Do you consider yourself an ultimate fan of sports, and do you aspire to create jaw-dropping highlight reels? Would you like to leave your friends and the followers you have on social media platforms speechless because of your awesome video-editing skills? Look no further!
This is the ultimate guide, where we will give you a step-by-step guide on how to improve your highlight using a sports video editor. Regardless of whether you are an elite athlete or a sports enthusiast, we will guide you through the process of how to cut together your highlight reels into a great highlight reel of your strengths. It's time to be unique and make people notice you!
In this article
Part 1: Sports Video Editors: Know Everything About Them!
With great anticipation, everyone is waiting for the Olympics to start and get a taste of the most memorable moments of victory and sports enthusiasm. But do you ever think about how the highlight reel and any other impressive montage that can make your favorite moments so impressive are created? Well, free sports editing software is our savior in this case!
Sports editing software is a specific application that allows users to produce, modify, and finalize video content for major events, such as the Olympics. These tools help the editors consolidate raw content, apply various effects to the content, and even include graphics to make the whole narrative more appealing.
Whether it's about presenting the incredible acceleration of a runner, the kickboard, the moment when a jumper comes off the pavement, slow motions, or dynamic montages of the sportsmen during the spectacular ceremony, the sports editing software turns the raw material into thrilling narratives.
Part 2: What Makes a Good Sports Video for the Best Olympic Highlights?
While the Olympics is the biggest sporting event when the best athletes in the world battle for gold, it focuses on the sports video editors who create the highlight reels that enthrall us. A good sports video for Olympic highlights should have a winning combination of:
- Action-packed sequences: Elements of precipitate include fast-moving shots, distortion effects on footage, and high-pitch music that puts the audience heeled and ready to be driven on the edge.
- Compelling storytelling: Just like a storyline, clues are provided, and there is a focus on the athletes' individual stories and dealing with their successes and failures to create an empathic bond with the audience.
- Visual storytelling: graphics, animations, and overlays to make a graphic and stunning picture for the audience while delivering essential facts and background rapidly without the impact on the viewer's senses.
- Audio drama: Stunning sound, scores, and presentation of the commentary put the audience directly into the show.
- Tight editing: By working at a regular pace and making good transitions, one can maintain the level of Marc Brown's show's energy at a high level.
- Authenticity: The use of real-life footage presenting the athletes and reflecting their demeanor, abilities, and state adds more credibility to the story.
When all these aspects are coupled, the video editors of sports craft highlight clips to produce eye-opening and emotionally touching sports video reels for the global masses.
Now, it is time to move on to the next section, in which we will discuss the best sports video editing software free, so stay connected!
Part 3: Top 7 Best Sports Video Editing Software
We have already discussed the basic information about sports video editors; now it's time to go through some of the best software for sports video editing.
Wondershare Filmora
First on the list is Wondershare Filmora. This is the best tool for editing sports videos, as it provides relevant features that can make your sports highlight reel awesome. Filmora by Wondershare is a quite simple editor that does not lack the primary functions or compatibility options for a wide range of files needed for sports video editing.
Key Features:
- Intuitive Interface: An interface that would enable its users to easily find their way around the application and manipulate the videos to their preference.
- Advanced Effects: There are too many effects and transitions, as well as different color corrections, to make the video more interesting.
- AI Smart Cutout: With the AI smart cutout feature, you can easily remove any unwanted objects or people from your video clip; hence, you get more control over editing that way.
- Motion Tracking: It enables you to track certain things or individuals as they move, along with applying effects, transitions, or masks to them.
- Multi-Track Editing: Multiple input-output options enable you to work with complex tracks and even superimpose videos or audio.
FlexClip
Presenting FlexClip is the best free sports editing software, specially designed for sports lovers or sports professionals. FlexClip has an easy-to-use design and all the features required to create beautiful sports highlights, training videos, and analysis videos.
Key features:
- Multi-track editing: Make the necessary changes to several videos along with the different audio tracks.
- Slow-motion and fast-motion: Use speed control to work on the key moments.
- Color grading and correction: Add gloss to your visual with accuracy.
- Audio ducking and mixing: Spice up your mix, balancing the volumes with ease.
Lightworks
Lightworks is the best software for sports video editing that has been employed in numerous motion pictures and television series. Its free version is particularly suitable for soccer video editors since it presents a diversified set of additional tools to use while building the highlights.
Key Features:
- A video containing an infinite number of tracks edited nonlinearly.
- It is also compatible with 4K and 3D video recording and playback.
- Sophisticated sound editing with multiple tracks, such as dual-track mixing.
OpenShot
OpenShot is free video editing software to which users, particularly sports video editors, have resorted due to its intuitive design, flexibility, and a host of other useful features.
Key features:
- To enhance and modify the flow and feel of your content, gesture and move your animations and effects.
- Choose the number of tracks that will fit your content and allow you to edit several clips at one time.
- Importing and exporting files to AVI, MP4, and more formats is possible.
HitFilm
Hitfilm is an excellent video editing software because, despite being free, it offers a lot of professional features that can be highly beneficial for creating sports videos. Hitfilm has a friendly user interface and professional features, allowing the user to make high-quality visuals, effects, and color corrections.
Key features:
- Use 3D models, particles, and composting to spice up your sports report/highlights.
- Attempting to get a cinematic look? Now you can do it with the help of color correction and grading available in Hitfilm.
- Fine control of a variety of audio tracks for mixing and mastering.
ShotCut
Shotcut is a free and best sports editing software that is gradually making it to the list of must-have software for editing sports videos. All in all, Shotcut is the best video editor for creating high-quality sports highlight videos due to its simple and intuitive interface and broad set of features.
Key features:
- Designed to blend different audio sources.
- Shotcut has support for 360-degree videos.
- Compliant with formats such as AVHS and MP4 as well as other common formats in importing and exporting modes.
So, these were the 7 best tools for editing sports videos. To choose the one that best meets your demands, you can test them all.
Bonus Tip: How to Showcase the Best Olympic Moments Like a Pro with Wondershare Filmora?
As we are already familiar with the motion tracking feature of Wondershare Filmora, we will now guide you through the steps to showcase the best Olympic moments using this feature of Wondershare Filmora.
Step1Download and install Filmora
Step2Open and create New Project
To add media, select Import Media.
Step3Add videos to the timeline
Step4Find motion-tracking symbol
Just above the timeline, there is a motion-tracking symbol. Click on it.
Step5Confirm the target
Locate and choose the target you want to track after the clip is in place.
Step6Enable the feature
Go with "Start Tracking." The effect will start to load as the playhead gets closer to the finish. A highlighted bar will appear on the timeline above the video after it's finished.
Step7Customize the video
To draw attention to crucial information like names, scores, or timings, use text overlays.
You can also add effects from the Effects Menu by using the drag-and-drop feature.
Step8Export the video clips
Finally, tap the Export button in the upper right corner if you are happy with the output.
So, these are the steps to use motion tracking in Wondershare Filmora. These steps are so practical to use. So, download this app today.
Conclusion
That's it! You now know how you can boost your sports highlights with a sports video editor. No matter if you are a professional or a beginner, always keep in mind the elements of narrating the story, choosing the pace, and watching the visuals to produce the best content and present the game or the athlete's best performances. Give it a try on Wondershare Filmora, and your results will be amazing!