You can build a very rewarding career as a freelance video editor working from home. The challenge most professional video editors have is how to get started.

In order to be taken seriously as a video editor, one needs many things. The first one, is a license to a paid professional video editing software. This is besides a computer with high specs to use in editing videos.

Watch video: How to kickstart Freelance Video Editing Career Online
computer screen in close up photography
Photo by Alex Fu on Pexels.com

Having a access to premium quality royalty free videos, photos, music and sound effects is an added advantage when looking for work.

With all these requirements at hand, you will be well equipped to go out and look for video editing work.

But what if you don’t have the money to purchase licenses to all the recommended software’s and you are very good at video editing? Will you opt for the cracked version of the software’s you need?

It’s obvious most people will opt to go for the later because its easy and you make all the money without paying for the software license. Sadly, it has more downsides than one would imagine when it comes to private data. I don’t recommend downloading cracked software even if your friend is using and recommends it.

In 2022, it is possible kickstart your career as video editor serving online clients using free legit resources.

In this blogpost, I will share with a sure path to success as a beginner professional video editor.

Getting The Tools You Need

By the time you are reading this, I assume you have a computer with the right specs and video editing/creation skills. With this said, here are some softwire’s you can download and use for free and pay for it later when you have work that pays.

Camtasia Studio

Camtasia studio is an easy to use software that I use all the time for my vlogs. As a beginner, you get 30 days trial when you sign up to download it. Within this period, you will be in a position to do many things with the software among them screencast video recording and editing.

You can even produce paid work using the software!

This way, when you get paid for the video editing job, you can upgrade to a paid version of the software.

DaVinci Resolve 17

DaVinci resolve 17 a free video editing software recommended for creators who are into filmmaking. You can do many things using the software on a professional level for FREE.

It’s important to note that the computer specs needed in order to use this software is a bit higher. Be prepared to purchase Blackmagic products as you progress.

Final Cut Pro

Final cut pro is another great video editing tool if you are a Mac user. When you download the software, you get a 90 day free trial.

This the longest window period that no other video editing software company has attempted to offer. Their competitor Adobe premiere pro gives users only 7 days to try.

I believe they did this considering the video production industry terrain. There is no guarantee for work when beginning or at all time. Its a good offer for a starter who is hard working as they can learn to use the software and do a lot with it during this period.

Avid Media Composer

This is another professional software that one can consider when starting up. It was widely used between 2000-2010 before final cut Pro came in for Mac. The company offers four different versions of the software.

As a beginner, you can start with the free version –Media composer first– then progress to the professional version of it once you start making money from video editing.

These are few of the many professional video editing software’s that I have tried and used for free in the past. I know you are wondering; what about Adobe Premiere and Adobe After effects? I don’t think they are good for starter who have no money to spend on software. 7 Days is not enough to explore a software and get comfortable with.

Secondly, I understand that many people have access and use patched/cracked version of all Adobe Software’s and uses it to do their work, it am totally against piracy. I say from a businessman perspective.

If you want to organically grow your freelancing profession editing videos, I recommend purchasing software license or use the ones I have recommended above when starting up until you make money.

Getting Free Video And Photo Assets Online

person taking photo of food in tray
Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Pexels.com

There are many websites outside there that offer free videos and photos. I have written a review on websites that offer free videos and photos here.

These include Pexels, Videvo, Pixabay, Vidsplay and Pikwizard. Utilize these sites when starting up to get free videos and photos to use in creating stunning videos for your clients. 0

Getting Free Music and Sound Effects

You will need music for use in video intros and general video production. For instance, some videos will not need a voice over narration but instead a background music.

You can get free music on YouTube audio Library here. This is a sure place I know. Of course google search offers you with a whole lot of other alternative places.

How Can These Resources Help You Get Work?

Creating A Video Portfolio

With the free videos and photos, you can create a nice video demo to showcase your skills. Plan this by writing a script that communicates a message. It can be a short video to market a product or service.

Create a couple of different styles of professional videos for use in showcasing your video editing skills. Each time you are requested to send a proposal, send links to the videos alongside it.

Creating Videos For Clients

Some clients don’t have a budget to purchase royalty free videos, photos and music. Having an idea on where to get free assets online will give you an upper hand on getting hired. This means that, you can use the free resources to produce videos and get paid.

And this wraps up our blogpost today on the steps you need to kickstart your video editing career online as a beginner.

Once you have earned money offering video editing services, you can invest the income in purchasing licenses to your favorite video editing software. Your video editing career path will be easy if you patiently follow this advise.

and that is it.

Which professional video editing software do you recommend for beginners to use when starting up for free? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you need help to create and produce professional screencast videos and GIF’s for your business, you can request a FREE quote here.

And until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony

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