounts of processing power, though you’ll likely still want an external monitor for the sake of screen space.

Is MacBook Pro Good for Video Editing?

In this case, it isn’t about whether or not a Mac will be effective for video editing, but a matter of how much power you really need.

If you just plan on doing minor work for youtube, you won’t be troubled by extensive renders or clamoring for screen restate, so it doesn’t make sense to pay for specs built for something ten times as processor-intensive.

However, if you plan on doing digital animation or working in 4K, it’s definitely time to look at higher-end machines that will be able to handle what you’re throwing at them.

If you’re not planning on editing videos in some way, you should not treat this article as a collection of the most powerful MacBooks overall.

Intensive computer work demands different specs depending on what you plan on doing, so you can’t assume the best for editing will be the best for say, gaming.

Best MacBook Pro for Video Editing: What to Consider in 2020?

Graphics

The key to a fast render is a high quality dedicated graphics card, and while lower-level work will likely be fine using an integrated card, you’ll want a dedicated one for anything beyond the casual home video or Youtube vlog. Dedicated graphics allow your computer to utilize RAM (Random Access Memory) specifically for the high-quality visuals you’ll be rendering as effectively as possible.

Processor

The processor is going to be handling every detail of your video as you build it, so you’re going to want to look towards the latest generations of the Intel i5 and i7 lines. Since video software can make use of multiple threads as well, these will benefit you while creating your project.

RAM

The final element that will make or break the performance of your MacBook while working on video editing is RAM. It’s used in every aspect of your computer’s execution of processes, and you’ll want a minimum of 8GB for amateur work, with a goal of 16GB if you’re editing professionally.

Best MacBook Pro for Video Editing in 2020: Our Picks

1. Casual Video Editing: 13-inch MacBook Pro (2.4GHz, Intel Core i5 processor, 256GB)

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If you’re going to be editing home videos and content for Youtube, you probably won’t be doing intensive 3D renders or completely utilizing heavy programs even if they are installed. This version of the 13″ MacBook Pro comes with the processing power to reach your goal without unnecessarily overcompensating.

Pros:

  • The 13″ model is extremely portable, so you’ll have editing power at your fingertips wherever you go.
  • RAM is the perfect amount for this type of user and should last several years.
  • SSD drive means that renders and saves will be completed faster than with a physical HDD disk.

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Cons:

  • SSD is pricey, which is why this model only comes with 256 GB in disk space. You’ll definitely want to purchase an external drive to compensate for this when storing your videos.
  • Additionally, this model uses an integrated graphics card which will be fine for this level of editing but doesn’t offer room for growth.

2. For Amateur Movie Making: 13-inch MacBook Pro (2.4GHz, Intel Core i5 processor, 512GB)

Best Mac Photo Editing Software


Whether college student or budding short-film director, you need power and a modern flair without the expense of a professional setup. This model of MacBook is a great compromise, offering Apple’s latest touch bar and touch ID technology packed into a 13″ body powered by an integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655.

Pros:

  • Offering both portability and power, this modern masterpiece has all the specs to get you where you want to go without any unnecessary bulk.
  • The brand-new touch bar is also included and known to have great integrations when working in Final Cut Pro or the Adobe Suite.

Cons:

  • While offering more space than the aforementioned 256GB model, it’s still a bit on the small side for storing large video files.
  • It also has an integrated graphics card, which is slightly less than ideal.

3. For Professional Creatives: 15-inch MacBook Pro (2.3GHz, Intel Core i9 processor, 512GB)


Truly a top of the line machine, this MacBook Pro model was built for precision and nothing less. The 8-core i9 processor can stand up to just about anything you throw at it, it has a powerful graphics card UHD Graphics 630. The 15″ screen offers some more real estate than the smaller 13″ models.

Pros:

  • It has nearly unbeatable power between the mix of RAM, dGPU, and processor.
  • The beautiful screen will produce accurate colors and the touch bar will allow you to work even more effectively in your favorite editing programs.
  • You have the option to choose more storage space if needed.

Cons:

  • When editing professionally, you need all the screen space you can get, and no size laptop is going to be able to offer that. If you don’t have an external monitor, check out our recommendations.

Useful Mac Video Editing Resources

Just getting started with editing your own videos? LifeWire offers a great tutorial on getting started, from which software will be the most useful to whether you’ll fare better with some peripherals. Also, check out this complete video editing tutorial for non-editors on Mac:

A fan of iMovie? MacWorld has made a fantastic list of best tips on how to get the most out of Apple’s video editing software for macOS.

Photo Editing Software Free Mac

You could also check out this list of free and paid Mac video editing apps (TechRadar), which will let you experiment before deciding exactly what you need in a paid program.

Final Words

Video editing is a prime example of technical work that eats RAM and CPU power like no other. Luckily, a MacBook Pro was made to stand up to these things and is sure to perform if you’ve picked an adequate model.

Best Video Editing Software Mac

What set up do you currently use to edit videos? Let us know and share which specs you think are most important for productive work.