Video Editing Software

Professional video editing tools for wedding filmmakers. From NLEs to color grading, motion graphics, and audio post-production.

Non-Linear Editors (NLEs)

Free / $295 Studio

DaVinci Resolve

Hollywood-grade editing, color grading, VFX, and audio in one application. The free version is incredibly powerful - used by professional colorists worldwide.

Color Grading

Industry-leading tools

Fusion VFX

Built-in motion graphics

Fairlight Audio

Professional audio suite

Free Version

Most features included

Pros

  • Free version is extremely capable
  • Best color grading tools available
  • One-time purchase for Studio (no subscription)
  • Optimized GPU performance
  • Handles 4K/8K footage smoothly

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve
  • Database-based project management
  • Some codec limitations in free version
  • High-end hardware recommended
DaVinci Resolve ↗
$23/mo or $60/mo Creative Cloud

Adobe Premiere Pro

Industry-standard NLE with excellent integration into the Adobe ecosystem. Widely used in commercial production and wedding filmmaking.

Adobe Integration

After Effects, Audition, etc.

Lumetri Color

Solid color tools

Multi-cam

Easy multi-camera editing

Proxy Workflow

Smooth 4K editing

Pros

  • Industry standard, huge resource library
  • Excellent Adobe app integration
  • Beginner-friendly interface
  • Great multi-camera editing

Cons

  • Subscription only
  • Can be resource-intensive
  • Color tools not as advanced as Resolve
  • Occasional stability issues
Premiere Pro ↗
$300 one-time (Mac only)

Final Cut Pro

Apple's professional video editor. Optimized for Mac hardware with excellent performance and magnetic timeline.

Magnetic Timeline

Unique editing approach

Mac Optimized

M1/M2 performance

Motion Integration

Apple motion graphics

One-Time Purchase

No subscription

Pros

  • Excellent performance on Mac
  • One-time purchase
  • Fast rendering with Apple Silicon
  • Great organization tools

Cons

  • Mac only
  • Unique workflow may not transfer
  • Smaller third-party ecosystem
  • Learning curve if coming from other NLEs
Final Cut Pro ↗

Motion Graphics & VFX

$23/mo or with Creative Cloud

Adobe After Effects

Industry-standard for motion graphics, visual effects, and animated titles. Essential for creating wedding film intros, titles, and transitions.

After Effects ↗
$50 one-time (Mac only)

Apple Motion

Apple's motion graphics tool. Create titles, transitions, and effects for Final Cut Pro.

Apple Motion ↗

Audio Post-Production

$23/mo or with Creative Cloud

Adobe Audition

Professional audio workstation for cleaning up ceremony audio, mixing, and sound design.

Adobe Audition ↗
Included in DaVinci Resolve

Fairlight (DaVinci Resolve)

Professional audio suite built into DaVinci Resolve. Full DAW capabilities for wedding film audio post.

Royalty-Free Music

Licensing Matters: Always use properly licensed music for client deliverables. Wedding films are commercial use and require appropriate licenses. These services provide royalty-free music with commercial licenses.

Musicbed

Premium music licensing for filmmakers. Popular with wedding videographers for high-quality, cinematic tracks.

Musicbed ↗

Artlist

Subscription-based music and SFX library. Unlimited downloads with simple licensing.

Artlist ↗

Epidemic Sound

Large library with subscription model. Good variety of styles for wedding films.

Epidemic Sound ↗

PremiumBeat

High-quality tracks with per-track licensing. Part of Shutterstock.

PremiumBeat ↗

Wedding Film-Specific Tools

mWedding for DaVinci Resolve

Professional grading presets, typography, transitions, and overlay effects specifically designed for wedding videos. Creates a unified, romantic tone.

mWedding ↗

Wedding Film Framework

Educational course and framework for editing wedding films in DaVinci Resolve.

Wedding Film Framework ↗
Recommended Wedding Film Workflow
  1. Organize: Import and organize footage by event segment
  2. Sync Audio: Sync external audio to camera footage
  3. Select: Review and select best moments
  4. Music: Choose and license music that fits the couple's story
  5. Edit: Build timeline in your NLE (DaVinci, Premiere, or FCP)
  6. Color Grade: Apply consistent look (DaVinci excels here)
  7. Audio Mix: Balance music, speech, and ambient audio
  8. Titles: Add titles, credits, and graphics
  9. Export: Render for client delivery and online