I was just checking out the Youtube video thread and admiring every ones work. I was wondering what you are all using for editing software. Many of those looked a lot more professional than is possible with Windows Movie Maker. So, what do you all prefer?
(I love the opening on GearJammers video!)
I use Adobe Premiere with a Pinnacle DV500 capture card for video editing.
I second the Adobe Premiere with my JVC DV camcorder via firewire. I haven’t uploaded any videos as of yet…I’m polishing my videos before I do any youtube video uploading.
I purchased Video Explosion Deluxe, but I like Windows Movie Maker a bit better.
I use Sony Vegas 8 Pro. Vegas is kind of a black horse product, but it’s gaining in popularity with Sony buying it from Sonic Foundry three years ago.
Vegas 8 Pro + DVD Architect makes a powerful combination for producing professional DVDs.
Also, we shoot all the master video in HighDef, and we use Serious Magic’s HDV Rack to capture the video straight to hard disk out of the camera. From there we edit the video in Vegas and render it down to standard definition (SD) mpg2 for use on a DVD. This makes a standard DVD that’s crisp and clean – much better looking that starting with a standard definition source.
I prefer shooting in widescreen 16 x 9 format. I think this makes a much nicer, more professional looking image – and with HD coming like it is, widescreen will soon be the new standard.
To get good looking video on YouTube, it helps to start with .wmv format that’s been rendered at about 1 mbps. YouTube’s video processor makes a nice clean video from a .wmv source. I think starting with a somewhat generous 1 mbps bit rate in .wmv format will give you a clean, pixelation free video master to upload to YouTube. That will have more impact on how good the video looks on YouTube than what video editor you happen to use.
I like Video Studio from Ulead.
It’s pretty powerful and can be had for less than a hundred bucks.
I’m using Windows Movie Maker. I figure it’s free with my copy of Windows XP, and it’s relatively simple to use with good results.
Kevin
I use Video Studio from ULead. Very powerful, does everything I want and has lots of tricks.
I use a older Roxio 7.1 something retail version.
Sometimes I think the exercise is futile because it creates fine videos only to see it butchered by the bad flash format on the online video hosters.
Im beginning to just upload the videos just “A tad” cleaned up from Raw tape and file size be damned I have a good upload and can get away with it.
I use a RAID Zero array of three drives to capture the video. One hour of Hi-8 tape in digital format can reach 15-20 gigabyte in size once pulled off the camcorder.
After the system is rebuilt later this year, Im considering buying the latest Roxio retail editing software. It’s a system that I understand.
Building DVD’s also is working out well for use in regular home DVD players.
I wait for the day we get out of the 800x600 hell and move into high defination on both sides of the editing. The hardware and the final result. Websites need to upgrade from thier flash and accept wmv, quicktime or avi files as they come from thier clients because a good sharp clean video is a joy.
I think Premiere is the ‘premier’ software for video editing [:)] but I personally have no experience with it. I have, however, fiddled with Ulead’s Media Studio Pro a bit and I found it very easy to use - I have zero experience with video editing and was able to achieve good results. Here’s a marketing video for a game-targeted 3D modeling application I put together with Media Studio Pro (a few years ago) if you’re interested:
http://www.caligari.com/gamespace/images/gSIntro_finalcut_640x480-1.wmv
I have been a Mac user from the very beginning back in 1982. I now use Final Cut Pro for all my editing needs. It is something I know. The Mac was also the backbone machine in my post production editing company in San Francisco. It powered several Avid high end systems and supported the graphics area.
Dick Foster
I use Windows Movie Maker, as I don’t have enough money to spend on the layout, much less software to edit movies of it![:-^]
MSWMM is pretty easy to work with, and I know it, so I’m sticking with it for now.
I tried Vegas back when Sonic Foundry still had it and just couldn’t get the hang of it though it seemed like it was a good package. I hope Sony aquiring it will mean good things for the software…unlike what Adobe did to Cool Edit Pro. I used to use Media Studio Pro from Ulead but it was unstable on the system I was using at the time. I fooled around briefly with Avid Xpress DV, (the industry standard) but I never cared for it so I have always come back to Premiere. I seldom put anything on the web at this time. Maybe once the layout is functional?
My editing system is a P4 3.0GHZ with a mere gig of RAM so it chugs when it renders a bit. I used to use SCSI drives but after running drive speed tests and finding that EIDE drives were faster I went IDE and have a 300MB and a 120 MB media drive along with a SCSI system drive and I use a dedicated SCSI drive for my pagefile. If I ever need to upgrade I’ll get SATA drives.
I like the Pinnacle card because it offers a realtime effects engine, firewire, and composite capture capabilities. With the DV500 I seldom have to render until I get crazy overlaying video tracks with effects applied. [:)]
AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH!
I use Ulead Video Studio. I got the free copy with my video card but I liked it and then upgraded to the full version.
Oh yeah! I’m still frosty about that one.
Windows Movie Maker for me. The key isn’t the editing software, it’s getting good shots, understanding continuity, and piecing things together into a coherent package. Random shots simply strung together don’t make a good movie, no matter how much you spent on your software.
I did this video (and all my others) with a Canon S-2 and Movie Maker. So simple even I can do it…[D)]
Lee
Really nice quality there but even though I have high speed internet it buffered so much and so often that I only watched the first minute and a half. I was expecting a model railroad so at first I thought your winter scenery was awesome… [(-D]
True enough, anyone can glue shots together with any software. The real trick is to tell a story while doing so, IMO. [2c]
I agree, Windows Movie Maker is real EZ to use. I was able to do my first video in less than an hour and I knew nothing about shooting or editing video. (or converting quick time to other formats) I’d just like to have a little more control over things like fade effects, titles and maybe some other effects. I’m downloading trial versions of a few programs mentioned here so we’ll see how it goes. Thanks for all the input!
Sorry to chime in late, but I can’t let this thread go past without at least one vote for Avid. At home, I run Xpress Pro on an XW4000 (dual 2.8GHz Xeon). If I start doing anything more seriously, I’ll move up to the software-only version of Media Composer. (Of course, by that time, I might be able to get a decent deal on a used Meridian or even Adrenaline.)
For Macfolk, FCP is really the software of choice, but (1) I loathe Macs (no flames, please – it a personal choice) and (2) I run Avids at work. So for me it’s got to be an Avid. I know there used to be a free version of Xpress DV out there. If you’re not doing anything too crazy (read: looks like “My First Music Video”) it’s tough to beat. For more punch, though, I’d say look at Xpress Pro or FCP.
Peter