Best Video Editing Software For Your Documentary
Beginner, Intermediate and Professional Options

Adobe Rush – Rush is the little sibling of Adobe’s Premiere Pro, and a perfect app for editing video from your phone or tablet. Good for drag-and-drop editing, while also offering options like color correction, mixing in music or voiceovers. And the ‘Starter’ plan is free!

Animoto – Another free editing software. Animoto is an online editing software that does much of the work for you. Animoto allows you to upload video clips and photos. Simply arrange them in the order that you want and Animoto will create a professional looking product. While it is easy, it does not give you much control over the final outcome. It comes with basic templates and a wide variety of royalty-free music.

YouTube Studio – Everyone is aware that YouTube is a great place to watch videos, but did you know that you can actually edit videos within YouTube? Like with Animoto and Picasa, YouTube Studio may not be the best choice to edit your documentary. However, depending on the length and control you desire, YouTube may be a reasonable choice for a beginner in this realm.

Pinnacle Studio (Series) ($50-$129 for Windows users) - Pinnacle Studio offers three progressively better programs within a reasonable price range. Pinnacle Studio provides users with many options to create stunning videos. As you progress within the Pinnacle price range you are afforded additional effects and authoring opportunities. 

HitFilm Express (Free download for Mac & PC) - A crowd favorite, HitFilm is a free video editing software for the intermediate editor who loves to experiment with video effects (VFX). Edit, color correct, and animate in 4K. The biggest draw of HitFilm is their huge user support system, including a tutorial channel on YouTube and free masterclasses.

Lumafusion ($30 one-time purchase through the App Store) - LumaFusion is loved by professional videojournalists and beginner iPad editors alike. It’s loaded with all the features of a more advanced interface but very user-friendly. If you’re ever stuck on how to use or do something, there are plenty of accessible guides. Plus - enjoy the option to export directly to Youtube and Vimeo.

Final Cut Pro ($299 for Mac users) - Final Cut Pro has long been a standard in video editing. With Final Cut Pro X, Apple has refocused their marketing more toward intermediate and semi-professional editors. Final Cut X is a mix between Final Cut Pro and iMovie. The user interface is more user friendly and it has the power to handle most editing needs.

Adobe Premiere Pro (starts at $20.99/month) - In 2013, Adobe Premiere went into the "Cloud." Instead of a one-time software buy, you now subscribe to access Premiere's suite of creative services.  Adobe Premiere Pro is a favorite among many video professionals.    

Final Cut Pro is a popular video editing software with documentary filmmakers. Need some extra help? Try out these Final Cut Pro Tutorials from LinkedIn Learning.

Documentary Editing With Avid Media Composer - This course shows how to build a polished documentary using Avid Media Composer and a few essential editing techniques.

Documentary Editing With Premiere Pro - Find out how to highlight a cause, express a point of view, and tell a story with Adobe Premiere Pro and some essential documentary editing techniques.

Video Journalism Storytelling Techniques - How you choose your shots, craft your story, and edit your footage is what draws attention to your videos.

Creating A Mini-Documentary With Premiere Elements - This course shows beginning filmmakers how to make a short documentary from footage they have already shot, and walks them from the editing process through uploading a finished movie to platforms like Vimeo or YouTube.