New Video Editor on the Block: A Look at Filmora's Pro

There are dozens of options in the video-editing software space. There's a new entrant, Wondershare’s FilmoraPro, which promises pro-grade tools and features without a pro-grade price.

Any non-linear editing software has to be judged among its competitors, which include strong offerings from Adobe, Sony, and Blackmagic. Each editor can be expected to perform the basics, including editing and arranging clips, basic audio editing, support for color correction, and a variety of export options. 

I’ve tested out video editor FilmoraPro, working with a variety of footage from sources, including DSLRs, action cameras, and an iPhone. Overall, I’m pretty impressed. The software doesn’t get in the way, and it was easy to pick up the interface. While the panels are highly customizable, I stuck with the editing default workspace, as it closely replicated what I’m used to. Other workspaces include audio, color grading, media playback, and effects editing, with each offering a new layout of panels.

Editing

Starting with the basics, the software offers the full suite of timeline tools expected by any pro. Unlimited tracks, clip grouping, and range-marking make it possible to effectively organize even very complex timelines. Timeline performance is snappy while working with high-resolution footage when tested on a i7-4770K and Nvidia GTX 970 card running Windows 10. The standard workflow of media, trimming, viewing, and arranging is easily accommodated by the available tools.

Audio editing is one of the strong suits, as the software offers a variety of professional style tools built directly into the editor. Syncing audio to clips is easy and intelligent, requiring only a few clicks. Compression and noise reduction work well and offer a variety of options for dialing in the correct level of adjustment.

Motion, Effects, and Color

The software also provides many options for custom animations and effects. Keyframing and ease in/out are both simple to implement. Also, dozens of customizable visual effects, such as lens flares, chroma keying, blurs, distortions, and preset color grades are included.

For editors new to color grading, there is support for look up tables, or LUTs, along with a number of built-in looks. This is a great hidden value, as it lets editors get started with color grading without any additional purchases necessary.

If you prefer a more manual style of color correction, YUV color correction wheels are available, along with individualized tweaks to highlight, mids, and shadows.

Workflow

There are a wide variety of tools built into FilmoraPro. For my uses, this software would perform every function I need and more. The tools are easy to understand, implemented in line with industry standards. The easy customizability of the software makes it easy to tweak anything that you want to change, while the default workspaces are easy to understand. If you’ve worked with Adobe Premiere, you’ll definitely feel comfortable with Filmora’s layouts.

Performance was exactly what I expected based on the hardware I was running it on. No slowdowns or issues were present, and I didn’t experience any crashes. Timeline playback felt a tiny bit slower than my experience with Da Vinci Resolve, but not significantly enough to cause problems.

Conclusion

The software works well, offers a wide variety of features, and includes a number of nice bonuses. It’s a small thing but just including some LUTs at launch is a nice touch, as it makes it easy to quickly see results.

A few small complaints include:

• The blue and purple workspace color scheme, which doesn’t fit with the pro branding
• Resetting the color wheels requires digging into a context menu, instead of double-clicking the wheel itself
• Editor timeline zoom scaling is very rough at the start of the slider

Pricing is very competitive and offers a much-appreciated one-off lifetime purchase. A lifetime license is $149.90, while a one-year license is $90 at current sales prices. This compares quite well with Premiere at $240 for the single app plan for a one-year license.

A free trial is available without any limitations other than a watermark on export.

If you want to start taking your video editing seriously, FilmoraPro is worth considering, thanks to its variety of features and attractive price point. If you’re coming from another editor, take a look at their website and consider the features. Given the ease of download, installation, and trial, I definitely recommend giving it a try against your existing editor.