CapCut for Windows

Video editor for social media posts

CapCut is a free video editing program that enjoys unprecedented success among users of social networks such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, where they can upload their perfectly edited short videos.

While there are professional video editing programs like Final Cut Pro X or Adobe Premiere Pro, to carry out any type of editing, you will have to invest a lot of time in figuring out how to do so. Thus, simpler apps like CapCut offer a middle ground between the wide range of features of a premier editing program and the basic editing tools of apps like TikTok.

Comprehensive features for free

With CapCut, you can upload the video you want to edit and change basic settings such as brightness, tone, and saturation of the clips you want to edit — all without paying a cent. This video editor also allows you to add endless stickers, filters, masks, sounds, and even copyrighted music without any problem thanks to its integrated gallery. The final output results in high-resolution videos of up to 4K HDR.

What’s more, CapCut also allows you to add completely customized backgrounds, animations to the titles you create, and transitions for texts and images. In addition, you can automatically change the speed of the image in certain sections thanks to the Auto Velocity function. While it’s mostly used for vertical videos, you can still employ the features of this software for editing horizontal clips for online posting.

Add voice to your videos automatically

One of CapCut’s most popular options is its text-to-speech function, compatible with nearly 93 different languages. Adding this useful and popular function to all the free video editing utilities, it results in a highly versatile program that can be used for all kinds of purposes — from introduction videos, instructional videos, e-commerce videos, advertising and marketing videos, to TikTok ads.

Another important aspect is that CapCut guarantees a secure editing environment for its users, as it protects data uploads through SSL and HTTPS encryption. It also grants you a highly protected cloud space, allowing you to upload and store files that will be closely safeguarded in AES128 encryption. However, the maximum duration of videos you can make with this editor is only 15 minutes, so if you are thinking of creating longer videos, you will have to resort to an alternative video editing option.

Integration of AI-powered capabilities

Capcut's developer ByteDance, has recently launched two innovative AI features: the SDXL-Lightning text-to-image model and an AI-powered video generation capability. The field of image generation traditionally uses diffusion processes that are resource-intensive and slow. In contrast, SDXL-Lightning employs progressive adversarial distillation technology to produce high-quality, high-resolution images with efficiency and speed, completing the task in as few as two to four steps. 

This leap in efficiency cuts down on computational demands and opens doors for applications where quick image creation is key, such as instant advertising and video game design. Alongside image generation, SDXL-Lightning also lends itself to the swift production of videos and audio. The model boasts versatility, being easily integrated as a speed enhancement to a range of SDXL-style models, including cartoons and animations.

ByteDance is clearly positioning itself as a contender alongside industry giants such as OpenAI, known for its Sora model that generates 60-second clips. To stay competitive in the fast-evolving AI video generation sphere, the developers are beta-testing new functionalities within its video editing app. Despite these advances, the developers acknowledge hurdles such as producing videos with natural movements and high fidelity — areas where the app currently falls short compared to OpenAI's Sora.

A go-to video editor

With functions as varied and practical as text-to-speech, adding copyrighted music to your videos, and Auto Velocity, CapCut is a very versatile video editing tool, capable of creating very eye-catching videos without having to spend a lot of time figuring out how it works. It also ensures your security as it protects your video uploads with its robust encryption. Keep in mind, though, that you can only make a 15-minute-long video with this program.