The Working Frame
Three free tools that solve three different problems. Pick by the job: fast social edits, serious editing, or a first draft from a prompt.
They solve three different problems. Pick by the job.
CapCut: fast social edits
Captions, templates, effects and AI tools in one app. The free version covers the basics. Pro adds AI credits, premium templates and 1TB of cloud storage. Pricing changes by country and platform and CapCut's help pages give no figure. Look at the price in the app before you decide, since introductory and renewal rates differ. Auto captions are listed as Pro on CapCut's own page, so check that before writing off the free version.
DaVinci Resolve: serious editing, no subscription
The free version has no watermark or time limit. It exports up to 4K at 60 frames a second, in 8-bit, and includes editing, effects, colour and sound. The AI tools, such as Magic Mask and voice isolation, are in the paid Studio version. Studio is a one-off purchase. UK resellers list it at about £190 to £225. I could not check Blackmagic's own page.
InVideo AI: a first draft from a prompt
It builds a finished video from text. The free plan gives about five credits, a 1080p export and a watermark. The paid plan is about $20 a month, or $17 billed yearly. It is billed in dollars. It is not a timeline editor.
Which one
Reels and TikToks, quickly: CapCut
Anything you'll grade and polish: Resolve
A rough video from an idea: InVideo AI
For Seedance 2.5 clips, CapCut and Dreamina is the shortest route. Our Seedance 2.5 prompt guide shows how to write the prompts.
Sources: CapCut help · CapCut Standard vs Pro · Postflow on Resolve · ProAV · Marc Andrews on InVideo
Prompts, assets and systems for making content with AI. New lessons every week, always including what’s trending.
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