They're here! More Muvipix.com Guides by Steve Grisetti!
The Muvipix.com Guides to Premiere & Photoshop Elements 2024
As well as The Muvipix.com Guide to CyberLink PowerDirector 21
Because there are stories to tell
muvipix.com

How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Other Video editors/authors that assist in video production.

How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby Chuck Engels » Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:55 am

This is often times much easier than you might think. There are dozens of video editing application on the market, from consumer to professional, in a variety of price ranges. Before you can find the right program to edit your home movies you will first need to answer some specific questions about your computer system, camcorder, and what format any existing movies might be in or what they are currently stored on.

1.) Computer System Questions

A) What are the primary specs of your current system?
1) Processor
2) RAM
3) Hard Drive(s)
4) Video Card and memory
5) Audio Card
6) DVD Burner
These specs will help us to narrow down the search by finding software that will work on your current system.

B) Are you planning to purchase a new computer for video editing?

If you are planning to purchase a new system, you can look for one that meets the requirements for the software you choose.

2.) Camcorder Questions

A) What type of camcorder do you have?
1) VHS
2) VHS-C
3) MiniDV
4) Hard Drive
5) DVD
6) Other
Depending on your type of camcorder the editing software will be limited to what works well with that type. Also, additional hardware may be required for VHS and VHS-C camcorders; like a digital converter.

B) Are you planning on purchasing a new camcorder?

If you are planning on purchasing a new camcorder you can look for the software that will work best with that type.

C) Maybe you only have a digital camera?

3.) Existing Video Questions

A) Do you have existing home movies that you want to edit and transfer to DVD?

B) Do you have existing movies on DVD that you would like to edit and put back on DVD?

C) What format are the existing movies in or what are they stored on?

1 ) VHS Tape
2 ) VHS-C Tape
3 ) Beta Tape
4 ) Laser Disc
5 ) DV Tape
6 ) 8mm
7 ) 16mm
8 ) DVD
a ) mpeg .vob files
9 ) Hard Drive
a ) AVI
b ) MPEG
c ) MOV
d ) WMV
e ) Other

The answers to these questions will help to determine the right editing software, programs generally work best with one particular format.

Now, after answering the questions we can get down to what it is that you really want to accomplish. It is time to make a decision on what type of movies you want to create. After you gather that information, and combine it with what you have learned above, you will be ready to make an educated decision on what software to use in creating your feature films.

4.) Different Types of Videos
A) Slide Shows
B) Music Videos
C) Home Movies
D) Documentaries
E) Mini Feature Films
F) Sporting Events
G) Weddings and Special Events
H) Something I haven’t thought of (Other)

Believe it or not, you could use a different editing program for each of the above. If you choose the editing program for what it does best, you could easily be doing each project in a different application and that is not very practical. Just considering the time it would take to learn them all would be astronomical.

What you want to look for is the application that will do everything you need it to do, but does what you do the most better than all of the rest.

Here is a list of some of the available editing tools (for Windows) with links to help you decide. For video editing with a Digital Camcorder I cannot recommend anything more than Premiere Elements. For editing primarily from a capture card or USB device and MPEG files, I recommend Sonic MyDVD. For simple Slide Show creation, I recommend Photoshop Elements 4. Those are my recommendations, now you take a look and decide for yourself what will be the best for you! ( You may notice that Pinnacle Studio is not in the list at all, I could not recommend that software to my worst enemy, sorry.) Here is a good article on why it is better to work in the DV format rather than MPEG http://tangentsoft.net/video/mpeg/edit.html

Windows Movie Maker — Free
Free software from Microsoft that is actually quite good. Even if you don’t use this as your primary editing tool it will come in handy for a number of things.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1681494,00.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/down ... aker2.mspx

Photoshop Elements - @$99 USD
A very good tool for simple slide show creation and the best digital imaging/graphics software around. This is another tool that can be useful no matter what editing software you have.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Adobe_Photoshop ... 15402.html
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1863363,00.asp
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pixelb ... ements.htm
http://store.adobe.com/products/photosh ... /main.html

Premiere Elements - @$99 USD
My pick for best DV Editing Software, in my opinion there is no other product with as much functionality and stability within $100s of dollars.
http://store.adobe.com/products/premiereel/main.html
http://store.adobe.com/products/premiereel/reviews.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/Adobe_Premiere_ ... 15394.html
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/ ... 239,00.asp (A Rating of 90 — Superior)

Sonic/Roxio MyDVD Premier — @$70 USD
This is my second choice, especially if you are using mpeg files for editing.
http://www.sonic.com/products/Consumer/ ... fault.aspx
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/De ... wsId=16394
http://www.sonic.com/products/Consumer/ ... klook.aspx

Ulead Movie Factory - @$45 USD
http://reviews.cnet.com/Ulead_DVD_Movie ... 43275.html
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1782063,00.asp
http://www.itp.net/reviews/details.php?id=2583
http://www.ulead.com/dmf/runme.htm

Ulead VideoStudio - @$82 USD
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2C1895% ... berratings
http://www.ulead.com/vs/reviews.htm
http://www.cnet.com.au/software/music/0 ... m?type=pop
http://www.dvformat.com/articles/viewar ... p?id=32374
http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/news/ar ... _2802.html

Cyberlink PowerDirector - @$80 USD
http://video-editing-software-review.to ... eview.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 2?v=glance
http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/products ... 4_ENU.html
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t121938.html
User avatar
Chuck Engels
Super Moderator
Super Moderator
 
Posts: 18152
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2007 10:58 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby BuddyB » Sun Jun 09, 2013 5:50 pm

Hey Chuckleberry, this is a dynamite article to say the least. You went to some trouble putting it together. My question is, I don't see Sony Vegas anywhere..does that mean I'm working with a nair-do-well app? And, I don't see Premier; must be for the Fat Cats huh. You have any slide thoughts on Pro Show Gold and Producer? :) Maybe I'm asking too many questions...
PS: I see you wrote this in 2008..and things have changed a bit. Still a great piece.
"Wichitaito-Everything is Everything"
ASUS M4A88T-M mb-AthlonII X 3 455 1.5 Cache-8GB DDR3-1600-PC3-12800(2X4GB Dual Channel)-1TB SATA3 6gb/sec 7200rpm(64MB Cache) Win10 64Bit-Sony Movie Studio Suite 13-XaraX photo/Art/Web Adobe Cloud.
User avatar
BuddyB
Premiere Member
Premiere Member
 
Posts: 1032
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 1:44 pm

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby Steve Grisetti » Sun Jun 09, 2013 7:37 pm

Don't forget Sony Movie Studio, Chuck! Starting at $94.95, it's excellent and very stable video editing software that does a terrific job of mixing several types of video.
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
User avatar
Steve Grisetti
Super Moderator
Super Moderator
 
Posts: 14439
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 5:11 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby John 'twosheds' McDonald » Mon Jun 10, 2013 12:55 am

Chuck's original post was September 2008. Lots of helpful information there but looks like it needs and update (and I am not volunteering :no: )
AMD Ryzen 3900x 12C/24T, ASUS x570 mobo, Arctic Liquid Freezer ll 280, Win11 64 bit, 64GB RAM, Radeon RX 570 graphics, Samsung 500GB NVMe 980 PRO (C:), Samsung 970 Evo SSD (D:), Dell U2717D Monitor, Synology DS412+ 8TB NAS, Adobe CS6.
User avatar
John 'twosheds' McDonald
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 4236
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 11:57 am
Location: Cheshire, UK

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby Steve Grisetti » Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:15 am

Good point, John! I didn't see that.

A LOT has changed since then. For one thing, AVCHD has become pretty much the de facto home video format while tape-based video represents a very small portion of today's market.

Our first guide to Vegas/Movie Studio wasn't even published until 2011.
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
User avatar
Steve Grisetti
Super Moderator
Super Moderator
 
Posts: 14439
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 5:11 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby BuddyB » Tue Jun 11, 2013 5:56 am

I'm really curious, and can't tell. In Vegas, when you Capture, I presume it will bring it in as an AVCHD. Then after working with it, when you save, then it becomes a native Vegas file. When you make the movie then save it according to your need. I just want to make sure my thinking is correct.
"Wichitaito-Everything is Everything"
ASUS M4A88T-M mb-AthlonII X 3 455 1.5 Cache-8GB DDR3-1600-PC3-12800(2X4GB Dual Channel)-1TB SATA3 6gb/sec 7200rpm(64MB Cache) Win10 64Bit-Sony Movie Studio Suite 13-XaraX photo/Art/Web Adobe Cloud.
User avatar
BuddyB
Premiere Member
Premiere Member
 
Posts: 1032
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 1:44 pm

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby Steve Grisetti » Tue Jun 11, 2013 7:41 am

That's true of virtually every video editing program, Buddy. More or less.

You capture or download the video from your camcorder (whether or not it's AVCHD depends on the camcorder). You add that video to your project file (and that's true whether you're working in Premiere Pro/Elements, Vegas Pro/Movie Studio or Final Cut). Then, once you're done editing, you output a new file based on your edits and effects.

Your editing video doesn't actually "become a native Vegas file." It's just added to a Vegas/Premiere/Final Cut project file. The original video remains unchanged. The project file merely uses the original footage to create your final output.
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
User avatar
Steve Grisetti
Super Moderator
Super Moderator
 
Posts: 14439
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 5:11 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby Dave McElderry » Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:44 am

To add to what Steve has said, the project file in any editor holds all the information about what goes where, any adjustments, transitions, and effects you've added, what parts of clips you've used, and all the bells and whistles such as keyframing and motion paths. You can think of it as the "recipe instructions" for what the editor is to do with the raw ingredients. Then when you're ready for your output file it puts everything together per those instructions to make your final video file. At that time you choose what file format you want it to be.
Be yourself; everyone else is taken.

Asus X570-E motherboard; AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz; 64GB DDR4; GeForce RTX 2060 6GB; 1TB Samsung 970 Pro M.2 SSD
User avatar
Dave McElderry
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 4757
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:18 am
Location: Lost In Middle America

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby BuddyB » Tue Jun 11, 2013 8:23 pm

I've got a PV-DV910. It renders a pretty good result, but before long I'll be looking for an HD device, preferably one that uses an SD card. I think I want to do a short that will show the neat things here in Nashville, maybe 2 to 3 mins. I only hope I can hone it down that much; there's so much to see and do. One thing has impressed me about this little camera, I've forgotten the optical, but digital zoom ix X300. I'm used to digital beginning to fall apart when you zoom to the max or close. This critter is sharp as a tack. I'm always expecting tape to fall short in quality, but I'm pretty impressed, especially for the money; and it was about $80. Oh yes, I got away before they caught me. :)
"Wichitaito-Everything is Everything"
ASUS M4A88T-M mb-AthlonII X 3 455 1.5 Cache-8GB DDR3-1600-PC3-12800(2X4GB Dual Channel)-1TB SATA3 6gb/sec 7200rpm(64MB Cache) Win10 64Bit-Sony Movie Studio Suite 13-XaraX photo/Art/Web Adobe Cloud.
User avatar
BuddyB
Premiere Member
Premiere Member
 
Posts: 1032
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 1:44 pm

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby Francesco Carzedda » Sun Mar 23, 2014 4:26 am

Ciao,

is anybody familiar with Kdenlive for Linux?

Ican't understand, for example if it does rotate images by degree (not just 90°): it is called "horizontal tilt" or "vertical tilt" in ProShow or - of course - "rotate", but this word is confusing on Google, it may refer to 90°/180° rotation.

Thank you
User avatar
Francesco Carzedda
Super Contributor
Super Contributor
 
Posts: 543
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2013 6:01 am

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby Bob » Sun Mar 23, 2014 5:29 am

Not familiar with the program, but I looked at the documentation. Yes, it can rotate the image an arbitrary amount. And, you can rotate around the x, y, and z axes. Rotational units are expressed in tenths of a degree. A rotation of 450 equates to 45 degrees.
User avatar
Bob
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 5925
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:49 am
Location: Southern California, USA

Re: How Do I Find The Right Video Editing Software?

Postby Francesco Carzedda » Sun Mar 23, 2014 5:44 am

Thanks, Bob :-)
If I switch to Kdenlive I hope to be a good contributor to Muvipix :-)
User avatar
Francesco Carzedda
Super Contributor
Super Contributor
 
Posts: 543
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2013 6:01 am


Return to Video Editors 


Similar topics


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron