Friday, May 19th, 2017 Posted by Jim Thacker

Download HitFilm Express 2017 for free

FXhome’s teaser for HitFilm 2017 Express, the free version of its editing, compositing and effects software, which was released this week. Project files for the effects in the short can be downloaded free.


FXhome has released HitFilm Express 2017, the latest update to the free cut-down edition of its editing, compositing and effects package, adding new audio and 360-degree video editing tools.

The update also raises the maximum resolution supported by the Express edition of the software to 4K UHD.

New audio editing and 360-degree video tools, improved workflow and performance
We can’t find a full list of new features in HitFilm Express 2017 on FXhome’s website, but in an email to CG Channel, the company summarised the key additions as follows:

  • Powerful new audio tools, such as Auto Sync for perfect alignment.
  • Improved 360 video tools for distorting and controlling 360 video.
  • New effects including Star Wars-style Lightswords and Heat Distortion.
  • Industry-standard editing tools including J-cuts and L-cuts.
  • New export queue for easy queuing, modification and duplication of tasks.
  • Support for UHD projects and RAM preview for faster playback.
  • Dynamic toolbox property searching for a faster and improved workflow.
  • Full Retina and HiDPI support on Mac and Windows.

We wrote about most of those features in our original story on the commercial version of the software, HitFilm Pro 2017, when it was released last November, so we won’t cover them again in detail here.

New features in the Pro edition not included in Express include support for 32-bit, 8K footage – Express’s maximum resolution has risen from 1080p to 4K, but it’s still capped at 8-bit depth – and the changes to the colour grading and mocha planar tracking toolsets, both of which are paid add-on modules in Express.

Lacks the advanced features of the Pro edition, but still a versatile tool
As before, HitFilm Express 2017 lacks some of the existing functionality from the Pro edition, including the option to import and render 3D models, OpenEXR import, and support for OFX plugins.

Many of the advanced toolsets are also split out into paid add-ons, including the BorisFX 3D Objects titling tools, denoising and image repair systems, and a lot of the preset effects.

You can find a comparison table for the two editions here.

However, that still leaves over 180 presets, not to mention the basic editing and 3D compositing toolsets: for a free application, you get a lot of bang for your (lack of) buck.

Pricing and availability
HitFilm Express 2017 is available now for 64-bit Windows 7+ and Mac OS X 10.10+. The core application is free, while individual content packs cost between $10 and $50. HitFilm 2017 Pro costs $349.

To download the software, you’ll need to be logged into the website. Registration is free, but you have to provide your email address, and FXhome asks that you share the news on social media before downloading.


Read more about HitFilm Express on FXhome’s website

Download HitFilm 2017 Express for free (Scroll to foot of page for download link)