Written by: Shauli Zacks

Avid Media Composer is one of the most complete video editing programs. It’s a popular choice among professional movie editors in Hollywood and around the world. Media Composer First is a slightly scaled-back version of the app that is accessible to anyone. It’s a great program for students and budding film producers, with plenty of features to help bring your vision to reality.

With Media Composer First, you can work on four video and eight audio tracks and export your video in 1080p. It includes several advanced features that require some practice before you can master them, but the software includes guided tutorials to help get you started.

Follow the instructions below and I’ll show you how to download Avid Media Composer First for free.

Download Avid Media Composer First for Free

How to Download Avid Media Composer First for Free on PC

  1. Go directly to the official Avid Media Composer website.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page, or click the Get Media Composer button to jump to the bottom of the page.
  3. Press the Download button under the Media Composer | First.
    Download Avid Media Composer for Free
  4. Before the download begins, you will need to create an account. Press the Create an Account button to begin.
  5. Enter the required information and press the Submit button. The download link will be emailed to you, so make sure to use a valid email address.
  6. There are two questions; What video editing software have you used, and What types of projects will you create. You have to select at least one answer from the drop-down menu. Once you’re done, press the Email my Download Links button.
  7. Open your email and click on the download button for your operating system. A ZIP file will instantly download to your computer.
    Avid Media Composer First download links
  8. When the ZIP file download is complete, you’ll need to extract the folder. You can use a program like WinZip or open the folder and double click on the Install Media Composer .exe file. Note, this is a very large file and can take over an hour to download.
  9. Select your preferred language, and click OK.
  10. Press the Install button. In addition to Media Composer First, it will install the required components, drivers, and tools needed to run the software.
  11. After all the components have been installed, the installation wizard will open. Click Next to begin.
  12. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and click Next.
  13.  Choose a destination folder, or accept the default option and the software will install.
  14. When the installation is complete, you will need to restart your computer.
  15. The first time you open Media Composer App, you will need to choose the option to run Media Composer | First
  16. A program called Avid Link will open, log in with the username and password you created, and then you can open Media Composer First.

Download Avid Media Composer First for Free

Avid Media Composer First Overview

The Avid Media Composer First software brings powerful video editing technology to aspiring producers. The program excels at combining multiple video segments, arranging them, adding text overlay, adjusting colors, and adding audio.

While it’s not the most intuitive video editor, once you understand how to use the various tools, you can start to customize your workstation to find the tools you need quickly. Each of the editing tools can have several different features and settings.

In addition to the Media Composer First free software, Avid has an even more powerful Pro version. I’ll compare the features at the end of this review.

Avid Media Composer First Features

If you’re familiar with Avid Media Composer, you won’t have much of a learning curve when it comes to this version. It has the same layout, tools, and keyboard shortcuts. If you’re new to Avid, take advantage of the tips and tutorials to learn how to best use the software.

Getting Started

The first thing you have to do is upload your raw video files. You have the option to either link to the source file or transcode it. The video footage will be placed in your bin, and you can start editing it right away.

Start by creating a timeline. You can easily do this by using the keyboard shortcuts. Watch the clip in preview mode and mark the In and Out with I and O, respectively when you want to place a pin in the timeline, press B.

Media Composer Timeline

The Media Composer First timeline

A project properties window will open before the clip is added to the timeline. Select a raster (resolution) and edit (frame) rate for your project. Once these are set, you can edit the clips and prepare your final product.

Complete control of your video clips

Avid Media First comes with editing tools that are typically reserved for Pro or Premium packages. You can adjust the colors and tones of the video with a full selection of color correction tools with scopes, predefined effects, hue offsets, and luma range.

Adjust color cones

Adjust the color and tone of your video

There is a quick fix for stabilizing shaky videos or taking a stable video and giving it the effect of a shaky video. You can trim clips, speed it up or slow it down, use the title to add text overlay in a variety of fonts and styles.

Compatible with plugins

You can extend the capabilities of Media Composer First through plugins. This gives you more options, different transitions, additional titles, and advanced editing techniques. However, it is not compatible with third party plugins. You have to get them through the Avid Marketplace, which can be accessed through the Avid Link tool.

Avid Marketplace

Buying plugins from the Avid Marketplace

Quick sharing on video sites

Media Composer First makes it easy to export your finished video to YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook. Click File > Publish To > choose the site you want to publish your video to and Media Composer First will prepare and publish the video.

Limitations of the Media Composer First

Media Composer First is a completely free program, and therefore it has some limitations when compared to the Pro versions.

  • Can only export in QuickTime (.mov) formats at h.264, DNxHD, PCM, and WAV
  • Four video and eight audio tracks, as opposed to 99 with the pro versions
  • Limited to 5 bins, which might be enough for large projects
  • Output is limited to 1080 as opposed to 4K
  • No collaboration tools

If you want to experience the full power of Avid Media Composer, you can download a free 30 day trial and see if it has all the tools you need.

Try Avid Media Composer for Free

How to Uninstall Avid Media Composer First

If you see the Avid Media Composer First isn’t the right video editor for your needs, it can be removed in a few simple steps.

  1. Type “Add or Remove Programs” in the Windows search bar and press the Enter key.
  2. Find Avid Media Composer First in the list of installed programs and click the Uninstall button.
  3. Confirm that you want to delete the program, and the uninstallation wizard will remove it from your computer.

You will need to uninstall Avid Link separately. Just follow the same steps to complete the process.

Free Alternatives to Avid Media Composer First

  • Adobe Premiere Pro: Adobe Premiere Pro stands out as a top-tier video editing program in the market due to its inclusion of a robust non-linear video editor with potent features. The feature-rich software gives you complete control over how your video will look. Get a free 7 day trial and you’ll also benefit from the entire Creative Cloud suite of apps.
  • VEGAS Pro: A comprehensive video editing software, VEGAS Pro has just about everything an aspiring or professional video editor needs. In addition to tools for cutting, trimming, and stabilizing video clips, it features tools to remove unwanted noises, improved color grading, and audio editing with Sound Forge Pro. Get a 30-day free trial and start creating beautiful videos.

FAQ

Is Avid Media Composer free?

There are several different versions of Avid Media Composer. You can download Media Composer First for free. Another option is to start with the more advanced premium features, and take advantage of a 30-day free trial. 

Is Avid Media Composer First safe?

I downloaded and tested Avid Media Composer First in VirusTotal, and it showed no signs of viruses, malware, Trojans, and other types of malicious files. Additionally, there was no bloatware installed on my computer during the download. To ensure that you also download a safe and free version of Avid Media Composer First, download the official version and stay away from torrented or cracked versions of the software, as these often have adware or malware inserted to the installer. 

Who should use Avid Media Composer First?

According to Avid, Media Composer First is suited for aspiring video professionals and beginners. However, in truth, the answer depends on the size of your project. The editing tools included with the free version are not that different from the Pro options. The biggest difference is the number of video and audio tracks, bins, and outputs. So, even if you’re an experienced video editor, if you’re working on a project that doesn’t require the most advanced tools, you should be able to work with the free Media Composer First.
Download Avid Media Composer now!