Updated Splice Video Editing App A Hands-On Examination

Updated Splice Video Editing App A Hands-On Examination

Ava Lv12

Splice Video Editing App: A Hands-On Examination

Create High-Quality Video - Wondershare Filmora

An easy and powerful YouTube video editor

Numerous video and audio effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

Video creation is on the increase, especially with smartphones and easy-to-reach tablets. Simply take a video to share with your loved ones. However, it would make a great difference if you edited your video and added other lovely precepts for detailed expression. Unfortunately, most people find it challenging to create quality videos on their phones.

In most cases, they’ll need to move them to their desktops for polishing and advanced editing. That’s not the case anymore, especially, with the rise of mobile editing applications like the Splice app. It lets you easily create high-quality video content with just a few clicks.

splice video editing app

In this article

01 What Exactly Is Splice?

02 What Can You Do with Splice?

03 Does Splice have a desktop version?

What Exactly Is Splice?

The Splice video editor is a mobile editing tool initially developed by the GoPro Company but recently landed at the doors of Bending Spoons Company. After its update in September 2020, this app gained thousands of customer ratings, close to five-star ratings. It is a mobile video editor compatible with Android and iPhone mobile devices. The numerous effects and tools make it possible for you to create eye-catching videos for use and export.

More so, Splice contains several features that are ready to turn your video into an imaginary piece of work. The user interface is quite intuitive, and you can easily navigate even if you are a beginner. Its library is quite extensive, with tons of royalty-free music. You are also not limited to adding any of your favorite sound effects. And when it comes to uploading your video, do it directly to media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, among other sites. The only drawback is occasional crashing, especially if handling bulky videos.

Splice App Advantages

  • It is simple to use and has an intuitive user interface.
  • Splice has an extensive audio library to extract your music for background listening on videos.
  • Directly upload your completed video to social media sites like YouTube and Instagram.

Splice App Disadvantages

  • It may crash.
  • It is also under copyright.
  • Spice lacks a desktop version.

You May Be Interested in

What Can You Do with Splice?

The Splice app is at your service to explore its features and make compelling videos. Check out some of the creative things you can do with Splice.

1) Add Music

Besides adding effects, borders, sound effects, and transitions to your video, you can spice it up with some background music. You can either pick a track from a streaming service or create some voiceovers. The Splice app also provides a wide array of music from its library.

Step 1. To access music, tap on the “Audio” tab in the editor.

Step 2. Then select one of the “+” symbols to add a category. Alternatively, import music from your “iTunes” library if you operate an iOS device.

Step 3. Choose which part of the video to add your music for background listening.

review splice video editing app

2) Edit videos

You can apply simple edits like merging, adjusting speed, and trimming, among other basic editing functions.

Step 1. First, tap a video on the project screen.
Step 2. The “Plus” and “Pencil” buttons will appear shortly. Then tap on the pencil to unleash several options.
Step 3. To trim your video, adjust the starting and ending points located at the slider that is beneath the video.

edit video with splice video editor

3) Add text

You can also include text in your video to explain a particular scenario.

Step 1. First, tap on the title icon at the bottom of the timeline.
Step 2. Delete the blank background to make the text a subtitle. If you don’t then Splice will treat all texts as titles.
Step 3. Lastly, double-tap the media screen and type the title of your video.

add text with splice video editor

4) Add video or image overlays

You can increase your creativity level by adding image overlays.

Step 1. Ensure the video or image you wish to add to the overlay is in the timeline.
Step 2. Then press and hold on to the video or image you wish to add as an overlay.
Step 3. Drag the video or image to the “Drop here to turn it into an overlay” tab.
Step 4: Finally, trim your clip and make other necessary adjustments.

5) Apply advanced effects

It doesn’t have to be plain. Your video needs some elevating additions to it to make it stand out. With Splice, you can trim, cut, and even merge your videos. Likewise, you can add titles, adjust the speed, and even point out specific moments such as slowing down your clips. It also lets you add effects for more appealing looks.

Step 1. Click on the “Edit video” icon.
Step 2. Pick a tool depending on the effect you want to achieve, like a blur, mixing multiple audio tracks, etc.
Step 3. Click on the “Apply” tab to apply the effects to your clip.

6) Share your video on social media platforms

This feature is quite useful when it comes to showing your friends and potential customers what you are capable of composing. Here is how to share your videos on social media sites once you complete the editing process. Remember to save your project first.

Step 1: From your phone, locate the video you want to share.
Step 2. Then click on the “Share” button found at the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 3. Choose the site to upload your video. You’ll then be able to upload it directly to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among many other platforms.

share video on social platform with splice video editor

Does Splice have a desktop version?

Among the cons of the Splice editing app is that it lacks a desktop version. However, other editing apps can serve as a substitute for using them on your PC. The Filmora video editor is one of its kind with adequate effects and plugins. With an intuitive user interface, Filmora lets you quickly edit any video to a professional level. Use its massive resource packs to turn your video into an explicit outcome.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Features of the Filmora video editor

Filmora unleashed some new features for advanced editing capabilities.

  • Instant mode: Filmora 11 has encompassed an instant mode feature that’s also time-saving. With this, you can quickly edit your videos with just a few clicks.
  • Speed ramping: This feature lets you quickly edit speed ramping effects on your video. Instantly increase, reduce, or go slow-motion, among other options.
  • Masking: This has been improved to let you animate the mask and customize it as per your desire.
  • Automontage maker: With this feature, you can now automatically create video montages with just a few clicks.
  • Creative Center: You now don’t need to go round to get your tools. The Creative Center is the tool page where you can instantly get your favorite too.
  • Stock Media: The improved Filmora 11 comes with an inbuilt stock media feature where you can download and use up to 100% free copyright stock footage. These include Pixabay and Giphy, among others.

Conclusion

● The Splice video editor works earnestly on your mobile phone to edit and create compelling videos. The fact that it doesn’t support a desktop version is a major drawback.

● However, the Filmora video editor comes in handy for editing videos on both Windows and Mac OS computers. Nonetheless, the latest Filmora 11 version has added advanced features that improve its instant video editing ability.

Try It Free Try It Free

Video creation is on the increase, especially with smartphones and easy-to-reach tablets. Simply take a video to share with your loved ones. However, it would make a great difference if you edited your video and added other lovely precepts for detailed expression. Unfortunately, most people find it challenging to create quality videos on their phones.

In most cases, they’ll need to move them to their desktops for polishing and advanced editing. That’s not the case anymore, especially, with the rise of mobile editing applications like the Splice app. It lets you easily create high-quality video content with just a few clicks.

splice video editing app

In this article

01 What Exactly Is Splice?

02 What Can You Do with Splice?

03 Does Splice have a desktop version?

What Exactly Is Splice?

The Splice video editor is a mobile editing tool initially developed by the GoPro Company but recently landed at the doors of Bending Spoons Company. After its update in September 2020, this app gained thousands of customer ratings, close to five-star ratings. It is a mobile video editor compatible with Android and iPhone mobile devices. The numerous effects and tools make it possible for you to create eye-catching videos for use and export.

More so, Splice contains several features that are ready to turn your video into an imaginary piece of work. The user interface is quite intuitive, and you can easily navigate even if you are a beginner. Its library is quite extensive, with tons of royalty-free music. You are also not limited to adding any of your favorite sound effects. And when it comes to uploading your video, do it directly to media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, among other sites. The only drawback is occasional crashing, especially if handling bulky videos.

Splice App Advantages

  • It is simple to use and has an intuitive user interface.
  • Splice has an extensive audio library to extract your music for background listening on videos.
  • Directly upload your completed video to social media sites like YouTube and Instagram.

Splice App Disadvantages

  • It may crash.
  • It is also under copyright.
  • Spice lacks a desktop version.

You May Be Interested in

What Can You Do with Splice?

The Splice app is at your service to explore its features and make compelling videos. Check out some of the creative things you can do with Splice.

1) Add Music

Besides adding effects, borders, sound effects, and transitions to your video, you can spice it up with some background music. You can either pick a track from a streaming service or create some voiceovers. The Splice app also provides a wide array of music from its library.

Step 1. To access music, tap on the “Audio” tab in the editor.

Step 2. Then select one of the “+” symbols to add a category. Alternatively, import music from your “iTunes” library if you operate an iOS device.

Step 3. Choose which part of the video to add your music for background listening.

review splice video editing app

2) Edit videos

You can apply simple edits like merging, adjusting speed, and trimming, among other basic editing functions.

Step 1. First, tap a video on the project screen.
Step 2. The “Plus” and “Pencil” buttons will appear shortly. Then tap on the pencil to unleash several options.
Step 3. To trim your video, adjust the starting and ending points located at the slider that is beneath the video.

edit video with splice video editor

3) Add text

You can also include text in your video to explain a particular scenario.

Step 1. First, tap on the title icon at the bottom of the timeline.
Step 2. Delete the blank background to make the text a subtitle. If you don’t then Splice will treat all texts as titles.
Step 3. Lastly, double-tap the media screen and type the title of your video.

add text with splice video editor

4) Add video or image overlays

You can increase your creativity level by adding image overlays.

Step 1. Ensure the video or image you wish to add to the overlay is in the timeline.
Step 2. Then press and hold on to the video or image you wish to add as an overlay.
Step 3. Drag the video or image to the “Drop here to turn it into an overlay” tab.
Step 4: Finally, trim your clip and make other necessary adjustments.

5) Apply advanced effects

It doesn’t have to be plain. Your video needs some elevating additions to it to make it stand out. With Splice, you can trim, cut, and even merge your videos. Likewise, you can add titles, adjust the speed, and even point out specific moments such as slowing down your clips. It also lets you add effects for more appealing looks.

Step 1. Click on the “Edit video” icon.
Step 2. Pick a tool depending on the effect you want to achieve, like a blur, mixing multiple audio tracks, etc.
Step 3. Click on the “Apply” tab to apply the effects to your clip.

6) Share your video on social media platforms

This feature is quite useful when it comes to showing your friends and potential customers what you are capable of composing. Here is how to share your videos on social media sites once you complete the editing process. Remember to save your project first.

Step 1: From your phone, locate the video you want to share.
Step 2. Then click on the “Share” button found at the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 3. Choose the site to upload your video. You’ll then be able to upload it directly to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among many other platforms.

share video on social platform with splice video editor

Does Splice have a desktop version?

Among the cons of the Splice editing app is that it lacks a desktop version. However, other editing apps can serve as a substitute for using them on your PC. The Filmora video editor is one of its kind with adequate effects and plugins. With an intuitive user interface, Filmora lets you quickly edit any video to a professional level. Use its massive resource packs to turn your video into an explicit outcome.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Features of the Filmora video editor

Filmora unleashed some new features for advanced editing capabilities.

  • Instant mode: Filmora 11 has encompassed an instant mode feature that’s also time-saving. With this, you can quickly edit your videos with just a few clicks.
  • Speed ramping: This feature lets you quickly edit speed ramping effects on your video. Instantly increase, reduce, or go slow-motion, among other options.
  • Masking: This has been improved to let you animate the mask and customize it as per your desire.
  • Automontage maker: With this feature, you can now automatically create video montages with just a few clicks.
  • Creative Center: You now don’t need to go round to get your tools. The Creative Center is the tool page where you can instantly get your favorite too.
  • Stock Media: The improved Filmora 11 comes with an inbuilt stock media feature where you can download and use up to 100% free copyright stock footage. These include Pixabay and Giphy, among others.

Conclusion

● The Splice video editor works earnestly on your mobile phone to edit and create compelling videos. The fact that it doesn’t support a desktop version is a major drawback.

● However, the Filmora video editor comes in handy for editing videos on both Windows and Mac OS computers. Nonetheless, the latest Filmora 11 version has added advanced features that improve its instant video editing ability.

Try It Free Try It Free

Video creation is on the increase, especially with smartphones and easy-to-reach tablets. Simply take a video to share with your loved ones. However, it would make a great difference if you edited your video and added other lovely precepts for detailed expression. Unfortunately, most people find it challenging to create quality videos on their phones.

In most cases, they’ll need to move them to their desktops for polishing and advanced editing. That’s not the case anymore, especially, with the rise of mobile editing applications like the Splice app. It lets you easily create high-quality video content with just a few clicks.

splice video editing app

In this article

01 What Exactly Is Splice?

02 What Can You Do with Splice?

03 Does Splice have a desktop version?

What Exactly Is Splice?

The Splice video editor is a mobile editing tool initially developed by the GoPro Company but recently landed at the doors of Bending Spoons Company. After its update in September 2020, this app gained thousands of customer ratings, close to five-star ratings. It is a mobile video editor compatible with Android and iPhone mobile devices. The numerous effects and tools make it possible for you to create eye-catching videos for use and export.

More so, Splice contains several features that are ready to turn your video into an imaginary piece of work. The user interface is quite intuitive, and you can easily navigate even if you are a beginner. Its library is quite extensive, with tons of royalty-free music. You are also not limited to adding any of your favorite sound effects. And when it comes to uploading your video, do it directly to media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, among other sites. The only drawback is occasional crashing, especially if handling bulky videos.

Splice App Advantages

  • It is simple to use and has an intuitive user interface.
  • Splice has an extensive audio library to extract your music for background listening on videos.
  • Directly upload your completed video to social media sites like YouTube and Instagram.

Splice App Disadvantages

  • It may crash.
  • It is also under copyright.
  • Spice lacks a desktop version.

You May Be Interested in

What Can You Do with Splice?

The Splice app is at your service to explore its features and make compelling videos. Check out some of the creative things you can do with Splice.

1) Add Music

Besides adding effects, borders, sound effects, and transitions to your video, you can spice it up with some background music. You can either pick a track from a streaming service or create some voiceovers. The Splice app also provides a wide array of music from its library.

Step 1. To access music, tap on the “Audio” tab in the editor.

Step 2. Then select one of the “+” symbols to add a category. Alternatively, import music from your “iTunes” library if you operate an iOS device.

Step 3. Choose which part of the video to add your music for background listening.

review splice video editing app

2) Edit videos

You can apply simple edits like merging, adjusting speed, and trimming, among other basic editing functions.

Step 1. First, tap a video on the project screen.
Step 2. The “Plus” and “Pencil” buttons will appear shortly. Then tap on the pencil to unleash several options.
Step 3. To trim your video, adjust the starting and ending points located at the slider that is beneath the video.

edit video with splice video editor

3) Add text

You can also include text in your video to explain a particular scenario.

Step 1. First, tap on the title icon at the bottom of the timeline.
Step 2. Delete the blank background to make the text a subtitle. If you don’t then Splice will treat all texts as titles.
Step 3. Lastly, double-tap the media screen and type the title of your video.

add text with splice video editor

4) Add video or image overlays

You can increase your creativity level by adding image overlays.

Step 1. Ensure the video or image you wish to add to the overlay is in the timeline.
Step 2. Then press and hold on to the video or image you wish to add as an overlay.
Step 3. Drag the video or image to the “Drop here to turn it into an overlay” tab.
Step 4: Finally, trim your clip and make other necessary adjustments.

5) Apply advanced effects

It doesn’t have to be plain. Your video needs some elevating additions to it to make it stand out. With Splice, you can trim, cut, and even merge your videos. Likewise, you can add titles, adjust the speed, and even point out specific moments such as slowing down your clips. It also lets you add effects for more appealing looks.

Step 1. Click on the “Edit video” icon.
Step 2. Pick a tool depending on the effect you want to achieve, like a blur, mixing multiple audio tracks, etc.
Step 3. Click on the “Apply” tab to apply the effects to your clip.

6) Share your video on social media platforms

This feature is quite useful when it comes to showing your friends and potential customers what you are capable of composing. Here is how to share your videos on social media sites once you complete the editing process. Remember to save your project first.

Step 1: From your phone, locate the video you want to share.
Step 2. Then click on the “Share” button found at the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 3. Choose the site to upload your video. You’ll then be able to upload it directly to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among many other platforms.

share video on social platform with splice video editor

Does Splice have a desktop version?

Among the cons of the Splice editing app is that it lacks a desktop version. However, other editing apps can serve as a substitute for using them on your PC. The Filmora video editor is one of its kind with adequate effects and plugins. With an intuitive user interface, Filmora lets you quickly edit any video to a professional level. Use its massive resource packs to turn your video into an explicit outcome.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Features of the Filmora video editor

Filmora unleashed some new features for advanced editing capabilities.

  • Instant mode: Filmora 11 has encompassed an instant mode feature that’s also time-saving. With this, you can quickly edit your videos with just a few clicks.
  • Speed ramping: This feature lets you quickly edit speed ramping effects on your video. Instantly increase, reduce, or go slow-motion, among other options.
  • Masking: This has been improved to let you animate the mask and customize it as per your desire.
  • Automontage maker: With this feature, you can now automatically create video montages with just a few clicks.
  • Creative Center: You now don’t need to go round to get your tools. The Creative Center is the tool page where you can instantly get your favorite too.
  • Stock Media: The improved Filmora 11 comes with an inbuilt stock media feature where you can download and use up to 100% free copyright stock footage. These include Pixabay and Giphy, among others.

Conclusion

● The Splice video editor works earnestly on your mobile phone to edit and create compelling videos. The fact that it doesn’t support a desktop version is a major drawback.

● However, the Filmora video editor comes in handy for editing videos on both Windows and Mac OS computers. Nonetheless, the latest Filmora 11 version has added advanced features that improve its instant video editing ability.

Try It Free Try It Free

Video creation is on the increase, especially with smartphones and easy-to-reach tablets. Simply take a video to share with your loved ones. However, it would make a great difference if you edited your video and added other lovely precepts for detailed expression. Unfortunately, most people find it challenging to create quality videos on their phones.

In most cases, they’ll need to move them to their desktops for polishing and advanced editing. That’s not the case anymore, especially, with the rise of mobile editing applications like the Splice app. It lets you easily create high-quality video content with just a few clicks.

splice video editing app

In this article

01 What Exactly Is Splice?

02 What Can You Do with Splice?

03 Does Splice have a desktop version?

What Exactly Is Splice?

The Splice video editor is a mobile editing tool initially developed by the GoPro Company but recently landed at the doors of Bending Spoons Company. After its update in September 2020, this app gained thousands of customer ratings, close to five-star ratings. It is a mobile video editor compatible with Android and iPhone mobile devices. The numerous effects and tools make it possible for you to create eye-catching videos for use and export.

More so, Splice contains several features that are ready to turn your video into an imaginary piece of work. The user interface is quite intuitive, and you can easily navigate even if you are a beginner. Its library is quite extensive, with tons of royalty-free music. You are also not limited to adding any of your favorite sound effects. And when it comes to uploading your video, do it directly to media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, among other sites. The only drawback is occasional crashing, especially if handling bulky videos.

Splice App Advantages

  • It is simple to use and has an intuitive user interface.
  • Splice has an extensive audio library to extract your music for background listening on videos.
  • Directly upload your completed video to social media sites like YouTube and Instagram.

Splice App Disadvantages

  • It may crash.
  • It is also under copyright.
  • Spice lacks a desktop version.

You May Be Interested in

What Can You Do with Splice?

The Splice app is at your service to explore its features and make compelling videos. Check out some of the creative things you can do with Splice.

1) Add Music

Besides adding effects, borders, sound effects, and transitions to your video, you can spice it up with some background music. You can either pick a track from a streaming service or create some voiceovers. The Splice app also provides a wide array of music from its library.

Step 1. To access music, tap on the “Audio” tab in the editor.

Step 2. Then select one of the “+” symbols to add a category. Alternatively, import music from your “iTunes” library if you operate an iOS device.

Step 3. Choose which part of the video to add your music for background listening.

review splice video editing app

2) Edit videos

You can apply simple edits like merging, adjusting speed, and trimming, among other basic editing functions.

Step 1. First, tap a video on the project screen.
Step 2. The “Plus” and “Pencil” buttons will appear shortly. Then tap on the pencil to unleash several options.
Step 3. To trim your video, adjust the starting and ending points located at the slider that is beneath the video.

edit video with splice video editor

3) Add text

You can also include text in your video to explain a particular scenario.

Step 1. First, tap on the title icon at the bottom of the timeline.
Step 2. Delete the blank background to make the text a subtitle. If you don’t then Splice will treat all texts as titles.
Step 3. Lastly, double-tap the media screen and type the title of your video.

add text with splice video editor

4) Add video or image overlays

You can increase your creativity level by adding image overlays.

Step 1. Ensure the video or image you wish to add to the overlay is in the timeline.
Step 2. Then press and hold on to the video or image you wish to add as an overlay.
Step 3. Drag the video or image to the “Drop here to turn it into an overlay” tab.
Step 4: Finally, trim your clip and make other necessary adjustments.

5) Apply advanced effects

It doesn’t have to be plain. Your video needs some elevating additions to it to make it stand out. With Splice, you can trim, cut, and even merge your videos. Likewise, you can add titles, adjust the speed, and even point out specific moments such as slowing down your clips. It also lets you add effects for more appealing looks.

Step 1. Click on the “Edit video” icon.
Step 2. Pick a tool depending on the effect you want to achieve, like a blur, mixing multiple audio tracks, etc.
Step 3. Click on the “Apply” tab to apply the effects to your clip.

6) Share your video on social media platforms

This feature is quite useful when it comes to showing your friends and potential customers what you are capable of composing. Here is how to share your videos on social media sites once you complete the editing process. Remember to save your project first.

Step 1: From your phone, locate the video you want to share.
Step 2. Then click on the “Share” button found at the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 3. Choose the site to upload your video. You’ll then be able to upload it directly to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among many other platforms.

share video on social platform with splice video editor

Does Splice have a desktop version?

Among the cons of the Splice editing app is that it lacks a desktop version. However, other editing apps can serve as a substitute for using them on your PC. The Filmora video editor is one of its kind with adequate effects and plugins. With an intuitive user interface, Filmora lets you quickly edit any video to a professional level. Use its massive resource packs to turn your video into an explicit outcome.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Features of the Filmora video editor

Filmora unleashed some new features for advanced editing capabilities.

  • Instant mode: Filmora 11 has encompassed an instant mode feature that’s also time-saving. With this, you can quickly edit your videos with just a few clicks.
  • Speed ramping: This feature lets you quickly edit speed ramping effects on your video. Instantly increase, reduce, or go slow-motion, among other options.
  • Masking: This has been improved to let you animate the mask and customize it as per your desire.
  • Automontage maker: With this feature, you can now automatically create video montages with just a few clicks.
  • Creative Center: You now don’t need to go round to get your tools. The Creative Center is the tool page where you can instantly get your favorite too.
  • Stock Media: The improved Filmora 11 comes with an inbuilt stock media feature where you can download and use up to 100% free copyright stock footage. These include Pixabay and Giphy, among others.

Conclusion

● The Splice video editor works earnestly on your mobile phone to edit and create compelling videos. The fact that it doesn’t support a desktop version is a major drawback.

● However, the Filmora video editor comes in handy for editing videos on both Windows and Mac OS computers. Nonetheless, the latest Filmora 11 version has added advanced features that improve its instant video editing ability.

Unlock Free Sound Effects for Your FCP Projects: Top Resources & Tutorials

How to Find Free Sound Effect and Add Them in Final Cut Pro

author avatar

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Suppose you have recorded a cinematic video of a beach in the evening visualizing the sunset and a few birds flying in the sky. Everything looks perfect except the audio, which seems to be fluctuating and breaking at some points. How would you address this challenge?

The best solution to this problem is adding sound effects, which can make your video more interesting and adorable. Setting the frequency of audio with on-screen visuals will invoke the viewers’ emotions and attach them to the scene.

Read this article to learn how to add sound effects to your video with Final Cut Pro.

SoundEffect

Part 1: What are Different Types of Sound Effects?

Sound effects have four major types:

  1. Ambiance SFX

These sounds fill the screen space to create a virtual sense of an environment or location such as the clattering sound of dishes in a restaurant or the sound of engines on a highway.

  1. Foley SFX

A mixture of live performance and digital sound editing, these sounds are produced by the artists of Foley studio to match their sounds to the on-screen visuals.

  1. Hard and Soft SFX

Hard SFX synchronizes a visual to what’s happening in the picture while SFX indicates the location to the audience.

  1. Electronic SFX

These sounds are generated by instruments that create electronic-sounding effects like electronic keyboards, synthesizers, or plug-ins.

Part 2: How to Add Sound Effects in Final Cut Pro?

Cinematographic productions need well-balanced music and sound effects. Luckily, Final Cut Pro comes with built-in audio enhancement features and third-party Audio Units (AU) effects that allow users to add sound effects to their videos and manage all audio processing tasks.

You can add sound effects in your video with Final Cut Pro. Wonder how? Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Photos and Audio Sound Bar

  • In the top-left corner, there is a Photos and Audio Click on this button as shown in the figure below:
  • Select the Window and Go To Either press Shift + Command + 1 or tap Photos and Audio from the dropdown menu

sound-icon

Step 2: Select the Sound Category

  • Choose a sound category or app from the Photos and Audio sidebar
  • A list will appear contacting the audio clips in that specific category as shown in the figure below:
  • You can find multiple music and sound clips in the Sound Effects category. The list also contains various apps you use on your Mac such as GarageBand, Music, and Logic Pro, etc.

fcpx_sound

Step 3: Select the Music or Sound to be added

  • Filter the items in the browser by using the pop-up menu. Go to Music > Purchased or select Sound Effects > Final Cut Pro Sound Effects > Impacts & Crashes.
  • Preview your selected audio file by selecting it from the list and clicking the Play
  • If you want to select multiple items, command-click each item individually.

Step 4: Use the Selected Music or Audio

  • Drag your selected sound clip to the timeline or the sidebar
  • Once the Photos and Audio sidebar has been replaced by the Libraries sidebar, you can add the selected audio or music files to an event. The Photos and Audio sidebar will reappear as you drag those files.
  • Play the video to make sure sound effects have been successfully added

For enhanced playback experiences, all MP audio files are automatically transcoded to MOV audio files. However, you can also find the original MP3 files in the source media files section of Final Cut Pro. Besides, by adding mono audio clips to a stereo project, only the single mono audio will be plated in both left and right channels. You can view them in the stereo audio meters of your project.

Surely you don’t want to see your sound effect missing in your footage, but that happens a lot in FCPX. Just in case, you may want to see this article: Proven Ways to Get Missing Sound Effects Back in Final Cut Pro .

Part 3: How to Improve Your Video with Sound Effects?

In addition to Final Cut Pro, you can also use advanced video-editing software like Wondershare Filmora to improve your video by adding special sound effects. Here’s how you can do this:

Add the original video to Filmora by clicking the Import button or directly dragging the file to the primary window

Tap Sound to open a box listing different sound effects. Select your favorite sound effect and drag it down to the soundtrack below the video clip. Now, move the sound icon and the playhead to set the beginning and ending points. Press the Play button to ensure the newly added sound effect sounds well.

add-sound2

Once you’ve done the final review, tap the Create button and Format tab. Then, choose your preferred format and location where the file needs to be exported. You can also upload this video on YouTube or Facebook, play it on different iOS devices, or burn it to DVD.

Download Win Version Download Mac Version

Part 4: Where to Find Sound Effects?

Both Final Cut Pro and Wondershare Filmora have a variety of built-in sound effects. You can select and drop these effects to directly add them to your video. However, if you are searching for sound effects, given below are two methods:

  1. Self-recording

Professional filmmakers and sound experts often record sound effects by themselves according to their requirements. For example, if they want to visualize some scene from school, they can go to an educational institution and record audio. After proper editing, these sound effects are added to the video.

  1. Online Resources

Different websites also allow their users to download their favorite sound effects. Given below are some of the top-rated websites for downloading sound effects based on their quality, variety, and usefulness:

  1. Filmostock
  2. Adobe Audition Sound Effects
  3. Freesound
  4. Partners In Rhyme
  5. AudioMicro
  6. 99Sounds
  7. Sounds Crate
  8. Zapsplat
  9. BBC Sound Effects
  10. FreeSFX
  11. GameSounds
  12. SoundEffects+
  13. SoundGator
  14. PacDV
  15. Sound Effects for Free

For more details, please check this article: 9 Great Websites To Download Royalty-Free Sound Effects.

Part 5: Extensive Reading: What are Sound Effects and Why are they Important?

Sound is the most important aspect of video editing that engages audiences, evokes emotional responses, and connects people to what they’re seeing. A melodious sound helps the video editors deliver information and creatively and define the tone of their narrative.

Sound effects (SFX) refer to audio clips or sounds that are not part of the recoded video. They are added to movies, documentaries, video games, and even reality shows to invoke the viewers’ emotions and increase their interest in the video.

Similarly, the addition of sound effects increases the production value and creates a complete audience experience. If you want to elevate your video dramatically and make it magnetic, have to balance sound effects, silence, and music in such a way that they support each visual and every cut. Although audio cannot fix slipshod editing or amateur camera work, it becomes more crucial than video quality while you are trying to deliver a specific message in your video.

Professional video editors and filmmakers consider sound effects crucial to their video quality. A clear, melodious, and well-balanced audio adds depth to the visuals, evokes more emotions than the picture, and paints the audio picture of a particular setting.

Even silence, a powerful tool of the audio arsenal, speaks louder than the picture itself. Hence, balancing audio by adding sound effects can make your video stimulating, captivating, and emotional.

That’s why a good editing tool always stocks a great number of sound effects for users, like Filmora. Click to download and take a look at all the effects in Filmora

Conclusion

Sound effects are external audio files added to the videos to make them look interesting and worth watching. A perfect balance of sound, music, and silence allows the filmmakers to define the tone of their narrative and deliver their message creatively.

You can create sound effects through self-recording or by downloading them from external resources. To add sound effects to your video, use professional video-editing software like Final Cut Pro or Filmora. Both these applications are user-friendly and possess a huge library of a variety of sound effects and music files. Besides, their advanced features allow you to naturally add sound effects without affecting the video quality.

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Suppose you have recorded a cinematic video of a beach in the evening visualizing the sunset and a few birds flying in the sky. Everything looks perfect except the audio, which seems to be fluctuating and breaking at some points. How would you address this challenge?

The best solution to this problem is adding sound effects, which can make your video more interesting and adorable. Setting the frequency of audio with on-screen visuals will invoke the viewers’ emotions and attach them to the scene.

Read this article to learn how to add sound effects to your video with Final Cut Pro.

SoundEffect

Part 1: What are Different Types of Sound Effects?

Sound effects have four major types:

  1. Ambiance SFX

These sounds fill the screen space to create a virtual sense of an environment or location such as the clattering sound of dishes in a restaurant or the sound of engines on a highway.

  1. Foley SFX

A mixture of live performance and digital sound editing, these sounds are produced by the artists of Foley studio to match their sounds to the on-screen visuals.

  1. Hard and Soft SFX

Hard SFX synchronizes a visual to what’s happening in the picture while SFX indicates the location to the audience.

  1. Electronic SFX

These sounds are generated by instruments that create electronic-sounding effects like electronic keyboards, synthesizers, or plug-ins.

Part 2: How to Add Sound Effects in Final Cut Pro?

Cinematographic productions need well-balanced music and sound effects. Luckily, Final Cut Pro comes with built-in audio enhancement features and third-party Audio Units (AU) effects that allow users to add sound effects to their videos and manage all audio processing tasks.

You can add sound effects in your video with Final Cut Pro. Wonder how? Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Photos and Audio Sound Bar

  • In the top-left corner, there is a Photos and Audio Click on this button as shown in the figure below:
  • Select the Window and Go To Either press Shift + Command + 1 or tap Photos and Audio from the dropdown menu

sound-icon

Step 2: Select the Sound Category

  • Choose a sound category or app from the Photos and Audio sidebar
  • A list will appear contacting the audio clips in that specific category as shown in the figure below:
  • You can find multiple music and sound clips in the Sound Effects category. The list also contains various apps you use on your Mac such as GarageBand, Music, and Logic Pro, etc.

fcpx_sound

Step 3: Select the Music or Sound to be added

  • Filter the items in the browser by using the pop-up menu. Go to Music > Purchased or select Sound Effects > Final Cut Pro Sound Effects > Impacts & Crashes.
  • Preview your selected audio file by selecting it from the list and clicking the Play
  • If you want to select multiple items, command-click each item individually.

Step 4: Use the Selected Music or Audio

  • Drag your selected sound clip to the timeline or the sidebar
  • Once the Photos and Audio sidebar has been replaced by the Libraries sidebar, you can add the selected audio or music files to an event. The Photos and Audio sidebar will reappear as you drag those files.
  • Play the video to make sure sound effects have been successfully added

For enhanced playback experiences, all MP audio files are automatically transcoded to MOV audio files. However, you can also find the original MP3 files in the source media files section of Final Cut Pro. Besides, by adding mono audio clips to a stereo project, only the single mono audio will be plated in both left and right channels. You can view them in the stereo audio meters of your project.

Surely you don’t want to see your sound effect missing in your footage, but that happens a lot in FCPX. Just in case, you may want to see this article: Proven Ways to Get Missing Sound Effects Back in Final Cut Pro .

Part 3: How to Improve Your Video with Sound Effects?

In addition to Final Cut Pro, you can also use advanced video-editing software like Wondershare Filmora to improve your video by adding special sound effects. Here’s how you can do this:

Add the original video to Filmora by clicking the Import button or directly dragging the file to the primary window

Tap Sound to open a box listing different sound effects. Select your favorite sound effect and drag it down to the soundtrack below the video clip. Now, move the sound icon and the playhead to set the beginning and ending points. Press the Play button to ensure the newly added sound effect sounds well.

add-sound2

Once you’ve done the final review, tap the Create button and Format tab. Then, choose your preferred format and location where the file needs to be exported. You can also upload this video on YouTube or Facebook, play it on different iOS devices, or burn it to DVD.

Download Win Version Download Mac Version

Part 4: Where to Find Sound Effects?

Both Final Cut Pro and Wondershare Filmora have a variety of built-in sound effects. You can select and drop these effects to directly add them to your video. However, if you are searching for sound effects, given below are two methods:

  1. Self-recording

Professional filmmakers and sound experts often record sound effects by themselves according to their requirements. For example, if they want to visualize some scene from school, they can go to an educational institution and record audio. After proper editing, these sound effects are added to the video.

  1. Online Resources

Different websites also allow their users to download their favorite sound effects. Given below are some of the top-rated websites for downloading sound effects based on their quality, variety, and usefulness:

  1. Filmostock
  2. Adobe Audition Sound Effects
  3. Freesound
  4. Partners In Rhyme
  5. AudioMicro
  6. 99Sounds
  7. Sounds Crate
  8. Zapsplat
  9. BBC Sound Effects
  10. FreeSFX
  11. GameSounds
  12. SoundEffects+
  13. SoundGator
  14. PacDV
  15. Sound Effects for Free

For more details, please check this article: 9 Great Websites To Download Royalty-Free Sound Effects.

Part 5: Extensive Reading: What are Sound Effects and Why are they Important?

Sound is the most important aspect of video editing that engages audiences, evokes emotional responses, and connects people to what they’re seeing. A melodious sound helps the video editors deliver information and creatively and define the tone of their narrative.

Sound effects (SFX) refer to audio clips or sounds that are not part of the recoded video. They are added to movies, documentaries, video games, and even reality shows to invoke the viewers’ emotions and increase their interest in the video.

Similarly, the addition of sound effects increases the production value and creates a complete audience experience. If you want to elevate your video dramatically and make it magnetic, have to balance sound effects, silence, and music in such a way that they support each visual and every cut. Although audio cannot fix slipshod editing or amateur camera work, it becomes more crucial than video quality while you are trying to deliver a specific message in your video.

Professional video editors and filmmakers consider sound effects crucial to their video quality. A clear, melodious, and well-balanced audio adds depth to the visuals, evokes more emotions than the picture, and paints the audio picture of a particular setting.

Even silence, a powerful tool of the audio arsenal, speaks louder than the picture itself. Hence, balancing audio by adding sound effects can make your video stimulating, captivating, and emotional.

That’s why a good editing tool always stocks a great number of sound effects for users, like Filmora. Click to download and take a look at all the effects in Filmora

Conclusion

Sound effects are external audio files added to the videos to make them look interesting and worth watching. A perfect balance of sound, music, and silence allows the filmmakers to define the tone of their narrative and deliver their message creatively.

You can create sound effects through self-recording or by downloading them from external resources. To add sound effects to your video, use professional video-editing software like Final Cut Pro or Filmora. Both these applications are user-friendly and possess a huge library of a variety of sound effects and music files. Besides, their advanced features allow you to naturally add sound effects without affecting the video quality.

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Suppose you have recorded a cinematic video of a beach in the evening visualizing the sunset and a few birds flying in the sky. Everything looks perfect except the audio, which seems to be fluctuating and breaking at some points. How would you address this challenge?

The best solution to this problem is adding sound effects, which can make your video more interesting and adorable. Setting the frequency of audio with on-screen visuals will invoke the viewers’ emotions and attach them to the scene.

Read this article to learn how to add sound effects to your video with Final Cut Pro.

SoundEffect

Part 1: What are Different Types of Sound Effects?

Sound effects have four major types:

  1. Ambiance SFX

These sounds fill the screen space to create a virtual sense of an environment or location such as the clattering sound of dishes in a restaurant or the sound of engines on a highway.

  1. Foley SFX

A mixture of live performance and digital sound editing, these sounds are produced by the artists of Foley studio to match their sounds to the on-screen visuals.

  1. Hard and Soft SFX

Hard SFX synchronizes a visual to what’s happening in the picture while SFX indicates the location to the audience.

  1. Electronic SFX

These sounds are generated by instruments that create electronic-sounding effects like electronic keyboards, synthesizers, or plug-ins.

Part 2: How to Add Sound Effects in Final Cut Pro?

Cinematographic productions need well-balanced music and sound effects. Luckily, Final Cut Pro comes with built-in audio enhancement features and third-party Audio Units (AU) effects that allow users to add sound effects to their videos and manage all audio processing tasks.

You can add sound effects in your video with Final Cut Pro. Wonder how? Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Photos and Audio Sound Bar

  • In the top-left corner, there is a Photos and Audio Click on this button as shown in the figure below:
  • Select the Window and Go To Either press Shift + Command + 1 or tap Photos and Audio from the dropdown menu

sound-icon

Step 2: Select the Sound Category

  • Choose a sound category or app from the Photos and Audio sidebar
  • A list will appear contacting the audio clips in that specific category as shown in the figure below:
  • You can find multiple music and sound clips in the Sound Effects category. The list also contains various apps you use on your Mac such as GarageBand, Music, and Logic Pro, etc.

fcpx_sound

Step 3: Select the Music or Sound to be added

  • Filter the items in the browser by using the pop-up menu. Go to Music > Purchased or select Sound Effects > Final Cut Pro Sound Effects > Impacts & Crashes.
  • Preview your selected audio file by selecting it from the list and clicking the Play
  • If you want to select multiple items, command-click each item individually.

Step 4: Use the Selected Music or Audio

  • Drag your selected sound clip to the timeline or the sidebar
  • Once the Photos and Audio sidebar has been replaced by the Libraries sidebar, you can add the selected audio or music files to an event. The Photos and Audio sidebar will reappear as you drag those files.
  • Play the video to make sure sound effects have been successfully added

For enhanced playback experiences, all MP audio files are automatically transcoded to MOV audio files. However, you can also find the original MP3 files in the source media files section of Final Cut Pro. Besides, by adding mono audio clips to a stereo project, only the single mono audio will be plated in both left and right channels. You can view them in the stereo audio meters of your project.

Surely you don’t want to see your sound effect missing in your footage, but that happens a lot in FCPX. Just in case, you may want to see this article: Proven Ways to Get Missing Sound Effects Back in Final Cut Pro .

Part 3: How to Improve Your Video with Sound Effects?

In addition to Final Cut Pro, you can also use advanced video-editing software like Wondershare Filmora to improve your video by adding special sound effects. Here’s how you can do this:

Add the original video to Filmora by clicking the Import button or directly dragging the file to the primary window

Tap Sound to open a box listing different sound effects. Select your favorite sound effect and drag it down to the soundtrack below the video clip. Now, move the sound icon and the playhead to set the beginning and ending points. Press the Play button to ensure the newly added sound effect sounds well.

add-sound2

Once you’ve done the final review, tap the Create button and Format tab. Then, choose your preferred format and location where the file needs to be exported. You can also upload this video on YouTube or Facebook, play it on different iOS devices, or burn it to DVD.

Download Win Version Download Mac Version

Part 4: Where to Find Sound Effects?

Both Final Cut Pro and Wondershare Filmora have a variety of built-in sound effects. You can select and drop these effects to directly add them to your video. However, if you are searching for sound effects, given below are two methods:

  1. Self-recording

Professional filmmakers and sound experts often record sound effects by themselves according to their requirements. For example, if they want to visualize some scene from school, they can go to an educational institution and record audio. After proper editing, these sound effects are added to the video.

  1. Online Resources

Different websites also allow their users to download their favorite sound effects. Given below are some of the top-rated websites for downloading sound effects based on their quality, variety, and usefulness:

  1. Filmostock
  2. Adobe Audition Sound Effects
  3. Freesound
  4. Partners In Rhyme
  5. AudioMicro
  6. 99Sounds
  7. Sounds Crate
  8. Zapsplat
  9. BBC Sound Effects
  10. FreeSFX
  11. GameSounds
  12. SoundEffects+
  13. SoundGator
  14. PacDV
  15. Sound Effects for Free

For more details, please check this article: 9 Great Websites To Download Royalty-Free Sound Effects.

Part 5: Extensive Reading: What are Sound Effects and Why are they Important?

Sound is the most important aspect of video editing that engages audiences, evokes emotional responses, and connects people to what they’re seeing. A melodious sound helps the video editors deliver information and creatively and define the tone of their narrative.

Sound effects (SFX) refer to audio clips or sounds that are not part of the recoded video. They are added to movies, documentaries, video games, and even reality shows to invoke the viewers’ emotions and increase their interest in the video.

Similarly, the addition of sound effects increases the production value and creates a complete audience experience. If you want to elevate your video dramatically and make it magnetic, have to balance sound effects, silence, and music in such a way that they support each visual and every cut. Although audio cannot fix slipshod editing or amateur camera work, it becomes more crucial than video quality while you are trying to deliver a specific message in your video.

Professional video editors and filmmakers consider sound effects crucial to their video quality. A clear, melodious, and well-balanced audio adds depth to the visuals, evokes more emotions than the picture, and paints the audio picture of a particular setting.

Even silence, a powerful tool of the audio arsenal, speaks louder than the picture itself. Hence, balancing audio by adding sound effects can make your video stimulating, captivating, and emotional.

That’s why a good editing tool always stocks a great number of sound effects for users, like Filmora. Click to download and take a look at all the effects in Filmora

Conclusion

Sound effects are external audio files added to the videos to make them look interesting and worth watching. A perfect balance of sound, music, and silence allows the filmmakers to define the tone of their narrative and deliver their message creatively.

You can create sound effects through self-recording or by downloading them from external resources. To add sound effects to your video, use professional video-editing software like Final Cut Pro or Filmora. Both these applications are user-friendly and possess a huge library of a variety of sound effects and music files. Besides, their advanced features allow you to naturally add sound effects without affecting the video quality.

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Suppose you have recorded a cinematic video of a beach in the evening visualizing the sunset and a few birds flying in the sky. Everything looks perfect except the audio, which seems to be fluctuating and breaking at some points. How would you address this challenge?

The best solution to this problem is adding sound effects, which can make your video more interesting and adorable. Setting the frequency of audio with on-screen visuals will invoke the viewers’ emotions and attach them to the scene.

Read this article to learn how to add sound effects to your video with Final Cut Pro.

SoundEffect

Part 1: What are Different Types of Sound Effects?

Sound effects have four major types:

  1. Ambiance SFX

These sounds fill the screen space to create a virtual sense of an environment or location such as the clattering sound of dishes in a restaurant or the sound of engines on a highway.

  1. Foley SFX

A mixture of live performance and digital sound editing, these sounds are produced by the artists of Foley studio to match their sounds to the on-screen visuals.

  1. Hard and Soft SFX

Hard SFX synchronizes a visual to what’s happening in the picture while SFX indicates the location to the audience.

  1. Electronic SFX

These sounds are generated by instruments that create electronic-sounding effects like electronic keyboards, synthesizers, or plug-ins.

Part 2: How to Add Sound Effects in Final Cut Pro?

Cinematographic productions need well-balanced music and sound effects. Luckily, Final Cut Pro comes with built-in audio enhancement features and third-party Audio Units (AU) effects that allow users to add sound effects to their videos and manage all audio processing tasks.

You can add sound effects in your video with Final Cut Pro. Wonder how? Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Photos and Audio Sound Bar

  • In the top-left corner, there is a Photos and Audio Click on this button as shown in the figure below:
  • Select the Window and Go To Either press Shift + Command + 1 or tap Photos and Audio from the dropdown menu

sound-icon

Step 2: Select the Sound Category

  • Choose a sound category or app from the Photos and Audio sidebar
  • A list will appear contacting the audio clips in that specific category as shown in the figure below:
  • You can find multiple music and sound clips in the Sound Effects category. The list also contains various apps you use on your Mac such as GarageBand, Music, and Logic Pro, etc.

fcpx_sound

Step 3: Select the Music or Sound to be added

  • Filter the items in the browser by using the pop-up menu. Go to Music > Purchased or select Sound Effects > Final Cut Pro Sound Effects > Impacts & Crashes.
  • Preview your selected audio file by selecting it from the list and clicking the Play
  • If you want to select multiple items, command-click each item individually.

Step 4: Use the Selected Music or Audio

  • Drag your selected sound clip to the timeline or the sidebar
  • Once the Photos and Audio sidebar has been replaced by the Libraries sidebar, you can add the selected audio or music files to an event. The Photos and Audio sidebar will reappear as you drag those files.
  • Play the video to make sure sound effects have been successfully added

For enhanced playback experiences, all MP audio files are automatically transcoded to MOV audio files. However, you can also find the original MP3 files in the source media files section of Final Cut Pro. Besides, by adding mono audio clips to a stereo project, only the single mono audio will be plated in both left and right channels. You can view them in the stereo audio meters of your project.

Surely you don’t want to see your sound effect missing in your footage, but that happens a lot in FCPX. Just in case, you may want to see this article: Proven Ways to Get Missing Sound Effects Back in Final Cut Pro .

Part 3: How to Improve Your Video with Sound Effects?

In addition to Final Cut Pro, you can also use advanced video-editing software like Wondershare Filmora to improve your video by adding special sound effects. Here’s how you can do this:

Add the original video to Filmora by clicking the Import button or directly dragging the file to the primary window

Tap Sound to open a box listing different sound effects. Select your favorite sound effect and drag it down to the soundtrack below the video clip. Now, move the sound icon and the playhead to set the beginning and ending points. Press the Play button to ensure the newly added sound effect sounds well.

add-sound2

Once you’ve done the final review, tap the Create button and Format tab. Then, choose your preferred format and location where the file needs to be exported. You can also upload this video on YouTube or Facebook, play it on different iOS devices, or burn it to DVD.

Download Win Version Download Mac Version

Part 4: Where to Find Sound Effects?

Both Final Cut Pro and Wondershare Filmora have a variety of built-in sound effects. You can select and drop these effects to directly add them to your video. However, if you are searching for sound effects, given below are two methods:

  1. Self-recording

Professional filmmakers and sound experts often record sound effects by themselves according to their requirements. For example, if they want to visualize some scene from school, they can go to an educational institution and record audio. After proper editing, these sound effects are added to the video.

  1. Online Resources

Different websites also allow their users to download their favorite sound effects. Given below are some of the top-rated websites for downloading sound effects based on their quality, variety, and usefulness:

  1. Filmostock
  2. Adobe Audition Sound Effects
  3. Freesound
  4. Partners In Rhyme
  5. AudioMicro
  6. 99Sounds
  7. Sounds Crate
  8. Zapsplat
  9. BBC Sound Effects
  10. FreeSFX
  11. GameSounds
  12. SoundEffects+
  13. SoundGator
  14. PacDV
  15. Sound Effects for Free

For more details, please check this article: 9 Great Websites To Download Royalty-Free Sound Effects.

Part 5: Extensive Reading: What are Sound Effects and Why are they Important?

Sound is the most important aspect of video editing that engages audiences, evokes emotional responses, and connects people to what they’re seeing. A melodious sound helps the video editors deliver information and creatively and define the tone of their narrative.

Sound effects (SFX) refer to audio clips or sounds that are not part of the recoded video. They are added to movies, documentaries, video games, and even reality shows to invoke the viewers’ emotions and increase their interest in the video.

Similarly, the addition of sound effects increases the production value and creates a complete audience experience. If you want to elevate your video dramatically and make it magnetic, have to balance sound effects, silence, and music in such a way that they support each visual and every cut. Although audio cannot fix slipshod editing or amateur camera work, it becomes more crucial than video quality while you are trying to deliver a specific message in your video.

Professional video editors and filmmakers consider sound effects crucial to their video quality. A clear, melodious, and well-balanced audio adds depth to the visuals, evokes more emotions than the picture, and paints the audio picture of a particular setting.

Even silence, a powerful tool of the audio arsenal, speaks louder than the picture itself. Hence, balancing audio by adding sound effects can make your video stimulating, captivating, and emotional.

That’s why a good editing tool always stocks a great number of sound effects for users, like Filmora. Click to download and take a look at all the effects in Filmora

Conclusion

Sound effects are external audio files added to the videos to make them look interesting and worth watching. A perfect balance of sound, music, and silence allows the filmmakers to define the tone of their narrative and deliver their message creatively.

You can create sound effects through self-recording or by downloading them from external resources. To add sound effects to your video, use professional video-editing software like Final Cut Pro or Filmora. Both these applications are user-friendly and possess a huge library of a variety of sound effects and music files. Besides, their advanced features allow you to naturally add sound effects without affecting the video quality.

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Free MP4 Video Editor Roundup: Top 10 Options

Top 10 Best MP4 Video Editors

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

MP4 is one of the most popular video formats in the world, however, finding a free video editing software which can edit MP4 or MOV formats videos can be hard - with so many video editing software on the market, you don’t know what is great and what is a piece of junk, you don’t have time to test it one by one.

Thankfully, we have produced a top-five list of the best free MP4 editors for you to check. That’s right - with these video editors, you can just go with it and edit your MP4 video files in no time at all!

If you’re inclined to edit videos with presets and templates and looking for a fully-featured product, you may also want to consider a commercial product like Wondershare Filmora .

This video editing tool enables you to seamlessly put together video clips, music & text, apply effects and get a professional-looking home movie in minutes. Download and try it out.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

See also: Best Video Editing for Windows


Here is a comparison table about the top MP4 editors. Have a quick look.

Supported system Ratings from G2 Pricing Free Trial Level
Filmora Windows/Mac 4.4/5 $49.99/Year, $79.99/Perpetual Available Newbies and experts. All levels of users.
Windows Movie Maker Windows 4.0/5 Free Available User-friendly. Suitable for all levels.
iMovie Mac 4.4/5 Free Available Beginner friendly
Avidemux Mac/Windows/Linux 4.4/5 Free Available Great for beginners
Lightworks Mac/Windows/Linux 3.5/5 $9.99 per user per month. Not available Suitable for all levels of users
VSDC Windows 4.0/5 $19.99 per month Not available Intermediate
VEGAS Pro Windows 4.3/5 $12.99 per month 30-day free trial Suitable for experts.
Openshot Mac/Windows/Linux 4.4/5 Free Available Suitable for newbies and experts.
Clipchamp Web-based 4.3/5 $6 per month Available Newbie-friendly
Freemake Windows 3.8/5 $24 per month. Available Simple. No learning curve. Suitable for all levels of users.
MiniTool MovieMaker Windows 4.0/5 $12.99 per month Not available Suitable for all levels of users.

1. Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a great video editing tool and has been a part of the Windows system for many years. It supports various video formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V and more. The drag-n-drop functionality enables you to easily add video clips from the computer and drop them to the program.

With it, you can easily combine photos and videos, apply transitions and effects, add music or sound, move images and videos around and have them play at the speed of your choice, post to YouTube and much more.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Various video editing options;
  • Easy-to-use;
  • Different output options.

Cons:

  • It crashes a lot;
  • Many different versions of the same product;
  • Not available anymore as a part of Windows OS.

Learn more details about Windows Movie Maker

2. iMovie

As the equivalent of Windows Movie Make for Mac OS X, iMovie gives you the chance to turn any movie into a major production. With a simple to use UI, you can easily enhance your videos quicker than ever. Now just import your video clips from computer or external devices, arrange them on the timeline, drop titles, effects and sounds on to the part of the video you wish to edit, and preview the results.

Once it’s all done, one-click to export your file for iOS or Internet usage.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • User-friendly interface;
  • Improved audio editing and fun Movie Trailers.

Cons:

  • No native AVCHD editing or direct import;
  • Pre-processing and import trans-coding can be time-consuming.

Learn more details about iMovie video editing tips

3. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source video editing program for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It natively supports a great number of video formats like MP4, AVI, MPEG, MKV and ASF and comes with a well selected feature set to get your cutting, filtering and encoding tasks done. It’s also filled with features like different filters, decoding options, frame rate configuration, processing tools etc.

Other great feature is that tasks can be automated using projects and job queue.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Lightweight and fairly simple;
  • A wide selection of filters;
  • Provides command-line interface for advanced users.

Cons:

  • Outdated interface;
  • May drop frames in certain formats;
  • Can be complicated for beginning users.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is one of the most advanced free video editing tools available. With the user-friendly interface and packed timeline, you can easily import, trim and seamlessly weave audio and video files together with a few effortless mouse clicks.

On top of that, it also includes the features like profession-level color correction, video capture function, GPU-accelerated real-time effects and board video formats support.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Customizable screens;
  • Amount of video editing options;
  • High video quality.

Cons:

  • It crashes occasionally;
  • Requires a long learning curve.

5. VSDC Free Video Editor

VSDC is a free video editing program for Windows. The support video formats include MP4, AVI, MKV, MPG, WMV, FLV and more. It provides various video filters, transitions, audio effects as well as drawing and selection tools.

When the editing done, you can choose the optimized save outputs for a variety of devices, including smart phones and gaming consoles.

top mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Provides various useful filters;
  • Different output options.

Cons:

  • Computer resources (CPU and RAM) are required at a high level.

6. VEGAS Pro MP4

VEGAS Pro is one of the highly-rated premium MP4 editor tools in the market. This program has many amazing features, including advanced HDR color correction, scene detection, sound design, and live streaming.

Furthermore, it has hundreds of filters, effects, titles, and transitions to transform your output file. This array of features makes it easy to edit videos on Windows PC.

vegas pro mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • This program has plenty of video editing features.
  • It offers many filters, titles, and transitions.
  • It allows unlimited video and audio tracks.
  • It allows a nested timeline.
  • The color grading tools are clear and top-grade.

Cons:

  • Many users feel the interface is disorganized and difficult for newbies to navigate.
  • The Multicam feature, although present, is nearly unusable.
  • There are no welcome tutorials to get you started with ease.
  • Vegas Pro is expensive and is only suitable for Windows. You can buy it at $249 or subscribe for $12.99 monthly.

7. OpenShot MP4 Video Editor

OpenShot is a popular free media editor for Windows, Linux, and Mac. This open-source tool has evolved and now supports many media formats, including audio, video, and image formats.

This tool has one of the simplest user interfaces designed with all categories of users in mind. It supports over 70 languages, and users can add as many layers of tracks.

OpenShot offers a powerful animation framework to allow users to play around with animations to produce quality output videos. OpenShot also provides transitions and over 14 effects to make your output MP4 file attractive.

openshot mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • OpenShot is a cross-platform video editor; hence, you can use it on Windows, Mac, and Linux without compatibility issues.
  • It offers a good collection of animations and effects to make your video more appealing.
  • It has a simple and user-friendly interface. Therefore, amateurs won’t struggle to edit their MP4 videos.
  • It supports over 70 different languages.
  • It is free.

Cons:

  • Some of the purported features don’t function well.
  • Although it has a good collection of features, several other useful features are missing.
  • It cannot open AVCHD files.

8. Clipchamp MP4 Editor Online

Clipchamp is a free, easy-to-use video editor that is suitable for small business marketing. This web-based MP4 editor is designed with simplicity; hence, users can easily edit videos.

With Clipchamp, you can edit videos of all sizes directly on your browser without experience! You can add special effects, transitions, background music, and texts to make your output MP4 file eye-catchy.

Furthermore, you can trim, cut, split, combine, rotate, flip, and mirror videos depending on your need.

clipchamp edit mp4

Pros:

  • The combination of intelligent features and shortcuts significantly saves your time and energy.
  • It offers a sleek and intuitive interface to edit MP4 videos seamlessly.
  • It provides styling effects and lots of good transitions.
  • It offers several templates to get started.

Cons:

  • Users have limited control over the effects.
  • Most useful content requires subscriptions.
  • Users complain of slow export rendering.

9. Freemake MP4 Video Editor

Freemake is a common name in the media editing industry and is undoubtedly one of the best MP4 video editor tools.

Although it is not a fully-fledged app like other hot names, it allows you to quickly and easily edit MP4 videos on Windows. With Freemake, you can cut, rotate, and import files directly from YouTube.

freemake mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • It supports direct uploads from YouTube.
  • It supports several file formats.
  • It is easy to use.

Cons:

  • It offers basic video editing features.
  • It does not provide Mac support.

10. MiniTool MovieMaker

MiniTool MovieMaker is an easy-to-use video editor enriched with plenty of good video editing features. This tool offers an intuitive interface and collection of features that easily transform how you produce stunning videos.

With several video templates, you are one click away from generating stylish videos. The good with this tool is that it gives you a platform to inspire your creativity and export 1080P videos without a watermark.

minitool mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • It is friendly for beginners. Thanks to the simple and intuitive interface.
  • It offers plenty of templates, filters, themes, and stickers.

Cons:

  • It has limited editing features compared to top-grade tools like Filmora.
  • The free version is ad-laden and has a forced watermark on the exported file.

FAQs About MP4 Video Editing

1. How Do I Shorten an MP4 Video?

In this article, we have listed 10 free MP4 video editors, but Filmora is one the best tool for shortening mp4 videos. It comes with Auto Scene Detection tool, Instant cutter tool & the Trim feature. The Instant Cutter tool allows you to trim MP4 videos quickly without re-encoding. On the timeline, drag the trim icon to the right or left to remove the video’s beginning and end parts, respectively, and trim your video to shorten an MP4 video easily. The instant cutter tool is totally free to use and there is no watermark.

2. How Can I Split MP4 Files Into Parts for Free?

With the instant cutter tool in Filmora, you can easily split mp4 videos into parts for free as you require. Click Import with Instant Cutter Tool and then open the file, move the playhead to the start position of the video part that you want to keep, and then click the Set In icon. Repeat the process to find the ending point, and then click the Add Segment button to split the video and save it as a new one. You can split several clips from the original footage.

A more accessible alternative to this approach is using the Auto Scene Detection tool . It splits your video into multiple strategic segments automatically based on scene changes. You then end up with multiple split parts of the original video which you can selectively delete and then add to the timeline.

Conclusion

This article has highlighted some of the best MP4 converters worth trying. However, not every tool works for you. Choosing a tool that meets your needs and gives you desired MP4 editing experience is important.

Fortunately, the all-in-one Video editor-Filmora Video Editor, ticks all the boxes and easily becomes the best choice. This MP4 editor offers an unmatchable video and audio editing experience within your budget. Try Filmora today and take your MP4 editing experience to another level.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

MP4 is one of the most popular video formats in the world, however, finding a free video editing software which can edit MP4 or MOV formats videos can be hard - with so many video editing software on the market, you don’t know what is great and what is a piece of junk, you don’t have time to test it one by one.

Thankfully, we have produced a top-five list of the best free MP4 editors for you to check. That’s right - with these video editors, you can just go with it and edit your MP4 video files in no time at all!

If you’re inclined to edit videos with presets and templates and looking for a fully-featured product, you may also want to consider a commercial product like Wondershare Filmora .

This video editing tool enables you to seamlessly put together video clips, music & text, apply effects and get a professional-looking home movie in minutes. Download and try it out.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

See also: Best Video Editing for Windows


Here is a comparison table about the top MP4 editors. Have a quick look.

Supported system Ratings from G2 Pricing Free Trial Level
Filmora Windows/Mac 4.4/5 $49.99/Year, $79.99/Perpetual Available Newbies and experts. All levels of users.
Windows Movie Maker Windows 4.0/5 Free Available User-friendly. Suitable for all levels.
iMovie Mac 4.4/5 Free Available Beginner friendly
Avidemux Mac/Windows/Linux 4.4/5 Free Available Great for beginners
Lightworks Mac/Windows/Linux 3.5/5 $9.99 per user per month. Not available Suitable for all levels of users
VSDC Windows 4.0/5 $19.99 per month Not available Intermediate
VEGAS Pro Windows 4.3/5 $12.99 per month 30-day free trial Suitable for experts.
Openshot Mac/Windows/Linux 4.4/5 Free Available Suitable for newbies and experts.
Clipchamp Web-based 4.3/5 $6 per month Available Newbie-friendly
Freemake Windows 3.8/5 $24 per month. Available Simple. No learning curve. Suitable for all levels of users.
MiniTool MovieMaker Windows 4.0/5 $12.99 per month Not available Suitable for all levels of users.

1. Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a great video editing tool and has been a part of the Windows system for many years. It supports various video formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V and more. The drag-n-drop functionality enables you to easily add video clips from the computer and drop them to the program.

With it, you can easily combine photos and videos, apply transitions and effects, add music or sound, move images and videos around and have them play at the speed of your choice, post to YouTube and much more.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Various video editing options;
  • Easy-to-use;
  • Different output options.

Cons:

  • It crashes a lot;
  • Many different versions of the same product;
  • Not available anymore as a part of Windows OS.

Learn more details about Windows Movie Maker

2. iMovie

As the equivalent of Windows Movie Make for Mac OS X, iMovie gives you the chance to turn any movie into a major production. With a simple to use UI, you can easily enhance your videos quicker than ever. Now just import your video clips from computer or external devices, arrange them on the timeline, drop titles, effects and sounds on to the part of the video you wish to edit, and preview the results.

Once it’s all done, one-click to export your file for iOS or Internet usage.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • User-friendly interface;
  • Improved audio editing and fun Movie Trailers.

Cons:

  • No native AVCHD editing or direct import;
  • Pre-processing and import trans-coding can be time-consuming.

Learn more details about iMovie video editing tips

3. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source video editing program for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It natively supports a great number of video formats like MP4, AVI, MPEG, MKV and ASF and comes with a well selected feature set to get your cutting, filtering and encoding tasks done. It’s also filled with features like different filters, decoding options, frame rate configuration, processing tools etc.

Other great feature is that tasks can be automated using projects and job queue.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Lightweight and fairly simple;
  • A wide selection of filters;
  • Provides command-line interface for advanced users.

Cons:

  • Outdated interface;
  • May drop frames in certain formats;
  • Can be complicated for beginning users.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is one of the most advanced free video editing tools available. With the user-friendly interface and packed timeline, you can easily import, trim and seamlessly weave audio and video files together with a few effortless mouse clicks.

On top of that, it also includes the features like profession-level color correction, video capture function, GPU-accelerated real-time effects and board video formats support.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Customizable screens;
  • Amount of video editing options;
  • High video quality.

Cons:

  • It crashes occasionally;
  • Requires a long learning curve.

5. VSDC Free Video Editor

VSDC is a free video editing program for Windows. The support video formats include MP4, AVI, MKV, MPG, WMV, FLV and more. It provides various video filters, transitions, audio effects as well as drawing and selection tools.

When the editing done, you can choose the optimized save outputs for a variety of devices, including smart phones and gaming consoles.

top mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Provides various useful filters;
  • Different output options.

Cons:

  • Computer resources (CPU and RAM) are required at a high level.

6. VEGAS Pro MP4

VEGAS Pro is one of the highly-rated premium MP4 editor tools in the market. This program has many amazing features, including advanced HDR color correction, scene detection, sound design, and live streaming.

Furthermore, it has hundreds of filters, effects, titles, and transitions to transform your output file. This array of features makes it easy to edit videos on Windows PC.

vegas pro mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • This program has plenty of video editing features.
  • It offers many filters, titles, and transitions.
  • It allows unlimited video and audio tracks.
  • It allows a nested timeline.
  • The color grading tools are clear and top-grade.

Cons:

  • Many users feel the interface is disorganized and difficult for newbies to navigate.
  • The Multicam feature, although present, is nearly unusable.
  • There are no welcome tutorials to get you started with ease.
  • Vegas Pro is expensive and is only suitable for Windows. You can buy it at $249 or subscribe for $12.99 monthly.

7. OpenShot MP4 Video Editor

OpenShot is a popular free media editor for Windows, Linux, and Mac. This open-source tool has evolved and now supports many media formats, including audio, video, and image formats.

This tool has one of the simplest user interfaces designed with all categories of users in mind. It supports over 70 languages, and users can add as many layers of tracks.

OpenShot offers a powerful animation framework to allow users to play around with animations to produce quality output videos. OpenShot also provides transitions and over 14 effects to make your output MP4 file attractive.

openshot mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • OpenShot is a cross-platform video editor; hence, you can use it on Windows, Mac, and Linux without compatibility issues.
  • It offers a good collection of animations and effects to make your video more appealing.
  • It has a simple and user-friendly interface. Therefore, amateurs won’t struggle to edit their MP4 videos.
  • It supports over 70 different languages.
  • It is free.

Cons:

  • Some of the purported features don’t function well.
  • Although it has a good collection of features, several other useful features are missing.
  • It cannot open AVCHD files.

8. Clipchamp MP4 Editor Online

Clipchamp is a free, easy-to-use video editor that is suitable for small business marketing. This web-based MP4 editor is designed with simplicity; hence, users can easily edit videos.

With Clipchamp, you can edit videos of all sizes directly on your browser without experience! You can add special effects, transitions, background music, and texts to make your output MP4 file eye-catchy.

Furthermore, you can trim, cut, split, combine, rotate, flip, and mirror videos depending on your need.

clipchamp edit mp4

Pros:

  • The combination of intelligent features and shortcuts significantly saves your time and energy.
  • It offers a sleek and intuitive interface to edit MP4 videos seamlessly.
  • It provides styling effects and lots of good transitions.
  • It offers several templates to get started.

Cons:

  • Users have limited control over the effects.
  • Most useful content requires subscriptions.
  • Users complain of slow export rendering.

9. Freemake MP4 Video Editor

Freemake is a common name in the media editing industry and is undoubtedly one of the best MP4 video editor tools.

Although it is not a fully-fledged app like other hot names, it allows you to quickly and easily edit MP4 videos on Windows. With Freemake, you can cut, rotate, and import files directly from YouTube.

freemake mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • It supports direct uploads from YouTube.
  • It supports several file formats.
  • It is easy to use.

Cons:

  • It offers basic video editing features.
  • It does not provide Mac support.

10. MiniTool MovieMaker

MiniTool MovieMaker is an easy-to-use video editor enriched with plenty of good video editing features. This tool offers an intuitive interface and collection of features that easily transform how you produce stunning videos.

With several video templates, you are one click away from generating stylish videos. The good with this tool is that it gives you a platform to inspire your creativity and export 1080P videos without a watermark.

minitool mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • It is friendly for beginners. Thanks to the simple and intuitive interface.
  • It offers plenty of templates, filters, themes, and stickers.

Cons:

  • It has limited editing features compared to top-grade tools like Filmora.
  • The free version is ad-laden and has a forced watermark on the exported file.

FAQs About MP4 Video Editing

1. How Do I Shorten an MP4 Video?

In this article, we have listed 10 free MP4 video editors, but Filmora is one the best tool for shortening mp4 videos. It comes with Auto Scene Detection tool, Instant cutter tool & the Trim feature. The Instant Cutter tool allows you to trim MP4 videos quickly without re-encoding. On the timeline, drag the trim icon to the right or left to remove the video’s beginning and end parts, respectively, and trim your video to shorten an MP4 video easily. The instant cutter tool is totally free to use and there is no watermark.

2. How Can I Split MP4 Files Into Parts for Free?

With the instant cutter tool in Filmora, you can easily split mp4 videos into parts for free as you require. Click Import with Instant Cutter Tool and then open the file, move the playhead to the start position of the video part that you want to keep, and then click the Set In icon. Repeat the process to find the ending point, and then click the Add Segment button to split the video and save it as a new one. You can split several clips from the original footage.

A more accessible alternative to this approach is using the Auto Scene Detection tool . It splits your video into multiple strategic segments automatically based on scene changes. You then end up with multiple split parts of the original video which you can selectively delete and then add to the timeline.

Conclusion

This article has highlighted some of the best MP4 converters worth trying. However, not every tool works for you. Choosing a tool that meets your needs and gives you desired MP4 editing experience is important.

Fortunately, the all-in-one Video editor-Filmora Video Editor, ticks all the boxes and easily becomes the best choice. This MP4 editor offers an unmatchable video and audio editing experience within your budget. Try Filmora today and take your MP4 editing experience to another level.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

MP4 is one of the most popular video formats in the world, however, finding a free video editing software which can edit MP4 or MOV formats videos can be hard - with so many video editing software on the market, you don’t know what is great and what is a piece of junk, you don’t have time to test it one by one.

Thankfully, we have produced a top-five list of the best free MP4 editors for you to check. That’s right - with these video editors, you can just go with it and edit your MP4 video files in no time at all!

If you’re inclined to edit videos with presets and templates and looking for a fully-featured product, you may also want to consider a commercial product like Wondershare Filmora .

This video editing tool enables you to seamlessly put together video clips, music & text, apply effects and get a professional-looking home movie in minutes. Download and try it out.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

See also: Best Video Editing for Windows


Here is a comparison table about the top MP4 editors. Have a quick look.

Supported system Ratings from G2 Pricing Free Trial Level
Filmora Windows/Mac 4.4/5 $49.99/Year, $79.99/Perpetual Available Newbies and experts. All levels of users.
Windows Movie Maker Windows 4.0/5 Free Available User-friendly. Suitable for all levels.
iMovie Mac 4.4/5 Free Available Beginner friendly
Avidemux Mac/Windows/Linux 4.4/5 Free Available Great for beginners
Lightworks Mac/Windows/Linux 3.5/5 $9.99 per user per month. Not available Suitable for all levels of users
VSDC Windows 4.0/5 $19.99 per month Not available Intermediate
VEGAS Pro Windows 4.3/5 $12.99 per month 30-day free trial Suitable for experts.
Openshot Mac/Windows/Linux 4.4/5 Free Available Suitable for newbies and experts.
Clipchamp Web-based 4.3/5 $6 per month Available Newbie-friendly
Freemake Windows 3.8/5 $24 per month. Available Simple. No learning curve. Suitable for all levels of users.
MiniTool MovieMaker Windows 4.0/5 $12.99 per month Not available Suitable for all levels of users.

1. Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a great video editing tool and has been a part of the Windows system for many years. It supports various video formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V and more. The drag-n-drop functionality enables you to easily add video clips from the computer and drop them to the program.

With it, you can easily combine photos and videos, apply transitions and effects, add music or sound, move images and videos around and have them play at the speed of your choice, post to YouTube and much more.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Various video editing options;
  • Easy-to-use;
  • Different output options.

Cons:

  • It crashes a lot;
  • Many different versions of the same product;
  • Not available anymore as a part of Windows OS.

Learn more details about Windows Movie Maker

2. iMovie

As the equivalent of Windows Movie Make for Mac OS X, iMovie gives you the chance to turn any movie into a major production. With a simple to use UI, you can easily enhance your videos quicker than ever. Now just import your video clips from computer or external devices, arrange them on the timeline, drop titles, effects and sounds on to the part of the video you wish to edit, and preview the results.

Once it’s all done, one-click to export your file for iOS or Internet usage.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • User-friendly interface;
  • Improved audio editing and fun Movie Trailers.

Cons:

  • No native AVCHD editing or direct import;
  • Pre-processing and import trans-coding can be time-consuming.

Learn more details about iMovie video editing tips

3. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source video editing program for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It natively supports a great number of video formats like MP4, AVI, MPEG, MKV and ASF and comes with a well selected feature set to get your cutting, filtering and encoding tasks done. It’s also filled with features like different filters, decoding options, frame rate configuration, processing tools etc.

Other great feature is that tasks can be automated using projects and job queue.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Lightweight and fairly simple;
  • A wide selection of filters;
  • Provides command-line interface for advanced users.

Cons:

  • Outdated interface;
  • May drop frames in certain formats;
  • Can be complicated for beginning users.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is one of the most advanced free video editing tools available. With the user-friendly interface and packed timeline, you can easily import, trim and seamlessly weave audio and video files together with a few effortless mouse clicks.

On top of that, it also includes the features like profession-level color correction, video capture function, GPU-accelerated real-time effects and board video formats support.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Customizable screens;
  • Amount of video editing options;
  • High video quality.

Cons:

  • It crashes occasionally;
  • Requires a long learning curve.

5. VSDC Free Video Editor

VSDC is a free video editing program for Windows. The support video formats include MP4, AVI, MKV, MPG, WMV, FLV and more. It provides various video filters, transitions, audio effects as well as drawing and selection tools.

When the editing done, you can choose the optimized save outputs for a variety of devices, including smart phones and gaming consoles.

top mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Provides various useful filters;
  • Different output options.

Cons:

  • Computer resources (CPU and RAM) are required at a high level.

6. VEGAS Pro MP4

VEGAS Pro is one of the highly-rated premium MP4 editor tools in the market. This program has many amazing features, including advanced HDR color correction, scene detection, sound design, and live streaming.

Furthermore, it has hundreds of filters, effects, titles, and transitions to transform your output file. This array of features makes it easy to edit videos on Windows PC.

vegas pro mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • This program has plenty of video editing features.
  • It offers many filters, titles, and transitions.
  • It allows unlimited video and audio tracks.
  • It allows a nested timeline.
  • The color grading tools are clear and top-grade.

Cons:

  • Many users feel the interface is disorganized and difficult for newbies to navigate.
  • The Multicam feature, although present, is nearly unusable.
  • There are no welcome tutorials to get you started with ease.
  • Vegas Pro is expensive and is only suitable for Windows. You can buy it at $249 or subscribe for $12.99 monthly.

7. OpenShot MP4 Video Editor

OpenShot is a popular free media editor for Windows, Linux, and Mac. This open-source tool has evolved and now supports many media formats, including audio, video, and image formats.

This tool has one of the simplest user interfaces designed with all categories of users in mind. It supports over 70 languages, and users can add as many layers of tracks.

OpenShot offers a powerful animation framework to allow users to play around with animations to produce quality output videos. OpenShot also provides transitions and over 14 effects to make your output MP4 file attractive.

openshot mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • OpenShot is a cross-platform video editor; hence, you can use it on Windows, Mac, and Linux without compatibility issues.
  • It offers a good collection of animations and effects to make your video more appealing.
  • It has a simple and user-friendly interface. Therefore, amateurs won’t struggle to edit their MP4 videos.
  • It supports over 70 different languages.
  • It is free.

Cons:

  • Some of the purported features don’t function well.
  • Although it has a good collection of features, several other useful features are missing.
  • It cannot open AVCHD files.

8. Clipchamp MP4 Editor Online

Clipchamp is a free, easy-to-use video editor that is suitable for small business marketing. This web-based MP4 editor is designed with simplicity; hence, users can easily edit videos.

With Clipchamp, you can edit videos of all sizes directly on your browser without experience! You can add special effects, transitions, background music, and texts to make your output MP4 file eye-catchy.

Furthermore, you can trim, cut, split, combine, rotate, flip, and mirror videos depending on your need.

clipchamp edit mp4

Pros:

  • The combination of intelligent features and shortcuts significantly saves your time and energy.
  • It offers a sleek and intuitive interface to edit MP4 videos seamlessly.
  • It provides styling effects and lots of good transitions.
  • It offers several templates to get started.

Cons:

  • Users have limited control over the effects.
  • Most useful content requires subscriptions.
  • Users complain of slow export rendering.

9. Freemake MP4 Video Editor

Freemake is a common name in the media editing industry and is undoubtedly one of the best MP4 video editor tools.

Although it is not a fully-fledged app like other hot names, it allows you to quickly and easily edit MP4 videos on Windows. With Freemake, you can cut, rotate, and import files directly from YouTube.

freemake mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • It supports direct uploads from YouTube.
  • It supports several file formats.
  • It is easy to use.

Cons:

  • It offers basic video editing features.
  • It does not provide Mac support.

10. MiniTool MovieMaker

MiniTool MovieMaker is an easy-to-use video editor enriched with plenty of good video editing features. This tool offers an intuitive interface and collection of features that easily transform how you produce stunning videos.

With several video templates, you are one click away from generating stylish videos. The good with this tool is that it gives you a platform to inspire your creativity and export 1080P videos without a watermark.

minitool mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • It is friendly for beginners. Thanks to the simple and intuitive interface.
  • It offers plenty of templates, filters, themes, and stickers.

Cons:

  • It has limited editing features compared to top-grade tools like Filmora.
  • The free version is ad-laden and has a forced watermark on the exported file.

FAQs About MP4 Video Editing

1. How Do I Shorten an MP4 Video?

In this article, we have listed 10 free MP4 video editors, but Filmora is one the best tool for shortening mp4 videos. It comes with Auto Scene Detection tool, Instant cutter tool & the Trim feature. The Instant Cutter tool allows you to trim MP4 videos quickly without re-encoding. On the timeline, drag the trim icon to the right or left to remove the video’s beginning and end parts, respectively, and trim your video to shorten an MP4 video easily. The instant cutter tool is totally free to use and there is no watermark.

2. How Can I Split MP4 Files Into Parts for Free?

With the instant cutter tool in Filmora, you can easily split mp4 videos into parts for free as you require. Click Import with Instant Cutter Tool and then open the file, move the playhead to the start position of the video part that you want to keep, and then click the Set In icon. Repeat the process to find the ending point, and then click the Add Segment button to split the video and save it as a new one. You can split several clips from the original footage.

A more accessible alternative to this approach is using the Auto Scene Detection tool . It splits your video into multiple strategic segments automatically based on scene changes. You then end up with multiple split parts of the original video which you can selectively delete and then add to the timeline.

Conclusion

This article has highlighted some of the best MP4 converters worth trying. However, not every tool works for you. Choosing a tool that meets your needs and gives you desired MP4 editing experience is important.

Fortunately, the all-in-one Video editor-Filmora Video Editor, ticks all the boxes and easily becomes the best choice. This MP4 editor offers an unmatchable video and audio editing experience within your budget. Try Filmora today and take your MP4 editing experience to another level.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

MP4 is one of the most popular video formats in the world, however, finding a free video editing software which can edit MP4 or MOV formats videos can be hard - with so many video editing software on the market, you don’t know what is great and what is a piece of junk, you don’t have time to test it one by one.

Thankfully, we have produced a top-five list of the best free MP4 editors for you to check. That’s right - with these video editors, you can just go with it and edit your MP4 video files in no time at all!

If you’re inclined to edit videos with presets and templates and looking for a fully-featured product, you may also want to consider a commercial product like Wondershare Filmora .

This video editing tool enables you to seamlessly put together video clips, music & text, apply effects and get a professional-looking home movie in minutes. Download and try it out.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

See also: Best Video Editing for Windows


Here is a comparison table about the top MP4 editors. Have a quick look.

Supported system Ratings from G2 Pricing Free Trial Level
Filmora Windows/Mac 4.4/5 $49.99/Year, $79.99/Perpetual Available Newbies and experts. All levels of users.
Windows Movie Maker Windows 4.0/5 Free Available User-friendly. Suitable for all levels.
iMovie Mac 4.4/5 Free Available Beginner friendly
Avidemux Mac/Windows/Linux 4.4/5 Free Available Great for beginners
Lightworks Mac/Windows/Linux 3.5/5 $9.99 per user per month. Not available Suitable for all levels of users
VSDC Windows 4.0/5 $19.99 per month Not available Intermediate
VEGAS Pro Windows 4.3/5 $12.99 per month 30-day free trial Suitable for experts.
Openshot Mac/Windows/Linux 4.4/5 Free Available Suitable for newbies and experts.
Clipchamp Web-based 4.3/5 $6 per month Available Newbie-friendly
Freemake Windows 3.8/5 $24 per month. Available Simple. No learning curve. Suitable for all levels of users.
MiniTool MovieMaker Windows 4.0/5 $12.99 per month Not available Suitable for all levels of users.

1. Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a great video editing tool and has been a part of the Windows system for many years. It supports various video formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V and more. The drag-n-drop functionality enables you to easily add video clips from the computer and drop them to the program.

With it, you can easily combine photos and videos, apply transitions and effects, add music or sound, move images and videos around and have them play at the speed of your choice, post to YouTube and much more.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Various video editing options;
  • Easy-to-use;
  • Different output options.

Cons:

  • It crashes a lot;
  • Many different versions of the same product;
  • Not available anymore as a part of Windows OS.

Learn more details about Windows Movie Maker

2. iMovie

As the equivalent of Windows Movie Make for Mac OS X, iMovie gives you the chance to turn any movie into a major production. With a simple to use UI, you can easily enhance your videos quicker than ever. Now just import your video clips from computer or external devices, arrange them on the timeline, drop titles, effects and sounds on to the part of the video you wish to edit, and preview the results.

Once it’s all done, one-click to export your file for iOS or Internet usage.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • User-friendly interface;
  • Improved audio editing and fun Movie Trailers.

Cons:

  • No native AVCHD editing or direct import;
  • Pre-processing and import trans-coding can be time-consuming.

Learn more details about iMovie video editing tips

3. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source video editing program for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It natively supports a great number of video formats like MP4, AVI, MPEG, MKV and ASF and comes with a well selected feature set to get your cutting, filtering and encoding tasks done. It’s also filled with features like different filters, decoding options, frame rate configuration, processing tools etc.

Other great feature is that tasks can be automated using projects and job queue.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Lightweight and fairly simple;
  • A wide selection of filters;
  • Provides command-line interface for advanced users.

Cons:

  • Outdated interface;
  • May drop frames in certain formats;
  • Can be complicated for beginning users.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is one of the most advanced free video editing tools available. With the user-friendly interface and packed timeline, you can easily import, trim and seamlessly weave audio and video files together with a few effortless mouse clicks.

On top of that, it also includes the features like profession-level color correction, video capture function, GPU-accelerated real-time effects and board video formats support.

free mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Customizable screens;
  • Amount of video editing options;
  • High video quality.

Cons:

  • It crashes occasionally;
  • Requires a long learning curve.

5. VSDC Free Video Editor

VSDC is a free video editing program for Windows. The support video formats include MP4, AVI, MKV, MPG, WMV, FLV and more. It provides various video filters, transitions, audio effects as well as drawing and selection tools.

When the editing done, you can choose the optimized save outputs for a variety of devices, including smart phones and gaming consoles.

top mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • Provides various useful filters;
  • Different output options.

Cons:

  • Computer resources (CPU and RAM) are required at a high level.

6. VEGAS Pro MP4

VEGAS Pro is one of the highly-rated premium MP4 editor tools in the market. This program has many amazing features, including advanced HDR color correction, scene detection, sound design, and live streaming.

Furthermore, it has hundreds of filters, effects, titles, and transitions to transform your output file. This array of features makes it easy to edit videos on Windows PC.

vegas pro mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • This program has plenty of video editing features.
  • It offers many filters, titles, and transitions.
  • It allows unlimited video and audio tracks.
  • It allows a nested timeline.
  • The color grading tools are clear and top-grade.

Cons:

  • Many users feel the interface is disorganized and difficult for newbies to navigate.
  • The Multicam feature, although present, is nearly unusable.
  • There are no welcome tutorials to get you started with ease.
  • Vegas Pro is expensive and is only suitable for Windows. You can buy it at $249 or subscribe for $12.99 monthly.

7. OpenShot MP4 Video Editor

OpenShot is a popular free media editor for Windows, Linux, and Mac. This open-source tool has evolved and now supports many media formats, including audio, video, and image formats.

This tool has one of the simplest user interfaces designed with all categories of users in mind. It supports over 70 languages, and users can add as many layers of tracks.

OpenShot offers a powerful animation framework to allow users to play around with animations to produce quality output videos. OpenShot also provides transitions and over 14 effects to make your output MP4 file attractive.

openshot mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • OpenShot is a cross-platform video editor; hence, you can use it on Windows, Mac, and Linux without compatibility issues.
  • It offers a good collection of animations and effects to make your video more appealing.
  • It has a simple and user-friendly interface. Therefore, amateurs won’t struggle to edit their MP4 videos.
  • It supports over 70 different languages.
  • It is free.

Cons:

  • Some of the purported features don’t function well.
  • Although it has a good collection of features, several other useful features are missing.
  • It cannot open AVCHD files.

8. Clipchamp MP4 Editor Online

Clipchamp is a free, easy-to-use video editor that is suitable for small business marketing. This web-based MP4 editor is designed with simplicity; hence, users can easily edit videos.

With Clipchamp, you can edit videos of all sizes directly on your browser without experience! You can add special effects, transitions, background music, and texts to make your output MP4 file eye-catchy.

Furthermore, you can trim, cut, split, combine, rotate, flip, and mirror videos depending on your need.

clipchamp edit mp4

Pros:

  • The combination of intelligent features and shortcuts significantly saves your time and energy.
  • It offers a sleek and intuitive interface to edit MP4 videos seamlessly.
  • It provides styling effects and lots of good transitions.
  • It offers several templates to get started.

Cons:

  • Users have limited control over the effects.
  • Most useful content requires subscriptions.
  • Users complain of slow export rendering.

9. Freemake MP4 Video Editor

Freemake is a common name in the media editing industry and is undoubtedly one of the best MP4 video editor tools.

Although it is not a fully-fledged app like other hot names, it allows you to quickly and easily edit MP4 videos on Windows. With Freemake, you can cut, rotate, and import files directly from YouTube.

freemake mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • It supports direct uploads from YouTube.
  • It supports several file formats.
  • It is easy to use.

Cons:

  • It offers basic video editing features.
  • It does not provide Mac support.

10. MiniTool MovieMaker

MiniTool MovieMaker is an easy-to-use video editor enriched with plenty of good video editing features. This tool offers an intuitive interface and collection of features that easily transform how you produce stunning videos.

With several video templates, you are one click away from generating stylish videos. The good with this tool is that it gives you a platform to inspire your creativity and export 1080P videos without a watermark.

minitool mp4 video editor

Pros:

  • It is friendly for beginners. Thanks to the simple and intuitive interface.
  • It offers plenty of templates, filters, themes, and stickers.

Cons:

  • It has limited editing features compared to top-grade tools like Filmora.
  • The free version is ad-laden and has a forced watermark on the exported file.

FAQs About MP4 Video Editing

1. How Do I Shorten an MP4 Video?

In this article, we have listed 10 free MP4 video editors, but Filmora is one the best tool for shortening mp4 videos. It comes with Auto Scene Detection tool, Instant cutter tool & the Trim feature. The Instant Cutter tool allows you to trim MP4 videos quickly without re-encoding. On the timeline, drag the trim icon to the right or left to remove the video’s beginning and end parts, respectively, and trim your video to shorten an MP4 video easily. The instant cutter tool is totally free to use and there is no watermark.

2. How Can I Split MP4 Files Into Parts for Free?

With the instant cutter tool in Filmora, you can easily split mp4 videos into parts for free as you require. Click Import with Instant Cutter Tool and then open the file, move the playhead to the start position of the video part that you want to keep, and then click the Set In icon. Repeat the process to find the ending point, and then click the Add Segment button to split the video and save it as a new one. You can split several clips from the original footage.

A more accessible alternative to this approach is using the Auto Scene Detection tool . It splits your video into multiple strategic segments automatically based on scene changes. You then end up with multiple split parts of the original video which you can selectively delete and then add to the timeline.

Conclusion

This article has highlighted some of the best MP4 converters worth trying. However, not every tool works for you. Choosing a tool that meets your needs and gives you desired MP4 editing experience is important.

Fortunately, the all-in-one Video editor-Filmora Video Editor, ticks all the boxes and easily becomes the best choice. This MP4 editor offers an unmatchable video and audio editing experience within your budget. Try Filmora today and take your MP4 editing experience to another level.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

10 Essential Public Domain Image Resources for Designers

10 Best Public Domain Image Websites

author avatar

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

  • Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
  • A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
  • A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Public Domain Images from Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

  • Neatly organized website
  • Free and easy sign-up
  • Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
  • Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

  • Some categories should contain more images
  • Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Public Domain Images from Plxabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

  • Powerful search tools and various filters
  • Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

  • Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

wikimedia commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

  • All images are available in high resolution
  • Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

  • Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
  • The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

Flickr commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

  • Unlimited access to historical photos
  • Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

  • Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
  • Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

Unsplash public domain image

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

  • Excellent source of high-resolution photos
  • Quick and easy search

Cons:

  • Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
  • Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

  • Images are organized into categories
  • Access to rare images

Cons

  • Some images are not free
  • Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile public domain image

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

  • Creating an account on Morguefile is free
  • All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

  • Images can be organized better
  • Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

  • Professional quality of images
  • All images are free

Cons:

  • A limited selection of photos
  • Doesn’t offer vector graphics

NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

  • Public domain images are available in different resolutions
  • Offers valuable research materials

Cons

  • Some images are subject to copyright
  • Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

  • Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
  • A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

  • Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
  • Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

  • The title of the image
  • Author’s name
  • Information about the institution at which an image is kept
  • The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

  • Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
  • A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
  • A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Public Domain Images from Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

  • Neatly organized website
  • Free and easy sign-up
  • Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
  • Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

  • Some categories should contain more images
  • Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Public Domain Images from Plxabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

  • Powerful search tools and various filters
  • Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

  • Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

wikimedia commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

  • All images are available in high resolution
  • Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

  • Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
  • The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

Flickr commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

  • Unlimited access to historical photos
  • Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

  • Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
  • Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

Unsplash public domain image

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

  • Excellent source of high-resolution photos
  • Quick and easy search

Cons:

  • Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
  • Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

  • Images are organized into categories
  • Access to rare images

Cons

  • Some images are not free
  • Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile public domain image

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

  • Creating an account on Morguefile is free
  • All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

  • Images can be organized better
  • Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

  • Professional quality of images
  • All images are free

Cons:

  • A limited selection of photos
  • Doesn’t offer vector graphics

NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

  • Public domain images are available in different resolutions
  • Offers valuable research materials

Cons

  • Some images are subject to copyright
  • Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

  • Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
  • A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

  • Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
  • Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

  • The title of the image
  • Author’s name
  • Information about the institution at which an image is kept
  • The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

  • Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
  • A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
  • A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Public Domain Images from Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

  • Neatly organized website
  • Free and easy sign-up
  • Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
  • Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

  • Some categories should contain more images
  • Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Public Domain Images from Plxabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

  • Powerful search tools and various filters
  • Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

  • Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

wikimedia commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

  • All images are available in high resolution
  • Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

  • Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
  • The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

Flickr commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

  • Unlimited access to historical photos
  • Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

  • Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
  • Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

Unsplash public domain image

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

  • Excellent source of high-resolution photos
  • Quick and easy search

Cons:

  • Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
  • Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

  • Images are organized into categories
  • Access to rare images

Cons

  • Some images are not free
  • Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile public domain image

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

  • Creating an account on Morguefile is free
  • All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

  • Images can be organized better
  • Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

  • Professional quality of images
  • All images are free

Cons:

  • A limited selection of photos
  • Doesn’t offer vector graphics

NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

  • Public domain images are available in different resolutions
  • Offers valuable research materials

Cons

  • Some images are subject to copyright
  • Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

  • Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
  • A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

  • Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
  • Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

  • The title of the image
  • Author’s name
  • Information about the institution at which an image is kept
  • The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

  • Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
  • A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
  • A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Public Domain Images from Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

  • Neatly organized website
  • Free and easy sign-up
  • Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
  • Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

  • Some categories should contain more images
  • Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Public Domain Images from Plxabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

  • Powerful search tools and various filters
  • Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

  • Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

wikimedia commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

  • All images are available in high resolution
  • Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

  • Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
  • The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

Flickr commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

  • Unlimited access to historical photos
  • Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

  • Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
  • Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

Unsplash public domain image

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

  • Excellent source of high-resolution photos
  • Quick and easy search

Cons:

  • Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
  • Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

  • Images are organized into categories
  • Access to rare images

Cons

  • Some images are not free
  • Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile public domain image

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

  • Creating an account on Morguefile is free
  • All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

  • Images can be organized better
  • Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

  • Professional quality of images
  • All images are free

Cons:

  • A limited selection of photos
  • Doesn’t offer vector graphics

NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

  • Public domain images are available in different resolutions
  • Offers valuable research materials

Cons

  • Some images are subject to copyright
  • Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

  • Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
  • A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

  • Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
  • Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

  • The title of the image
  • Author’s name
  • Information about the institution at which an image is kept
  • The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

author avatar

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Also read:

  • Title: Updated Splice Video Editing App A Hands-On Examination
  • Author: Ava
  • Created at : 2024-05-19 14:41:29
  • Updated at : 2024-05-20 14:41:29
  • Link: https://video-content-creator.techidaily.com/updated-splice-video-editing-app-a-hands-on-examination/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
On this page
Updated Splice Video Editing App A Hands-On Examination