Video editing software

[The Boss]

Ladies, Gents.

any advice welcome.

Whats the best software around to edit my videos to make it more professional - ie, total video and audio multi layer controls etc..

I am a bit sick and tired of the std windows movie maker...

cheers!

 

[Sp!ke]

It depends how much time you want to spend learning how to use the software.

Adobe Premiere is probably your best bet if you're willing to put the time in.

If you want something you can pick up quickly then Pinnacle studio will probably hit the spot.

 

[219]

If you have access to a Mac , iMovie is the best 'simple' application . For the more advanced user , Final Cut Pro does everything you could imagine .

 

[eGuru]

If you have access to a Mac , iMovie is the best 'simple' application . For the more advanced user , Final Cut Pro does everything you could imagine .

I have used both and agree with Derek.

 

[RoseTattoo]

I have used both and agree with Derek.

Ditto iMovie

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Presuming you are using some kind of Microsoft product, I would go for Pinnacle Studio.

 

[miro]

Ladies, Gents.

any advice welcome.

Whats the best software around to edit my videos to make it more professional - ie, total video and audio multi layer controls etc..

I am a bit sick and tired of the std windows movie maker...

cheers!

Look up a forum called DVINFO. On a PC it comes down to 4 or 5 top products. In the end most people ifnd that SONY VEGAS is the cheapest out of the best ones. It also works amazingly well. Look on you-tube for some previews. Beyond that Canopus is amazing on a PC.

Then on a Mac I think nothing less than Final Cut Limited. Amazing power for a low price.

You really need a Video forum.

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Looking at some of the good suggestions on here, it is clear that you need to be sure of the amount of money you want to spend....

 

[Stratman]

A lot depends on the format of your original media. Many applications were designed for DV and don't do too well with newer memory card cameras. Even those newer editors which can deal with cards can be problematical. As an example, Panasonic SD card HiDef cameras use AVCHD. This is a Sony/Panasonic standard for HiDef memory card cameras, and as such you would expect Sony Vegas to handle it without problems. It may have changed with an update but the last time I looked, Vegas couldn't handle Panasonic-generated 1920x1080 media. My copy of Adobe Premier 7 won't recognise the .MOD files produced by my little Panasonic SDR-S7. I know I can convert them to mpeg2 files, but that's an extra operation and some formatting information, such as aspect ratio, is lost. There are also serious lipsync issues.

I tried many trials (free downloads from the manafacturers websites) and for my purposes Cyberlink Power Director 7 is the best for the S7 files.

If you post more information such as what camera(s) you use, whether you want to use other media, what audio facilities you want, the intended market, output format and suchlike we may be able to help further.

 

[MD5]

I had problems with an older version of Pinnacle Studio (8), which became corrupted. It can neither be over overwritten, nor uninstalled.

 

[The Boss]

Guys, thanks for the info.

I am a windows advocate, Macs are not for me..
i have heard that Power irector 7 deluxe or ultra from cyberlink is the one to choose.

I have a budget, dont know what it is, but as im quite a tight ****, i would rather feel i am getting significantly more bang for my buck!

any thought on this software? or where is the best place to get software?

cheers

 

[Baron_Samedi]

If I were you I would go to their website and see if there are trial versions you can download.

 

[GordonTarling]

Sony Vegas Movie Studio gets my vote - got a new, genuine, copy from Fleabay for around £25!

 

[Baron_Samedi]

V0.1 for Windows 3.1

 

[davidjpowell]

If you are looking to edit HD make sure that they support avchd file formats. Not all did, although as it was a while since i last looked hopefully that has changed.

 

[benny]

I had pinnacle for over a year and have now gone back to windows movie maker as i found pinnacle freezes and crashes alot and is very slow.

 

[mercguy230]

my brother was technical support for pinnacle, who was taken over by avid, i have always used pinnacle liquid edition, very easy to work with, have you tried it? if you want i could always let you have a copy to try, cheers Guy..

 

[The Boss]

my brother was technical support for pinnacle, who was taken over by avid, i have always used pinnacle liquid edition, very easy to work with, have you tried it? if you want i could always let you have a copy to try, cheers Guy..

Hiya

anything for free is brilliant.. as if it works, i would be more than happy, if not, then i will just look at buying a new copy.

mainly i need to have unlimited layers of audio channels.. so i can have music, voiceovers from various microphones, music blend, video stability, and transitions and bulletin notices than can be placed as layers etc...

what about green background for custom changes etc..?

Does Pinnacle offer these features?
how could i arrange a copy of it??

 

[Apial]

You can get a 14 day trial demo of Pinnacle Studio + from their website. I have heard more worrying reviews than good about it though.

I think I will buy a copy of Sony Vegas as suggested. It is fully compatible with my Sony HD AVCHD format camcorder and can be used to upload directly from the camera.

Check your PC is capable of running whatever software you choose. The requirements are very hungry.

 

[HughJarse]

You are not going to get unlimited layers.
Pinnacle has 2 video ( which can be audio ) and 2 audio.

The new version of imovie ( its black as opposed to white ) is rubbish.

If you want to try pinnacle then you should try videospin which is pinnacles free version... its very cut down but will give you a feel for the interface.

Pinnacle Systems is the Leader in Digital Video


I can guarantee that pinnacle has the quickest learning curve, works with all file formats including HD, but can be a little buggy.