VideoPad Video Editor

VideoPad Video Editor is a comprehensive video editing application developed by NCH Software, designed to help users create professional-quality videos quickly and easily. It is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

Key Features of VideoPad Video Editor

VideoPad offers a wide array of features for video editing, audio manipulation, and export:

• Intuitive Interface & Workflow: VideoPad is noted for its user-friendly and intuitive design, making it accessible for beginners while still providing powerful tools. The interface organizes media into bins (video, audio, image files) and features a preview panel for both individual clips and the full sequence. It supports both a timeline mode (showing clip duration) and a storyboard mode (large thumbnails for flow visualization).
• Video Editing Tools:
  • Fast Editing: It boasts one of the fastest video stream processors on the market.
  • Basic to Advanced Editing: Users can easily split, crop, trim, and mix videos. It also includes features for slowing down, speeding up, or reversing clip playback.
  • 3D and 360 Video Editing: VideoPad allows editing and exporting of 3D and 360 video files, including adding text, overlays, and effects to 360-degree videos. It also supports 2D to 3D stereoscopic conversion.
  • Visual Effects & Transitions: Over 50 visual effects and transitions are available to add a professional touch to videos. Users can customize transition durations and apply effects in a couple of clicks. Examples include cross fade, fade to black/white, dissolve, and zoom.
  • Color Correction & Optimization: Fine-tune color and other visual effects, including easy color grading and correction processing. It can also reduce camera shake with video stabilization.
  • Text & Overlays: Add text, overlays, captions, movie credits, and custom logos/watermarks to videos. It also features title text animations from templates.
  • Chroma Key: Supports green screen video production.
  • Picture-in-Picture (PiP): Seamlessly adds interest with PiP effect.
  • Animation: Quickly add animation from effect presets and customize animations using the effect animation editor.
  • AI-like Features: VideoPad includes “AI video tools” and can generate “AI-generated branded snippets” from video content. It has automatic subtitling tools to convert video speech to text and a Text To Video Generator. It helps simplify post-production by handling aspect ratios, languages, and use cases within minutes.
• Audio Tools:
  • Comprehensive Audio Editing: Add background music, voice-over tracks, sound effects, and other audio to video. Users can import and mix music tracks and record narrations.
  • Audio Effects: Includes effects such as choral, echo, and distortion.
  • Normalization: Automatically normalize audio tracks.
  • Sound Effect Library: Access sound effects and music from a free library.
• Supported Formats:
  • Input: Supports a wide range of video (e.g., AVI, MPEG, WMV, MP4, MOV, H.264), image (e.g., BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, TIF), and audio (e.g., MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, WMA, AAC, FLAC) formats. It can edit video from DV camcorders, VHS, GoPro, and webcams.
  • Output: Export to various video file formats (e.g., AVI, WMV, MPG, MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF), and directly upload to platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Dropbox, or Google Drive. It also supports burning to DVD and Blu-ray discs.
  • Resolutions: Export movies in multiple resolutions, including full HD, 2K, and 4K (720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2160p).
• Integrations: Integrates with social media platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr) and cloud storage services (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive) for easy sharing and access.
• Technical Support: Offers support via FAQs, user guides, email, phone, fax, and online forums. It also offers Platinum and Silver support plans for purchase.

Pricing and Editions

VideoPad is developed by NCH Software and offers various purchase options. There are some price variations across the sources.

• Free Version: A free version is available for non-commercial use only. This version allows users to edit and export videos without a watermark, which is a significant advantage compared to some other free software. However, it is feature-limited, allowing at most two audio tracks and no external plugins in the Master’s Edition, and may limit export file type options after a trial period expires.
• Paid Editions:
  • Master’s Edition: This version offers all features, unlimited audio tracks, and plugin support.
    • Price: $99.00 (discounted from $139 for July 2025 online purchase). Other sources list it at $69.95.
  • Home Edition: Fully featured, but limited to two audio tracks and no external plugins.
    • Price: $59.95 (discounted from $80 for July 2025 online purchase). Other sources list it at $39.95.
  • Master’s Edition Quarterly Plan: Billed quarterly at $23.16, providing unlimited ongoing use of all professional version features and upgrades. This is equivalent to approximately $7.72/month. Another source mentions a quarterly plan at $5.50 per month.

Purchases are typically banked in Australian dollars, so minor price differences due to currency exchange rates may occur. Volume discounts are available for purchasing 5 or more licenses.

How to Use VideoPad (Basic Workflow)

Creating and managing a video project in VideoPad is designed to be straightforward:

1. Start a Project: You can start a new project, open an existing one, create a video from a template wizard, or record a video directly.
2. Add Media: Load your video clips, images, and sound files into the designated file bins (Video Files, Audio Files, Images bins). You can drag and drop clips for easy editing.
3. Arrange and Edit: Drag media from the bins onto the sequence timeline at the bottom of the window. Base clips go on Track 1, while overlays (like text or image overlays) go on Track 2. You can have unlimited video and audio tracks.
4. Trim and Split: Use the clip preview timeline to trim clips by setting start and end points or by dragging widgets. Split clips at specific cursor positions.
5. Apply Effects & Transitions: Access over 50 visual effects and transitions. You can preview effects, combine them, and adjust their duration.
6. Add Audio: Import and mix music tracks, record narrations, and add sound effects from the library.
7. Optimize: Fine-tune color, adjust speed, stabilize shaky footage, and add animations. Add subtitles, either manually or using auto-generation.
8. Save Project: Click “Save Project” on the toolbar. The first time, it opens a “Save Project As” dialog to name your project and choose a folder, saving it as a .vpj file. Subsequent saves go to the same file. To save to a different location, use Ctrl+Shift+S. A project file is not a video but links to media files and edits, allowing you to resume editing.
9. Export Video: To create a shareable video file, click “Export Video”.
   • You can select the “Export Wizard” for a guided process.
   • Choose to export to video files (with presets for portable devices), burn to Blu-ray or DVD, export as an image sequence, or export to social media platforms.
   • For YouTube, select “Upload” then “YouTube,” complete the “Upload Settings” dialog (title, description), and click “Create”. You can use default or custom format/frame rate settings. An authorization step might appear for YouTube uploads. The “Export Queue” dialog tracks the progress.
   • The software supports resolutions up to 4K.

VideoPad’s Reception and Suitability

VideoPad has generally received favorable reviews, particularly for its ease of use and suitability for beginners. It is often recommended as an ideal replacement for the discontinued Windows Movie Maker.

• Pros:
  • User-friendly interface that is simple to use for both beginners and professionals.
  • Affordable pricing options.
  • Versatile format support for a wide range of video, audio, and image files.
  • Advanced features including 3D video editing, voice-over tools, and social media integration.
  • Quick processing and efficient video rendering.
  • No watermark on exports from the free version.
• Cons:
  • Limited advanced effects: Some users might find the effects library not as extensive as professional-grade software.
  • Occasional bugs: Minor glitches can occur.
  • Performance issues: The software can run slowly with videos over 8 minutes, potentially requiring closing other applications.
  • Inconsistent functions: Certain actions like blurring or screen size changes might require specific sequences of clicks and waiting times.
  • Speed changes/audio fades: These might be undone if the software crashes or restarts.
  • Professional Usage: While good for beginners and YouTube videos, professional editors often prefer software like Avid, Premiere, Resolve, or FCP and may not be familiar with VideoPad.

VideoPad is considered an excellent choice for beginners, social media marketers, videographers, small businesses, and individual content creators who need to produce high-quality videos quickly and efficiently without extensive technical knowledge.

AI Video Editing Alternatives

While VideoPad incorporates some AI-like features such as text-to-video and automatic subtitling, the broader market for AI video tools is rapidly expanding with diverse functionalities. These tools can be categorized into:

1. Video Editors with AI Editing Tools: These integrate AI to speed up the editing process.
   • Descript: Praised for its ability to edit video by editing the script (transcription of everything said is generated, and highlighting parts of the transcript edits the video). It offers tools for refining audio to studio quality, auto multicam, and generating highlights/clips for social media. It has a free plan with 1 hour of transcription and a watermark, with paid plans starting at $24/user/month for more hours and no watermark. Users consider its voice cloning feature to be excellent.
   • Wondershare Filmora: A traditional video editing tool with a package of AI features for polishing video quality. These include AI smart cutout, AI audio denoise/stretch, AI motion tracking, AI remove background, and AI silence detection. It also has an audio-to-video feature for turning podcast talks into social media videos. Offers a free plan with a video watermark, and paid plans from $49.99/year or a one-time purchase of $79.99.
   • Capsule: Focuses on simplifying video production workflows with AI, especially for businesses. It generates transcripts and allows editing by backspacing words. It offers pre-made “Capsule designs” for dynamic visual elements like speaker identification, captions, and calls to action. Includes “CoProducer” for autocutting gaps, suggesting soundtracks, and enhancing audio quality. Free plan available for standard visual components and basic editing.
   • invideo AI: A prompt-to-finished-video tool for social media videos. It turns prompts into video scripts, searches stock media or generates AI video, and assembles clips with AI voiceover, text overlays, music, and transitions. It allows editing with text prompts (e.g., “add subtitles”). Offers a free plan for 10 minutes of generated video per week and 4 watermarked exports.
   • Peech: Best for content marketing teams, focusing on repurposing content with AI. It automates branding with logos and color schemes, detects faces, adds customizable subtitles, and removes awkward silences/filler words. Provides shortcuts for adding backgrounds, intros/outros, and music. Offers a free plan for 1 user and 3 watermarked videos/month, with paid plans starting at $250/month.
   • LTX Studio: Targets short and narrative film, providing extreme creative control through detailed production processes. It allows users to upload scripts or workshop ideas, provide context to the AI model (genre, visual style, character essence), and then breaks down scenes shot by shot, with prompts and instructions for each. Offers a free plan for personal use up to 800 computing seconds, with commercial plans starting at $35/month.
   • Canva‘s video editor: Offers a browser-based media editing experience, including generative AI powered by Runway.
   • Kapwing: Offers features like editing video by editing the script (similar to Descript) and a video generator that uses stock footage based on your script, making it a flexible alternative to Filmora.
   • HitPaw Edimakor: Features multiple AI functionalities such as auto subtitling, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and audio editing.
   • DaVinci Resolve: A powerful, free video editor that some consider the best go-to option, with some AI-titled features.
2. Generative Apps: These take prompts and generate video output on the spot using AI (text, audio, image, or video).
   • Sora: Developed by OpenAI, it’s known for generating amazing videos from simple text prompts, capable of imagining incredible scenes. It also has a unique “Storyboard” feature for creating sequential scenes with visual consistency. It can remix other creations or animate images from user content. Price is part of ChatGPT Plus subscription ($20/month).
   • Runway: Offers generative AI video with advanced tools and a high-fidelity video generation model (Gen-3 Alpha). Features include “Act One” to paste human performance into AI-generated characters, and other AI-powered tools to remove backgrounds, create super-slow motion, and generate subtitles. Offers a free plan with 125 one-time credits, and paid plans from $15/month.
   • Synthesia: Best for using digital avatars. It allows users to choose from a library of realistic digital avatars and voices, then input a script to make the avatar move its lips and body convincingly. Supports multi-language translation and integration with Zapier. Free plan available with 9 avatars and 3 minutes per month.
   • Vyond: Specializes in creating animated characters from a prompt using “Vyond Go”. It generates scripts, objects, movements, and voiceovers for a first draft. Also offers general video-editing tools and an AI avatar generator. Paid plans start at $99/month.
   • revid.ai: Offers AI-powered templates and a variety of tools, originally a viral TikTok generator. It can repurpose long videos into short snippets, convert audio/music/text into video, create cinematic styles, and includes AI talking avatars. Provides a free suite of AI video tools.
   • Other generative tools: Pika, Luma Dream Machine, PixVerse, Hailuo, and Genmo are other options, many offering free trials.

Like a Swiss Army knife, VideoPad Video Editor offers a versatile set of tools for various tasks, making it a great all-in-one solution for many users, especially those starting out or focused on YouTube content. However, if your video editing needs are highly specialized, like creating mind-bending visuals, producing content with digital avatars, or generating entire videos from text, you might find more focused, dedicated AI tools to be like specialized power tools that excel in those specific areas.