Free Opensource Alternatives: Hitfilm Express
As the labs are mostly closed across DePaul’s Campus and our depaul.edu emails are still spinning up to access Adobe products, I found an open-source video editing software that does the job just as well. For context, I am a film major who has used Adobe Premiere for basic editing, but I am not in the video editing sector of film production. While scrolling through free editing software I found Hitfilm Express. It is open source with a free license. They require you to make an account and make a social media post to get the software, and there are paid membership options which allow more features, but it not required to pay for basic use of the software.
There is both a Windows and Mac installer which allows access to many users. Obviously this software might not run on older computers, or computers with older settings and parts. There is a typical (basic) version, an advanced version which allows for more customization, and I believe a third option which has all the bells and whistles. I installed the typical Windows option and it presented itself much like Adobe Premiere CC. The look was very similar, with even the same hot keys for functions as Adobe Premiere.
You can do cutting, rolling trimming, clip preview with in/out points on the preview as well. You can also do multiple lines of video and audio tracks allowing for more complex editing. The program also lets the user adjust the volume of each clip’s audio separately along with the master volume. The program also has set export settings for Youtube, Facebook, and other social media platforms along with the more traditional export settings, which makes exporting simple.
I have not had the opportunity to mess around and see if this program has the same color editing and effect options as Adobe. But on the website, it touts that it can do titles and cool graphics which I am excited to explore in the future. For someone who doesn’t edit too much or can’t afford to pay for a consistent Adobe subscription, this is a great option and I will be using it for my future editing.
