Best Paid and Free Tools to Split and Cut Videos

Creating engaging video clips isn't just about shooting great footage. Often, the magic happens in the editing room. Knowing how to trim and delete unnecessary sections and cut your clips precisely can transform amateur content into professional-quality video files. 

Below, we'll explore the best tools available for video editing, with a specific focus on cutting, trimming, and splitting videos. From free built-in apps to professional-grade software, you'll discover options suited for every skill level and budget. 

Video Cutting Basics

Let's start by clarifying some fundamental video editing terminology: 

• Trimming refers to removing unwanted portions from the beginning or end of a video clip to shorten it.
• Cutting involves removing specific sections from the middle of your footage while preserving the rest.
• Splitting divides a single video file into multiple separate clips. 

These essential functions are the foundation of video editing, allowing you to remove mistakes, tighten pacing, and create more dynamic content. Most video editors use a timeline interface where you can visualize your footage and make precise edits with tools like sliders, markers, or a scissors icon. 

Why You Need to Cut Parts of a Video Out

There are several compelling reasons to trim and cut your videos: 

1. Improve engagement: Removing unnecessary content keeps viewers interested.
2. Create professional results: Clean cuts and seamless transitions make your video look polished.
3. Reduce file size: Shorter videos are easier to share and upload.
4. Repurpose content: Transform long-form content into platform-specific shorts for social media profiles. 

Now, let's explore the best tools for the job.

Desktop Software Solutions

1. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro stands as the industry standard for professional video editing. This powerful software offers precise cutting capabilities through its intuitive timeline interface.

Premiere Pro excels at handling complex timelines with multiple video and audio tracks, making it ideal for professional projects. The software features a razor tool that lets you make precise cuts anywhere in your footage. The timeline provides a visual representation of your entire video file, allowing you to easily identify and remove unwanted sections. 

What sets Premiere Pro apart is its flexibility with various video formats and its integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications. The software supports high-resolution editing, including 4K and beyond, making it suitable for professional video production. However, its comprehensive feature set comes with a steeper learning curve compared to other options. 

2. Final Cut Pro

Available exclusively for Mac users, Final Cut Pro combines professional capabilities with a relatively straightforward interface. 

Final Cut Pro features a magnetic timeline that automatically adjusts as you trim, cut, and rearrange clips, reducing the chance of creating gaps in your edit. The software excels at organizing large projects with its robust media management system. 

One of Final Cut Pro's standout features is its performance optimization for Mac hardware, offering smooth editing even with high-resolution footage. The blade tool makes it easy to split clips at exact frames, while the trim tool provides precise control over clip endpoints. Final Cut Pro is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, making it attractive for Mac users who prefer to own their software outright.

3. DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve has grown from a color grading tool to a complete video editing solution. The free version offers robust editing capabilities that rival paid software. 

DaVinci Resolve's Edit page provides comprehensive tools for cutting and trimming, including ripple, roll, slip, and slide editing modes that offer different ways to adjust clip boundaries. The software stands out for its node-based color grading system, which gives editors unprecedented control over the look of their footage. 

What makes DaVinci Resolve particularly appealing is that its free version contains nearly all the features of the paid Studio version, with the main limitations being some advanced noise reduction tools and support for higher-than-4K resolutions. This makes it an excellent entry point for those looking to develop professional editing skills without a significant financial investment.

4. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora bridges the gap between professional and beginner-friendly editing software, offering an intuitive interface with powerful features. 

Filmora's approach prioritizes accessibility without sacrificing functionality. The timeline is straightforward, with simple tools for trimming clip edges and splitting videos at the playhead position. The software includes a scissors icon for making quick cuts and a dedicated trim mode for fine-tuning edit points. 

What makes Filmora stand out is its balance of simplicity and capability. It offers advanced features like keyframing, speed adjustment, and color grading while maintaining an interface that doesn't overwhelm beginners. Filmora also includes a library of effects, transitions, and titles that can be easily applied to your trimmed footage, making it a comprehensive solution for content creators. 

Free Online Video Trimmers

1. Online Video Cutter

This web-based tool allows you to trim videos without installing any software. It supports various video file formats and provides basic editing functionality. 

Online Video Cutter is designed for simplicity, offering a straightforward interface where you upload your video file, select the portion you want to keep using a slider tool, and download the result. It's particularly useful for quick edits when you don't have access to desktop software.

The tool processes your video in the cloud, meaning you don't need a powerful computer to perform edits. However, this also means that larger files may take longer to upload and process. Online Video Cutter is best suited for small, simple trimming tasks rather than complex editing projects.

2. Clipify (Free Version)

Clipify offers a simple yet effective way to trim video files directly from your browser. Its intuitive interface makes video editing accessible to everyone. This is a freemium software in the sense that you can start working with it for free, but to gain access to all the bells and whistles, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid account. 

The platform provides a visual timeline where you can easily identify the sections you want to remove. Clipify's scissors tool allows for precise cutting, while the timeline zoom feature helps you make frame-accurate edits. The platform supports a variety of input and output formats, making it versatile for different needs. 

Clipify strikes a good balance between functionality and ease of use, making it suitable for both casual users and those with some editing experience. The web-based nature means you can access your projects from different devices, though the free version does place a watermark on exported videos.

Built-in Operating System Tools

Most computers come with a video editor. Here are the two most common ones:

1. iMovie (Mac)

Apple's iMovie comes pre-installed on Mac computers and iOS devices, making it the go-to solution for Apple users needing basic video editing. 

iMovie features a simple timeline where clips can be arranged, trimmed, and split. The software uses yellow handles at clip boundaries that you can drag to adjust the start and end points. For removing sections from the middle of clips, iMovie allows you to split at the playhead position and delete the unwanted segments. 

What makes iMovie valuable is its seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem. Videos shot on an iPhone can be easily imported and edited without format compatibility issues. While it lacks the advanced features of professional software, iMovie provides enough functionality for creating polished videos for personal projects and social media content.

2. Clipchamp (Windows)

Windows users can perform basic video editing directly through the Clipchamp app without installing additional software.

Again, this is a freemium service that doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles unless you upgrade. Unlike the Photos app which had limited functionality, the Clipcamp app includes a trim feature, filters and effects, basic stock media, and text to speech options. 

The interface displays a timeline that allows you to drag to adjust the start and end points of your video. This straightforward approach makes it accessible even to those with no editing experience. 

While the Clipchamp free version of the app is limited in features compared to dedicated editing software, its integration with Windows makes it immediately available to all Windows users. It's perfect for quick trims before sharing videos, though it lacks the ability to make cuts from the middle of footage without splitting the file into separate clips first.

Mobile Apps for Video Editing

1. InShot (iOS and Android)

InShot has become a favorite among mobile content creators for its balance of powerful features and ease of use. 

The app provides a frame-accurate timeline where you can precisely trim your footage by dragging clip endpoints. InShot's scissors icon allows you to split clips at any point, making it easy to remove unwanted sections from the middle of your videos. The interface is touch-optimized, making these operations intuitive on mobile devices. 

What distinguishes InShot is its focus on creating content for social media. The app offers various aspect ratios tailored to different platforms and includes features like canvas adjustment, filters, and text overlays. This makes it not just a trimming tool but a comprehensive solution for creating platform-specific content entirely on your mobile device.

2. KineMaster (iOS and Android)

KineMaster brings near-desktop-level editing capabilities to mobile devices with a comprehensive set of tools. 

The app features a multi-layer timeline that allows for complex edits typically only found in desktop software. KineMaster's precision trimming tools let you make frame-by-frame adjustments by pinching to zoom the timeline and tapping to position the playhead exactly where you want to cut. 

What sets KineMaster apart from other mobile editors is its professional-grade feature set, including keyframe animation, speed control, chroma key, and audio mixing. These capabilities make it suitable not just for trimming videos but for creating fully produced content entirely on a mobile device.

How Castmagic Complements Your Video Editing Workflow

While Castmagic doesn't directly trim or cut videos, it serves as an invaluable companion to your video editing process. As an AI-powered content platform, Castmagic helps identify the perfect moments to cut by analyzing your video content. 

Finding the Perfect Cut Points with Castmagic

When editing videos, one of the most time-consuming tasks is identifying which parts to keep and which to remove. Castmagic's AI tools can help by: 

1. Transcribing your video content: Castmagic's transcription feature converts your video's audio into text, making it easier to identify key sections and natural break points for your edits.
2. Identifying key moments: The platform can highlight important discussions, quotes, or transitions that should be preserved in your edit, helping you make informed decisions about where to trim.
3. Generating timestamps: Castmagic creates timestamps for important moments, giving you a roadmap of where to make your cuts in your video editor. This feature alone can save hours of scrubbing through footage.

Enhancing Your Social Media Presence

After you've cut and trimmed your video using one of the tools mentioned above, Castmagic's Clip Generator feature can help maximize its impact: 

1. Creating audiograms: Transform key moments from your video into engaging audiograms for social media profiles. These visual representations of audio can significantly increase engagement on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
2. Generating social media captions: Castmagic can create optimized captions for your trimmed videos, saving you time and increasing engagement across platforms.
3. Suggesting hashtags and keywords: Get AI-powered recommendations for tags that increase your content's discoverability, ensuring your carefully edited videos reach their intended audience.

By using Castmagic alongside your video editing software of choice, you can create a streamlined workflow that not only helps you make better editing decisions but also enhances how you share and promote your content. 

Best Practices for Video Trimming

Regardless of which tool you choose, follow these best practices for optimal results: 

1. Plan your cuts before you begin: Watch through your footage and note timecodes where cuts should occur. Having a clear editing plan saves time and results in more cohesive videos.
2. Use keyboard shortcuts: Most professional editors offer shortcuts that speed up your workflow significantly. Learning the most common ones can dramatically increase your efficiency.
3. Maintain continuity: Be mindful of jump cuts that might disorient viewers. Consider how one shot flows into the next when making cuts.
4. Consider audio transitions: Abrupt audio cuts can be jarring; use crossfades when appropriate to smooth the transition between clips.
5. Always save your original footage: Edit and crop non-destructively by keeping original files intact. Don't delete your original videos because this allows you to revisit your original project if you need to make changes later.
6. Export from your editor at appropriate quality: Balance file size with visual quality based on your distribution channel. Higher quality is better for professional presentations, while compressed files work well for social media.

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Needs

The best video editing tool for you depends on several factors: 

• Skill level: Beginners might start with built-in apps like Photos app or iMovie, while professionals might need the advanced features of Premiere Pro or Final Cut.
• Project complexity: Simple trimming can be done with online tools, while multiple cuts, transitions, and effects require more robust software.
• Budget: Free options work well for occasional editing, while paid professional tools make sense for regular content creators who need advanced features.
• Platform: Consider whether you need to edit on desktop, mobile, or both, and choose tools that support your primary working environment.

Where to Go From Here

Video editing doesn't have to be intimidating. With the right tools and a basic understanding of trimming and cutting techniques, anyone can transform raw footage into compelling content. Whether you're using the free Clipchamp app on Windows, professional software like Adobe Premiere Pro, or mobile apps like InShot, the ability to precisely control what viewers see is powerful. 

And remember, while tools like Castmagic don't directly cut your videos, they can significantly enhance your editing workflow by helping you identify the perfect moments to keep or remove. By combining the right video editor with Castmagic's AI-powered content tools, you'll not only create better videos but also maximize their impact across all your distribution channels. 

The key is finding the right balance between functionality and usability for your specific needs. Whether you're creating content for social media, professional presentations, or personal projects, there's a video trimming solution that's perfect for you. 

Start experimenting with these tools today, and watch as your video content transforms from rough footage to polished, professional productions that captivate your audience.

You can grab a free trial of Castmagic to help you find the perfect clips too. Click here to get started!