Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post. I have been given access to Movavi Video Editor Plus 2022 to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine. See more information here.
I used to do ‘unboxing’ videos for YouTube when my kids were younger which I filmed on my phone and edited using Windows Movie Maker. Although it didn’t have all the bells and whistles that allow you to make the polished Hollywood-quality videos we’re now used to seeing everywhere, it was idiot proof and I liked it.
However even 5/6 years ago it had already stopped being supported, and finding a replacement which was just as user friendly and reasonably priced – I never made money from videos so paying hundreds for a program to use for fun just wasn’t on the cards – seemed impossible. It was like using MS Paint and then trying to get my head around Adobe Photoshop. I soon gave up and stopped making videos altogether.
Making videos for YouTube with Movavi
Recently my children have shown a lot of interest in creating their own videos for YouTube – at 7 and 8 years old, a lot of their friends even have their own channels which seems baffling to me, pushing 40, but it seems pretty normal now! They use their phones to create ‘shorts’ and their skill level is vastly beyond my own. I guess that’s kids for you.
I said we would give the ‘unboxing’ videos another go (for their benefit primarily – I wouldn’t imagine anyone else would want to watch them!) with help from Movavi Video Editor Plus (2022 version).
Movavi Video Editor Plus 2022: A review by a useless video editor
Movavi Video Editor Plus 2022 is “A comprehensive, streamlined video editing program that has everything you need to create amazing home movies with custom soundtracks, special effects, cool titles, and transitions”
The download is free so that you can test it out, then the price for one year is £39.95, however for a personal lifetime subscription, it costs £60.95. It costs more for business use.
Basic video editing is really easy and intuitive
It’s actually quite similar – just a lot slicker – to Movie Maker, so I got the hang over it straight away. The labels are clear and the interface is nice and clean so newbies to video editing will love it.
Drag and drop the videos you want to use into place on the timeline along the bottom (which has different tracks for elements, video and sound) and use the mouse or the space bar to play and pause the video, then chop and delete bits that you don’t need. You can change the aspect ratio of the video to make videos suitable for YouTube, Instagram etc.
Add in transitions by selecting from the menu, and dragging them and dropping over the video. Right click to delete or edit portions of video/audio. That’s the basics.
Video editing and features
The audio can be edited separately to the video. It is possible to add voiceovers and delete or mute portions of the video audio very easily. There is audio editing to correct and remove noise. There is a selection of free music to add to your video and you can play around with the volume points by dragging and dropping them, so that it can fade in and fade out over any existing audio. It’s really easy.
If you find it fiddly because you’re on a smaller screen, you can use the Ctrl key and mouse to zoom in, and you can cut and copy things using the usual familiar keyboard shortcuts rather than navigating complex menus.
There are plenty of filters, overlays, stickers, titles and other ways to make your video stand out. Again, drag and drop to the portion of the video that you want to add the effect to; you can move it about and re-size it with a few clicks.
You can add voice effects like a robot voice or an old-radio style voice, or change the pitch of the audio. Zooming in and out on your video is easy using the video editing tools.
If you want to insert a picture or video on the screen (for example, a to show a close up of an object, or video from another angle) then this can be done by dragging and dropping the media to the top video timeline and chanfing the settings in ‘Postion’ in the video editing tab, as below.
You can then change the position and size by dragging it on the screen, and of course change the amount of time it is on screen for on the timeline. Again, super easy to work out!
There is an autosave function however if it closes unexpectedly, you will lose at least some the work you’ve done – so make sure that you save (Ctrl+S) at every opportunity.
Can you put on subtitles using Movavi Video Editor Plus 2022?
You can of course add text to your video, but there are no automatic subtitles on Movavi Video Editor Plus 2022. You can add subtitles to your finished video by running it through a programme such as Fastreel or Clideo, or using YouTube automatic captioning.
In-app purchases
There is an ‘effects’ library where you can purchase packages of special effects including overlays and frames. You can see these here however you can’t try them unless you buy them – they cost around £26 per pack or you can have access to all of them for around £80 per year. It was tempting to buy some to try out, but as I said previously, I don’t make money from videos so it isn’t worth it for me. If you’re a YouTuber or serious about video content, they could be a good buy.
Would I recommend Movavi Video Editor Plus 2022?
Yes! In a quick Movavi Video Editor Plus 2022 review, I’d say that is really easy to get to grips with and making and editing decent videos for YouTube or Instagram reels is really simple. If you don’t know something and can’t figure it out from scrolling through the menus, then you can turn to YouTube where there are hundreds of tutorials showing you exactly what you need to do, step by step.
For more information go to https://www.movavi.com/.