Best Video Montage Makers for Beginners (Free & Paid)

This guide to the best video montage makers for beginners introduces the core aspects of this essential editing technique.

Used everywhere from mainstream Hollywood movies to marketing campaigns, it’s a great way to convey information in a short period of time.

I’ve created video montages for videography work to help compile landscape and wildlife footage in an appealing sequence.

There are plenty of excellent free and paid apps and online resources you can use to put together an exciting new video montage.

In this guide, I’ll cover exactly what a video montage is, and the best video editor apps for beginners you can try today.

A video montage is a sequence of video clips arranged to convey a story or theme in a short space of time.

It’s a common technique used in movies, with the classic example of a montage being the training sequence, for instance, in the Rocky movies.

The opening sequence of the Pixar animated movie Up is another illustrative example of how a montage can be used to compress time.

It shows the main character, Carl’s progression from childhood through to marriage and the death of his wife and conveys a life of experiences in a few minutes.

Videographers use montages for weddings and other events, and it’s a popular video editing technique for marketing and advertising.

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The Best Video Montage Apps & Makers for Beginners

Learning how to create professional-looking videos is easy, with plenty of online montage maker apps to choose from.

Here are some of the best montage-maker resources you can use to create a video montage in just a few clicks.

Canva

Canva is a completely free online video editor and photo montage maker tool that is widely used for personal and consumer video montages.

It features a range of tools to customize your montage clips, with the option to add audio tracks for your own sound effects and music track.

You won’t need any video editing experience, and Canva makes it easy to upload the end result to your YouTube channel in only a few clicks.

iMovie

Apple users who want to create video montages on their Mac or iPhone can use iMovie, which comes free on Apple devices.

Once you’ve added all your clips to iMovie, you can add music, adjust the clip length, and include a range of neat transitions.

It’s another great tool that allows you to create the perfect montage with ease on computers and mobile devices.

Filmora

Filmora allows you to practice your video-making skills with a free trial version, although you’ll need to subscribe to remove the watermark.

It’s more advanced than some of the free video montage maker apps, with additional features to allow for the editing of better videos.

Filmora also offers royalty-free music, a voice-over feature, and transitions and filters to enhance the quality of your video content further.

• How to use Filmora

Kapwing

Another great montage video maker is Kapwing, an online resource where you can rearrange clips, introduce sound effects, and export to your social media platform of choice.

They offer plenty of transitions, effects, and free music you can include, as well as custom text and stickers.

Like Filmora, Kapwing offers users a Free and Pro plan, with the latter removing limitations on file sizes and opening access to all features.

Clipchamp

Clipchamp is another video editor you can use to immediately start editing montages as well as adding music and other audio files.

The free version allows you to export the finished montage without a watermark and comes with free images, videos, filters, and effects.

For a small monthly fee, you can create 4K resolution montage videos and access their premium selection of resources, as well as a brand kit for company logos.

KineMaster

If you need to edit videos on the go from Android devices, the KineMaster montage maker app is a great place to start.

Featuring cloud storage and all the tools you’ll need to make a montage, it offers thousands of library assets to use to edit content.

Simply download the app and start uploading your assets, such as photos and videos, and in just a few clicks, you’ll have a compelling video montage to share.

How to Make a Video Montage for Free

I’ve covered some of the best montage editing tools for beginners; now, I’ll walk you through how to create a visually interesting montage using Canva.

Step 1 – Create a new project and upload your photos and video clips

To create a video montage in Canva, head to the video collage page and click on the Create a video collage link to open a new project.

Once you’ve named your project, you can upload your assets from a range of sources, including Dropbox and any folders on your computer.

Step 2 – Choose any additional assets from Canva’s Elements tab

Canva also offers plenty of additional video, audio, graphics, and other assets you can add to your montage.

Head to the Elements tab and browse through their selection to see what assets fit the mood and tone of your montage.

Step 3 – Drag and drop the desired photos and videos onto the timeline

Once you’ve uploaded your assets and found anything suitable from the Elements collection, it’s time to add them to the timeline.

To do this, simply click and drag each asset onto the timeline in the desired sequence you wish them to be displayed.

You can lengthen or shorten each clip by clicking and dragging the edges of the clip’s box in the timeline. A double-ended arrow will indicate it’s ready to adjust.

Step 4 – Add any audio or music to your video montages

Once you’re happy with the sequence of video clips and images, you can introduce audio and add music to the montage.

You can upload your own music or find stock audio from the Elements tab to use for free.

Drag these onto the timeline, and they will appear beneath the video files on the timeline

Step 5 – Include graphics, text, and stickers if necessary

If you want to include a title, or any other on-screen text and graphics, you can find these in the Elements tab.

Use the same drag-and-drop method to position these on your montage.

Step 6 – Share your video montage to your social media platform

When you’re montage video is complete, you can share it using the Share button located in the top right-hand corner of the interface.

Choose anyone you wish to include as a collaborator, download the video, or post it directly to your social media pages.

10 Creative Video Montage Ideas

Now that you know how to put together a montage quickly, here are some creative video montage ideas to consider.

1. Choose clips for their visual variety
2. Select music that matches the mood and tone of the video clips
3. Resource stock videos for additional footage
4. Set the scene with the opening video
5. Highlight your brand or service
6. Use time-lapse and other filmmaking techniques
7. Create a montage sharing special events
8. Remove unwanted background noise if necessary
9. Keep it concise and punchy
10. Add a personal touch to create a touching montage

Video Montage Maker FAQs

What program should I use to make a video montage?

Choosing the best program to make a video montage depends on your budget and level of editing experience.

For casual users, tools such as CyberLink PowerDirector 365 or the online platform Canva are great resources.

If you’re savvy with editing and want to use more advanced transitions and effects, consider using Apple Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro.

How do I make a video montage on iPhone?

Apple device owners looking to create montages from their video files can use the iMovie app on their phones.

This easy-to-use app can quickly create a photo or video montage in a few minutes using basic video editing tools.

How long should a montage video be?

When putting together video montages, you should aim to limit the run time between 90 seconds and two minutes.

At a minimum, a montage should be at least 30 seconds long and, at the very most, up to around five minutes.

How do you make a video montage with pictures and music?

There are several great resources you can use to make a video montage online with pictures and music for free.

I’ve covered how you can do this with Canva, and you can also try using VEED to achieve similar results.

How do I edit a video montage?

Editing a video montage is accomplished by loading up your video clips and images into the program and any music you wish to use.

Then, simply drag and drop each clip into the desired position in the video montage maker timeline in the sequence you want them to appear.

What songs are good for video montage?

The best songs to use for a montage will depend on the nature of the video content you’re creating, so choose background music that is most fitting.

Popular songs used for montages include “All of Me” by John Legend, “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, and “In My Life” by the Beatles.

Be aware that you may be infringing copyright law if you use your montage for commercial use, in which case you may need to source songs from stock resources.