Simple free video editor for Mac?

[Arpangel]

I’ve got Reaper, but find the video editing to be just a bit on the basic side.
I’m no expert at this, but need something that’s easy to use (unlike iMovie)
I just need to do fades, add titles, cut and paste.

[IAA]

I’m absolutely new to doing videos, but I used iMovie, which flummoxed me to start with, but I watched a couple of tutorials and managed all that you want. I downloaded the free trial of final cut, but so far haven’t opened it......

[ConcertinaChap]

Actually iMovie is pretty good. It has a few obscurities that it inherits from FCPX (like "events" which just appear to be containers for clips and stuff, ignore the name and it gets less confusing). Stick with it and do a few tutorials and it soon becomes clear. I think you'd soon get dissatisfied with any video editor that was simpler.

I downloaded the free trial of final cut, but so far haven’t opened it......

Because iMovie is descended from FCPX and has the same Library/Event/Project structure you'll quickly get up to speed on simple stuff. Some of the complex stuff is scary!

CC

[IAA]

Some of the complex stuff is scary!

I bet. I’m amazed at what non pros seem to be able to do with it. I will take the plunge, but isn’t it the case there’s nearly always something musical I’d much rather do with my synths!

[James Perrett]

I’ve got Reaper, but find the video editing to be just a bit on the basic side.
I’m no expert at this, but need something that’s easy to use (unlike iMovie)
I just need to do fades, add titles, cut and paste.

Have you discovered the Video Processor in Reaper? One of the presets makes fades work in exactly the same way as audio fades. So, with this in your FX chain, you can just grab the handle at the end of the clip and drag it to create a fade. If you slide clips together you get a dissolve. Cutting and pasting video works in exactly the same way as cutting and pasting audio.

Titles are slightly more difficult in Reaper but no more difficult than any other video editor.

[BigRedX]

If you can't get on with iMovie or the video component of Reaper, try DaVinci Resolve. There's a free version hidden away at the bottom of the page for the full paid version.

IME video editors tend to be counter-intuitive to those of us familiar with how the typical sequencer/DAW works, because we expect them to be the same but with pictures instead of audio. However because they tend to have been developed for film/video editors they work in significantly different ways. You need to stop thinking of them as DAWs with moving pictures and accept that you are going to need to learn a different way of working to get the best out of them.

[ConcertinaChap]

I'd agree with that. I really think iMovie is a pretty good place to start. You can move onto other editors after that with some of the basic concepts in place.

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[Dave Rowles]

If you can't get on with iMovie or the video component of Reaper, try DaVinci Resolve. There's a free version hidden away at the bottom of the page for the full paid version.

I was going to suggest DaVinci as well. I got into Final Cut as they had a free version for 90days, and I didn't know about DaVinci then. But DaVinci Resolve is a good program.

I've had to do a load of video editing since Covid and started with iMovie, and it did an OK job to start with. But I quickly encountered the fact that iMovie is a cut down Final Cut, and it stops you being able to do stuff that I wanted, and I could also never quite get my audio to sync properly. I have the same problem with Garageband, as I'm always trying to do things that Logic Lets me do and GarageBand doesn't.

It took me about a month of concerted use to get used to how video editor's brains work, and then it all started to make sense. If I started having to do any more video I think I'd have to start altering the shortcuts so I can use the same buttons for both logic and final cut. I already added into final cut that the "return" key took me back to the beginning of the video. as that drove me nuts to start with.

[Guest]

I decided to explore a new direction for myself. I take photos and videos, and I realised that I needed to have at least two video editors. I'm looking for a simple yet functional video editor.

[ConcertinaChap]

Hi and welcome. Have a read of the thread from the beginning. I don't think there's much more to say, really.

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[Humf]

Except to say Premiere Pro isn’t too bad on a monthly never-never. I’m about to bite the bullet. Tried the FCP demo and didn’t get on with it for some reason, despite knowing iMovie back to front.

[pk.roberts]

Resolve is a great programme; in fact an amazing programme considering it's free, but does take a reasonable PC (& GPU in particular) to make it run smoothly; using 'nodes' can be a bit of a 'challenge' as well.
There are a couple of very reasonable, 'lighter weight' and free programmes you might also want to have a look at.

Shotcut; https://www.shotcut.org/

and Kdenlive; https://kdenlive.org/en/