Best free video editing software for drone footage?

General Drone Discussions
1

I’m looking for free video editing software to edit my DJI drone footage (H.264 4K). I need something simple for basic editing—trimming, color correction, and adding audio before uploading to YouTube. I’ve heard DaVinci Resolve is good, but is it too complex for a beginner? Any recommendations?

2

DaVinci Resolve is the best free option. It has pro-level tools and tons of tutorials on YouTube. It has a learning curve, but once you get the basics, it’s solid.

3

Wyn said:
DaVinci Resolve is the best free option. It has pro-level tools and tons of tutorials on YouTube. It has a learning curve, but once you get the basics, it’s solid.

I agree. Resolve is great, but you’ll need a decent PC to run it smoothly. If your hardware is older, it might struggle.

4

Wyn said:
DaVinci Resolve is the best free option. It has pro-level tools and tons of tutorials on YouTube. It has a learning curve, but once you get the basics, it’s solid.

If you’re just doing simple edits, you can ignore most of the advanced tools in Resolve. Stick to the Cut and Edit pages and you’ll be fine.

5

CapCut is a solid alternative, especially if you want something lightweight and beginner-friendly. Works well for quick edits and doesn’t require a powerful PC.

6

Roux said:
CapCut is a solid alternative, especially if you want something lightweight and beginner-friendly. Works well for quick edits and doesn’t require a powerful PC.

Yeah, CapCut is great for basic editing. Not as powerful as Resolve, but perfect for quick YouTube videos.

7

Roux said:
CapCut is a solid alternative, especially if you want something lightweight and beginner-friendly. Works well for quick edits and doesn’t require a powerful PC.

If you’re editing on mobile, CapCut is the easiest option. But for desktop, DaVinci is still the way to go if you want more control.

8

Shotcut and OpenShot are decent if you want open-source options. Not as polished as Resolve, but good for basic edits without a steep learning curve.

9

Vail said:
Shotcut and OpenShot are decent if you want open-source options. Not as polished as Resolve, but good for basic edits without a steep learning curve.

I’ve used Shotcut for years. It’s lightweight and does everything I need without overcomplicating things.

10

Vail said:
Shotcut and OpenShot are decent if you want open-source options. Not as polished as Resolve, but good for basic edits without a steep learning curve.

OpenShot is fine for simple cuts, but I found it a bit slow when handling 4K files.

11

If you’re on Mac, iMovie is a good beginner-friendly option. Free and easy to use, but limited in features.

12

Vick said:
If you’re on Mac, iMovie is a good beginner-friendly option. Free and easy to use, but limited in features.

iMovie is great for simple projects. If you ever need more, you can move to Final Cut or DaVinci Resolve.

13

Vick said:
If you’re on Mac, iMovie is a good beginner-friendly option. Free and easy to use, but limited in features.

iMovie is perfect if you’re just cutting clips and adding music. No need for anything more complex if that’s all you need.

14

DaVinci Resolve is amazing, but make sure your PC can handle it. At least 16GB RAM and a decent GPU will help a lot.

15

Chen said:
DaVinci Resolve is amazing, but make sure your PC can handle it. At least 16GB RAM and a decent GPU will help a lot.

This is key. If your PC is weak, you’ll get crashes and slow rendering times with Resolve.

16

Chen said:
DaVinci Resolve is amazing, but make sure your PC can handle it. At least 16GB RAM and a decent GPU will help a lot.

For older systems, try using optimized media or proxies in Resolve. It helps a lot with performance.