Video Editing Software

[crudus]

As the topic implies, I am looking for god video editing software. I don't need it for anything fancy. I hear mix reviews with Windows Movie Maker, but haven't tried it myself. I am basically just wondering if there are any that really stand out or ones to avoid.

Points if it is cheap(yet still good)!

(I don't have a Mac. No I am not going to get one.)

Captcha: Vorpal Sword. I have D&D tomorrow. I hope that isn't prophetic.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Windows Movie Maker is indeed a cheap option albeit a rather crude one. Last time I checked it was roughly the video editing equivalent of scissors and glue, with cheapo transitions and FX and no audio editing option. You'll be doing YouTube videos with that, tops. Will get you as far as copying and pasting clips.

I ordinarily recommend Final Cut. I know you don't have a Mac but I hear there're "ways" of getting it to work on Windows. Still pretty expensive though, but hey, it's the best video editing software out there, I have to recognize it.

Some good options are Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere. Cheaper than Final Cut, work on Windows and overall very good programs, I think they can get you as far as Final Cut when it comes to video editing. I have them both and alternate between them, they're both equally good though I find Adobe to be more complete and Sony more comfortable (these might just be very subjective impressions).

 

[Vegosiux]

Some good options are Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere. Cheaper than Final Cut, work on Windows and overall very good programs, I think they can get you as far as Final Cut when it comes to video editing. I have them both and alternate between them, they're both equally good though I find Adobe to be more complete and Sony more comfortable (these might just be very subjective impressions).

Working with both Vegas and Premiere on a daily basis, I'll agree with this sentiment, I personally prefer Vegas myself, but it can be clunky now and then, and o, how I wish I could queue things in it like I can in Premiere!

So, I'll just suggest my personal preference and give my vote to Vegas.

 

[ItsNotRudy]

I also have to vote for Vegas. Easier to pick up than Premiere also.

 

[Charli]

You can get CS2 Premiere which is what I use for my stuff...

Movie maker is good to learn the basics of editing, once you've got that down you'll start to realize the limitations and you move on to Vegas or Final Cut etc.

But I am an adobe whore. It's just easier to have them all work together for the shit I do.

 

[Strazdas]

I am looking for god video editing software.

Well im not sure about god software, but i recommend Camtasia Studio. It is very simple to use (more so thatn WMM) however is not as complex as Vegas or Premiere (frankly i couldnt figure Premiere by trial and error, and i could for photoshop and Sound Forge, so there). It used to be semi-free, but now it seems they raised the price (though i sstill use older version i got quite some time ago, nto sure what they added in the new one, saw at friends computer and it didnt seem like much at first glance).
It rarely gets mentioned in suggestions, and maybe thats just me, but i grown to love this program.

 

[crudus]

Thank you. This was all really helpful ^_^

You'll be doing YouTube videos with that, tops.

Well that is what I will be doing with it anyway.

You can get CS2 Premiere which is what I use for my stuff...

Movie maker is good to learn the basics of editing, once you've got that down you'll start to realize the limitations and you move on to Vegas or Final Cut etc.

That sounds like what I will probably do. Maybe Camtasia Studio between the two. It is hard to justify a triple digit price tag for this right now.

 

[gyroscopeboy]

Thank you. This was all really helpful ^_^

You'll be doing YouTube videos with that, tops.

Well that is what I will be doing with it anyway.

You can get CS2 Premiere which is what I use for my stuff...

Movie maker is good to learn the basics of editing, once you've got that down you'll start to realize the limitations and you move on to Vegas or Final Cut etc.

That sounds like what I will probably do. Maybe Camtasia Studio between the two. It is hard to justify a triple digit price tag for this right now.

Plus Premiere CS2 is now technically free.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

If you can't afford Sony Vegas, its "kid brother" entry, Movie Studio, can usually be had for around $30 to $50, depending on if you can get it on sale. It's what I use!

 

[RicoADF]

As the topic implies, I am looking for god video editing software. I don't need it for anything fancy. I hear mix reviews with Windows Movie Maker, but haven't tried it myself. I am basically just wondering if there are any that really stand out or ones to avoid.

Points if it is cheap(yet still good)!

(I don't have a Mac. No I am not going to get one.)

Captcha: Vorpal Sword. I have D&D tomorrow. I hope that isn't prophetic.

Windows movie maker is to video editing what paint is to drawing. While they both will work, their extremely basic and you need to buy a proper program which will cost more. My suggestion is Sony Vegas, it's a great editor and has a few versions available based on what you need it for (so a basic one for home, better one for Amateurs and full flegged for professionals). It's also got some of the best UI and easy to learn interface. I use premier at the moment but will be getting Vegas asap.

If you can't afford Sony Vegas, its "kid brother" entry, Movie Studio, can usually be had for around $30 to $50, depending on if you can get it on sale. It's what I use!

Pretty much this ^^, although even the most expensive Vegas is still cheaper than Adobe Premier pro (atleast here in Australia), so my best suggestion is to shop around in your local area and see whats on offer.

Btw, what do you plan to use the editor for? That would help us determine what your needs may be.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

imovie is the more... tolerable free programs out there I've seen.

Also Premiere and Vegas are both decent consumer grade editing programs and are reasonable priced comparatively...

to the big boys Final Cut Pro and my personal editing preference Avid Media Composer, but your looking at spending up quite a bit for those.

If you just are looking to practice for future career use or something similiar I would HIGHLY recommend getting Final Cut and Avid by any means, they are quite popular.

 

[Cloudydays]

If you can't afford Sony Vegas, its "kid brother" entry, Movie Studio, can usually be had for around $30 to $50, depending on if you can get it on sale. It's what I use!

I'll agree with this. Sony Vegas is mainly the only video editing software I use (often used in conjunction with After Effects). Vegas gets pretty much any job done, and done well. I have not found the need for Final Cut as that's a bit more high-end and intended for professionals. Vegas works perfectly fine for small projects such as short films.

If you can't afford it, Movie Studio would probably be the next best.

 

[Jingle Fett]

Premiere is what I use the most, so I'd recommend that. It has a really neat feature that lets you link stuff directly to/from After Effects, so if you're editing your video and realize you want to do some compositing (insert an explosion, do some greenscreen stuff, whatever) you can do it really quickly without having to render stuff out and transfer it, jump back and forth. Since I do a lot of work in After Effects, that's an incredibly useful feature.