Minimum requirements and prices
To understand how to use HitFilm Express, the first thing to do is take a look at the minimum requirements required by the program in terms of hardware and software and its prices.
Well, HitFilm Express is available on both Windows that of MacOS and these are the requisites necessary for its operation.
- Operating system: Windows 8/10 64-bit or macOS 10.13 High Sierra or higher.
- Processor: XNUMXth Generation Intel Core or AMD equivalent.
- RAM: 4GB (8GB recommended) or more.
- Spazio his album: 1.2 GB or more.
- Graphic card: NVIDIA, AMD / ATI or Intel.
As for the price of the software, you need to know that, basically, HitFilm Express is free and it does not have any kind of limitation regarding its main functionalities. In any case, a paid package is also available: HitFilm Pro that, at the cost of 349€, offers a variety of additional features, including hundreds of more effects to apply to videos, 3D camera tracking, color grading tools, and more. In addition, the software includes twelve months of free updates and can be used on three different devices at the same time.
Keep in mind, however, that HitFilm Pro also offers one free demo version, so you can test it in case you are thinking of buying the software. For more information on this, I refer you to the official HitFilm Pro website.
How to use HitFilm Express
Like any self-respecting video editing software, too HitFilm Express it is equipped with numerous functions used for editing and personalizing movies. Before being able to create a video worthy of the name, however, you need to install the program and familiarize yourself with its interface. So let's ban the chatter and analyze the basic mechanics to know to use the program.
Download and install the program
download HitFilm Express, you have to go to its official website. From here, then, just press the button Download HitFilm Express.
Now, drag thegreen lion icon to the left, if you want to get the software without any monetary contribution. When you have done this, press the button Download.
On the page where you are sent back, you are asked to create a new account on the site. Enter, then your data in the fields Display Name (first name), Country (Village), Email, Password e Age (age). Under the heading special offers, select the option No (to refuse promotional content), and finally click on the button Send me the Express download.
At this point, access the mailbox you just entered during registration (if you don't see the email, be sure to check your junk mail too). Open, therefore, thee-mail that should have come to you from the HitFilm Express website and press the button GET YOUR EXPRESS INSTALLER.
Now that you have opened the site from which to download the software, you need to select the version of the program suitable for your computer. If you have a Windows PC, click on the option Download Windows installer. If, on the other hand, you have a Mac, click on the option Download Mac installer.
Now that you've downloaded HitFilm Express, it's time to install on your computer. If you use Windows, april il .exe file that you just downloaded; then press the button Next twice in a row. Then click on the button Typical, to download the basic files of the program, and press the button again Next. Infine, click your button install and HitFilm Express will be installed on your computer. When you are done, you can close the installation window by pressing the button Finish.
If you use a MacInstead, open the .pkg file downloaded from the HitFilm Express website and click on the button first Continue per due volte di segito e poi su Agree e Install. Then enter the administration password of the Mac and come on Submit. At the end of the setup, click on the buttons Close e Move, to close it all.
Now you have to activate the license of the program. To do this, you simply need to open HitFilm Express and press the button ACTIVATE & UNLOCK. At this point, enter the address e-mail and Password you previously used to create an account on the site and click on the button LOGIN.
Finally, close the program and restart it: by doing so, the license linked to the account with which you are logged in will be activated on the computer with which you are using HitFilm Express.
Create projects
Now that the program is up and running on your computer, it's time to create a project. A project is a file in which all the information and elements you use and modify while creating a video are stored.
To create a project, click on the button New, located at the top of the screen, on the left.
In the window that appears, you can change some video settings, including duration, size and framerate. In any case, I recommend that you only get into it after you have finished the movie you want to create, so that you can have more control over the final product. Then click on the button OK and you will be able to see the HitFilm Express editor on your screen, corresponding to the newly created project.
If, on the other hand, you want open a project already existing, all you have to do is press the button Open and select the project you want to import into the software.
In any case, HitFilm Express will show you all the projects created by you previously just below the button Open: To open one, just click on its name.
To save a project, on the other hand, just go to the menu File> Save and click on the button Save. By doing so, the project will also be shown in the list of projects available on the computer, when the program is started.
Now that you know how to create a project, before continuing, I want to explain the structure of the HitFilm Express interface to make it easier for you to use.
At the top of the screen, on the left, there is the box in which you can see all the details of an element imported into HitFilm Express. To do this, just click on the element you want to inspect, which you find immediately below the same box, on the left.
Also at the top of the screen, on the right, you will find the box dedicated topreprima of the video you are editing. Thanks to this section of the interface, you can see all the changes made to the video in real time, helping you to make the product exactly as you have it in mind.
Finally, the lower part of the screen is dedicated to the timeline and the elements that are imported into the project. As you may have guessed, this section is dedicated to video editing. In fact, in the timeline, you can view all the elements present in the video and the order in which they are edited.
import a file into HitFilm ExpressFirst, go to the menu File> Import> Media. Now, choose the element you want to bring into the video project and then press the button apri. You can see all the items imported into a project at the bottom left of the screen.
HitFilm Express supports all major image, audio and video formats. More specifically, the graphic formats are BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, TIFF e EXR; the audio ones are AAC, MP3, M4A, WAV e WMA; those videos are AVCHD, AVI, DV, HDV, MP4, MPEG, MXF, MOV e WMV.
Once you've brought the files you need into your project, it's time to put them on the timeline. To do this, you simply have to drag them from the box in which they are contained, located at the bottom left, within the timeline.
The timeline is mainly divided into two blocks: that video and that audio. If, therefore, you want to bring a visual content to the timeline, you have to drag it to the section characterized by theone eye icon. If, on the other hand, you want to bring an auditory content to the timeline, just drag it to the section characterized by thespeaker icon.
In the event that the content has both video and audio material, the section is indifferent, as it will be placed in both. If you then want to divide the two contents to have two distinct ones, just select one of the two, right click and, from the menu that is proposed to you, select the option unlink.
Edit video
It is all ready? Then it's time to start edit the video.
Let's go in order: first, you need to know how change the length of a contentbe it visual or auditory. To do this, just hold down on the left or right end of the content in question and drag it inwards or outwards, depending on the result you want to achieve.
You can also cut a content, that is, divide it into two or more parts. All you have to do is click on the point where you want the cut to take place, then right-click and finally select the option Slice.
If you then need remove content from the timeline, simply right-click on its thumbnail and click on the option remove context menu.
At this point it is up to you to decide what to do, in fact you can create any type of content thanks to this program: all you need is just a little imagination!
Apply transitions, effects and texts
To edit a video, you don't just need to arrange the scenes and music. In fact, there are also other elements that play an important role in a video, namely the transitions, the effects and testi. That's exactly why I'm going to tell you how to use each of them in HitFilm Express.
Le transitions they serve to make the changes of scene, or of music, more fluid and therefore less burdensome for the viewer. To apply a transition to your video, first, click on the tab Effects located in the box located at the bottom of the screen, on the left. At this point, scroll down until you find two folders, that is Transitions - Audio e Transitions - Video, which contain, respectively, audio transitions and video transitions. At this point, double-click on the folder you are interested in, to see all the available transitions.
To apply a transition to your video, simply drag it into the timeline, precisely where you want the effect to appear. By doing so, you will be able to see it within the Timeline as a separate clip.
To change the length of the transition, simply select one of its ends and drag it to the left or right, depending on your needs.
If, on the other hand, you want to add some effect to the video, the process is almost the same. Then press on the tab Effects, located at the bottom of the screen, on the left. At this point, you can see a large variety of folders, containing numerous different effects. Then, double-click on the folder you want to expand and drag the effect you want to use within the timeline, precisely on a clip of your choice.
Among the most popular effects, there is certainly the green screen. To apply a green screen effect to your video, first, you need to drag the video into the timeline, as I explained to you in the previous chapter.
At this point, right-click on the visual section of the timeline, and, from the menu that is proposed to you, click on the option Insert Track. By doing so, you will have an extra space, in which you will have to put the background of the video. Make sure the video you want to green screen is in visual section higher.
Now, drag, in the visual section further down, the content or contents you want to act as a new background to the video (this applies to both images and videos).
To apply the green screen effect, click on the video you want to put the effect on and then press on the tab Effects, located in the left pane. At this point, scroll down until you find the folder Presets. So what you need to do now is go to the menu Presets> 2D Effects> Greenscreen Key and drag the file over the clip you want to apply the effect to. At this point, the green screen effect will be applied to the clip immediately, as you can see from the preview.
If you want to check the effect you have chosen and make some changes, first select the clip you applied the effect to. Once this is done, click on the tab Controls, located to the left of the timeline. Here you can view all the effects applied to the clip in question and modify their values, such as theintensity or dimensions.
To add gods testi to your video, however, the procedure is slightly different.
First, you need to right-click on the clip you want to add the text to and then, from the menu that is proposed to you, select the item Make Composite Shot. Finally, press the button OK.
Now, all you have to do is press theA icon, located to the left of the video preview. At this point, still on the preview, create a block where you want the text to be inserted, simply by holding down on the starting point of the block and releasing it when it has reached the size you want. Once this is done, all you have to do is type in the text you want to see on your video.
Alternatively, if you want to add text to the video that isn't linked to any clips, you need to open the tab Media, located at the bottom left of the screen. Then press on the item Composite Shot, type a name for the new clip and then press the button OK.
Now that the text has appeared in the list of elements present in the project, all you have to do is simply drag it into the timeline, as I have shown you in the previous chapters.
To edit the text, you need to select it and then click on the tab Text located at the bottom of the screen, on the left. From here, you can change almost any text setting, including the writing character size formatting and bordo.
Other cool features
Of course, HitFilm Express offers far more features than I will ever be able to list. Below, however, I leave you to some of the most useful tools of the software.
For example, what makes this program very functional and easy to use is the ability to be able to edit video elements directly from the preview of the video itself.
You can, in fact, change the size of an image or video using the preview. To do this, select the clip to which you can make changes and, to the left of the preview, click on thecursor icon. Thanks to this, you will be able to resize the sides of the clip you have chosen.
You can also rotate a portion of the video by simply holding down on blue box present on the preview and moving it to your liking.
Always from the preview, you can blank a portion of the video, without the need to manually crop it. To do this, you need to click on thesquare icon and then you have to select the area you want to keep in the video (everything not included in the selection will be blanked out).
If you want to change the shape of the selection, press and hold thesquare icon for a second. By doing so, all available shapes will appear. To select one, just click on its miniature.
The program also offers children movies with transparent background, which you can apply directly on top of your video.
To put transparent background movies in your video, first, open the tab Effects located at the bottom of the screen, on the left. Then scroll down until you find the folder Quick 3D. At this point, select the movie you want and drag it into the timeline.
If you want the footage not to be covered by the rest of the video, you need to put it in the higher section than the rest of the video. By doing so, the movie will appear without a background, taking your video as its background.
Export the video
When you've finished editing and editing your video, it's time to proceed with theexport.
First, then, go to the menu Export> Add to Queue> Contents. In the window that appears, you can see that the video export has been queued, but has not started yet.
What you need to do now is to choose the format in which you want the video to be exported. To do this, click on the box that you find immediately below the item Preset. Here you can find various formats, including MP4, MOV e WAV: then choose what you want by simply clicking on its name.
Furthermore, if you want to change the folder in which the video will be exported, you have to press on the box that you find immediately under the heading output. At this point, select the path where you want the video to be saved and then press the button Save.
When everything is ready for export, press the button Start Exporting to start the process. When it is finished, you will find the video directly in the folder of your choice.
That's all: as I mentioned earlier, HitFilm Express is a great alternative to popular video editing software, as it offers valuable video editing options at no price. As you can surely imagine, then, the web is chock full of guides explaining the most advanced mechanics of this software. Regarding this, I suggest you take a look at the official HitFilm Express website, where there are other more technical guides that you could rely on.
How to use HitFilm Express
