HitFilm

About

HitFilm

HitFilm is a legacy video editing and visual effects application originally developed by FXhome, a Norwich, United Kingdom software company founded in 2001. HitFilm Express, the free tier, historically served as a beginner-friendly VFX editor, but Israeli media platform Artlist acquired FXhome in 2022 and new HitFilm accounts were subsequently discontinued as the brand migrated into the Artlist Motion product line.

HitFilm was developed by FXhome, a software company founded in Norwich, United Kingdom in 2001 by British filmmaker and developer Josh Davies alongside a small founding team. FXhome initially released a compositing application called EffectsLab, followed by CompositeLab and VisionLab, before consolidating its product line under the HitFilm name in 2011. HitFilm 1.0 launched in 2011 as a paid all-in-one editor and compositor aimed at independent filmmakers, and a free tier called HitFilm Express followed in 2013. That free tier became one of the most-downloaded VFX-capable free video editors of the mid-2010s and produced a large tutorial and community footprint on YouTube through channels such as Film Riot. The application combined a traditional non-linear timeline with a compositor toolkit that included particle effects, 3D-model integration, muzzle-flash and lightsaber effects, chroma keying, and Foundry-style plug-in packs. HitFilm Pro, the paid tier, added higher-tier VFX and delivery features, and additional revenue came from purchasable effect packs and add-ons that unlocked specific tools inside HitFilm Express. In July 2022, Israeli royalty-free-media platform Artlist Ltd acquired FXhome in a reported nine-figure transaction and integrated the product line into its broader Artlist Motion product family. FXhome subsequently stopped accepting new HitFilm signups, and the historical HitFilm Express free tier is no longer available to fresh users. Existing HitFilm licenses and the sunset FXhome community continue to be documented across the Artlist site, the hitfilm.com domain, a legacy user forum, and the FXhome and Film Sensei YouTube channels that hosted much of the historical tutorial content. Independent filmmakers who previously relied on HitFilm are typically directed to Artlist Motion, DaVinci Resolve's Fusion page, or Blender for compositing needs, and this listing exists as a historical record of the FXhome company and the HitFilm product family.