(Thanks to reader Diana for the tip!)Īimed at first-time filmmakers (but suitable for more experienced users as well), HitFilm 2 Express offers robust video editing tools: multiple video and audio tracks, drag-and-drop transitions, animated titles, sound mixing, and so on.īut where this editor leaves your CyberLink PowerDirectors and Pinnacle Studios in the dust is with its sweet, sweet array of special effects, which range from computer-generated gunfire and blood spatter to green-screen compositing and 'procedural' lightning. 4, FXHome is offering HitFilm 2 Express (Win/Mac) absolutely free. That's why I'm especially excited about today's deal: Until Feb. ('Star Wars' movies, preferably.) I'd love to make them in this life, too, if only I had a little more time - and the right tools.Īctually, amateur moviemaking is easier than ever thanks to dirt-cheap HD cameras (like the one in your smartphone), but you still need software to edit everything together and, more important, add explosions, lens flare, bloody spray, and other Hollywood-style effects that all great movies must have.Ī good consumer-level video editor will cost you around $100, but most of the current offerings come up short in the effects department.
