Which lightweight video editing software for PC?

I've been using DaVinci Resolve for years and honestly it's hard to find anything better if you don't want to spend a fortune. The free version is super powerful, I don't get why people pay for more complicated stuff when you have everything you need right here. The interface can seem a bit rough at first, but after a couple of videos you get the hang of it, especially if you've never done editing before. You install it, open a new project, import your clips and start cutting. It's also got decent color grading if you want to do something a bit more sophisticated.

But if you'd rather have something even simpler and more intuitive, try Shotcut or OpenShot, they're completely free and really lightweight. OpenShot is a bit more user-friendly in my opinion, the interface is less intimidating. Then there's always CapCut which has made huge strides in recent years, it's free and runs well even on not super powerful PCs. Lots of people use it for social media content and it works great for that.

It depends a bit on what you need to do, you know. If it's really short simple clips, even Windows' basic software works, but if you want something more serious without paying anything, go with DaVinci Resolve. I myself when I step away from work and make videos about my vegetable garden or gardening use that. Once you get comfortable with it, it's really great, seriously.

It depends on what exactly you need to do. If you just want to cut clips and add some transitions, DaVinci Resolve is free and it's amazing, even if it might seem a bit intimidating at first. I use it when I need to do quick edits, and once you get the hang of it it's really powerful. If you're looking for something even more minimalist, Shotcut or OpenShot work fine too even if the interface is a bit less intuitive.

For really light stuff like YouTube Shorts or TikTok, you could try CapCut for desktop, which is lighter than Resolve and has nice effects already built in. The learning curve is basically zero if you're coming from your phone. Windows Photos is ridiculously simple if you just want to do basic editing, but it's pretty limited.

Honestly, I'd recommend starting with DaVinci Resolve if your PC can handle it. Yeah, it's free, and if you need something more advanced down the line the Studio version costs money but it's not bad. Try it on a couple of videos and see if it works for you, you've got nothing to lose anyway.