When Microsoft introduced the Clipchamp video editor for Windows 11 earlier this month, the company focused on how you could use it to record, trim, and add transitions, text, and other effects to videos.
What the company didn’t mention in its blog post was that many of features were only available with a paid subscription. Features like… exporting HD videos. But now the company has made some changes to Clipchamp pricing that mean, among other things, free users can now export 1080p videos.
As spotted by @FireCubeStudios, Clipchamp’s free Basic plan now supports 1080p video exports. Previously users on the Basic plan had been limited to 480p exports, while customers who paid $9 per month for a Creator plan could export videos at 720p resolutions. You had to pay $19 per month or more for 1080p video exports.
Now all plans support full HD video exports. But if you want access to things like cloud storage or access to stock audio, image, and video libraries, you’ll still need to pony up some cash for a subscription.
Microsoft didn’t develop Clipchamp from scratch. Clipchamp started its life as a startup providing a cloud-based video editor, but Microsoft acquired the company in 2021. It just seems like the company either didn’t adjust the subscription pricing before bringing it to Windows 11, or failed to anticipate the amount of pushback it would get for charging for something as basic to video editing in 2022 as exporting videos at full HD resolution.
Fun fact: Clipchamp doesn’t support exporting videos at resolutions higher than 1080p no matter how much you pay. Another fun fact: there third-party video editors that support 4K video exports and many other features you won’t find in Clipchamp without charging for a subscription. DaVinci Resolve, for example, lets you edit video, add visual effects and apply color correction and do audio post-production for free.
via Neowin