It was conceived to offer filmmakers a choice – they can use the powerful free editor & compositor, they can purchase individual packs if they require specific additions for projects, or they can grab 3 Pro and get all of them and more. It is not even, the creators say, a “lite” version of 3 Pro. And yes, the 3 Express isn’t a new version of 2 Express.

If you’re like me and want to start slowly, then the FREE version is your thing. The list of packs extends further, but if you need them all you’re probably better off starting with the HitFilm3 Pro version. And you even can have a pack like the Sci-fi adventure pack, including semi-automated lightswords, 3D laser blasts and 100% authentic opening title crawl. Or the Audio-visual pack, to generate incredible, audio-powered spectrum and waveform patterns.įor $24,99 you can have a Colorist pack, to give your videos the professional look they deserve with advanced grading tools and support for cinematic LUT files. Or the Premium Formats pack, which enables support for the Dolby AC3/AVCHD and MPEG-2 video formats. It offers you with a hand-picked selection of color grading, titling, motion graphics and compositing effects. Some of the packets cost $9.99! The Starter Pack, for example. Why? Because when I first looked at the add on packets, after installing the editor, I felt compelled to buy some, because the prices are SO accessible and I don’t need to buy them all, just those I need. I truly believe this old-fashioned marketing gimmick will work here.

Gillette did it giving razors away and expecting people to become faithful and regular buyers of their blades… and that’s where the saying comes from. This is not a new technique, the old “giving away the razor, selling the blades” principle works here. Yes, it is free, but it is conceived to make you want to have either the HitFilm 3 Pro or buy the multiple expansion packages available to make the free version a more versatile tool.

Well, let’s say that this “free” is, partially, a marketing trick. Being new to video, as I am essentially a photographer (and a journalist) who wants to explore the new option in his DSLR, I must admit I fell in love with HitFilm3 Express when I opened and tried it: everything seems to be in the right place.

Hitfilm 3 express