7 Best MP4 Editors for Mac: Edit MP4 in Mac

Getting into the industry of video editing doesn’t have to break your bank and spent all night to know how. If this is your first time and you don’t want to invest in expensive software, worry no more! There are free MP4 video editing software out there that lets you create pro-level projects. Check out this list of best MP4 Video Editors available for free for MAC.

FILMORA VIDEO EDITOR

Filmora Video Editor is one of the best and easiest editing software out there. It's fairly fast, easy to learn due to the user-friendly interface, and offers advanced features to keep your content for a year.

Features:

Audio Equalizer

4K Resolution Editing Support

GIF Support

Split Screen

Video And Audio Controls

Layer Multiple Video Clips

Video Stabilization

Color Grading Presets

Advanced Text Editing

Tilt-Shift

Mosaic (Blurring)

Noise Removal

Social Import

Frame By Frame Preview

Speed Control

Audio-Mixer

Chroma Key Backgrounds

Screen Recording

Audio Separation

Scene Detection

Cons:

Watermarkings

Proxy set up

Compatibility of video importing

Steps:

After you download and install Filmora, open the app, then choose a dropdown option from the Select Project Aspect Ratio.

To import your files, go to File > Import Media Folder menu in Filmora,

select the folder that contains your files.

With your library in view, you can now add clips on the timeline by dragging-or-dropping.

If you wish to shorten your clips, click on the left or right edges of the clip on the timeline and drag it to shorten it.

With a clip selected, click on the Effects icon at the top of the app. You'll instantly see a deep visual library of effects that you can add to your project. Just double click on an effect and you'll add it to the active clip.

With a clip selected, click on Transitions above the editing area. Double-click on any of the many transition presets in order to blend two clips together.

Click on Titles above the video editor to open the menu. Once the menu is open, you'll see a selection of text effects, conveniently organized into important categories like titles, lower thirds, and more. Drag-and-drop any of these effects on top of your timeline to add it to the video.

If you’re ready and want to export your video, you can see the ‘export’ button in view above the editing area. Click the button then choose which format you want to render.

SHOTCUT

Shotcut is a completely free, open source editing program that gets the job done with minimal interface complexity.

Features:

Import Video

Keyframing

Cutting and Splicing

Transition

Titles

Effects

Cons:

Interface is not user-friendly

Limited transition

No export presets for devices

Steps:

After you download and run Shotcut, open the app, then set a project folder path > name it > select one of the video modes (SD, HD or UHD at different frame rate) > Start.

To import your files, go to File > Open File > select one or several video clips > open. Then drag the videos in the Playlist to the Timeline area for editing.

Click "Filters" in the toolbar. Switch from 'Favorite' to 'Video' tab > scroll down to find 'Text' or search 'Text' directly. Type in the Text box, choose a font, adjust the size and color.

Click 'Filters' in the toolbar > Video > Crop (circle, rectangle or source). Change corner radius and padding color in Crop: rectangle.

Move down to the Timeline area and slide the playhead to where you want to split. Click 'Split At Playhead' (right beside the 'Toggle snapping' button, or simply press S.

Get two videos overlapped and then the transition zone appears. Choose a transition type in 'Properties', like Dissolve, Cut, Iris box, Clock top, etc.

Go to 'File' and then 'Export video'. Choose YouTube for uploading online.

iMOVIE

iMovie is Apple’s video editing software that is free and comes preinstalled on Mac computers.

Features:

Effects

Trailer templates

Backgrounds and Transitions

Customizable controls & fine-tuning

Cons:

It takes up a lot of storage space

It can be slow when working with large files

The tool is very basic, so if you are looking for very advanced functionality, look elsewhere

Steps:

Before you jump onto the timeline, you have to get your individual clips into the program. This process is called Importing. Once you’ve created a new project, all you have to do is click the import button or press ⌘ + I. Then select the video and audio clips you want to edit and click Import Selected.

When you created a trailer, you already selected a theme. However, you can add or change this at any time for both videos and trailers. To change you theme, follow this instruction:

To change your theme:

Go into your iMovie project. Click Settings on the right side above the timeline. Choose the button that says No Theme. Next, select a theme for your video. Choose Change.

To add a transition, make sure you have two or more clips on your timeline. From there,

click Transitions on the iMovie toolbar, and then choose your transition.

To add filters, select one or more video clips, choose the Filter and Audio Effects button on the right side of the app, then click None next to the Clip Filter and select your filter.

To add a title, choose the purple marker in the timeline, double-click on the existing text, then type your text and adjust the style.

AVIDEMUX

Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It is best used for beginners who want quick edits.

Features:

Cutting

Copy Portions of a Video

Remove Portions of a Video

Save Small Parts

Filtering

Video Filters

Audio Filters

Encoding

Custom Scripts

Supports Common Video Formats

Deinterlacing Video

Convert Video To A Smaller Size

Joblist

Project Files

Convert Video For Archiving or Publishing

Cons:
Batch process unavailable

Intricate and confusing cut features

Steps:

How to use Avidemux to crop a video?

Step1: launch Avidemux and drag the video you want to edit into the window.

Step 2: Go to Video>Filters>Crop.

Step 3: Those 4 entry boxes help you set how many pixels to crop and from what direction, showing you to crop the entire video in the way you like.

Step4: click "OK" to close the filters selection window and save it.

How to use Avidemux to trim a video?

Step1: launch Avidemux and add the video to the program by dragging it to the window.

Step2: with the bar below, select the point where you want to start the video and click on the letter "A" and mark point "B" where you want to end (cut) your video.

Step3: Finally from the menu select File>Save>Save Video.

How to use Avidemux to rotate a video?

Step 1: launch Avidemux and drag the video you want to edit into the program.

Step 2: select your Video Output file choice in the drop-down menu.

Step 3: open the pop up window referred to as "Filters" and select the filter "Transform".

Step 4: click the filter "Rotate" and add it (another little window will pop up).

Step 5: Figure out how you want to rotate the video, and then click "OK" and "Close" the Video Filter Manager Window.

Step 6: Save the file.

How to use Avidemux to add text?

Step 1: Launch Avidemux and import the source video to the program by dragging it to the interface.

Step 2: Prepare a text file that has all the titles you want to add to your video.

Step 3: Go to the menu bar of your video and choose "filters".

Step 4: In the filter manager, select 'subtitles', and locate the subtitle by clicking on "add" icon before configuring.

Step 5: Save it.

BEST PAID MP4 EDITORS FOR MAC

Investing in professional video editing software will leave us doubtful at times. As we all know that there are paid video editors that will still let us make incredible projects. But if you want to create professional content that will astound your audience and will step up your game, here are the best MP4 video editing software you should start to invest in.

ADOBE PREMIERE PRO

Adobe Premiere Pro is undeniably the standards of every editing softwares in terms of it’s incredible layout and powerful editing tools.

Features:

Simultaneous Projects

Motion Graphics Templates

Shared Projects

VR Editing

VR Rotate Sphere

VR Audio Editing

Effects

Video Titling & Graphics

Transitions

Regional Closed Caption Standards

Labels

Lumetri Support

Type Tool

Libraries

Multiple Video Types

Direct Publishing

Multiple Formats Support

Cons:

Intimidating interface for nonprofessionals

Some techniques require additional applications, such as After Effects or Media Encoder

No sound effect samples included

Steps:

After you run the program on your PC, click the Pr logo. Once opened, it will bring up a ‘New Project’ window.

After you fill up, you will have to import your media. To do this, you can either press Ctrl + I (Cmd + I on a mac) and select the clips you wish to import, or you can drag and drop video, audio and image files directly from a folder.

To apply an effect, first you’ll need to navigate to the effects window, which can be done by either selecting the Effects workspace tab at the top of your current workspace, or by switching one of your existing windows over to Effects. Once you've found your effect in Effects Controls, you can click the arrow next to its name to expand or collapse its list of parameters, which can be adjusted to achieve your desired effect.

To do colour grading, you have to access the Basic Correction, either in Effect Controls or on the right hand side of the Color workspace. Once opened, you'll see options for correcting your footage.

Keyframes can be added by clicking the little diamonds next to your chosen effects in the Effect Controls window.

To import your project, click FILE > EXPORT > MEDIA or hit Cmd/ Ctrl + M on your keyboard. In the format drop-down list, select . In the preset drop-down list, select the relevant preset. YouTube 1080p Full HD is a good multi-purpose option for videos intended for the internet. Click on the output name to name your film and select the folder in which you wish to save it. Check "Use Maximum Render Quality", and then click export.

DA VINCI RESOLVE

Da Vinci Resolve is every professional editor favorite because of its capable free version and the ease of use it offers.

Features:

GPU/Hardware Accelerated Encoding and Multiple GPUs

4K Resolution Limit & Frame Rates over 60fps

and Accelerated Decoding

Video Noise Reduction and Motion Blur

The DaVinci Neural Engine

No deinterlacing

3:2 Pulldown

There is no HDR Dolby Vision

Lens Correction

3D Stereoscopic Tools, including stereoscopic grading

Cons:

Needs a powerful system to run

Steep learning curve

Steps:

After you open up DaVinci Resolve, look for the “New Project” button at the bottom of the window. Click it, and the “Create New Project” window will pop up.

To import your files, drag and drop your media from the list of folders on your computer in the upper left corner, or open a folder on your computer and drag and drop from there.

The easiest thing to do to trim your clips is by dragging the lines at the side of your clips in the edit page.

Click “Effects Library” indicated by the arrow. From the visual effects library, you can look down at the left side for the yellow circle where it says, “Video Transitions.

If you look down the list under “Video Transitions,” you will see “Titles.” Click that, choose your title format, and drag and drop where you want it, just like when you added a transition.

Once your video is complete, click “Deliver,” as indicated by the yellow circle at the bottom.

LIGHTWORKS

Lightworks is remarkably powerful free video editing software, packed with professional quality tools that will make your clips shine. It's fast, flexible, and once you get used to its unusual workflow you'll find it remarkably easy to use.

Features:

Drag-And-Drop Interface

Viewers

Content Management

Video Routing

Color Correction And Blend Modes

Work With Effect Keyframes

Rendering Effects

Apply Color LUTs

Applying Chroma Keys

Fusion Compositor

Boris FX Plug-Ins

Boris FX And Graffiti Pro Bundle

Edit Multicam Sources

Configurable Multiple Monitors

Keyboard Shortcuts

Export

Cons:

Project frame rate limits import

Performance issues

Lacking in effects tools

Limited export options

Steps:

After you open Lightworks and sign in, click ‘Create A New Project’ to begin.

To import your files, click the ‘Local Files’ tab to browse through your computer’s files for a usable video file to edit.

Under the Edit tab, move the selected video clip to the content manager window. Move it to the timeline. Use the plus icon in the upper left corner of your screen to zoom in on the content you’re about to edit.

To start, move the mouse cursor over the part of the uploaded video you would like to trim. Clip it out using the brackets. The trimmed-off part will remain enclosed in yellow brackets, while the rest of the video is unmarked. The current screen on your Lightworks editor changes to the Trim View mode. This leaves only the part of the video that has not been cut. Click on the Preview button under Viewer to start playing both videos in sequence.

Once you’ve finished your edits, right click on your Sequence, and go to ‘Export’, with a drop-down menu showing how you would like to export the video. Please select, “/MP4 (Free)”. This will open a window where you should name your newly-edited file and give it a new destination, if necessary. Once you’ve selected and named, hit Start and the video with edits will begin to compile.

Which Should I Choose: Free or Paid MP4 Editor?

If you’re new in the industry and you want to see if you have potential in editing videos, the use of free MP4 Video Editing Softwares can boost that interest in you. The unlimited navigation without thinking of subscription is the first step. However, understanding the benefits of investing in a high-end video editing solution–which offers amazing tools and features–can do wonders on your work and can even open potential high paying jobs for you.

FAQS:

5 Best MP4 Video Editing Software (How to Convert and Edit MP4 Videos)

Steps to Cut MP4 files

Step 1: Download and install the MP4 video cutter.

Step 2: Import the mp4 file which you want to cut.

Step 3: Set the beginning and end points of the portion you want to save, and click on the Start button.

Step 4: Initiate the MP4 video cutting.

If you're a Windows user looking for a freeware tool to quickly edit MP4 videos, then VSDC Free Video Editor is worth a look. VSDC Free Video Editor is compatible with almost all known video formats and offers a number of advanced effects and filters, making it a powerful alternative to other Windows MP4 editors.

Choosing between free or paid video editing software is not as hard as the work itself. Both programs include the basic features you need to create high quality project, along with the advanced tools. Some are built for professional use, others are open for beginners. Thankfully, many editing software are introducing free trials that you can use without worrying about the upcoming subscription.

However, investing in professional and more advanced editing tools is another topic. Nevertheless, these software offer tools that can let you create amazing projects if you know how to navigate them.