Suppose you've just got home afterward a calendar week of skiing in the French Alps. You recorded your adventures on a GoPro, and now you desire to share your gnarly jumps and less-than-impressive crashes with the world.

Nonetheless, earlier you upload your footage, yous probably want to edit your GoPro footage. Merely which app should you employ? Since GoPro Studio ceased to be at the end of 2017, the decision has go more difficult.

In this article, we detail seven of the all-time free apps for editing GoPro videos.

1. GoPro Quik

Bachelor on: Windows, Mac

GoPro Studio might not exist anymore, but GoPro Quik is alive and well.

The company has designed the app to be attainable to people who aren't necessarily experienced video editors---though you'll even so find information technology useful fifty-fifty if you've worked with videos for a long time.

To outset, the app volition automatically import content from your device as soon equally you plug it into your computer. In one case your GoPro footage is on your hard drive, you tin can use Quik to create fourth dimension-lapses, add together panning furnishings, add sound, and a whole lot more.

If you're an adrenaline junkie, Quik is also a great tool. It lets you add graphs, charts, and speedometers to bear witness viewers how far, high, or fast you lot went.

Lastly, because it's an official GoPro app, Quik makes it easy to update your GoPro devices with the latest firmware.

Download: GoPro Quik

two. VSDC

Available on: Windows

VSDC is targeted at intermediate users. It'due south widely considered to be one of the best gratis video editing apps for Windows users.

The editor is non-linear. For those who don't know, this ways y'all can identify any object in whatever position on the timeline, so make it any size.

The app's almost important features include:

  • V categories of visual furnishings (colour correction, object transformation, object filters, transition effects, and special effects)
  • Color blending
  • Masking (to hide, blur, or highlight certain elements of a video)
  • A way to upload your videos straight to YouTube and social networks

In a nod to beginners, the app as well offers one-click Instagram-esque filters.

Download: VSDC

3. Avidemux

Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux

Avidemux is another beginner-friendly tool. It has fewer features, making it easier to use, even if you don't have any video editing experience.

The app's three cadre features are cutting, filtering, and encoding. The encoding is surprisingly full-featured; the app has a vast number of export options, thus giving you complete control over the encoding process. The app too offers sharpening and de-noising filters.

On the downside, Avidemux does not include any transitions or special effects, and it does non use a timeline.

Equally such, Avidemux is excellent for modest edits and creating quick cuts of your GoPro videos. If you want to undertake a larger project, you should await elsewhere.

Download: Avidemux

four. Lightworks

Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux

Lightworks is arguably the near powerful app on this listing. However, it'due south also 1 of the most difficult for beginners to get to grips with.

In truth, it'southward somewhat remarkable that Lightworks is gratuitous. The app boasts professional-quality tools that---if used correctly---can make your GoPro video look like something that'south come out of a Hollywood picture studio. If you recollect we're joking, continue in listen that both The King's Speech and Road to Perdition used the Pro version of Lightworks.

Features that'll appeal to GoPro users include quick export to MPEG4/H.264 format for uploading to the web, background importing, rendering, and exporting, high precision trimming, text furnishings, and the ability to add voiceovers.

Download: Lightworks

5. WeVideo

Available on: Web

WeVideo is a bit different from the four pieces of software we've discussed then far. Instead of being a downloadable desktop app, WeVideo is one of the many free online video editors bachelor.

In that location are several paid tiers which introduce additional features. However, if you merely want to do some quick on-the-go editing earlier yous upload your GoPro creation to the web, you won't need all the extra bells and whistles.

The costless version of the app includes 1 GB of cloud storage and the ability to download your edited videos back onto your computer.

six. VideoPad

Available on: Windows, Mac

If y'all're one of the many people who lamented the demise of Windows Movie Maker, VideoPad is one of the solid alternatives to Windows Motion-picture show Maker. The interface will be familiar to anyone who spent time using Microsoft'southward program.

As our VideoPad tutorial shows, using VideoPad is like shooting fish in a barrel. Just load your GoPro video and whatever paradigm and audio files y'all want to include, then take advantage of VideoPad's seemingly countless option of transitional effects and filters to personalize your creation.

Fifty-fifty if you're a skilled editor, yous'll detect plenty of tools to play around with, including brightness, saturation, and color.

When y'all've finished editing, you lot tin can burn your video onto a DVD, save it on your difficult drive, or upload information technology directly to Facebook and YouTube.

Download: VideoPad

7. Hitfilm Express

hitfilm express GoPro Video Editing Software

Available on: Windows, Mac

We'll end with another selection for experienced editors: Hitfilm Express.

Like Lightworks, Hitfilm Express is a professional-course app. If you're non already familiar with video editing nuts, you might detect its interface to be too confusing.

The editor includes cutting tools, audio filters, video filters, layers, masking, compositing options, and 3D video support. It tin can fifty-fifty create green screen furnishings.

If you want to practice more, you can buy one of the programmer's many add together-ons to extend the app'southward functionality.

It's worth mentioning that Hitfilm Express has unusually loftier system requirements. The developers recommend 8 GB of RAM, at least two GB of video memory (if you desire to work in 4K UHD), and a graphics card that was released no earlier than 2012.

Download: Hitfilm Express

Get Even More Out of Your GoPro

GoPro'due south position every bit the market-leading activity cam is increasingly under threat from depression-cost, high-quality alternatives. However, information technology is still the best action camera out there, and it also boasts by far the largest community.

If you have an old GoPro gathering dust on your shelf, possibly it's time to dust it off and hitting the great outdoors. And if you lot don't have i yet, consider trying i of these cracking GoPro budget alternatives instead.

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Well-nigh The Author

Dan Toll (1604 Articles Published)

Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2014 and has been Partnerships Director since July 2020. Reach out to him for inquires almost sponsored content, affiliate agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership. Y'all can also observe him roaming the show floor at CES in Las Vegas every year, say hi if you're going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.

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