Need recommendations on video editing

[Drak0rex]

I used to use Freemake, but the free version has become less than stellar. I'm not trying to do anything fancy, I just need to trim, combine and convert some videos. Right now it's taking me hours to convert a 10 minute video. I must be doing something wrong. What is the best and simplest option right now?

 

[RHOPKINS13]

The main factors that are going to matter when converting your video is how long the video is, what codec / compression is being used, and what resolutions you're encoding to/from.

If all your doing is trimming, combining, and converting videos, if you're decent on the command line you might only need to use a few ffmpeg commands. Otherwise, there are a ton of different video editors that you can use.
VirtualDub, Avidemux, Lightworks, OpenShot, Source Filmmaker, DaVinci Resolve, Kdenlive, Pitivi, heck even Windows Movie Maker. The list goes on and on...

 

[micjustin33]

Camtasia is a software suite, created and published by TechSmith, for creating video tutorials and presentations directly via screencast, or via a direct recording plug-in to Microsoft PowerPoint.

 

[Yamineko]

Going off on what RHOPKINS13 said, it also depends on how powerful your CPU (and in some cases, your GPU) is. The more cores and higher frequency, the faster your videos will render. Having an SSD will also help curb the time it takes to render.

 

[digi-u]

I used to use Freemake, but the free version has become less than stellar. I'm not trying to do anything fancy, I just need to trim, combine and convert some videos. Right now it's taking me hours to convert a 10 minute video. I must be doing something wrong. What is the best and simplest option right now?

Hi, I don't really know, but I noticed that Parrot OS based on debian stretch has an OS Edition dedicated to video production and general use. That Parrot OS alternative might have something for you.

 

[AdamFX990]

Kdenlive has come a long way. Its simple to do simple stuff but has the potential to do some more advanced stuff should you require.

 

[Originality]

The OP probably got his answer a month ago when making this thread, so he may not be interested in further answers.

But just to throw in my two cents, I picked up Sony Vegas Pro 15 off the humble bundle for $25, which does just about everything. I still prefer iMovie, but my gaming desktop renders around 3x faster which is a lifesaver for me. 1-3 hours per video instead of 5-9 hours on my MacBook.