Free (not free trial) basic video editing software-which one suggested.

Me and my better half want to start venturing I guess like a hobby of editing some of the videos we will be making of family, friends and our camping trips etc and just have some fun making the videos different with some simple affects, recording audible comments on the video and things like that.

We don't want to have to spend a lot of money in this hobby with buying editing software. I am sure you know that when we google free editing software we end up with hundreds of results and can't determine from the results which are actually free and those that are just free trial.

We both have laptops that have Win10 on them. We like to keep things simple so we try to stay with the same devices so we can use one another's laptops.

As I said we really are just looking for something in the way of video editing software that is basic, nothing complicated but will give us some tools to make our videos interesting and fun to create and watch.

Do we have to be concerned with the terms of file format such as .avi .mov etc. is one better than the other? We would like good clear video but we don't need outstanding high resolution that will cost so much to produce or cause us to have expensive editing software (like to keep the software free for now).

Any ideas or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

This site has been invaluable in helping with video editing and video editing software. I use it frequently when I need help:
http://forum.videohelp.com/

What format does the player need? That dictates the final format needed.

I know this is very specifically not free, but I strongly suggest paying the $19.99 a month for Adobe Premiere Pro. It's simple enough to learn easily but also the industry standard for a whole lot of different video and film productions.

As you're getting started, I suggest using presets for video quality. I could write a 500 page manual on file formats, containers, codecs, compression, subsampling, etc. Until you reach the limits, you're probably just looking for a high-quality 1080p web video default setting.

Sorry for the delay in responding. Just so much going on with us.

well so far we have gone with Advidemux 2.6

Kind of complicated to use but free so far that I can see.

ProfessorU I appreciate the suggestion but not ready to spend that money per month. We could go a month or two without even needing the service. This is a hobby we are starting now. Our timing with work etc just won't justify a monthly on going expense; but appreciated!!

photolady- thanks, checked it out and looking into what I have read.

"Train-What format does the player need? That dictates the final format needed."
Sorry, do not quite understand what you mean. What player do you refer to?

DVD players as a example, check the documentation and they tell you what formats it will play.