What is Lightworks?
Lightworks is a non-linear video editing software from EditShare. This multimedia application is powerful and comes with professional tools that will help you create quality clips. It is fast and flexible. No matter what kind of project you are working on, this application has the features to help you achieve it. Moreover, you can download and use Lightworks for free.
The free version of Lightworks has similar functionality to the free trial of Filmora Video Editor or professional software like Vegas Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro.
For 30 years, Lightworks has empowered countless video editors and creators to achieve their dreams; from Oscar-winning Hollywood legends to YouTubers. Start editing and bringing your videos to life with Lightworks today!
What's in the new version of Lightworks?
With the latest version of Lightworks, professional editing features have been enhanced, ensuring that Lightworks is the ultimate tool for editing, finishing and delivering perfect projects for any situation. New features include:
Apple ProRes certification for all platforms
Lightworks is fully ProRes certified and enables creation of maximum quality Apple ProRes content on Windows, Mac and Linux! Enjoy improved real-time editing performance, stunning image quality and reduced memory footprint with options ranging from ProRes 422 Proxy to ProRes 4444 XQ.
Apple ProRes encoding will be available to Lightworks Pro users, supporting frame sizes up to 4K at full resolution.
Fast LUT support
Quickly and easily apply pre-made LUTs to clips that change the LOG linearity. If present in the file, Lightworks will read the metadata on import and display an extensive list of specific LUTs available for that camera manufacturer. Of course, you can still choose a LUT from another manufacturer if you prefer.
Lightworks includes support for: ARRI, Canon, GoPro, Panasonic, RED and Sony. You can also import custom LUTs if required.
Redesigned 10-bit pipeline
Lightworks' new and improved decoding process ensures that your 10-bit footage looks its best, while still ensuring maximum detail is captured by the 10-bit capable cameras available in Lightworks.
Lightworks Features
Edit videos simply
Editshare has worked hard to provide users with software that they can use for any type of project. Lightworks can be used for simple video editing such as cropping a video to a certain size, changing the video levels, or adding basic effects to a video.
Lightworks is perfect for YouTubers who want to combine multiple clips into a montage or put together an engaging vlog for their audience. A big part of editing is dealing with the timeline and working with the various tools on it. Luckily, Lightworks' timeline is well laid out and streamlined enough to get most of the app up and running right away.
If you need help, don't worry, Lightworks comes pre-installed with a variety of effects options. Once your video is on the timeline, you can use these presets to add it without having to learn how to create effects.
Having access to presets is helpful if you need a quick fix without any background knowledge. However, seasoned pros will be happy to know that Lightworks offers plenty of options for creating your own effects, including presets that you can save and use for future projects.
These include color correction, real-time effects, and other post-production options. In addition to the live video tools, you can use other features to add text as overlays, import images and overlay them on the video, or change the orientation and position of the video.
Finally, those looking to experiment with animation will be pleased to find that keyframes are readily available and easy to use – allowing you to change designs and effects throughout your video with full control.
Tell your story your way
- Supports all formats: Import any popular media file type you can use.
- Export to social networks simply: Deliver your videos to any social media platform.
- Consistent experience across Windows, Mac, or Linux: Same user interface, experience, and performance no matter which operating system you choose.
- Use any frame rate: Import any frame rate file and play it at its original resolution and shape.
Timeline saves time
- Boost performance with optimized proxy files from HD, 4K, and 8K media content.
- Background processing: Don't wait for rendering effects or exports to finish, keep working while the program handles the hard stuff in the background.
- Instant AutoSave: Never lose your work or project. Lightworks automatically saves every step so you don't have to think about it.
- Pre-edit directly inside bins by moving content around and immediately converting that content into a new string.
Creative control
- Powerful Timeline: From beginners to seasoned pros, Lightworks' timeline is designed to help you edit as quickly as possible.
- Titles & Motion Graphics: Lightworks provides users with hundreds of customizable pre-built graphics.
- Share projects with others: Instantly view Bin updates and sequence changes, including granting sequence permissions to other users.
- Connect via the cloud: Edit directly from your cloud storage! Just connect, browse, and drop clips into your timeline.
A tool built for editors
- Advanced Metadata: Create custom metadata for easy content management.
- Fixed or flexible layout: Decide how best to use the app to benefit your workflow.
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Save time with predefined keyboard templates or create your own.
- Hardware Support: Blackmagic Design, AJA and Matrox hardware support for HDMI and SDI.
Great video editor options
If you're looking for an alternative to video editing, Lightworks is worth considering. Many of the preset export options are designed for social media, meaning they can be easily shared on sites like YouTube or Vimeo. You may find that some files can be shared on social media if the clip isn't too long.
The app has a variety of advanced, real-time effects to help you perfect your videos. It can be intimidating for first-time users. However, once you get the hang of it, it can help you create amazing videos every time you use it.
Is Lightworks free any good?
Lightworks aims to help users complete any project they have in mind. Whether you just want to trim a video to size or combine multiple scenes before uploading it to YouTube and other video sharing sites, the app's well-designed timeline can get the job done right away. Lightworks also has presets, so you can export your work in the right format once you're done editing it.
If you want to edit your short film, the program has advanced post-production tools that you can use. It comes with audio and video as well as real-time effects and a variety of color correction features to help you get the perfect look. What's more, the complex rendering and encoding processes take place in the background, allowing you to continue working while your finished project is being saved.
There are dozens of preset effects you can use. If you want, you can also create your own presets manually. Lightworks is a video editing application used by the film industry. Its professional version has been used on box office hits such as Shutter Island, Pulp Fiction, and Mission Impossible.
Is Lightworks good for beginners?
Like professional video editors like Adobe Premiere Pro, Lightworks is quite complex. It's a Windows Movie Maker alternative, which means it has a complex toolset. As you might expect, it will take some time to master the app's powerful toolset.
The program comes with a very sophisticated interface. It has a lot of tools and indicators condensed into one package. Creating a project starts by importing a video file from your local storage. You can also record directly from your computer's camera.
Once you're done, you'll need to set the frame rate of your finished video. You can set it to 30fps or 60fps. Then you can start adding them to your timeline and creating your first cut. The tools available in Lightworks can be intimidating at first, but the app can be surprisingly intuitive once you spend some time experimenting.
Advantage
- Advanced tools
- Real-time effects
- Provides options to adjust the video
- Produce professional level video clips
Disadvantages
- Can be intimidating for first time users
- Need to spend a lot of time to learn