Video editors can be a resource hogger no matter how powerful your PC is. You need at least 16 Gigs of RAM and an 8 core CPU (and a decent GPU with a decent rendering power) to edit 4K videos with a professional video editor. Yes.. Yes.. it doesn't require a top-tier RTX 4090 PC (unless you're a serious 8K VFX artist). But it's a lot for an everyday or a budget user. Especially for those who can't afford any upgrades for their TinyOS PCs. But no worries!
Now I'll talk about 5 awesome video editors that don't need a high-end PC to edit some good videos.
Some of them only need as much as 2 Gigs of RAM. So here is the list:
5 free and paid video editors for low-end PCs:
1) VSDC - The best of the best freemium video editor for old PCs.
2) Movavi - Best easy-to-use editor for free and paid.
3) KDEnlive - Best open source video editors for low end configurations.
4) Filmora - Best video editor for music, vlog (free and paid).
5) Shortcut - Awesome video editor with some advanced video editing options.
5) Shortcut
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| S.I: Shortcut Video editor |
OS: Windiows, Mac and Linux.
Usability in a older HW: 6/10
Let's start with number 5. Okay? Shortcut is an advanced open-source video editor for the pro video editors. The good thing is, it's advanced video editing tools can really make some immersive 4K videos for you. Custom texts, decent color filters and bars, awesome audio filters. In short, there are a tons of them. They are categorized so you can find them easily. You can also add your favorite ones to find them faster. And they added a vector text and shape animator named Galaxnimate for some next level text and shape animating.
But the problem is, it's NOT well suited for a beginner. It's got a completely different editing interface with different editing style tabs for different editing purposes. Which is nice (IF) once you get used to that interface. But until then, it will feel really confusing. So, professional VEs can benefit from it. But beginners especially with a lower-end configuration can struggle to shift from one to another editing interface.
I recommend this system to run it well (not the official system requirements)
RAM: 4 Gigs or above.
CPU: Older Intel Core i3 or an equivalent CPU from AMD.
GPU: Older Intel iGPU like the Intel HD 3000 for 1080p export.
4) Filmora (X) Video Editor:
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| S.I. Filmora X |
OS: Windows, Mac and Android
Usability in older HW: 8/10
Note: I'm talking about the PC version which is different from the Android one. And You have to scroll down for older Filmora X versions.
This video editor is one of my favorite easy-to-use video editors. Filmore is a great choice for a begging. And when I say beginner, I mean it! Everything is really easy to use and there are a lots of effects and filters to look your video as good as possible. They also have a assets library. You can get stickers, transitions, effects and ryoality free musics. And it doesn't eat much of your system resources. So, a low-end PC shouldn't have any problem to run this video editor.
But there are several drawbacks though. One of the major one is in the free version. Yes it's good, but there will be a big wet-mark on your video to frustrate you. There are serveral other limitations in the free version you should be aware about. So the paid one will be the best one. Also, it's easy to use but lacks some advanced or professional tools. But for a beginner or a newbie vlogger, it's a great video editor to start with. Even your computer is not a high-end rig.
I recommend this system to run it well (not the official system requirements)
RAM: 4 Gigs or above
CPU : Core 2 Duo E8400 or any AMD equivalent (for 720p, can go for up to 4K! But be aware about the export times. At least it won't crash...)
GPU: Any iGPU (starting from GMA X4500 to any UHD iGPU) or any Nvdia 6/7/10/16 entry-level GPU.
3) KDEnlive
S.I. KDENlive
Yes, it will be unstable in older Windows PCs. But works great. And it's one of the best advanced open-source video editor out there. What really stands out the most is the management system. Well, Shortcut got a different interface. So, being confused by the interface of that video editor isn't unusual. But, KDEnlive has got a familiar interface and not so different from the other professional or easy-to-use video editors. Well, I'm not saying that it's a easy-to-use video editor. You definitely need some editing experience to use it's power. And there are tons of professional-grade audio and video filters and effects to play with. Noise, transitions, audio filters, video effects, custom text etc. And all of these tools are for free! Also, you can install some community plugins to extend it's functionality. So, if you are a professional video editor and need something very powerful, this video editor is for you.
Well, there are some considerable drawbacks. Firstly, the version of your Windows. If it's lower then Windows 10. It's expected to get some stability issues. So, you better go for a newer OS like Windows 10 in order to avoid stability issues in your Windows machine. I also experienced some stability issues in Windows 8.1. The fastest Windows for a low-end rig. No, low-ish end hardware wont be a problem. Just accept the slow export times. And you can get some annoying bugs and glitches even you got a good editing rig. But, the newer versions are addressing those issues really quickly. The latest release fixes some major bugs. So, I recommend this video editor for armature and pro editors.
I recommend this system to run it well (not the official system requirements)
RAM: 4 Gigs
CPU: An old 2nd gen i3 (AMD equivalent) can handle this well. But you need a Core 2 Duo for just running this editor on your machine.
GPU: Works well on an old DX10 iGPU (like the Intel GMA X4500). But a newer Intel iGPU will be better.
2) Movavi Video Editor
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| S.I. Movavi video editor |
Usability on older HW: 7/10
OS: Windows and Mac
If you're in vlogging, but don't have a high-end rig, Movavi is an awesome choice for you! When I first tried this video editor I was blown of by it's simplicity! Everything is simple enough for a beginner. But it got some real powerful editing tools under it's hood. Noise cancellation, transitions, audio filters, video effects, stickers etc are the attractive features of this video editor. Yep, the features sounds like a popular video editors standard features. And what is the point of giving this video editor an upper rank where I can easily use Filmora. Well, this video editor has a satisfying UI. Also you can easily find and apply some powerful noise filter. Even I used it in one of my shorts in TNG Perks YT channel. And it's effective. And the export times are similar to Filmora. It's really reliable even on a low-end system. I really liked this video editor and you should try it too.
Though it has a free version, it might not be convenient for you because of that big wet-mark eating half of your screen and some other limitations. So, use the paid version if you can.
I recommend this system to run it well (not the official system requirements)
RAM: 4 Gigs.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 or equivalent AMD CPU.
GPU: Intel GMA X4500 iGPU or above.
1) VSDC Video editor:
Usability in older HW: 10/10
OS: Windows only
Those who are familiar with the video editing world would expect this video editor as the golden standard for some low-end video editing. It's easy to use, but doesn't lack the advanced video editing tools. Which is not common in the video editing world. You either have to sacrifice the humble learning curve or the advanced tools (at least most of the time). But VSDC has got both! 4K editing is possible here and I would say it's not just a video editor, it's a full package for the content creators. Just like having a full blown IDE for software development, this video editor got everything for a content creator. Audio recorder, screen recorder, stabilizer (in the pro edition), DVD burner, chart builder (2D/3D) and even a presentation maker. And the recent VSDC 8.1 update brings some amazing illustrating and editing features. So, you don't need a separate image or logo editor for your illustration arts. You can create (or recreate) your logo and even put animation on it inside the video editor by using the free hand drawing feature.
And almost all of these are available in the free version (and no wet-mark!). In the Pro (paid) version, you'll get some more advanced features like video stabilizer, hardware acceleration etc.
And the system requirements are pretty low. But here is my recommendation to run it properly:
The actual system requirements are lot lower (except the GPU, don't worry it's not that demanding).
RAM: 2 Gigs
CPU: Intel Pentium (a Pentium from 2007, even slower than the Core 2 Duo E8400!) E2200 or equivalent AMD CPU.
GPU: Any potato! Just make sure that it supports DirectX 9.0c (yes, 9!)
Conclusion:
Well, if you treat your treat your old Intel Pentium PC as an outdated one (it is if you want to do something more demanding than browsing or playing old school retro games!), think again coz the video editors I mentioned above are just waiting for you! And if you have an old discrete GPU like a GT 610, that VRAM can be utilized this time properly. So, let me know in the comments that how do you feel about these video editors, also comment down if I missed your favorite lightweight video editor. That's all for now. Bye