Lightworks
UnclaimedUnlock your video editing potential with a powerful, professional-grade video editor.
Visit WebsiteTL;DR - Lightworks
- Professional video editing software with versions for all skill levels.
- Features advanced video, audio, VFX, and color grading tools.
- Offers seamless sharing and export options for various platforms.
What is Lightworks?
Available on: Windows, macOS, Linux
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Offers a free version for beginners to get started.
- Scales with user skill level from beginner to professional.
- Provides a comprehensive suite of editing tools (video, audio, VFX, color).
- Supports high-quality footage and offers advanced features like HDR workflows.
- Streamlined sharing and export options, including direct social media integration.
Cons
- Advanced VFX features (supplied by NewBlue) are only available for Windows and Mac.
- The full range of professional features requires a paid subscription.
Ratings Across the Web
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Preview
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Pricing checked Jul 31, 2026
Free
Free
- Timeline Editing
- 720p HD Export
- Automatic Saving
- Advanced Transitions
- Simple VFX
- Import Formats
- Operating systems
- Powerful Timeline
- Background Processing
- Instant auto-saving
- No Watermark
- Custom UI Layout Templates
- Inbuilt Effects, Titles & Transitions
- Advanced Transitions
- Video Mask Effect
- Audio Leveling and EQ
- Export Resolution Up to 720p
- Social Media Presets YouTube, Vimeo
- Backup
- Media Files MP4
- Media Clip LUTs
- HDR Workflows
- BRaw Clip Settings
- Apple ProRes Certified Decode
- Advanced 10-Bit Pipeline Decode
- Proxy Generation
- Codec Selection H.264
- Quality Selection Low
- Size Selection Up to 720p
- Active Cloud Integrations 1
- Cloud Download
- Import Exchange Formats
- Pexels
- Pond5
Create
User/Pay Monthly
- Everything in Free, plus:
- 4K Video Export
- Social Media Templates
- NewBlue Titler Pro
- Dynamic Motion Graphics
- Powerful Colour Controls
- Advanced Audio EQ
- Quick LUT Support
- High Res Proxy Editing
- High Res Timeline Rendering
- Advanced Video Scopes Vectorscope, RGB and Histogram YCbCr CIE, YCbCr & Split View
- Advanced Titles
- Native Quick Audio FX Acoustic Sweetner, Dialog Enhancer, Instrument Enhancer, Subtle Sweetner and Voice Enhancer
- Native Audio FX Compressor, Limiter , Noise Gate, Noise Reducer, Reverb
- Export Resolution Up to 4K
- Social Media Presets YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat
- Cloud Upload
- Active Cloud Integrations Not limited
Pro
User/Pay Monthly
- Everything in Create, plus:
- 10-Bit Support
- Audio and Video Plugin Support
- Increased File Formats
- Advanced Video Effects
- Custom Format Creation
- Support for NewBlue TotalFX
- Export Interchange Formats
- Advanced Colour Scopes
- In Timeline QC
- Cloud Export/Upload
- Upgrade to TotalFX
- OpenFX Compatible
- 3rd Party Audio Plugins AU, VST, LADSPA
- External Midi Control (Mackie)
- DAW Workstation
- Export Resolution Up to 8K
- Media Files AVI, MP4, Image Sequence, MOV, MXF and WAV
- Physical Media Targets DVD and Bluray
- Camera Formats AVC-Intra, AVCHD, P2 AVC-Intra, XAVC-Intra, XDCAM EX and XDCAM HD
- H.264 Bitrate Config Set Variable/Constant. Set min/max bitrate.
- Custom Output Formats
- Subtitles
- Advanced 10-bit Export
- RED R3D Clip Settings
- Advanced Custom Metadata
- In-Edit Video Quality Control
- Apple ProRes Certified Decode and Encode
- Advanced 10-Bit Pipeline Decode and Encode
- Codec Selection Apple ProRes, AVID DNxHD (additional codec purchase required), AVC-Intra, Cineform or H.264, AVID DNxHR
- Quality Selection Low/Medium/High Up to Very High
- Size Selection Up to 4K
- Export Exchange Formats
Reviews
Across 64 verified user reviews on capterra, g2
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Lightworks FAQ
How does Lightworks support high-quality video production for content creators?
Which teams or individuals benefit most from using Lightworks?
How does Lightworks compare to DaVinci Resolve in terms of editing capabilities?
What kind of limitations should users be aware of regarding advanced visual effects in Lightworks?
Does Lightworks include a free tier, and how is its pricing structured?
How does Lightworks facilitate efficient sharing and export of edited videos?
Can Lightworks handle advanced color grading and audio editing tasks?
Source: lwks.com