Apple iMovie (Opens in a new tab) It is one of the best free video editing software (Opens in a new tab) Tools available by default on macOS computers. Although it’s not exactly what you might call professional video editing software, iMovie is still a very useful tool with plenty of options for customizing your vlog or creating your first movie. It has interesting visual effects and powerful tools that make editing your first video an exciting experience.
Adobe Premiere Elements (Opens in a new tab) is a paid video editing tool from Adobe, the creators of Photoshop. It’s not as powerful or powerful as its professional counterpart, Adobe Premiere Pro, but it still includes a decent number of options for creating vlogs and short films.
It’s usually unfair to compare a free product to a paid one, but in this case, Apple iMovie offers really strong competition to Adobe Premiere Elements. But which of these is the best video editing software (Opens in a new tab) for you? This article will help you find out.
We’ve tested and compared the best video editing software so you can find the perfect post-production tool for the job.
Check out our guides to Adobe Premiere Pro vs. Apple Final Cut Pro (Opens in a new tab)And Adobe Premiere Pro vs. Lightworks (Opens in a new tab)And Adobe Premiere Pro vs. Adobe Premiere Elements.
Features
Apple iMovie is the built-in video editor that comes with macOS computers. It boasts some really powerful features, including support for 4K and HEVC video editing, which helps it stand out among other free video editing software. There are plenty of video effects to choose from too. Moreover, you can use your voice to narrate the video or add background music from iTunes.
Adobe Premiere Elements is a paid video editing application aimed at novice users. It has a wide variety of effects and transitions, as well as options to adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of your video. There are also useful tools like Reduce Noise and Haze Removal, and you can add background music and stylized text to your video.
When it comes to the user interface, iMovie isn’t as neatly organized or easy to use as Premiere Elements. The latter uses built-in tutorials and a quick mode to simplify the video editing process to an amazing degree. However, iMovie uses the standard professional video editing interface.
Neither iMovie nor Premiere Elements support 360-degree video editing. However, Premiere Elements features many visual effects (Opens in a new tab) and transitions from iMovie. It also features a very useful guided mode, which helps novice users get the hang of the video editing process, unlike its Apple counterpart. In short, it is safe to say that Adobe Premiere Elements is the most feature-rich application out there.
performance
Adobe Premiere Elements has a minimum operating system requirement of 64-bit with 4-8GB of RAM and a 2GHz+ processor. It can run on both Windows and macOS. Apple iMovie, on the other hand, is the built-in video editor that is bundled with all macOS devices and works just fine without any additional requirements on iPhone or Mac. It is not available for Windows users.
Both the apps work without any major lags on devices that meet the minimum system requirements. However, as with all video editing software, the better your computer, the faster the rendering will be.
So, whether you’re running the best laptops for video editing (Opens in a new tab) and computers for video editing (Opens in a new tab)or with a low-end PC, neither of which should have difficulty cropping and rendering the footage.
the support
Adobe Premiere Elements features a phone and chat-based support system, as well as a knowledge base and online forum where users can discuss various issues with the program.
Apple iMovie is only available on iOS and macOS devices. Thus, it comes with the same support that is offered along with all other Apple products. There is a ticket-based support system on the company’s website, as well as a knowledge base where you can search for frequently asked questions. Phone and chat support is reserved for hardware issues.
Overall, Premiere Elements offers a much better support network as compared to iMovie. Queries are resolved faster as two-way communication options such as phone and chat support with Adobe are also available.
Pricing and plans
Apple iMovie comes preinstalled on your macOS desktop or laptop computer. However, if you own a device that was purchased before 2014, you will need to pay $14.99 (about £14 / AU$24) to access the latest version of the software from Apple.
Adobe Premiere Elements costs $99.99 (around £87 / AU$160), while a combination of Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements costs $149.99 (around £134 / AU$239). This is a one-time fee and the app can be purchased directly through the company’s website. creative cloud (Opens in a new tab) Subscription is not required to access Adobe Premiere Elements
Rule
Apple iMovie and Adobe Premiere Elements are both feature-rich video editing applications aimed at novice users. While one is exclusive to macOS devices, the other can be downloaded on both Windows and macOS computers.
However, Adobe Premiere Elements is not only ahead in terms of compatibility. It offers a much larger selection of pre-made transitions and visual effects and comes with phone and chat support for all paid users.
On the other hand, iMovie supports HEVC, has lower system requirements, and is free on all compatible devices. The downside is that you will need to own an Apple device to use it. Its set of effects and transitions is relatively limited, as evidenced by the lack of a premium price tag.
Overall, as a paid app packed with premium features and better support, Adobe Premiere Elements is the definitive winner here. However, Apple users looking for a free alternative can still use iMovie for a good video editing job.
- Editing on the go? We have tested, reviewed and rated Best video editing apps (Opens in a new tab) for Android and iPhone devices.