In the gathering age of digital supremacy, consumer appetite for digital content is growing, facilitating the exploding reach and power of video production.

With graphics, videos, images, and more taking over our online experience, content providers, in response, are having to reshape their workflow for delivering content with higher and better image definition to meet the ever-expanding demands of customers.

This in return makes consequential progress on the path to 4K/8K videos.

Poised for proliferation across DTH, cable TV, and IPTV platforms today, the 4K video market is reckoned to continue its rage throughout the following years as users come to revel in the added benefits of having immersive sound along with higher resolutions and a greater depth of color.

Yet, editing these high-quality footage comes at a cost, plus the pursuit of higher-resolution content is also driving an evolution of notably the hardware performance and digital video editor required to support capturing, archiving, and editing the luxurious digital content.

In this post, we will take you on a grand journey unfolding everything behind the 4K videos, and probe into the learning about how to turn your raw 4K footage into a cinematic masterpiece smoothly on PC.

What Is 4K Video

4K video refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels and a vertical resolution of 2000 pixels.

To put it less technically, 4K resolution is able to hold an incredible amount of nuances and details and extend improved sharpness, thus presenting an image clarity that goes well beyond the traditional 1080p/1440p HD resolution.

What makes 4K resolution so exclusive comes many, and one striking feature worth raising is its capability to bring a more cinematic and immersive viewing experience to people.

Powered by the conjoined efforts of eight million pixels, color blends could be rendered with more subtlety, adding further to the sense that you are basking in a pristine picture that saturates more of your field of view.

Truly, the versatility that 4K generates gives you greater flexibility and more creative options while editing along with unparalleled picture quality.

But there is no such thing as a free lunch, which means all these benefits prompt the higher request for stronger horsepower, better storage performance, and also the processing capacity for a smooth 4K video editing.

This leads up to another discussion on the hardware requirements for a smooth 4K video editing.

edit 4k video

Hardware Requirements For 4K Editing

Since the 4K video comes with higher resolutions and larger file size, it would require sublime specifications than the average to edit your 4K videos smoothly. Below is what you need:

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Carrying the major load to process and execute the instructions from the computer, the CPU core could directly impact your video processing speed.

Thus generally, more cores make faster video processing, and a progressive 4K computer shall be equipped with an effective and fast CPU.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

Designed to enhance graphic rendering, GPU was under-read a few years back. But the trend has changed as a growing number of 4K video editing software start to heavily utilize GPU for faster encoding and rendering. Particularly, a capable GPU is indispensable to lessen the export time of an HD video.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Running as the main holding part of the computing system, memory is essential for video processing. Go for at least 16GB RAM for an ideal 4K editing.

Storage

A sound storage size is crucial when transferring a massive number of data, notably large 4k video frames. In video editing, storage is a prior concern, and it is suggested to work with SSDs (solid-state drivers) instead of HDDs (hard disk drivers) since the former helps accelerate storage access and maximize the editing process.

How To Choose 4K Video Editing Software

With all these in mind, it’s time to conduct some research and dig out a competent 4K video editing software that could carry out profuse functions and manage your 4K video editing project.

But what to consider amidst a dazzle of editor pieces out there to ward off the unnecessary losses?

  • Hardware acceleration to further boost 4K video processing and editing and make the most out of your project.
  • A steep learning curve and ease-of-use with an intuitive interface to quickly cut to the chase and create imposing 4K video contents within minutes.
  • Real-time preview and fast rendering to produce premium video content in the shortest possible time.
  • Feature-packed design and intuitive timeline editing to turn your wildest imagination into reality and achieve various editing tasks.
  •  Price: Opt for the cost-effective pieces, since most of the paid tools merely hold the post without qualifications.

The Top Free 4K Video Editing Software

Better late than never, the discovery of VideoProc Vlogger, a free yet vigorous 4K video editing software is pleasantly surprised.

Striking a perfect balance between power and ease of use, VideoProc Vlogger gives free, accessible, and feature-rich solutions for video editing on both Windows and Mac systems.

Designed for all video creators from beginners to experts, the free editing tool encapsulates everything that you can possibly imagine when it comes to 4K video editing.

Sided with a cutting-edge Full GPU acceleration and epic algorithmic design, it excels at 4K and large video editing and handles high-quality videos shot with GoPro, DJI, iPhones, or professional cameras trippingly, devoid of any stutter or freeze.

In addition, boasting a wealth of basic and advanced editing highlights, the ultimate streamlined 4K editing tool enables you to:

  • split,
  • merge,
  • adjust speed,
  • apply filters and subtitles to your footage,
  • strengthen with speed ramp presets,
  • motion track,
  • edit to the beat,
  • color grading,
  • and more.

The dynamic keyframes powered by precise frame-by-frame editing enable creators to master the language of camera movement and manipulate your 4K videos with ease.

Features Include:

  •  Completely free and secure.
  •  Full GPU acceleration to support 4K/8K/HDR and large video editing at the fastest speed.
  •  Lower requirement on the operating system and full compatibility with various codecs and file formats.
  •  Intuitive user interface with a streamlined workflow to alleviate your editing burden.
  • Real-time rendering with a basket of editing features to explore.

How To Smoothly Edit 4K Video On Any Computer

Step 1: Free download VideoProc Vlogger

Step 2: Launch the software, and create a 4K project

As the project panel pops up, input the project name and assign the location. Here select 3840 x 2160 (16:9) 4K on the Video Resolution menu, and choose the Frame rates (30/60/120 fps) for high video quality.

Step 3: Import your 4K footage

Import all the 4K files to the media library (drag-and-drop is allowed in the program). No worries about format incompatibility issues since the strong video editor could read and render all media codecs.

Step 4: Split and rough cut

To begin with, drag the target 4K videos to the video tracks. A rough-cut edit usually comprises splitting and reorganizing your video footage.

1. Preview the video and locate the points where you wish it to start or end, right-click the point, choose Add Marker, and use split and remove tools to remove the unwanted segments

2. Drag to move the clip(s) to the new point to resequence. For multiple selecting, press Ctrl on the keyboard and click on the wanted clips.

   

Step 5: Further your 4K video with more adjustment

Following the rough cut phase, let’s advance our editing work:

Speed Adjust

VideoProc Vlogger allows for both constant and variable speed change.

You can either choose from the built-in speed presets or drag the shape of the Bezier Curve to manually control the rate of the speed change.

Add Transitions/Text/Effects

Navigate to the top of the Media library, check out the Transitions, Titles, and Effects tab, and apply it to your 4K videos.

To add a transition, simply drag and drop the preset in between two 4K video clips, and you can further the applied transition in the Inspector panel on the right hand. The same works for Titles and Effects.

Color Grading

Select your video clip and find Color& Filter in Inspector on the right, where you can adjust parameters including hue, temperature, contrast, exposure, and more.

Or to simplify the matter, turn to the 3D Luts on the left, in which you can find a bunch of options to work with.

Add Background Music

Drag the music or audio file to the audio track. For beat-sync video or more creative edit, go check with the audio editor baked in the program.

Step 6: Preview and export your 4K videos.

Click on export to enter the export panel. Don’t forget to enable “Enable hardware acceleration for encoding” to expedite your 4K editing.

After having all the information verified, hit Start to export the video.

Edit 4K Video – Conclusion

Editing a 4K video never comes easy, but if collaborating with proper hardware and software conditions, you can easily transform your raw footage probably with crisp and jaw-dropping scenes into a blockbuster.

Embark on your 4K editing journey and relish to your heart’s content with VideoProc Vlogger, a 4K-capable and feature-rich editing companion.