Video Editing Software

[imported_admin]

Here is a short list of Free Video Editing software

Windows Movie Maker - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/default.mspx

Avid Free DVD - http://www.avid.com/freedv/

Wax - http://www.debugmode.com/wax/

Hyperengine AV - http://www.arboretum.com/products/hyperengine-av/hav_main.html


Here is a short list of Video Editing software that you can buy and/or download a trial version of.

Magix Movie Edit Pro - http://site.magix.net/english-us/home/video/movie-edit-pro-11/

Video Studio by Ulead - http://www.ulead.com/vs/runme.htm

Media Studio Pro by Ulead - http://www.ulead.com/msp/runme.htm

Adobe Premier - http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/

Apple Ilife - http://www.apple.com/ilife/

[Tangles]

Hi All,

Just my experience on editing software (which you purchase) as this is my line work, if on a Mac, only choice is Final Cut Pro ( comes in a bundle with DVD authoring sortware and compression software). Disagree with Ilife its a bit hokey and not a powerful editor. For PC definitely Premiere as you say, the others dont compare really in terms of user friendly. If your going to buy this sort of software dont waste your money on the others, they just dont have the flexibility and ease of use these two have.

Biggest issue I suspect people will have is not really editing but authoring DVD,s and compression. If your on a Mac its a one stop shop with the Final Cut Studio bundle ( bang for bucks), on Windows you will need another DVD authoring/compression solution after Premiere to do it right.

A good general compression programme ( 30 day free trial) is "Cleaner" by Autodesk...( both Mac and PC) will compress video/images etc to all formats..

Anyway thems my thoughts, Personally if your serious about video/dvd only real choice re bang for your bucks is a Mac with Final Cut Studio bundle ( most studios are now using them over Avids etc, and they do HD. For the PC if your really serious Premiere wont ultimately cut it as it has too many pipeline issues, you will have to look at the cheaper version of Avid.

Hope this helps, as for the freeware I cant comment
cheers
Mike

[pedostool]

thanks i will try downloading Avid

[snipe]

Igutso - think I have been experiencing the issues you mention with a newly purchased sony dvd recorder - compression and software that doesnt want to play the game etc. I am going to upgrade my computer and have been thinking a mac would be a good idea - since its your line of work I would be very interested in the specs of the machine you are using - memory, hard drive, pc or laptop etc. It seems this is a resource hungry process this dvd editing and from my experience so far is a lot more complex than it should be, but it might be the tools I am using.

Any tips or good help websites appreciated. Can I assume sony and apple like each other system compatibility wise?

[Tangles]

Hi Snipe,

the Dvd recorders on the market are pretty generic and dont deal with editing/compression well, you will be beating your head against a brickwall to get good results. Your better off with specific computer based software, (also sorry for the long post)

As for computers, Macs made the leap to Intel chips so with specific software they can also run both Windows and Mac programs.

For you, you have to figure out want your using your computer for, if editing/dvds is your thing then like i said your one stop shop is Final Cut on a Mac. If its games/general then go PC.

Assuming you want to do more than gaming then i would suggest a Mac, ok its a minority but advantages..,. very reliable, as minority operating system hardly any viruses, hardly ever crash and easy to operate. I went from PC to Mac and really havent looked back , no blue screen of death. A lot of 3D guys ( intensive apps) are now running them for these reasons but using Windows software.

As to software, , Final Cut Bundle will work well on the latest Macbook Pros... I have one , specs are 17" screen, Intel Core Duo 2.33 duo, 2 gigs ram and i took the option of the 7200 hardrive so its very quick .

Next question, editing/compression isnt really computer intensive, its really about the software and computers ability to run it and todays macbook pro will handle it easily. To give you an example we are doing 4 big commercials for a Singapore Telco (owns Optus) and we do everything in Final Cut on an older G5 desktop ( but its a beast), except for Telecine which is a $3mill machine. In other words, except for the first pass colour grade from 35ml film we can output raw files to broadcast on the software.

To reinforce the point, its software mate. If your serious about it then you dont have a choice, its Mac and Final Cut Studio bundle,, bang for buck you get editing software and DVD Studio pro where you author your DVDs.

Process:

1: capture footage; camera or from TV. Macs are pretty good for importing generic footage but it will depend on your DVD recorder (dont know about your specific dvd recorder). You can also import direct from video camera via firewire. If using DVDrecorder ( havent done it myself) you will have to export it from your DVD recorder to your computer as a raw avi or quicktime file uncompressed.. quicktimes are better.

2:Edit footage in Final Cut..(learning curve) export it uncompressed as a quicktime

3:Import it into DVD Studio pro (comes with Final Cut Bundle).

4:Build your DVD in DVD Studio Pro... they have pre-sets, templates etc.. you can add chapters etc easily. Its pretty easy to use. Once you hit 'build' it compresses the movie into a project file so you can author your dvd, compressor is great as it will allow a double pass variable compression, (ie single pass is a pre-set where you limit the bit-rate compression where everything is compressed the same.. variable compression allows scenes/shots to have variable compression rates so each scene looks best depending on the amount of digital information... computer will do it for you, so its not to scary)

5: Burn your project file onto dvd from DVD studio pro.... also you can compress it further for web distribution if you want

6: If dont want DVD and just want a movie then go straight from Final Cut Pro ( editor and compress the movie as a smaller file, choose your compression, usually Sorension 3 is good ,320x240 and your set.

So to summarise, if using DVD recorder then import file to Final Cut you cut your edit and export it in any format you want.. then take that into DVD Studio Pro and build your DVD. You also get a program in the bundle called "compressor" which is a great compression tool so you can get the best video

Also as a safety like I said cleaner is a program that converts and reads files, so it will definitely help if you have any issues between your Sony and software of choice. Use it as a last resort! dont spend the money on it if you dont have to.

As for dollar costs, Final Cut Studio is a professional system so it will cost you bucks ( but its actually pretty cheap considering what it does, you get a professional editing system, DVD authoring system, compression software and motion graphics program all in one, also its easy to use, check out the Apple site). but your pipeline is there! its definitely better than current PC solutions.

Hopefully this helps you,, also if you can get your hands on a copy of Final Cut to try.. check out Serial Box;)

cheers
mike

[Tangles]

PS if you decide to make the leap Snipe to Final Cut, dont hesitaye to Pm me, oly to happy to help, if i dont know ill put you onto my editor who does this stuf fulltime,, thing i forgot to mention is the flexibility these programs give you, you can go from High Definition to Web with all of them... so any questions please ask
mike

[snipe]

Thanks for the great reply mate. Certainly a lot to digest there and a few decisions to make. Will let you know how I get on.

[jtpython]

Does anyone know a good convertor i can download thats free need to covert from video mode to mpeg4

[snelly1971]

Hi i have brought many video editing programs but the Magix you just cant go past....ask blaze or Grand Marlin they have seen the quality of my Dvd`s and the ease with which to make them is second top none...and so is the price...nearly half of similar programs

[Ausfish]

Does anyone know a good convertor i can download thats free need to covert from video mode to mpeg4

Try
Blaze media pro - blazemp.com this is what I use, I think there is a free version or at least a trial period
or
Video converter - http://www.video-converter.net/

or just google "free avi to mpeg4"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=free+avi+to+mpeg4

[Razgo-]

I have been using avs software lately and find it extremely easy to use and powerful http://www.avs4you.com/video.aspx

[choppa]

is anyone using ""imagemixer with vcd version 1.1"""???

it came with the video camera we purchased and after i played around with it today the following probs occured

i can down load the footage captured and it gets placed in a folder from where i can edit etc etc,,,,, but the footage i want doesn't require any of this,,,,

i then want to transfer the footage to a disc,,,,, the program scans the footage and compiles audio files,,, but comes back with a drop down box after a minute or 2 and states """error, unable to process"""

the footage is of chopjr about 2-3 years ago,,,, and runs for 11 minutes,,,

any help?????

choppa

[Razgo-]

I use imagemixer with my Sony DVDcam 201. I do know i have to convert existing mpg footage to mpeg because Sony uses it's own proprietary mpg version.

your footage is in vcd format? is there an option when viewing in imagemixer to right click over file and convert to?

thats all i can think of at the moment.

[choppa]

thanks for a quick reply razgo,,,, and seeing that u use the same format i'll explain what i can,,

when i open the program and download footage,,, it goes into an album,,,, currently in the album theres 3 sample videos,,,, 2 are a countdown from 3,,, and the 3rd is of a kid in a playpen full of plastic balls,,,,

once its loaded,,,, i then click on the "edit" icon ,,, as this is the only field that activates the icon in the top right hand corner to generate an MPEG1 video etc etc,,,

whilst i'm in the edit section,,, i click on the video required and drag it in the bottom box to preview etc etc,,,, as posted above i simply want to burn it,,,, so i click the generate icon,,,,, it runs for a minute or 2 then ""unable to proceed "" comes into play

i know i'm missing something

choppa

[Razgo-]

Hi choppa, it sounds ok what your doing. my version may be slightly different but the process should be the same. have you checked their website for any further instructions? http://www.imagemixer.com/e/sony/index.htm

what is the original file format? Does it have .vcd or .mpg on the end of the file name?

[choppa]

mpg ,,,,,, when i view the thumbnails under the footage in the album and click on the directory,,,, both have the name of the file followed by""" dot mpg"""

something else i tried was to download it on the windows movie maker thats part of the laptops programmes,,,, it cant find the source..... even tho its loaded on the darn thing

i'll play further later tonite,,,, even if i delete the existing programmes and download another from th web,,,,

choppa

choppa

[Razgo-]

Hi choppo, thats good it's an mpg file.

when viewing the file in album can you right click over the file and get an option to "convert to mpeg"?

Is so then do that and convert it to a folder where you can access it again. The reason i say this is because other programs will not recognize the file if it was recorded by sony mpg. Thus using the sony software imagemixer needs to convert it to mpeg.

then any other burning program will be able to use that mpg file.

worst case scenario you can send it to me and i will send it back on DVD for you.

[choppa]

nah,,,, unfortunately when i right click it gives me the following,,,

copy thumbnail
delete thumbnail
view/play
export within the album as a new picture
export within the album as a new movie
print
send source file as an email
isert image as a cover of album,,,

heres 2 others that are "dimmed"" meaning i can't activate

paste,,, and edit

time for a scotch,,,, then i'll toss a coin,,,,

thanks choppa

[Razgo-]

hmmm.... thats a bugger. how big is the file?

i use this site often to send large files to someone and it works well http://www.yousendit.com/

if you want to send it to me that way just PM me and i will give you my email to sendit to.

i would then convert it for to at least normal mpeg hopefully and sendit back to you to use.

just thinking out load.

[choppa]

thanks mate,,,, i did that to mrs choppa's email yesterday,,,,, 5 hours later it through the towel in by saying that an error had occured,, file size is 274,874 kb's

i'm going to uninstall and try a different program,,,,, as even with the ""sample"" footage on this program that runs for 4-5 seconds wont download to disc???

as normal,,,,, theres probably 1 button that i haven't clicked

lol,,,,,,,,,,choppa

[choppa]

just noticed,,,, that when i saved the clips to my desktop,,,, the icon shows the name of the file,,, and under it is shows MPEG?????

[Razgo-]

Hi choppa, yes mpeg is normal as is mpeg2 and mpg all the same.

the sendit website is a file upload system rather than sending it via email which most ISP's will time out on large files. what sendit does is send the link to the other person to download the file so it doesn't actually go through he email system.

[choppa]

just finished reading the introduction section of sendit,,,,,, now they tell me,,,,lol

currently downloading movie edit pro 14,,,,,, dunno why,,, has to be better than 13 tho'

i'll keep ya posted

choppa,,,, still cant work out why widows media wont accept the program,,,, the camera i've got is a jvc mini dv,,, and of course the ""experts in the household"" are now telling me all about how "you tube" is an easy way to solve the problem,,,,time for a scotch,,, the download is slow,, its up to 65%,,, should just about be done by the end of the glass

waste of time once more,,,, the download created no hiccups,,, and although once i connected the camera to the laptop,,,, no device can be found occured again,,,,albeit,,, i transferred the footage from the saved file on the desktop and all looked and sounded great,,,,, started to burn it to disk and got 99% through when,,,,,

yep you guessed it,,,, error code appeared from drop down box and it aborted,,,,

time for bed,,,,

choppa