For the past few years, we've been patiently awaiting the long-rumored arrival of the Mac version of the legendary NLE Lightworks. A functioning version of the Mac software was shown as far back as NAB 2013, and at that time, many of us started to get excited. Nearly a year later, EditShare, the company which now owns Lightworks, announced that the public beta of the Mac version would become available in the middle of June. Well folks, the day has finally come where Mac users can head on over to the Lightworks website and download the software for themselves. Rejoice!

First and foremost, it's important to note that Lightworks for Mac is just in a public beta test right now, and it hasn't been officially released. As such, the full "Pro" version of the software is free for the time being. However, once the public beta expires, users will have to begin paying for the software if they want the additional features in the Pro Version. Or they can stick with the free version, which is still extremely powerful, but lacking in several features like stereoscopic editing, support for third party I/O hardware, project sharing (for groups of editors), and many of the export options are limited. Otherwise, the free version will meet the needs of most editors.

The good news, however, is that Lightworks Pro is the most affordable professional NLE on the market, and it comes with a number of different licensing options for just about any price range. You can either subscribe to the software, much like Adobe's Creative Cloud, for an entire year for $80, or on a monthly basis for $8/month. If you're a fan of owning your software outright, you can also buy a lifetime license for $280, which is less expensive than FCPX. Additionally, like other software companies, students and teachers can take advantage of educational pricing

So with that out of the way, click here to download Lightworks for Mac.

Like all software, Lightworks comes with a bit of a learning curve. It's most similar to Avid Media Composer with its windowed interface and with the default 3-point editing controls. However, unlike Avid, Lightworks is designed to show you only what you need when you need it. Essentially it lets you organize your windows easily while keeping all major editing functions tucked away in a powerful little sidebar. The lack of clutter makes the Lightworks editing experience a pleasant one.

Here's the Lightworks for Mac quickstart video, which should show you how to get up and running with the software in no time.

For a more in-depth list of tutorials and a free demo project, head on over to the Lightworks Community. While you're there, you can read in-depth about the tremendous amount of features that have been packed into this piece of software. It has truly been re-designed from the ground up over the past couple of years to make it a fantastic solution for modern file-based workflows.

What do you guys think of Lightworks? Are you excited that it has finally made its way to the Mac? Let's hear your thoughts down in the comments!

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[via RedShark]