HitFilm Express

2023.4 (20.0.1.0) Free film editor for Windows

Felix Cheng

Review: Unleash your creativity and bring your vision to life with this powerful and feature-rich video editing software.

Freeware video editing software download, reviewed by Felix Cheng
Revolutionary new visual effects and video editing software that offers you almost endless possibilities when it comes to movies - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
Professional but intuitive video editor - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
The Sky’s the Limit in Video Editing with this App - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
Create original video content - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
No need to be shy - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
2D and 3D compositing - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
400 effects and presets - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
Unlimited tracks and transitions - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
Free video tutorials - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
Filmmaker’s program - Screenshot of HitFilm Express
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Powerful video editing software with non-linear editing and lots of tools.

HitFilm Express is a pro video editing and composition tool that can create some interesting and beautiful-looking end video clips. It's one of several different commercial and free programs which offers support for greenscreens.

Though not as featured-packed as the industry standard with Premiere Pro, it does sport a beautiful interface and seems to be very responsive.

Different layouts for your workflow

HitFilm is organized into several different layout modes, called Workspaces, which give you quick access to different tools for various features it has on offer. All panels tends to put everything onto the screen while audio, colorist, compositing, editing and organizer provide a bit more of a cleaner layout for specific tasks.

The most important panel of HitFilm Express has gotta be the timeline where you can cut, move and edit the clips in your project. You can add the built-in effects to the timeline by dragging them from the effects panel directly on to the video clip.

Color grading, effects, enhancements and sharpening

HitFilm Express has some pretty nice effects and optimizations like color grading, blur, sharpen and so on. It's also capable of working with 3D video clips and apply effects to those as well.

To sum it all up, HitFilm Express is definitely a good program for editing video projects and dare we say, it seems much snappier than Adobe Premiere Pro with a 4K test video in play.

Features of HitFilm Express

  • 3D Animation: Create 3D titles and complex 3D effects.
  • Audio Tools: Mix, edit and enhance soundtracks.
  • Color Grading: Professional tools for color correction.
  • Enhanced performance: You can customize your playback quality and paused quality.
  • Export Queue: Export queue allows you to set up a list of edits and shots to export.
  • Expressions: Use powerful scripting to automate tasks.
  • Green Screen: Chroma key compositing for advanced masking.
  • Keyframing: Animate effects and transitions with ease.
  • Mask editing and rendering: Mask editing is faster than ever before enhancing and speeding up the process.
  • Motion Tracking: Intuitive and precise camera tracking.
  • Multi-Camera Editing: Create projects from multiple angles.
  • Professional formats: Work with all footage, from your vertical smartphone shots to high-end professional camera documentaries.
  • Titles & Logos: Create and customize text and logos.
  • VFX Plugins: Hundreds of customizable options and presets.
  • Video Editing: Cut and trim clips with precision.

Compatibility and License

Is HitFilm Express free?

HitFilm Express is a restricted version of commercial software, often called freemium which requires you to pay a license fee to unlock additional features which are not accessible with the free version. Download and installation of this software is free, however other similar programs are available from audio and video editors which may have what you need. 2023.4 (20.0.1.0) is the latest version last time we checked.

What version of Windows can HitFilm Express run on?

HitFilm Express can be used on a computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10. Previous versions of the OS shouldn't be a problem with Windows 8 and Windows 7 having been tested. It's only available as a 64-bit download.

Other operating systems: The latest HitFilm Express version from 2024 is also available for Mac.


Filed under:
  1. HitFilm Express Download
  2. Free Audio and Video Editors
  3. Video Editing Software
HitFilm Express has been picked by our editors as good software.
HitFilm Express has been tested for viruses and malware.
We have tested HitFilm Express 2023.4 (20.0.1.0) against malware with several different programs. We certify that this program is clean of viruses, malware and trojans.