# Free video editing software?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-video-editing-software/507998>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 28, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-video-editing-software/507998 "2009-08-28T04:08:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-video-editing-software/507998/1 "2009-08-28T04:08:21Z")

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Hello all. I need to compress a .avi file to a manageable size (it’s over 400 mb now) to upload to Youtube. I’d like to use something better than Movie Maker. Will you recommend some good, _free_, video editing software?

Thanks in advance.

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**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-video-editing-software/507998/2 "2009-08-28T04:13:31Z")

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Do you need to edit it or just compress it fullstop?

If you just need to reduce the size just use something like [SUPER](http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html) to convert it. For editing I just want to say you get what you pay for, but the better ones I’ve heard of are -

[Zweistein](http://www.thugsatbay.com/tab/?q=zweistein)  
and  
[Wax](http://www.debugmode.com/wax/)  
If you had a Mac iMovie is supposedly pretty rockin’, but that’s Macintosh for you.

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**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-video-editing-software/507998/3 "2009-08-28T04:33:59Z")

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At first, I thought I just wanted to compress it. But now I’d like to trim it and add some content at the end of the file.

I should probably give more info about what I’m doing. I used CamStudio to create a video tutorial with audio for my students. I would now like to add a title screen at the beginning and, as I said, add on some content at the end.

I have Microsoft Movie Maker, but I was wondering if there were other, better programs out there that were also free.

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-video-editing-software/507998/4 "2009-08-28T05:37:41Z")

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avidemux and VirtualDub are excellent and powerful video editors

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**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-video-editing-software/507998/5 "2009-08-28T17:01:02Z")

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> [@statsman1982](#):
>
> At first, I thought I just wanted to compress it. But now I’d like to trim it and add some content at the end of the file.
> 
> I should probably give more info about what I’m doing. I used CamStudio to create a video tutorial with audio for my students. I would now like to add a title screen at the beginning and, as I said, add on some content at the end.
> 
> I have Microsoft Movie Maker, but I was wondering if there were other, better programs out there that were also free.

I just did this very thing using a free 30-day trial of [Camtasia Studio](http://www.techsmith.com/?CMP=KgoogleTSCtmhome&gclid=CIfJwePpxpwCFRND5godACSFIg).