Lightworks has long held its place as one of the top contenders in the realm of free video editing software. Renowned for its robust features, customizable interface, and multi-track editing capabilities, it continues to impress users.
In our previous review, Lightworks received a stellar rating of 4.5 stars. It stood out as a non-linear video editor available across Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, all without any upfront cost. However, a caveat accompanied its free status: while it boasted powerful tools, certain essential export options were restricted to the paid version.
Now, with the latest version, Lightworks unveils several notable improvements. Upon launch, users are greeted with a new 'Startup Wizard' facilitating language selection, keyboard shortcut preferences, and layout customization. Creating new projects has been streamlined, eliminating the need for manual frame rate settings. Instead, projects inherit dimensions and frame rates from the initial clip added to the timeline.
Enhanced popup helpers provide insightful guidance during actions, catering to both novice and experienced users. Notably, cloud storage integration offers seamless access to media across devices, a valuable addition for collaborative projects.
The VFX section sees improvements, particularly in color correction, with support for LUTs and enhanced vectorscopes. However, many advanced features are exclusive to the paid versions, underscoring the importance of considering upgrade options for full functionality.
While Lightworks remains free, additional features are unlocked through Create and Pro versions, available via subscription or perpetual license. Premium options include ProRes encoding, expanded export capabilities, and automated quality control, catering to professional editing needs.
In summary, Lightworks stands as a powerful video editor suitable for a wide range of users. While the free version offers substantial functionality, paid versions unlock advanced tools for professional-grade editing. With ongoing improvements, Lightworks continues to evolve as a responsive and versatile editing solution, though the limitation to export beyond 720p remains a drawback for some users.