HitFilm Express

Popular programs in Video software

What is HitFilm Express

Would-be film directors download Hitfilm Express when they need a free video editor that can compete with professional editing software packages. Ultimately, if you've spent all of your film project capital on a nice digital camera, a costly video editing suite is going to be out of reach. That's a problem. Enter Hitfilm Express, a feature-rich filmmaker's companion, which assembles all of your footage and audio, then adds any number of polished film effects, too.

Make no mistake, the software designers who designed this program don't view it as a last resort video editing toolset. Free programs are often cheaply made, and they lack truly professional features. That's not the case with Hitfilm Express. Just because it's free, the program doesn't cheat you out of practical video editing tools. On the contrary, the Windows video editing software comes jam-packed with all sorts of digital footage manipulating modules and VFX tools. They download onto a computer as a 397MB installer packet. To continue, even a computer newbie can deduce the next move. You just click the installation icon and follow the on-screen prompts. Take note, though, a 64-bit Windows 8 or Windows 10 operating system is required to properly install the software. There's also a macOS version, but let's stick with Windows users.

There's a professional version of Hitfilm available from their website, which obviously adds more editing tools, including a 3D film tracker, so how does Hitfilm Express fit into the software's proficiency level hierarchy? The designers obviously intend the Express edition to function as an entry-level video editing platform. It has all the tools, all the timeline layers and customizable video clip manipulating panels required to seamlessly cut and paste together edited movie storylines. Student filmmakers won't find themselves lacking a particular editing tool when using the software, nor will a demanding Youtuber feel shortchanged of a favorite FX. In fact, sometimes it can feel like there are too many panels crowding the computer interface. That's not a problem either, not when unused panels can be collapsed with the push of a mouse button. As for the available editing tools in those panels, well, there's plenty of those to explore.

It's true, there's a whole smorgasbord of footage manipulating settings available in the Hitfilm Express interface, so thank goodness for those collapsible panels. Matte and mask editing is present, as are a number of video animating and compositing panels, graphs, control panels, and shot enhancement settings. Upon assembling the various video and audio blocks of a project, a non-linear timeline editing workflow allows you to import an unlimited number of tracks. Composite those shots, add fun and artistic animations to them, or simply mix them together to create a stylized video clip on YouTube. Alternatively, for advanced film students, there are options to insert elegant transitions and masks. Then, using layering effects, animated particle systems can sweep in to add more FX to a shot. Animate the particles, use deflectors and simulated forces to make them collide, or import a 3D model and insert it into the particle system to create more FX color and flair. Students who learn all of these visual effects and panel settings can create truly extravagant clips, which might just end up in a portfolio that'll impress a demanding class professor.

To round off the array of video editing features, there's a workflow enhancing RAM preview window, where you can quickly check out the progress of your latest film project. The raw video is then exported as a popular film format or passed over to a post-processing filter for more 2D or 3D editing work. From here, add a moody fog to the video. Color correct or grade the footage, use the integrated vectorscope viewer to change the skin tones of an actor or to alter the background hue so that an entirely different atmosphere is conveyed in the final shot. Chroma key panels, green screen work, advanced tracking capabilities and much more, there doesn't seem to be any limit to how well Hitfilm Express can master and author your precious film projects. However, do remember that this is a free video editor. It's clearly a remarkable piece of software, but it doesn't have as many features as the professional edition. Take this program for a spin, keep it and never need to upgrade. Conversely, consider spending a few hundred dollars to unlock the professional version.

Pros

• It's a free non-linear video editor
• Loaded with a feature-rich array of video editing tools
• Uses collapsible panels to reduce confusion
• Simple enough for film students and YouTubers to master
• Includes compositing and green screen panels
• Possesses masking and tracking capabilities

Cons

• The Professional version has more features and isn't free