Locatee raises $4M Series A for its workplace analytics platform

Locatee, a Swiss startup that uses existing sensors and IT infrastructures to provide employers and commercial real estate owners with detailed data about how their spaces are utilized, today announced that it has raised a $4 million Series A funding round led by San Francisco-based FYRFLY Venture Partners and Zurich-based Tomahawk VC.

“We started the company based on the experience we had with the big banks,” Locatee CEO and co-founder Thomas Kessler told me. “As users, we were introduced to this new world of working. You can work from any place. You can work from Starbucks. You can work from any area. And in the office, I did not have my own desk anymore. I could choose between meeting rooms, focus areas and so on. But that also has some challenges for managing the space.”

Corporate real estate managers often don’t understand how their buildings are utilized these days because they simply don’t have the tools to gather this data. As a result, they overprovision their office spaces and large chunks of it remain empty — which organizations then unnecessarily pay for.

What makes Locatee stand out from similar players in this space is that it integrates with existing motion sensors inside a building and other data sources, like Wi-Fi networks. For Swiss Re’s Munich office, for example, Locatee was able to work with NetCloud and integrate with the existing Cisco network infrastructure. Thanks to the data it gathered, Swiss Re was able to reduce its local office space by 10%, which Locatee says allowed the company to save about €290,000 per year.

On top of the core data analytics, Locatee also offers a number of other tools, ranging from smart signage for meeting rooms and workstations, for example, to desk finders for workers who now (or at least once they return to their offices) are often not working from a single, pre-assigned cubicle every day but who roam around a building and work from a different spot every day.

As Keller stressed, Locatee approached its first customers by trying to understand their use cases, not by trying to sell them technology. One of Locatee’s first customers was Biogen, but today, it also calls Swiss Re, Johnson & Johnson and Zurich (the financial services company, not the city) among its users.

Locatee’s data is anonymized and Kessler argues that employees don’t tend to worry about being tracked. “[Employees] have a benefit,” he said. “They have an app, for instance, where they can see available meeting rooms and desks. And they can see where colleagues are — on an opt-in basis. So it’s more like a ‘share your location’ feature like in iOS Messenger or in WhatsApp.”

With that kind of momentum, Kessler told me, finding investors was relatively easy — though it surely helped that the company closed this raise before the coronavirus pandemic hit Europe.

“Locatee’s vision to transform how space is used will ultimately elevate the quality of life for employees and can also contribute significantly to sustainable development goals,” said Philipp Stauffer, co-founder and managing director at FYRFLY Venture Partners. “Office space is only one component and increasingly all ‘work points’ matter for productivity optimization. A quantitative approach to space optimization and productivity holds both significant top- and bottom-line potential for large global organizations. Furthermore, aggregated data can help predict larger market trends, which is exciting to us.”

The company says it wants to use the new funding to become the “Google Analytics of office buildings.” And while its technology could also be used in other environments, Kessler says he wants to focus on office space for now. “There is still a lot of wasted real estate that needs to be optimized,” he said.

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Intraday Trading Calls for 8-May-2020

Intraday Trading Calls for 8-May-2020

Please click on the following link to view full post.

https://intradayguruji.blogspot.com/2020/05/intraday-trading-calls-for-8-may-2020.html

Via http://intradayguruji.blogspot.com

The Best Free Video Editors for Windows

Video is a common part of everyday life. People take videos on smartphones, upload them via YouTube, and share them on Facebook. You’d think, then, that free video editors would be common.

Free video editors have become serious rivals to the alternative, paid programs in both capacity and scope of editing. However, the selection remains somewhat limited.

We present the absolute best free video editors available for Windows.

Keep in mind: The following software is only as effective as your know-how, and none of the free video editors for Windows 10 are instantly intuitive.

1. Lightworks

If you’re looking for a powerful video editor, give Lightworks a look. Lightworks has been around since 1989 and has been used to edit many professional movies you’ve probably watched and enjoyed, like Pulp Fiction and Braveheart.

As you might expect, this professional-grade editor comes with a professional-grade learning curve. Lightworks is a nonlinear editor, which means it is not based on a simple A-to-B video timeline. That makes advanced edits easier, but thoroughly confuses newbies.

Add tons of effects and multi-cam editing, and you’ve got one heck of a nut to crack. If you manage it, though, you can create videos of higher quality than most other free editors.

Along with providing users with all the basics you could desire from free video editing software, Lightworks also provides a few extras like basic effects, titles, transitions, and color correction. Whether you’re a bare bones amateur or a bit more experienced, Lightworks will definitely meet your video editing needs.

The free version, unfortunately, comes with a few caveats, the most problematic being a lack of 1080p output. Free users can only output at 720p, which could be a major turn-off. If that doesn’t bother you, though, Lightworks is a solid choice.

The free version of Lightworks will allow you access for seven days, at which time you’ll have to register officially through the Lightworks website to use. You can do all this early on by registering today.

Download: Lightworks for Windows 10 (Free)

2. HitFilm Express

HitFilm is a doozy. Touting on its main page that it’s the “most powerful free editing and VFX software to date,” HitFilm doesn’t disappoint.

For one, the software has plenty of beautiful examples for you to choose from directly on their web page. Check out the linked film above. It is one of the prime examples.

Aside from a fantastic interface for laying out your clips and workflow, it also provides countless free video tutorials and visual effect possibilities by default.

Its UI is also largely reminiscent of more mainstream, paid video editing software. In that, you aren’t limited to what you can do and create within the window. The same applies feature-wise: color correction, clip cutting, VFX, and mask tracking are all within grasp with HitFilm Express.

You’ll have to sign-up for an account, and then the download link is sent to your inbox.

Download: HitFilm Express for Windows 10 (Free)

3. DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is as close to a free, professional video editor for Windows 10 as is possible. Keep in mind that this means it takes about as much practice, time, and dedication to learn as it would any other professional video editor. However, once you can find your way around the software, you’ll never need another video editor.

There’s hardly a thing DaVinci Resolve isn’t able to do for you. But one thing it does fantastically is color grading. In fact, it’s renounced for being a standalone color correction software along with doing, well, everything else.

It also allows SD, HD, and Ultra HD output, meaning you can start, edit, and create pseudo-studio productions—polished and finalized—all in one software. While the Studio versions will, of course, cater to actual professional production settings, the alternative free version will provide more than enough functionality to keep any beginner satisfied.

Similar to HitFilm Express, you must register with the website to download the software. For more information on Windows 10 video editors, see our comparison of DaVinci Resolve and HitFilm Express.

Download: DaVinci Resolve for Windows 10 (Free)

4. Shotcut

Comparatively speaking, Shotcut is designed for the amateur video editor or someone who needs to tie together or edit short clips to create a sensible final product. It’s as easy as dragging and dropping clips and editing them by cutting and adding transitions.

If you don’t require a large, professional-grade video editor for Windows 10, but still want to put together short clips with transitions, this program is exactly for you. Better yet, its slim data size allows users of all PC specs to use the software. You don’t need a souped-up PC in order to use Shotcut. Sometimes, that can make all the difference.

Plenty of bells and whistles are great, but for specific purposes, they can border on clutter. With Shotcut, everything you need is laid out in front of you. If you require a simple free video editor for Windows 10, look no further.

Download: Shotcut for Windows 10 (Free)

5. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free and open-source video editor for Windows 10, as well as macOS and Linux.

This program is a half-step between serious video editing software, like Lightworks, and a basic video editor like the infamous Windows Movie Maker. It supports nonlinear editing, you can add subtitles, and the software’s file format lets users save all the settings associated with a project, which you can then re-applied to another project.

Scripting is available through the GUI or directly through a command line. Virtually all major video and audio formats are supported for input and output, though WMV and QuickTime are absent.

The developer’s website includes a link to a wiki and forums that will help you become familiar with the software. Although the software hasn’t received an update for over eight months at the time of writing, Avidemux is still under active development.

Download: Avidemux for Windows 10 (Free)

6. VSDC Free Video Editor

This appropriately titled editor is another solid choice for people who want a semi-professional option without having to pay a professional price tag. A nonlinear editor, VSDC allows for advanced editing techniques. The software also supports a broad range of video and audio effects like color correction, blur reduction, and volume correction.

Though still confusing for the novice, the basic interface of VSDC is a bit easier to grasp than that of Lightworks, thanks to a front-end that mimics the Microsoft ribbon interface and has a more conventional workflow.

One nice extra that may elevate VSDC above the free version of Lightworks is video output support for 1080p at 30 FPS, which is much better than its competitor’s 720p limitation. The installer is also a rather compact 37MB, making it a handy video editing app to keep on a USB stick.

Download: VSDC Free Video Editor for Windows 10 (Free)

7. OpenShot

OpenShot is a remarkable story. An open-source, free video editing tool for Windows 10 that began life as a Kickstarter campaign, OpenShot is now a popular and capable tool. It is also a handy free video editing tool that bridges the gap between the advanced video editing options and those more basic selections.

The UI is easy to navigate, using a familiar style for anyone with any video editing experience. Even if you have zero experience, the drag and drop timelines, editable properties, filters, transitions, and other effects are all only a click away.

But don’t let the simplicity of OpenShot fool you. It is a capable cross-platform video editing tool that supports a wide range of formats, rendering techniques, and more.

Download: OpenShot for Windows 10 (Free)

8. Blender

Blender is, I admit, a different breed of video editor. It’s for 3D, rather than 2D, editing. Despite that being the case, not mentioning Blender would be a serious error because of just how much 3D video editing functionality is packed into this free software.

It’s a complete education in a single program. From the first time you enter Blender, you must get to grips with its notorious and somewhat complex UI. Blender isn’t your typical video editing software: aside from the possibility of creating a mixed reality short film like the one above, you can create, edit, animate, and light 3D animations.

Learning your way through Blender can take a lot of time. After all, you’re not starting with a few clips you can trim and edit. Blender gives little by way of instruction when you first open the program and you have to learn as you go.

That includes the official Blender Youtube channel, mind you, which not only has tutorials for users but hours upon hours of talks and presentations as well. That’s on top of their official animations, which give you something to strive for if 3D animation is your forthcoming forte.

I know, I cheated a little adding a 3D animation software to the list. There’s no doubt, however, that Blender ranks head and shoulder above the competition for its 3D video editing capabilities.

And did you know you could also use Blender to create models for 3D printing?

Download: Blender for Windows 10 (Free)

Which Is the Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows 10?

Figuring out the absolute best free video editor for Windows 10 is tricky. So much of what makes a tool “the best” lies in the ability and goal of the user.

I extensively use Shotcut to make quick, basic edits to videos—but probably don’t use even half of what the software can do. In that, choosing a free video editing tool that suits your project is important. If you’re clipping together family videos as a memento, you probably don’t need a comprehensive feature film editing suite.

If you need to upgrade your computer for this, check out the best laptops for video editing. You should make sure you have a good camcorder for hobbyist use too. And don’t miss out on these free apps to split and merge video files in a crunch!

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How face surveillance threatens your privacy and freedom | Kade Crockford

How face surveillance threatens your privacy and freedom | Kade Crockford

Privacy isn't dead, but face surveillance technology might kill it, says civil rights advocate Kade Crockford. In an eye-opening talk, Kade outlines the startling reasons why this invasive technology -- powered by often-flawed facial recognition databases that track people without their knowledge -- poses unprecedented threats to your fundamental rights. Learn what can be done to ban government use before it's too late.

Click the above link to download the TED talk.

Google launches ‘Read Along,’ a free app that helps young children practice reading

Google today is launching a new app, Read Along, that aims to help elementary school students practice their reading skills and stay educationally engaged amid school closures due to coronavirus. The new Android app is based on Google’s existing application, Bolo, which launched in India last year with a catalog of read-along stories in both English and Hindi. The updated and rebranded version is now globally available with support for 9 languages. 

Like Bolo, Read Along also leverages Google’s speech recognition and text-to-speech to help kids learn to read.

The app includes a built-in reading assistant named Diya. As kids read aloud, Diya detects if the child is struggling with a passage and can jump in with positive reinforcement or help. At any time, the child can ask Diya to help them read a sentence or pronounce a word they don’t know.

As children progress in the app, they’re presented with mini word games and earn in-app prizes as they improve their skills.

Google says the app was built with children’t privacy in mind and is able to work without either Wi-Fi or data. The voice data is analyzed in real-time on the device, and is not synced, stored or analyzed on Google’s servers. The company also stresses that it’s not using a voice sample from the kids to make the product better.

The app doesn’t include advertising or in-app purchases, either. Parents can opt to connect to the internet if they want to download additional stories, but there isn’t a charge.

At launch, Read Along offers around 500 stories and the catalog is continually expanded with new books.

Since its debut as Bolo in March 2019, Google says feedback from parents was encouraging, prompting it to bring the app to new markets. While in India, “Bolo” is broadly understood to mean “speak,” Google rebranded the app to Read Along to resonate with parents and children around the world. The app has also been updated with an enhanced library, new games and other user interface improvements since launch.

The new Read Along app is now globally available, except in the Philippines, Colombia and Denmark and offers stories in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

The app is a free download on Google Play for children ages 5 and up.

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Flic 2 Review: The Ultimate Smart Button That Integrates Anything With a Web API

Our verdict of the Flic 2 Starter Kit:
The smartest smart buttons money can buy, and very developer friendly. Which is good, because the APIs of the products it integrates with are often lacklustre, and you'll need to spend time on workarounds getting things to work as you want.810

Shouting at Alexa to control your lights and other smart home devices is all well and good, but sometimes you just want a button. You know, a physical switch you can press to make things happen! Remember those? Me neither, but the Flic button from Shortcut Labs is exactly that–and a whole lot more besides.

As well as integrating with a host of smart home lights and other devices, it can also connect to your favorite web services like IFTTT, Zapier and Slack. You can chain together multiple commands, and each button has a press, double-press, or hold action.

Is now the time to add some smart buttons to your smart home? We think so.

Flic 2 Design and Specs

Now in its second iteration, the Flic 2 Starter Kit ($160) includes a Bluetooth 5 “Long Range” hub and three buttons, as well as a micro USB power cable. Note that a USB power adaptor and Ethernet cable is not included in the package, but is required to use the Flic LR Hub.

While this might be seen as a failing in something marketed as a starter kit, it’s a win for reducing e-waste as they’re common components that you likely have spares of already. There is no Wi-Fi receiver in the Flic hub, so it will need to be connected to your router or switch via the Ethernet cable.

The buttons can be paired with the hub, a smartphone, or your Mac. In future, they hope to have MIDI and Bluetooth HID keyboard features implemented too.

However, we think they’re most useful when paired with the hub, which means they’ll operate even when your smartphone is off or you’re not there, so this is what we’ve focussed on in this review.

You can of course purchase additional Flic 2 buttons, as well as an Infra-Red module for the LR Hub, which allows you to issue IR commands to devices within line of sight of the hub (such as a TV or ceiling fan). Those who are really serious about adding buttons for everything should look at the Flic 2 Mega Kit ($400), which comes with a hub, 15 buttons, and the IR connection accessory.

You’ll also find one other port on the Flic LR Hub: an audio-out jack. This allows you to connect a speaker, and use the Play a Sound action in your command lists. So it can be a really elaborate doorbell if you fancy (although thinking about it, don’t put the buttons outside, they aren’t waterproof).

Setting Up the Flic 2 Buttons and Hub

As the simplistic product packaging and design imply, everything about the Flic 2 is simple to set up. For the initial setup and creating the action sequences, you will need to use a smartphone, but after that, the logic is stored locally on the hub itself. Assuming you paired the Flic 2 buttons with your hub, your smartphone doesn’t need to be in-range or powered on for the buttons to function.

Once you’ve connected the Flic 2 LR hub to your router and USB charger, simply open the app and add a new hub. It’ll be automatically detected on your network; then you can add the buttons. This involves tapping the Add Flic button, then holding it down until the hub detects it. This worked flawlessly during testing, and we were up and running in no time at all.

Then comes the tedious task of remembering credentials for services that you want to connect; or doing the “press this button within 30 seconds” dance that some devices require for authentication.

Range Testing

Flic 2 buttons use an enhanced Bluetooth 5.0 Long Range connection to the hub, so I placed the hub at one end of my home in the office area along with the SmartThings and Hue hub. I typically don’t have issues with Z-Wave or Zigbee devices since they operate on a mesh, with each device relaying messages to those further away in a chain. Wi-Fi is another matter though. Parts of my home were built in 1850, so the walls are thick stone that’s impenetrable to weak signals. To further complicate matters, the house is built onto a hillside, resulting in a long corridor with one side branching off into rooms. As expected, the Flic 2 buttons couldn’t quite reach from one side of the house to the other, nor could the Bluetooth signal penetrate some areas. I managed about 15 meters unobstructed down the corridor, or 10m through some walls.

To be clear, most homes obviously shouldn’t have this issue: the range is certainly further than standard Bluetooth devices, and I’m impressed it even got as far as it did. If you have a more traditional “cube” shaped home and can place the Flic hub somewhere in the middle of it, you should have no issues with reception. Multiple hubs can also be used if necessary.

I probably could have placed the hub more centrally for better coverage, but would have needed to do some serious rewiring. This brings me to my only real complaint about the design of the hub: the lack of Power Over Ethernet capability. POE enables low-powered devices to be situated anywhere you can run a single Ethernet cable. That’s easy enough, and I have Ethernet throughout the loft for security cameras and Wi-Fi access points that are mounted on the ceiling. Alternatively, adding Wi-Fi to the hub would enable it to plug directly into a power socket.

As it is, the requirement for both Ethernet and USB power restrict optimal placement of the hub.

What Can The Flic 2 Buttons Do?

The Flic buttons can interface directly with a range of smart home devices, as well as web services like IFTTT, Zapier, or even generic HTTP requests. This makes the system highly extensible: anything that has a web API is theoretically supported.

In terms of direct API implementations from the hub, smart lighting seems to have the broadest support. You’ll find LiFX, Philips Hue, Nanoleaf, and Ikea Traddfi. Wemo and Wink are present, but Samsung SmartThings is not. On the entertainment side, there’s VLC, Chromecast, Spotify and Sonos. However, even with official support I found the implementations were limited (and not necessarily the fault of Flic).

The Spotify skill is good, but doesn't work with Sonos speakers

Even if your device isn't directly supported, chances are you can use IFTTT

Generic HTTP requests make the Flic 2 buttons highly extensible for those who know how

For instance, I really wanted one button to play a specific song from Spotify to one or more Sonos speakers. My first point of call was Spotify. The Spotify Connect feature shows all my Sonos speakers in the regular Spotify app, but for some reason, the API doesn’t report them as available targets (only Alexa speakers were listed, and my Macbook Pro running the Spotify app). So my next attempt was through the Sonos skill; unfortunately, those actions are limited to play, next/previous, and volume controls. At this point, I reached out to support, and they suggested using IFTTT as an intermediary. Sure enough, the IFTTT Sonos skill allows you to play a specific item from your Sonos favorites; so all I had to do was find the song, add it to my favorites, create a IFTTT Sonos skill and link it to a button. It took a good half hour of fiddling so I can press a button and have “Everything in Awesome” played on a speaker, and I’ll need to group them first in the Sonos app

if I want it on all speakers. There’s an inherent delay when going through services like IFTTT, and they do of course rely on an internet connection rather than a direct local link to say your Philips Hue hub. But it does work.

But as well as playing a song, I can also dim the room lights (a Philips Hue bulb), turn on the party lights in music reactive mode (a Nanoleaf scene), and send a message to Slack to announce “It’s Party Time!”–all from a single button press. That is, indeed, awesome.

Interestingly, there are a whole lot more implementations when the Flic 2 buttons are paired with an Android device; you can view the full list at Flic.io. Hopefully, some of those make their way over to the hub soon.

Should You Buy the Flic 2 Starter Kit?

If you’re bored of constantly shouting at Alexa to turn on the lights and just wish you had a button instead, then this can certainly do the job. It can also message your colleagues on Slack to tell them you’re taking a coffee break. Then instruct your web-connected coffee machine to actually make said coffee. It’ll lock the front door so your moment of calm won’t be disturbed. And put on your favorite Spotify playlist. With one press of a button.

Flic buttons can post to Slack, too. You can probably think of a more meaningful message to relay to your coworkers.

However, I do realize the irony of spending hundreds of dollars to install smart bulbs that can no longer be turned off at the switch, only to then go to the expense of installing smart switches so you can once again turn on your smart bulbs with a physical switch.

In my experience, the Flic 2 buttons themselves are very reliable, and the Bluetooth 5 range should be enough for most households. But precisely how easy it is to integrate with your favorite devices will depend very much on what the manufacturer has opened in their API, as well as which bits of it Flic has implemented. Like any smart home gadget, it never quite fulfills the sci-fi dream of an integrated, automated, and intelligent home.

On the other hand, Flic has proven themselves to be very developer-friendly, and you’ll find full SDK documentation available to implement Flic features yourself. You can even integrate Flic in your Arduino projects. This bodes well for the future of Flic, and means that community integrations will continue to grow.

Enter the Competition!

Flic 2 Starter Kit Giveaway

Read the full article: Flic 2 Review: The Ultimate Smart Button That Integrates Anything With a Web API

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Zoom vs. Houseparty: The Best Video Chat Apps, Compared

The COVID-19 pandemic has sent the world scrambling for ways to stay in contact. And video chat apps are one of the easiest ways you can keep in touch with friends and family.

Two video chat apps are making more headlines than most: Zoom and Houseparty. Both video chat apps promise to keep things simple, allowing you to video chat with multiple people at once. Better still, both Zoom and Houseparty are free to use.

So, how do you choose between them? In this article, we pit Zoom versus Houseparty to see which is best…

Zoom vs. Houseparty: Which Is Best?

There are three important criteria to consider:

• Features
• Security and Privacy
• Ease of Use

These three categories contain the most important information that will help you decide between Houseparty and Zoom. You can explore the information in detail or check out the table below for a quick overview.

Zoom vs. Houseparty: Features

First things first: which video calling app has the best features?

Zoom Features

This is an interesting question because it depends on what you want from your video chat app. Before the pandemic, Zoom’s focus was on enterprise customers. Home users calling friends and family were not a priority for Zoom. In that, the feature-focus slants toward business users.

Using the basic plan, Zoom users can add up to 100 participants in a call that lasts a maximum of 40 minutes. Once the time expires, Zoom ejects all users from the video chat. You can upgrade to a premium account to remove the time restrictions. Or you can just reconnect and continue chatting.

As you can see in our overview of Zoom, the app also features integrated chat, screen sharing, local recording, multiple screen layouts (handy when you have several participants), and various meeting scheduling options.

Zoom is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and through most web browsers.

Houseparty Features

Houseparty, on the other hand, was built with fun and games in mind. Eight participants can connect to a Houseparty video chat. There is no time limit, and you can drop in and out of Houseparty chats by selecting the next room.

Now, here’s the thing. Houseparty attempts to offer the “experience” of a party. You move through rooms, chat with different people, and find the mood that suits you. A Houseparty video call starts as soon as you launch the app. Moreover, your room launches without a lock, so anyone from your contacts list can join from the outset.

This extremely open approach is, in part, what has led to Houseparty’s success. But it is also one of its most glaring security and privacy issues.

Once you’re in a Houseparty video chat, you can launch one of the integrated games and start playing. Games include Heads Up! (virtual charades), Trivia (a quiz game), Quick Draw (somewhat like Pictionary), and Chips and Guac (which is like a clean version of Cards Against Humanity).

Houseparty is available on Android, iOS, macOS, and through the Google Chrome web browser.

Zoom vs. Houseparty: Security and Privacy

When you engage in a video chat, you want to feel secure. That means no snooping, no chance for video-based intruders, and options to control the security of the app. Can you trust Zoom or Houseparty with your next business meeting or family quiz night?

Zoom Security and Privacy

At the time of writing, Zoom has a terrible reputation regarding security and privacy. Regardless, it remains extremely popular in the face of adversity. How much of that comes from users unable to switch services now that their business or school is using Zoom? We don’t know.

What is well understood, however, is that Zoom has a poor reputation regarding security and privacy. Which is why we dedicated a whole article explaining how to secure your Zoom chats. Zoom’s meteoric rise caught the development team napping. Suddenly, the eyes of the world were focusing on and pulling apart the app and its inner workings.

Sure, there’s no doubt Zoom gives a good experience, on the surface. Under the hood, though, I had Zoom repeatedly float to the surface when teaching a workshop on how to identify suspicious behavior while doing malware hunting on macOS.

— Thomas Reed (@thomasareed) March 30, 2020

As well as Zoom’s privacy issues, users face a new type of online threat: Zoom-bombing. A Zoom-bombing attack is the act of crashing an insecure Zoom video call. The intruders then display offensive material or cause a general menace, forcing participants to leave.

Although Zoom did improve the default password option for Zoom meetings, you should still learn about Zoom-bombing and how to protect yourself.

Houseparty Security and Privacy

Houseparty’s security and privacy is a mixed bag.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, several websites reported that Houseparty suffered a major data breach. Furthermore, the app was allegedly insecure, and hackers could use the app maliciously.

No evidence ever came to light regarding the data breach allegations. What’s more, Houseparty owner, Epic Games (of Fortnite and Gears of War fame) announced a bounty of $1 million for anyone that could find specific evidence of the leak. The bounty is as yet unclaimed.

We are investigating indications that the recent hacking rumors were spread by a paid commercial smear campaign to harm Houseparty. We are offering a $1,000,000 bounty for the first individual to provide proof of such a campaign to bounty@houseparty.com.

— Houseparty (@houseparty) March 31, 2020

Potential data breach aside, Houseparty still has a few privacy and security issues. For one, when you sign up to Houseparty, you agree to let them use any footage from your video chats in their marketing or advertising.

Which leads to the next issue. Houseparty offers very little in the way of encryption to protect your video call from snoopers. Is someone interested in your family game of Trivia? Probably not. But the potential for exploitation is there.

On the plus side, you cannot search for people online. This means that it is highly unlikely that a stranger will crash your Houseparty.

Houseparty is not grabbing negative headlines for its security and privacy issues. At least, not to the same degree as Zoom. It definitely helps that Epic Games and Houseparty didn’t make a series of claims about the security of their products, only to have to walk those claims back under the scrutiny of security researchers and privacy advocates.

Still, Houseparty is a long way from perfect.

Zoom vs. Houseparty: Ease of Use

The final thing to consider is ease of use. How easy is it to use Zoom or Houseparty to make a video call? What about using the more advanced features?

Zoom Ease of Use

Zoom is incredibly easy to use. Anyone with a webcam and microphone can create a Zoom video call and begin inviting people. Likewise, anyone can click a Zoom link and enter a video chat. The web interface is mostly intuitive, as are the Android and iOS apps.

One area that Zoom could improve on is hiding options deep within the various settings menus. Three different settings menus relate to different aspects of Zoom. At times, finding the correct option for the setting you want to change can take a while. Furthermore, for less technical users, the array of options available can feel overwhelming.

In terms of hosting a video chat for a large volume of people without requiring much technical know-how, Zoom is a useful option.

Houseparty Ease of Use

Like Zoom, Houseparty is extremely easy to use. Once you sign up and add your contacts to the app, you can begin to search for your friends and family. Houseparty shows a list of active chats that you can join, too.

As for entering the Houseparty app, straight into an active room, there is a way to join in incognito mode. When launching the app, hold down the Houseparty icon. You can then select the “Sneak into the House” option, which allows you to enter the app without alerting any other users.

Zoom vs. Houseparty: Which Is the Best Video Chat App?

How you use Houseparty or Zoom depends on the type of video chat you want to have.

If you’re meeting up with family and friends to play some games, Houseparty is a great option. On the other hand, if you’re hosting a business meeting or attempting to teach a class, Zoom is better suited to the job.

As one review states, Houseparty is like the happy-hour of video calling, while Zoom is the office job. And that’s a pretty accurate statement.

Of course, Houseparty and Zoom are not the only video chat apps around. You could try Jitsi, the open-source and privacy focused alternative which offers similar functionality to Zoom. Or, if you have previously used Skype, here are the best free Skype alternatives giving you even more options.

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7 Fun Mobile Games Which Let You Explore the World

These days, it’s safe to say that most of us are craving some escapism. Whether you’re trapped indoors, seeking adventure, or simply desperate to go travelling, one of the best methods to explore the world is through gaming.

With that in mind, here are some fun mobile games which let you explore the world, hunt for clues, and/or traverse an alien landscape. They’re all available for Android and iOS, and many of them are completely free to play too.

1. Seashine

It’s dark. It’s mysterious. It feels like a cross between Finding Nemo and a horror flick.

In the world of Seashine, you play a lonely little jellyfish searching for your way out of a massive underwater cave. The goal? To get out of this cave before your light vanishes. If you linger for too long, you’ll get eaten by one of the bigger fish.

Don’t let the foreboding premise of this game scare you off. Seashine is really simple to play, and the fact that you’re allowed to explore a dark, fantastical world full of deep-sea, bioluminescent creatures can actually be really calming.

While you can make in-app purchases to complete the levels quicker, Seashine works just fine as a “freebie,” too.

Download: Seashine for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Feist

Do you want to play mobile games that are equal parts creepy, cute, and beautiful? Feist is an action-adventure side-scroller with animation so smooth your character moves across the screen like water.

Featuring dark fairytale undertones and delicate sound design, Feist is set in a mystical, twilight forest. You play a tiny, fur-covered creature who needs to make its way through this forest in order to save its mate. While doing so, you must avoid the more dangerous creatures that lurk in the gloom.

With pared-down controls consisting of forward, back, and jump actions, Feist is super easy to play with almost no learning curve. It’s perfect for anyone who wants an activity they can just dive right into.

Download: Feist for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Mars: Mars

While Mars: Mars is not as exploration-focused as some of the other games on this list, the gameplay itself is so compelling we’re still including it. We feel it’s a great tool that will help you find ways to escape.

A free-to-play side-scroller, the objective of Mars: Mars is dead simple:

• When a manned space mission puts an astronaut on Mars, it’s up to you, the player, to guide this astronaut across the Martian landscape.
• You do so by jumping from platform to platform using a jetpack.
• If you don’t land on a platform, your astronaut explodes.

The controls for this game are very user-friendly—left tap for left booster, right tap for right. As you traverse each level, you’re also expected to collect “coins.”

Once you have enough coins, MarsCorp sends you a new astronaut with a new skill set. You can also acquire extra content through in-app purchases.

Overall, this game is great if you’re looking for something to mindlessly play late at night.

Download: Mars: Mars for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. OPUS: Rocket of Whispers

Looking for mobile games to play that are overwhelmingly story-based? Check out OPUS: Rocket of Whispers, a narrative about hope and perseverance in the face of civilizational decline.

While the subject matter might be too heavy for some—it deals with the after-effects of a pandemic—we think it still deserves a mention. Following a pair of characters about 30 years after a devastating viral outbreak, the player guides their journey as they search for pieces of a broken rocket. The aim? To help the souls of the dead reach the stars via this rocket.

Best of all, you can play the game in Regular or Story Mode. The latter letting you focus exclusively on the game’s complex narrative.

NB: While OPUS is officially labeled “free with in-app purchases,” and this is technically true, you will have to buy the full game in order to play past the first “arc.”

Download: OPUS: Rocket of Whispers for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. The Trail

Are you looking for vast, open-world mobile RPG games that let you explore? Do you want the ability to create a custom character, craft supplies, hunt for animals, trade objects, build a house, and interact with other players?

Then you absolutely need to check out The Trail; one of the best free-to-play games on this list.

Taking place in a vast, unspoiled wilderness that looks similar to the American west, you play a pioneer who has just landed, seeking to make a name for yourself. Once you disembark, you must make your way to Eden Falls, where you start your new life.

While the controls for this game are not as intuitive as some of the other games on this list, once you grasp them, operating The Trail becomes a breeze. The ads are also so minimal and unobtrusive that it almost feels like you’re playing paid content.

If you’re looking for other crafting games, and The Trail doesn’t do it for you, you can also check out our list of the best farming games for Android and iOS.

Download: The Trail for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Pavilion: Touch Edition

Looking for exquisite, beautifully animated exploration games that force you to use your mind in order to advance? Then you need to try Pavilion: Touch Edition, which bills itself as a puzzle-adventure.

While Pavilion is a paid game, we definitely think it’s worth the nominal cost to buy it. The goal of Pavilion is to move a small, animated character through a series of mazes. Through these mazes, you’ll explore hidden passageways, wander past crumbling staircases, and venture into abandoned temples.

You’ll also open up drawers, step on rune stones, ring bells, and turn off lights in order to achieve your goals.

While we love this game, we don’t recommend playing it late at night, especially if you’re just looking for something simple to help you relax. You’ll need to think critically about these puzzles and not mindlessly mash buttons in order to advance through the maze.

Download: Pavilion: Touch Edition for Android | iOS ($3.99)

7. Samorost 3

Last but not least is Samorost 3. Possibly our favorite game on the list. Utterly whimsical, completely escapist, and gorgeously animated, Samorost 3 is a puzzle-based adventure game. It comes across as a mix between a Studio Ghibli movie and Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal.

In the game, you play a gnome who travels through the vastness of space in order to discover its “mysterious origins.” You do this by using a flute to speak to the creatures around you, and by exploring every nook and cranny within the game in order to locate hidden objects.

There are multiple alien worlds you can explore, and the game itself is very much a tap-and-click adventure, where you must intuitively grasp the controls in order to find clues on how to progress.

While Samorost 3 is a paid game, like Pavilion, we think it’s well worth the price.

Download: Samorost 3 for Android | iOS ($4.99)

Explore the World While Stuck At Home

While you may be stuck indoors for the time being, or lack access to a games console or PC, you can still escape into the wider world using your phone and these mobile exploration games.

And if you’re looking for other fun mobile apps to keep you entertained, check out the best virtual pet  games for your mobile.

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How to Find Your FaceTime Live Photos

Snapping a Live Photo during a FaceTime call is a great way to remember your favorite conversations. A Live Photo captures the moments just before and after you hit the shutter button in FaceTime.

If you aren’t sure how to take FaceTime Live Photos—or you don’t know where they go after you snap them—here is a detailed tutorial for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

How to Take Live Photos in FaceTime

You can take a Live Photo during a FaceTime call using the shutter button. This appears when you tap the screen on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch or when you hover your mouse over the FaceTime window on a Mac. It looks like two white circles, one inside the other.

In a Group chat on FaceTime for iOS, select the person’s tile you want to take a photo of, then tap the Fullscreen button to reveal the Live Photo shutter button. In a Group chat on a Mac, double-click the person you want to photograph, then click the Shutter button.

A Live Photo is better than taking a screenshot because it doesn’t capture the FaceTime user interface. It also saves a couple of seconds of video and audio from right before and after you take the photo.

How to Take a FaceTime Photo Without Telling the Other Person

When you take a Live Photo of someone using FaceTime, it sends a notification to their device to let them know that you took a picture. There’s no way to avoid sending this notification when you take a photo, but you can get around it by taking a screenshot instead.

To do so, press Volume Up along with the Side button on your iPhone or iPad (or press the Home button with the Side button on iPhone 8 and earlier). On a Mac, press Cmd + Shift + 3.

How to Enable Live Photos in Your FaceTime Settings

Before you can take a Live Photo in FaceTime, both you and the person you’re taking a photo of need to enable Live Photos in your FaceTime Settings. If you don’t want to let other people take photos of you in FaceTime, you should disable this option.

On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > FaceTime. Scroll down and turn on FaceTime Live Photos.

On a Mac, open FaceTime and to go FaceTime > Preferences from the menu bar. In the Settings tab, turn on the option to Allow Live Photos to be captured during video calls.

Where Do FaceTime Live Photos Go?

It’s all well and good snapping Live Photos while you’re using FaceTime, but you need to know where those photos go to enjoy them after the call. The answer is pretty simple: FaceTime photos save directly to the Photos app on your device.

To view your FaceTime Live Photos, open the Photos app and go to the Photos tab, then select the All Photos view to make sure your device doesn’t filter them out. Scroll to the date and time you took the photo to find it.

You can simplify matters by viewing only your Live Photos. To do this, go to the Albums tab and look for the Live Photos album. Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac creates this album automatically as soon as you add a Live Photo to your library.

Create a Smart Album for All Your FaceTime Live Photos

If you want to keep all your FaceTime Live Photos in the same place, create a Smart Album to automatically capture them all. To create a Smart Album, you need to use the Photos app on a Mac. Unfortunately, you can’t create Smart Albums from the Photos app on an iPhone or iPad.

Click Add (+) next to My Albums in the sidebar and choose Smart Album from the popup. Name your Smart Album, then configure the following filter using the dropdown menus: Lens includes FaceTime.

You’ll need to type “FaceTime” into the third box, since it isn’t an option in the dropdown menu.

Click OK to create your Smart Album. Photos should fill the album with all the Live Photos you’ve captured during FaceTime calls. Any new FaceTime photos you take should also appear in the album automatically.

If you sync Photos over iCloud, this Smart Album will become available from the Albums tab on your other devices as well.

Troubleshooting FaceTime Photo Problems

There are lots of problems that might stop you from being able to snap a Live Photo during your FaceTime calls. If you can’t find the shutter button, FaceTime isn’t saving your photos, or you don’t know where the FaceTime photos go after you take them, try these troubleshooting tips to fix it.

1. Enable FaceTime Live Photos on Both Devices

To take a photo of someone during a FaceTime call, both of you need to turn on FaceTime Live Photos from your device settings. Go to Settings > FaceTime to do this. Make sure the person you’re taking a photo of checks their settings as well.

2. Open the Photos App on Your Device

When you take Live Photos in FaceTime, it automatically saves those pictures to the Photos app on your device. If you haven’t used Photos before, open it on your device to initialize the app before FaceTime can save photos.

3. Update to the Latest Operating System

With the release of iOS 12, Apple temporarily removed the ability to take Live Photos in FaceTime. This was presumably due to a FaceTime security bug. Live Photos are back now, but you need to update your device to the latest software to use them. The person you’re taking a photo of needs to update their device to the latest software as well.

On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > General > Software Update. On a Mac, go to System Preferences > Software Update.

4. Restart Your Device

No matter what problem you’re encountering, you should always try to fix it by restarting your device. This is a remarkably effective troubleshooting step that only takes a moment to try out. Power off your iPhone, iPad, or Mac as you usually would, then wait 30 seconds before restarting it again.

5. Restart FaceTime on Your Device

Finally, try turning FaceTime off and on in your device settings. You may need to sign in to your Apple ID account again when you do this.

On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > FaceTime and toggle the FaceTime button at the top of the screen.

On a Mac, open the FaceTime app and go to FaceTime > Preferences from the menu bar. In the Settings tab, uncheck the box to Enable this account, then check the box again to re-enable FaceTime.

Multitask While Using FaceTime

You can check out your Live Photos without ending the FaceTime chat by swiping up (or pressing the Home button) and opening the Photos app. When you do this, FaceTime pauses your video feed until you return.

This multitasking feature still lets you talk to people and hear what they say, even though it freezes your video feed. It’s just like using another app while talking on your iPhone, making it easy to complete important tasks while speaking with other people.

Read the full article: How to Find Your FaceTime Live Photos

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Watch Geo-Blocked Content on Your Favorite Streaming Services With This Handy App

For most people, the last few weeks have been the perfect time to binge watch new shows and even dive into new content you would normally not watch. Maybe for some of you, you have already just about checked off every show, movie, and documentary on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Video, and even Disney+. KeepSolid’s SmartDNS allows users to watch content that they normally are not able to access due to geo-restrictions. For $40, KeepSolid’s SmartDNS gives you access to hundreds of shows and movies on your favorite streaming services with a click of a button.

Unlock More Content

All major streaming services oftentimes designate certain shows and movies for specific regions and countries. For instance, Netflix viewers in the United States will have access to a different list of content than viewers in Germany. The KeepSolid SmartDNS is an easy-to-use proxy service that allows users to bypass geo-restrictions, thus allowing you to watch different content.

With unlimited high speed connections and wide open streaming bandwidth, stream all your new favorites in HD quality. Stream straight from devices ranging from Android, iOS, SmartTV, Mac, Windows, tvOS, Roku, PlayStation 4, and more.

Start Watching New Shows and Movies Today

This app is usually worth $239.40, but you can grab it now for just $39.99.

Prices subject to change

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The 10 Best Free Apps to Help You Learn to Play Guitar

Learning to play guitar is much harder than it looks, but it’s also worth the effort. Learning an instrument is one of the most rewarding things you can do, but it’s tough to learn on your own without any outside help.

Thankfully, there are lots of free mobile apps you can use to learn to play guitar. These Android and iOS apps will help accelerate your learning and make you feel more confident with the guitar, even if you’re a complete beginner.

1. Real Guitar

Real Guitar is a guitar simulator. It can simulate both acoustic and electric guitars, and it works on both tablets and smartphones. It also supports multi-touch, which is crucial for playing chords, but you’ll need a device with multi-touch capabilities for that feature to work.

What’s even cooler is that it comes with track loops that you can play along to, plus a recording mode and the ability to export to MP3. This means you can actually come up with songs, play them with Real Guitar, and record them for later.

Download: Real Guitar for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Perfect Ear

While Perfect Ear isn’t a guitar-specific app, it’s extremely useful for anyone who wants to learn to play guitar (or any other musical instrument for that matter). In short, it aims to develop two crucial skills that every musician must practice: rhythm and tone.

Perfect Ear comes with dozens of interval, scale, chord, and rhythm training exercises to help you get comfortable with and understand music. It also has trainers for sight-reading, absolute pitch, and note singing. If you have trouble distinguishing different tones, you need this app.

And if you want to dive into the deep end, Perfect Ear also contains articles on music theory, which will come in handy if you ever intend to write your own songs.

Download: Perfect Ear for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. GuitarTuna

There are loads of mobile apps that can help you tune your guitar, but GuitarTuna is the absolute best. It can also handle bass, ukulele, violin, cello, banjo, and a bunch of other popular string instruments, so you won’t need to find another app if you pick up another instrument later.

You pluck the guitar string, the app listens with your device’s microphone, and it shows you which note the sound is registering as. This makes it very easy to adjust your tuning as a beginner, but even as an expert this can be helpful because the app supports hundreds of alternative tunings.

Download: GuitarTuna for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. smartChord

If you want an all-in-one app for guitarists, smartChord is a great choice. It started off as an app for learning all of the different chords and fingerings on the guitar fretboard but has since evolved into something more comprehensive.

The reverse chord finder is really helpful, but smartChord also has features for tone determination, hundreds of predefined tunings, dozens of different scales, a basic metronome, a virtual guitar for when you can’t lug your actual guitar around, a precise tone generator, and more.

Download: smartChord for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. Metronomerous

https://youtu.be/277z2VRqP-s

Most metronome apps are too basic. They get the job done when you’re a beginner, but their limits are quickly reached as you improve your skills. As soon as you hit that point, you’ll want to start using Metronomerous, one of the best metronome apps around.

The interface may be a bit intimidating at first, but that’s only because it can do so much. It can go as far down as eighths, sixteenths, triplets, quintuplets, and septuplets. It can accent on any note down to the sixteenth or triplet note, it can mute during bars to make sure you’re on tempo, and it can even program complex beat sequences.

If you only need a basic beat, it may be overkill. But when basic isn’t good enough, Metronomerous is the only app that will give you the freedom you need.

Download: Metronomerous for Android (Free)

6. Justin Guitar

Justin Guitar is one of the best websites for learning to play the guitar. There’s a reason that every beginner guitar player is pointed towards the site. The website hosts a huge number of lessons from Justin Sandercoe, who breaks down the basics of the instrument simply, and he will have you strumming a tune in no time.

This app is a great extension of that and provides everything you could need. It has a tuner, video tutorials, interactive lessons, and over 1000 songs that you can play along to so that you can hit those chords perfectly. The app will track your progress through all of the lessons and score you as you go. So you can pick up and play right where you left off.

Download: Justin Guitar for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

7. Yousician

Using apps to tune your guitar or learn some chords is all well and good, but how do you know that you’re actually playing the right thing? That the sound coming out of your guitar is good and your fingers are positioned properly?

While there might never be a replacement for a real teacher, Yousician gets pretty close. This app has step-by-step video guides that teach you lessons designed by music teachers, covering topics such as chords, strumming, melodies, fingerpicking, and more.

The best thing is that it actually listens to your playing and then judges your performance so you know what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong.

Download: Yousician for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. Guitar 3D

If you are trying to learn chords—and you probably are if you’re a beginner—then Guitar 3D is a great app to help you out. It contains every chord you’ll need to get going, but the twist here is that it demonstrates them in 3D. This means that you can quickly see where your fingers should be positioned on the guitar.

Not only that, but it demonstrates the finger transitions between chord changes, which is very important when trying to learn a song. The app also highlights the strings that you need to play and offers a split-screen mode so you can see both hands clearly.

Alongside this are lessons and quizzes to test your knowledge on chords. You’ll be a chord master in no time.

Download: Guitar 3D for Android | iOS (Free)

9. Andy Guitar

Andy Guitar is another app fronted by a personable teacher. As you might guess, the instructor here is called Andy, and he guides you through loads of lessons and song tutorials, along with answering the most common questions that new guitarists ask.

Andy is a great and patient teacher. The lessons are laid out plainly and the progression is clear, so you’ll feel like you’re learning quickly. One of the great things about Andy Guitar is that it actually teaches you modern songs too. Often guitar apps tend to focus on rock classics, but Andy mixes between the likes of The Beatles and Maroon 5 with ease.

Download: Andy Guitar for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

10. 3000 Chords

If you want a straightforward app that is packed full of every chord you’ll ever want to learn, 3000 Chords is the one for you. It isn’t as fancy as some of the other apps listed here, but it’s simple and achieves exactly what it aims to do: be a great, free database of chord diagrams.

3000 Chords not only shows you the chords, but it can also play them to you so you can match up the sound. It also has chord and ear training games so that you can learn some simple guitar theory too. Plus, and this is something often overlooked, it supports left-handed guitarists.

Download: 3000 Chords for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

How to Find Guitar Chords for Songs

These are some of the best apps to help you learn to play guitar. And as you can never truly finish learning to play the guitar, you should find some value here regardless of your level of experience.

If you’ve got a handle on the guitar, you probably want to start playing songs that you know. To get you started, here are the best websites to find guitar chords for songs.

Image Credit: Carballo/Shutterstock

Read the full article: The 10 Best Free Apps to Help You Learn to Play Guitar

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The Best Free Video Editors for Windows

Video is a common part of everyday life. People take videos on smartphones, upload them via YouTube, and share them on Facebook. You’d think, then, that free video editors would be common.

Free video editors have become serious rivals to the alternative, paid programs in both capacity and scope of editing. However, the selection remains somewhat limited.

We present the absolute best free video editors available for Windows.

Keep in mind: The following software is only as effective as your know-how, and none of the free video editors for Windows 10 are instantly intuitive.

1. Lightworks

If you’re looking for a powerful video editor, give Lightworks a look. Lightworks has been around since 1989 and has been used to edit many professional movies you’ve probably watched and enjoyed, like Pulp Fiction and Braveheart.

As you might expect, this professional-grade editor comes with a professional-grade learning curve. Lightworks is a nonlinear editor, which means it is not based on a simple A-to-B video timeline. That makes advanced edits easier, but thoroughly confuses newbies.

Add tons of effects and multi-cam editing, and you’ve got one heck of a nut to crack. If you manage it, though, you can create videos of higher quality than most other free editors.

Along with providing users with all the basics you could desire from free video editing software, Lightworks also provides a few extras like basic effects, titles, transitions, and color correction. Whether you’re a bare bones amateur or a bit more experienced, Lightworks will definitely meet your video editing needs.

The free version, unfortunately, comes with a few caveats, the most problematic being a lack of 1080p output. Free users can only output at 720p, which could be a major turn-off. If that doesn’t bother you, though, Lightworks is a solid choice.

The free version of Lightworks will allow you access for seven days, at which time you’ll have to register officially through the Lightworks website to use. You can do all this early on by registering today.

Download: Lightworks for Windows 10 (Free)

2. HitFilm Express

HitFilm is a doozy. Touting on its main page that it’s the “most powerful free editing and VFX software to date,” HitFilm doesn’t disappoint.

For one, the software has plenty of beautiful examples for you to choose from directly on their web page. Check out the linked film above. It is one of the prime examples.

Aside from a fantastic interface for laying out your clips and workflow, it also provides countless free video tutorials and visual effect possibilities by default.

Its UI is also largely reminiscent of more mainstream, paid video editing software. In that, you aren’t limited to what you can do and create within the window. The same applies feature-wise: color correction, clip cutting, VFX, and mask tracking are all within grasp with HitFilm Express.

You’ll have to sign-up for an account, and then the download link is sent to your inbox.

Download: HitFilm Express for Windows 10 (Free)

3. DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is as close to a free, professional video editor for Windows 10 as is possible. Keep in mind that this means it takes about as much practice, time, and dedication to learn as it would any other professional video editor. However, once you can find your way around the software, you’ll never need another video editor.

There’s hardly a thing DaVinci Resolve isn’t able to do for you. But one thing it does fantastically is color grading. In fact, it’s renounced for being a standalone color correction software along with doing, well, everything else.

It also allows SD, HD, and Ultra HD output, meaning you can start, edit, and create pseudo-studio productions—polished and finalized—all in one software. While the Studio versions will, of course, cater to actual professional production settings, the alternative free version will provide more than enough functionality to keep any beginner satisfied.

Similar to HitFilm Express, you must register with the website to download the software. For more information on Windows 10 video editors, see our comparison of DaVinci Resolve and HitFilm Express.

Download: DaVinci Resolve for Windows 10 (Free)

4. Shotcut

Comparatively speaking, Shotcut is designed for the amateur video editor or someone who needs to tie together or edit short clips to create a sensible final product. It’s as easy as dragging and dropping clips and editing them by cutting and adding transitions.

If you don’t require a large, professional-grade video editor for Windows 10, but still want to put together short clips with transitions, this program is exactly for you. Better yet, its slim data size allows users of all PC specs to use the software. You don’t need a souped-up PC in order to use Shotcut. Sometimes, that can make all the difference.

Plenty of bells and whistles are great, but for specific purposes, they can border on clutter. With Shotcut, everything you need is laid out in front of you. If you require a simple free video editor for Windows 10, look no further.

Download: Shotcut for Windows 10 (Free)

5. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free and open-source video editor for Windows 10, as well as macOS and Linux.

This program is a half-step between serious video editing software, like Lightworks, and a basic video editor like the infamous Windows Movie Maker. It supports nonlinear editing, you can add subtitles, and the software’s file format lets users save all the settings associated with a project, which you can then re-applied to another project.

Scripting is available through the GUI or directly through a command line. Virtually all major video and audio formats are supported for input and output, though WMV and QuickTime are absent.

The developer’s website includes a link to a wiki and forums that will help you become familiar with the software. Although the software hasn’t received an update for over eight months at the time of writing, Avidemux is still under active development.

Download: Avidemux for Windows 10 (Free)

6. VSDC Free Video Editor

This appropriately titled editor is another solid choice for people who want a semi-professional option without having to pay a professional price tag. A nonlinear editor, VSDC allows for advanced editing techniques. The software also supports a broad range of video and audio effects like color correction, blur reduction, and volume correction.

Though still confusing for the novice, the basic interface of VSDC is a bit easier to grasp than that of Lightworks, thanks to a front-end that mimics the Microsoft ribbon interface and has a more conventional workflow.

One nice extra that may elevate VSDC above the free version of Lightworks is video output support for 1080p at 30 FPS, which is much better than its competitor’s 720p limitation. The installer is also a rather compact 37MB, making it a handy video editing app to keep on a USB stick.

Download: VSDC Free Video Editor for Windows 10 (Free)

7. OpenShot

OpenShot is a remarkable story. An open-source, free video editing tool for Windows 10 that began life as a Kickstarter campaign, OpenShot is now a popular and capable tool. It is also a handy free video editing tool that bridges the gap between the advanced video editing options and those more basic selections.

The UI is easy to navigate, using a familiar style for anyone with any video editing experience. Even if you have zero experience, the drag and drop timelines, editable properties, filters, transitions, and other effects are all only a click away.

But don’t let the simplicity of OpenShot fool you. It is a capable cross-platform video editing tool that supports a wide range of formats, rendering techniques, and more.

Download: OpenShot for Windows 10 (Free)

8. Blender

Blender is, I admit, a different breed of video editor. It’s for 3D, rather than 2D, editing. Despite that being the case, not mentioning Blender would be a serious error because of just how much 3D video editing functionality is packed into this free software.

It’s a complete education in a single program. From the first time you enter Blender, you must get to grips with its notorious and somewhat complex UI. Blender isn’t your typical video editing software: aside from the possibility of creating a mixed reality short film like the one above, you can create, edit, animate, and light 3D animations.

Learning your way through Blender can take a lot of time. After all, you’re not starting with a few clips you can trim and edit. Blender gives little by way of instruction when you first open the program and you have to learn as you go.

That includes the official Blender Youtube channel, mind you, which not only has tutorials for users but hours upon hours of talks and presentations as well. That’s on top of their official animations, which give you something to strive for if 3D animation is your forthcoming forte.

I know, I cheated a little adding a 3D animation software to the list. There’s no doubt, however, that Blender ranks head and shoulder above the competition for its 3D video editing capabilities.

And did you know you could also use Blender to create models for 3D printing?

Download: Blender for Windows 10 (Free)

Which Is the Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows 10?

Figuring out the absolute best free video editor for Windows 10 is tricky. So much of what makes a tool “the best” lies in the ability and goal of the user.

I extensively use Shotcut to make quick, basic edits to videos—but probably don’t use even half of what the software can do. In that, choosing a free video editing tool that suits your project is important. If you’re clipping together family videos as a memento, you probably don’t need a comprehensive feature film editing suite.

If you need to upgrade your computer for this, check out the best laptops for video editing. You should make sure you have a good camcorder for hobbyist use too. And don’t miss out on these free apps to split and merge video files in a crunch!

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