OpenShot Video Editor

OpenShot Video Editor is an application that enables you to create and edit HD videos that can be layered, mixed and arranged in creative and ingenious ways.

The program comes wrapped in a sleek and stylish UI designed with tones of black and grey. The main window consists of three panels, namely the area where you can preview the files, transitions or effects, the timeline and the player where you can preview your projects.

While the app includes a simple toolbar, the vast majority of the editing features can be found via the context menu. It is worth mentioning that you can seamlessly add more files, markers, zoom in or out as well as enable snapping from the bar just above the timeline.

Even though it may sound like a cluttered interface, the functions are neatly arranged and intuitive enough, so the chances of having troubles navigating through the UI are close to zero.

The trump card of the application consists of its animation tools using keyframes. You should know that the utility offers you the possibility to use a preset animation for your clip, a feature that can come in handy for first-time users until they learn the ins and outs.

If you have more experience with video editing, then there is a good chance that you might want to create the keyframes manually. Since it was developed as a non-linear application, it means that you can access any frame and edit it further until you get the desired animation effect at any given time.

As you would expect from a program in this category, you can manipulate a variety of video properties, including, but not limited to volume, size, position, speed, length, aspect ratio, effect and transition. You will be happy to learn that the application includes a wide variety of HD formats, such as Apple TV, Blu-Ray, YouTube-HD and Vimeo-HD to name a few.

Once you are done editing, you can export the video to standard file formats, like AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4, OGG, MPEG and FLV. On a side note, if you want to save the current progress, then you can save the file in an OST format.

Bolstering an impressive editing capability for video as well as images, OpenShot Video Editor might be the tool you need to create and tweak your clips and slideshows to professional quality.