If you’re a video creator, there are three reasons why it’s crucial to learn color correction. First, it will help you enhance your videos and make them look professional. Second, it will allow you to color-match several clips so they look more consistent. Finally, color correction can help you fix overexposed, underexposed, and washy footage — all three being the result of poor lighting conditions or wrong camera settings.

However, when you’re just getting started, you might not be ready to commit to purchasing expensive programs. Thankfully, there is free software you can use to practice.

For this article, we’ve reviewed 5 video editors for color correction. These editors include all the essential tools for both primary and secondary color correction, as well as other features to help you create a beautiful movie. And the best part is, they happen to be free.

Let’s get started.

VSDC Free Video Editor

VSDC is a free video editor for Windows PC. It works well for basic editing, as well as professional-level montage with effects. In addition to the video editing feature set, it includes add-ons like a video recorder, a screen recorder, and a voice recorder. VSDC offers both primary and secondary color correction tools.

When talking about color correction, creators usually refer to primary color correction and secondary color correction. Primary color correction implies “broad strokes,” or adjustments that affect the overall video aesthetics. Such adjustments include white balance, brightness and contrast levels, and color tone correction. In VSDC, you can perform primary color correction using the Lift, Gamma & Gain color wheels, black & white balance points, RGB and Hue & Saturation curves, as well as manual color controls (brightness, contrast, gamma, saturation, temperature, etc.).

This means that you can fix overexposed or underexposed videos, correct highlights, midtones, and shadows, and just quickly enhance the way your video looks. To analyze the color distribution and perform clip color match, you can use the dedicated Color scopes window.

For secondary color correction, which implies correcting isolated colors or scopes of color tones, you can use the built-in LUT editor. For example, you can adjust a specific color tone on the video by making it more saturated or less powerful — this works well for artifacts and skin tone correction. Also, you can entirely swap certain colors in the video or make them change dynamically.

VSDC has a Pro version if you’re interested in using tools like masking, video stabilizer, or motion tracking. However, if you’re only looking for video color correction software, all the features are free, and you’ll be able to export your footage in up to 4K quality without format or duration limits.

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Davinci Resolve

Davinci Resolve is an award-winning video color correction software. It will work for you if you intend to become a video editing professional, and if you own a powerful computer. While being the most sophisticated tool on the list, Davinci demands a lot of resources, and you should keep that in mind before considering this program.

Just like VSDC, Davinci Resolve is likely to take you a couple of days to get comfortable with, but as soon as you get the hang of it, you’ll probably want to look no further.

The primary color correction instrument in Davinci Resolve is a set of color wheels that help you work with highlights, midtones, and shadows: Lift, Gamma, Gain & Offset. You can also quickly adjust brightness (luma) and contrast levels in the video.

Two features that make Davinci unique are nodes and stills. Nodes allow you to encapsulate all the applied color correction operations within a node, save it and apply it to multiple clips as a whole. Stills allow you to use videos or images you like as a reference, copy their color distribution schemes, and apply them to your video. While clip color matching, you can use color scopes and compare the colors of your video and the screengrab used for reference.

If you have a powerful enough machine, and you’re serious about mastering color correction, Davinci Resolve is certainly worth trying. It works on both Windows and Mac OS, places no significant restrictions, or watermarks at the export, and allows you to save videos in up to 1080p.

Lightworks

Lightworks is another well-known NLE used by professional filmmakers. This video editor is lightweight, cross-platform (works on Windows, Mac, and Linux), and it has an excellent selection of intuitive tools for both color correction and color grading.

Even if you have zero to no experience, Lightworks makes primary color correction simple. One of its main tabs, named VFX, offers a choice of several tools: Balance, Main, RGB, HSV, and Curves. As a rule, you want to start by setting a white, black, and gray balance for your footage. From there, you can manually set up the saturation, gamma, contrast, brightness, and gain values. Finally, you can use the curves to work with color channels, and wheels to work with highlights, midtones, and shadows. To perform clip color matching and ensure that the light and balance are consistent across every clip, you can use different types of color scopes.

Additionally, the free version of Lightworks supports third-party LUTs and plugins. You can use them both for color correction and color grading purposes (if you’re curious about the difference between the two, scroll down to the end of the article).

Although Lightworks offers a fully functioning free version of its video editor, some features, including advanced color correction features, advanced scopes, and premium filters, are behind the paywall. The good news is that the paid version starts at $9.99 per month which is still more affordable than high-end video editing software like Adobe Premiere.

If you choose to stick with the free version of Lightworks, it will allow you to edit videos at zero cost with no watermarks at the export. The only significant limitation is a 720p resolution cap.

Hitfilm (formerly Hitfilm Express)

Hitfilm is widely known as a VFX editor. It brings an array of built-in special effects and a variety of add-on integration options. However, you can also use Hitfilm to perform color correction on your footage before playing with the special effects it has to offer.

The key color correction tools available in Hitfilm are curves, color scopes, presets, and Hue & RGB keys. With this program, you can perform all the essential correction steps, from gauging color component information with different scope types – to achieving a nearly cinema-level look with coloring presets.

One useful feature that makes Hitfilm stand out is the use of video masking for color correction. This means that you can apply color correction to a selected object or area by creating a new layer with a mask for it. This trick comes in handy when you need to correct the skin color tone of an actor or remove artifacts.

Hitfilm works on Windows 10, 11 and MacOS 10.15. The free version allows you to export videos in HD quality, use professional visual effects, and benefit from proxy files. Some advanced color correction features belong to the paid version of Hitfilm; it’s available on a subscription basis and starts at $7.5 per month.

iMovie

iMovie is an easy-to-use editor for Mac OS. It provides basic color correction tools that will work if you’re getting started and need to quickly adjust the look of your video without dealing with color wheels and RGB curves. iMovie comes preinstalled on Mac computers and it’s completely free.

Color correction tools in iMovie can be divided into two groups: automatic adjustment and manual adjustment. The automatic adjustment toolset allows you to enhance video colors based on the skin tone, use the white balance picker, and match color tones in several clips. This third option comes in handy if you’re merging multiple videos shot in dramatically different light conditions. iMovie helps fine-tune the contrast and brightness settings and match all videos to the clip of your choice.

Essentially, automatic color correction tools in iMovie improve the contrast and remove a color cast in the video to make it look more professional. Manual color correction tools allow you to adjust shadows, contrast values, highlights, color saturation, and temperature values using sliders.

While iMovie doesn’t include color wheels, curves, or LUTs, its automatic adjustment algorithm can be sufficient for basic-level color correction.

What’s the difference between color correction and color grading?

Although in both cases you get to work with the colors of the video, color correction and color grading are two different techniques. When you perform color correction, it typically means that you want to enhance the video by making it look more natural and vibrant. If you’re merging several pieces of footage shot in different lighting conditions, color correction also means color-matching clips and making sure they have the same level of brightness, contrast, and gamma.

Color grading is also aimed at enhancing your video, but this technique doesn’t mean just color balance adjustment. Instead, editors use color grading to create a certain mood and visual aesthetics, express their artistic vision, so that the colors in the video become a part of the story. Color grading often means using filters and changing color tones; it always comes after color correction.

Some great examples of unique, memorable color grading works are Melancholia (dramatic cool color tones), Sin City (black-and-white effect, plus color isolation used to create a resemblance with a comic book), Batman (dimmed colors, dark tones), and, of course, movies like La La Land, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Scott Pilgrim.

Which software is best for video color correction?

There’s no short answer to this question, and here is why. Technically speaking, color correction tools – such as color wheels, black-and-white balance pickers, HSL curves, and contrast, brightness & gamma controls – are either very similar or the same, regardless of the video editing software. As long as you understand the main principles of color correction, and how each of these tools works, you can perform it in any program.

So how do you choose a program for video color correction? For starters, you can narrow your search by looking at system requirements. For example, if your computer is low on RAM, you may need to eliminate Davinci Resolve because it requires a powerful machine to perform well; or if you’re a Mac user, you’ll have to eliminate VSDC because this video editing software only works on Windows PC.

Next, think of other tools or effects you might need for your projects. For example, if you’re planning to use special effects a lot, no video editing software beats Hitfilm. If you need elaborated audio editing tools, Lightworks might be an excellent choice.

Once you have 2-3 options left, go ahead and test the remaining programs. Only then will you be able to choose the software you’re comfortable with. And if you fail to find everything you need in a single program, it’s a common practice to use several solutions for video editing.

Seeing a watermark on your video after spending hours editing it feels infuriating. Yet a few video editing software developers are still using this practice to limit the free usage of their products. Originally, there’s nothing wrong with watermarks – as long as you know they will be there after you export your project. However, most times, those watermarks catch you by surprise.

For creators who have been in this situation and those who want to avoid it in the future, we’ve put together a list of free video editing software with no watermarks. We’ve personally tested each editor on the list to make sure there’s no company logo stamped all over the video after export.

The roundup below features video editors for Windows OS, Linux OS, Mac OS, and a couple of web-based tools. In other words, regardless of what you’re using, we’ve got you covered.

VSDC (Windows PC)

VSDC is a free video editor for Windows PC users. It brings an array of tools that will help you apply minor edits like trimming a video, adding text, and removing the soundtrack – as well as more in-depth montage techniques like color correction, FX, and blending.

VSDC offers dozens of customizable video and audio effects, transitions, and color filters. However, one of its most prominent features is the extensive color correction toolset. For instance, in VSDC, you can manually adjust brightness, contrast, gamma, and other values, or you can use color scopes, channels, and wheels. But most importantly, you can perform color correction using the built-in LUT editor. Not only does it allow you to apply ready-made LUTs to your footage, but it also lets you create your own LUTs and save them as templates.

Apart from the video editing toolset, VSDC comes with a built-in video converter, a desktop screen recorder, a webcam video capture tool, a voice recorder, and a YouTube uploader. Compared to most video editors, VSDC is surprisingly lightweight. It works even on potato computers with just a couple of gigabytes of RAM and opens footage from any device without you having to convert it into a required format.

The project is monetized through a premium version called VSDC Pro. The upgrade is available for $19.99 per year, and it includes premium features like masking, motion tracking, and audio waveform. However, if you aren’t looking for these professional-level tools, the free version of VSDC will be more than sufficient.

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Kapwing (Web-based)

Kapwing is an intuitive video editor, perfect for those with zero editing experience. The tool works in the browser which means you can use it on a computer, on a tablet, and even on your phone, as long as you have a stable Internet connection. This also means you don’t need to have a powerful computer because this software runs in the cloud.

Once you log into your online workspace with Kapwing, you can upload files from your desktop or import them directly from Google Drive or Google Photos. There are several tracks for video and audio files, which means you can overlay files and easily create a picture-in-picture effect, split-screen, or video collages. The editing menu is pretty straightforward too: you can trim, split and rotate files, play with the playback speed and the zoom effect. There are several standard transition effects and a built-in Chroma Key tool for removing the green background.

What makes Kapwing stand out from the competition is its built-in multimedia gallery. Not only does it provide you with video templates designed for social media platforms, such as Linkedin and Instagram, but it also comes with an integrated gallery of stock images, videos, soundtrack, and even sound effects. Whether you’re going to use these assets in your video as is or source inspiration, it’s hard to deny the convenience of having them at hand.

Like VSDC, Kapwing’s monetization model is based on the premium-version subscription, however, in this case, the restrictions of the freemium solution are more noticeable. With the free version, you can export only 3 videos per month without a watermark. Each video must be under 250 MB and shorter than 30 minutes. If you decide to upgrade, that’ll be $24 per month or $192 per year.

iMovie (Mac and iPhone)

For Mac owners, iMovie is usually the default video editor because it’s free and it comes pre-installed with macOS. iMovie is an easy-to-use NLE that will work well for both beginners and professional users. If you own a Mac, and you haven’t explored iMovie yet, look no further.

The program has a modern, intuitive layout and a timeline featuring multiple tracks for video and audio files. The basic editing toolset includes cutting, trimming, shaky footage stabilization, color correction, and even background noise removal. Like Kapwing, iMovie brings a wide selection of presets, including backgrounds and animated text templates for title intro, lower thirds, and scrolling credits. Templates are easily accessible from the main menu, and you can preview them in action before applying, which is very convenient.

The integration with iTunes allows for importing soundtracks from your music library right within the program’s interface. On top of that, there’s a built-in library of royalty-free soundtrack music tracks and audio effects.

Unlike most video editors on this list, iMovie has no premium versions or Pro features you’d have to pay for. It’s completely free video editing software with no watermarks, trial periods, format limitations or upgrades.

Kdenlive (Windows, Mac, and Linux)

Kdenlive is a free, open-source video editor that works on Windows, Mac, and Linux OS. It’s not as beginner-friendly as Kapwing or iMovie, but it brings an extensive set of features and a high level of control of video effects and color correction settings.

Apart from basic video editing, Kdenlive allows you to create animated titles, use multi-camera editing functionality, work with alpha channel, and deep-dive into audio settings. For color correction, you get the standard RGB adjustment tools, white balance controls, keyframable brightness controls, gamma settings, and more.

Like VSDC, Kdenlive is very lightweight. Not only does it have low system requirements, but it also goes easy on your PC due to the powerful proxy technology. Essentially, this means that the program creates smaller-size copies of your files for faster rendering while you’re working on your project. When it’s time to export the video, the tool applies all the changes and effects to the source files, so you end up with the file of original quality. Proxies make it much easier to edit 4K and effect-heavy projects.

Kdenlive is a completely free piece of video editing software with no watermarks or hidden fees. Keep in mind that because it’s an open-source program, you can’t always expect proper technical support from the team members. However, there’s an active user community on Reddit and lots of video tutorials on YouTube that might answer most of your questions.

Lightworks (Windows, Mac, and Linux)

Lightworks is one of the pioneer tools in the video editing industry. With over 25 years in the market, it’s been recognized as one of the go-to solutions for professional filmmakers and used in the production of such legendary movies as Pulp Fiction and King’s Speech.

Unlike most desktop video editors, Lightworks asks you to create an account before downloading the software. Once registered, you’ll be prompted to select your computer’s OS and watch an introductory video while the program is being downloaded and installed. Although it may seem like an extra step preventing you from getting started – in practice, it helps you be better prepared to work with the tool.

Professional movie makers praise Lightworks for keyboard controls and convenient cutting tools designed specifically for working with large volumes of footage. However, the suite also brings an impressive selection of built-in video effects and color correction controls.

Lightworks brings three subscription plans, designed for creators of different experience levels. In the free version, this video editing software has no watermarks or significant toolset limitations – however, as a free user, you’re limited to 720p resolution and only two predefined export options: YouTube and Vimeo. Feature-wise, the free toolset is sufficient for newbie creators, according to the company. When you’re ready to step up your video editing game, you can choose between Lightworks Create ($9.99 per month) and Lightworks Pro ($23.99 per month).

Avid Media Composer First (Windows, Mac)

Avid Media Composer First is a free version of the full-featured Avid Media Composer software, but as a beginner user, you might not notice significant limitations. Overall, it’s a powerful tool for aspiring video makers that can help you create projects of any complexity.

The editor comes with 4 video tracks and 8 audio tracks, multicam editing, smart trimming tools, video stabilization, a large selection of audio and video effects, and a color correction toolset. The program also supports AVX and AAX plugins from the Avid Marketplace. At the export stage, you can save your video in 1080p resolution and upload it directly to YouTube or Vimeo.

For stable software performance, the developers recommend having at least 16 GB of memory (32 GB if you’re working with UHD or high FPS videos) and a powerful graphics card.

Openshot (Windows, Mac, and Linux)

Openshot is another open-source, free video editing software without watermarks. Of all tools, this one is probably one of the most newbie-friendly editors, and it works on any operating system (OS) including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chrome OS.

Like most non-linear video editors, Openshot allows you to use multiple tracks and mix multiple files in the same scene. You can easily achieve a picture-in-picture or split-screen effect. There’s a good selection of video transitions, a built-in gallery of emoji icons, and a separate menu tab housing video and audio effects. The latter group includes some really cool effects like Robotization, Whisperization, and Distortion.

For video titles, Openshot offers over a dozen pre-designed templates including generic text titles, lower thirds, Creative Commons license messages, and Film rating warnings. For animated titles, Openshot suggests connecting Blender – a free open-source animation program.

Openshot has no paid version of their software. The company’s monetization model seems to include website ads and donations. As with many unmonetized products, you may expect a lack of stable performance and technical support. However, if you like the interface and only need the editor for basic tasks occasionally, Openshot might very well be the right solution for you.

Clipchamp (Web-based)

Clipchamp is an online video editing app that has a free version and allows you to export videos without watermarks. The developers of the platform are targeting creators, influencers, and online teachers – as opposed to professional videographers – making the video creation process quick and effortless with templates.

Clipchamp works right in the browser, so all you need to do is register an account and follow the prompts. From there, you’ll be able to select a template for your video or start from scratch by uploading your media and adding text elements, images, and sounds as you go. Like VSDC, Clipchamp allows you to record your screen and capture webcam video – all within the same app.

If you’re a creator working on a video for social media, perhaps the most convenient part about this editor is its extensive gallery of stock media files, including royalty-free videos, images, and sounds. The app even has built-in stickers and a GIF gallery from GIPHY.

At the export stage, you can save your video in MP4 format and 480p, 720p, 1080p, or GIF. You can also send the video directly to YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, or one of your cloud storage platforms. So what are the key limitations of the free version? First, if you’re a free version user, some of the premium-level stock files and templates will be unavailable to you. Second, the paid tiers (starting at $19/mo) include brand kits designed to help you create consistent content aligned with your brand’s style — and as a free user, you have no access to them. That being said, even without all the bells and whistles, Clipchamp looks like every social media manager's dream.

Videopad (Windows, Mac)

Videopad is a video editor for Windows OS and Mac OS X that offers a free version for non-commercial use. The program offers a plethora of tools including video and audio recorders, a screenshot capture tool, and a template gallery (more on that in a moment). However, the ribbon-style interface may quickly overwhelm an inexperienced user, so we highly recommend watching an introductory tutorial before getting started – especially since they’re conveniently accessible through a dedicated tab in the preview window.

By default, Videopad offers only one video track and one audio track, but it’s possible to create additional tracks and overlay files using masking, green screen, or picture-in-picture effects. There’s also an impressive collection of transition and animation effects, including Motion blur, Zoom, Ken Burns, and plenty of others. Like VSDC, Videopad provides in-depth control of the effect parameters, which means you can adjust the way the effect looks and tailor it to your needs.

Most creators will benefit from the set of built-in libraries featuring sounds and sound effects, frames, and clipart objects. Another valuable addition to this software is called “Video maker.” Designed as a video template gallery, it allows you to quickly create an animated intro, outro, or even a slideshow-style video for a special occasion. All you need to do is add the content and type your own text where it’s required.

At the export stage, Videopad reminds you of the premium version of their software, but as a non-commercial user, you can skip the reminder and proceed to the settings. There are no format, duration, or resolution limitations, and you can save the video on your computer, export it to a DVD, or upload it directly to YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Flickr.

Davinci Resolve (Windows, Mac)

Davinci Resolve is an award-winning video editor developed by Blackmagic Design. Although it provides a full spectrum of video editing features, what makes Resolve stand out from the competition is its color correction and color grading toolset. This program is famous for being the software of choice for such movies as Avatar, La La Land, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Now, even for experienced video creators, Resolve is a complex platform that will require some time to master. However, if you strive to become a professional movie maker, knowing your way around it will pay off. As a matter of fact, if that’s your ambition, you may want to skip the rest of the programs from the list and go straight to Davinci Resolve because it has everything to help you take your filmmaking skills to the right level. The program offers a convenient cutting and splitting toolset, effects menu, intuitive timeline, text editor, and pro-level audio processing.

For color correction and color grading, you can use color scopes, curves, and wheels. When working on repetitive color matching tasks, you can easily apply node structure from previous projects as a template. And if you’re trying to achieve a look from a particular image, you can use it as a reference shot right in the program and compare your footage with the original while performing color grading.

Resolve is a rare example of truly professional video editing software that comes for free without watermarks or feature limitations. Bear in mind, however, that apart from the time investment, this software requires a powerful machine to operate. In addition to sufficient storage space, you want to have at least 8 GB of system RAM and at least 4 GB of graphics memory.

Honorable mentions

Video editing software, including professional-level software, stopped being a category of tools available to videographers only. It’s now available to nearly anyone with a decent computer and an Internet connection. The market is growing, much due to the rise of the creators’ economy, so new video editing tools continue to pop up every few months.

This means you can find the right software regardless of your computer’s specs or video editing skills. For instance, if you’re looking for a lightweight yet full-featured solution, VSDC, Kdenlive, and Openshot will be your best bet from this roundup. If you prefer working in the browser, Kapwing and Clipchamp are both great options for non-professional use. And if you need a tool to start your professional journey as a filmmaker, consider Davinci Resolve, Avid, or Lightworks.

Want more options to test? You can try Shotcut (open source), Hitfilm Express, Olive editor (open source), or VN video editor (MacOS). All four pieces of video editing software are free and have no watermarks. Spend some time with every option, test the features you think you’ll be using the most, and see which one has the interface and toolset that satisfies your needs!

It has been another productive couple of months for the VSDC team, and we’re thrilled to announce the release of VSDC 7.2 – the new version of our video editing suite.

Although the majority of updates fall under the color correction toolset category, VSDC 7.2 also includes several long-awaited features, such as a new visual Echo filter, advanced animation for coordinate-based effects, multichannel audio effect controls, group file editing, and more.

Let’s review each part of this update in more detail.

Download VSDC Video Editor 7.2

Сolor correction toolset updates

As the number of color correction tools in the VSDC suite continued expanding earlier this year, it became apparent that we needed a single dedicated menu for all of them.

That’s why the first update we’d like to introduce is a new panel, named Color grading.

Color grading panel

Color grading is a new panel housing all the essential color correction controls:

• Basic color effects: Temp, Tint, Contrast, Brightness, Gamma, Saturation, Hue
• Lift, Gamma, Gain & Offset color wheels
• RGB curves and sliders
• HSL curves and sliders
• YUV curves and sliders
• Color twist settings (RGB color channel components)
• Optimized version of the LUT editor

The panel is designed to help you perform a full cycle of color grading in one place, without having to switch between different effect layers and tabs. If you’ve been using VSDC for some time, you’re probably familiar with most tools in the panel, except for the newly-added one, called Lift, Gamma & Gain.

Lift, Gamma & Gain

The Lift, Gamma, Gain (and Offset) wheels will help you apply professional-level color correction on videos and images. Lift allows you to correct dark tones in the video (shadows); Gamma allows you to correct midtones; Gain allows you to correct light tones, and Offset allows you to work with the entire image.

We suggest that you check our dedicated guide to working with the Lift, Gamma, Gain color wheels if you’d like to learn more about them.

Color grading effect

Finally, the new Color grading effect has been added to the Adjustments group of the Video effects menu. Essentially, this effect includes the same toolset as the new Color grading panel, however, since you’ll be able to add it to the timeline, it’s possible to control the starting and end point of the effect, its duration, as well as intensity.

Echo filter in sprite properties

Sprite properties have received a new option, called Echo filter. The Echo filter allows for making a beautiful visual echo effect by overlaying dimmed copies of past frames on the current one. Depending on the settings, you can achieve a long exposure look or a smearing effect.

The Echo filter becomes available only at the sprite level: to apply it, you need to convert a video into a sprite (Ctrl + P) and deactivate the “Use as container” option. Once applied, the filter allows for using the dynamic parameter change, so the effect can be increased or decreased over time.

Tracking animation for coordinate-based effects

Coordinate-based effects, such as Lens flare, Bokeh glare, and God rays, have received a point movement tracking feature. This means that you’ll be able to manually create a movement trajectory for the effect to follow.

Moreover, you’ll be able to bind other dynamic effects to the tracking point movement and create unique animations, perfect for video ads and intros. Below is an example of how it works with text effects. Notice how the text animation is perfectly synchronized with the movement of the Lens flare:

Multi-channel audio effect strength controls

The next update will bring joy to those who often work on music videos and take a precise approach to sound editing.

Audio effect settings now allow for adjusting strength for the right and left audio channels. In other words, you can control the intensity of audio effects for each channel and create a project with a unique sound.

This is an essential, long-awaited feature, and its next iteration is already in the works. For example, in the future, you’ll be able to also control audio effect strength for each channel over time.

Group file editing

Previously, VSDC users were able to select multiple media files on the timeline and perform the most basic actions, such as splitting, cutting, and color style application, to a group of files. Starting version 7.2, group file editing becomes more versatile.

Depending on the type of files you’ve selected on the timeline, VSDC allows for changing any parameters that are common for this group. For example, if you’ve selected several video files, you’ll be able to crop their borders or apply the same speed and audio settings. To make the feature more intuitive, non-common parameters that can’t be changed for the entire group will be highlighted in green:

The more files of different types you add to the group, the fewer common parameters they will have. For example, if you select multiple video, audio, and image files as a group, the only common parameters will be Object creation and Object duration settings.

Hardware acceleration mode for transition effects

To decrease processing times, we’ve added an option to activate hardware acceleration mode to all transition effects, as well as the Noise filter and Clipping mask effect.

Switching between processing modes is optional. Thus, users of the free version can activate the hardware mode to speed up preview processing times, and the users of the Pro version can take full advantage of hardware acceleration at the export level as well.

VSDC 7.2 is already out

Now that we’ve hopefully piqued your interest, it’s time to download the new version and test it for yourself. VSDC 7.2 is already available on our official website, and we can’t wait to hear what you think about it.

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The new version of VSDC includes two new video effects, expands the functionality of the LUT editor, and makes video editing more convenient by bringing an improved interface, optimized timeline, and custom shortcuts.

Let’s have a look at each update in more detail.

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Matrix effect (PRO)

The Matrix video effect has become available in the list of Special FX so that now you can replicate the raining code from the famous movie trilogy. As you would expect, the effect is fully customizable: you’ll be able to decide whether you want it to consist of alphabet letters or runes; how frequently the symbols should be changing, and how fast they should be falling. On top of that, you can work with the background and foreground ‘layers’ which adds depth to the effect.

Color twist effect

The Color twist effect from the Adjustments menu has been updated and included in the Basic effects window for easier access. As the name suggests, it allows you to adjust colors in the footage by working directly with the GRB color channels and changing tone values for each component. In many scenarios, the purpose of the Color Twist effect is similar to the LUT editor – however, the former option will be much easier to use for basic tasks. For example, you can quickly change cool color tones to warm color tones, create color inversion, and so on.

LUT editor upgrade

The LUT editor has become more versatile, as it now allows for performing color correction of the same object in stages. At each stage, you’ll be able to define a scope of color tones you’re working with and set the desired Hue, Saturation, and Lightness values for them. In other words, if you need to perform correction of several different color tones, there’s no need to use the same histogram – you can create a separate stage for each tone, which is way more convenient.

On top of that, it’s now possible to view color scopes and histograms for each separate scene or object. Finally, you’ll be able to apply fade-in transitions to LUTs and use adjustments for brightness, contrast, gamma, temperature, and saturation values.

Optimized GUI and timeline

In addition to the user interface enhancements, there’s been a series of minor functional improvements as well. For example, you can now quickly trim videos by grabbing side handlers and dragging them inwards.

To streamline the editing process, we’ve also added a storyboard and a simplified version of an audio waveform to the pop-up Cutting and splitting window. If you were looking for a more precise tool to edit videos to the beat in the free version, this might be the best solution for your needs.

Finally, the timeline has received 3 new scrolling modes to help you better control the playhead position when previewing a scene at an increased timeline scale.

Here are the names of the new timeline scrolling modes:

• Fixed smooth scrolling
• Adaptive smooth scrolling
• Scrolling from the timeline center

To switch between them, open the Options menu in the top right corner of the editor’s interface and proceed to Timeline options.

Custom shortcuts

The ability to create custom shortcuts is a long-awaited feature, and we’re excited to finally announce its release. Although VSDC has been supporting a list of commonly used shortcuts for a few years now, the freedom to create your own hotkey combinations will make the editing process more convenient for creators.

To get started, open the general settings, type the desired hotkey combination, and select the action you want to associate it with. If you change your mind, you can always restore the default shortcut scheme.

Subtitle markdown

Those using subtitles in videos can now take advantage of a markdown. Markdown is a feature that automatically creates markers for each subsequent line of subtitles that appears in the scene. To activate the markdown, upload the file with subtitles to the editor, select it on the timeline, and click Add markers in the Properties window. This way, you’ll be able to see each moment on the timeline when subtitles appear and align other objects if needed.

It’s time to download VSDC 7.1

Without further ado, we suggest that you download the latest version of VSDC and see all the updates with your own eyes. Got any questions? Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave a comment under the release video on our channel.

DOWNLOAD VSDC 7.1