5 Free or Inexpensive Tools Every Digital Content Creator Needs

If you’re a digital creator, you already know nothing comes close to getting as much engagement as video. A short and compelling video can have a tremendous impact on your audience and make them subconsciously connect to your message.

However, video is one of the most difficult mediums to create good content in. Part of the problem is the complexity of editing. Many professional movie studios and YouTube stars use digital tools and expensive editing software that are well beyond the reach of the amateur creator.

So, here are five free or inexpensive digital tools that can help you create great content online:

Freemake

Creators only need simple tools to download videos from the public domain and convert them into a usable format. Millions of designers and content creators go to www.freemake.com/free_video_downloader/ to download, convert, and edit their favorite youtube videos. This is great tool for beginners who want to splice different YouTube videos to create one of their own. Just make sure you give proper attribution to avoid copyright issues.

iMovie

For Apple users, one of the best video editing tools on the planet is built into the Mac operating system. It’s a beginner-friendly app that gives you incredible control over how your video is edited. The paid version of the app is inexpensive and well-worth the features you get.

Videoshop

Videoshop is an inexpensive video editor that’s been on the top charts for months. With more than a quarter of a million users, this app is designed with a friendly interface and simple tools so that anyone can create and share videos instantly. The $1.99 app doesn’t restrict you to cookie-cutter formats, so you can truly get creative with your content.

Animoto

Just like Magisto, Animoto is an automated video editing app for beginners. However, the app won’t let you shoot videos or take pictures. You need to work with what’s already in your gallery. There’s a wide variety of clever animations and themes you can pick from which makes the whole process of setting the tone of your content much easier. Animoto is a free app, but you’ll need to pay up if you want to download any of the videos you create.

Magisto

Magisto takes simplicity a step further and eliminates a lot of the cluttered interface of other similar apps. Of course, you can still add videos, photos, and sounds from your gallery and edit it yourself, but the app can automate all that for you. You simply need to upload it all and wait for the clever algorithm to pick the perfect song, tempo, and visual effects. This app is perfect for content creators who have no interest in picking up new video editing skills and simply want a professional looking video to share online.

These five apps and platforms are the best ones to get started with if you want to create and share great videos online.