I'm looking to record, edit and add sound to videos but I'm not sure which software to use. I already own Goldwave and Blaze Media Pro, but I was curious what the Escapist used! So please, what chews through your editing?
What video editing software?
- Thread starter ZombieGenesis
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I would love to help, but I don't make videos. I really want to, but I've not found a free, easy to learn, and use, and master one...
Perhaps this is 'too professional' but when editing video footage at university I used AVID and Final Cut Pro. You can also make half decent videos using Windows Movie Maker.
Normally I would recommend Adobe Premiere, because that's what my friends have recommended to me. However, you can only get the CS5 free trial version (which only works for a month, and requires a 64 bit PC to use), unless you pirate it or spend hundreds of pounds on the software, and I wouldn't recommend pirating. However, I have had nothing but trouble with that, as I've been trying to get a decent editing software kit for a theatre trailer I've been asked to direct/shoot/edit, which I finally completed today on Windows Movie Maker. Because all week, CS5 has made my computer crash, to the point where I've gotten rid of everything Adobe-related on my laptop now except for Flash, Shockwave, and Reader, which are perfectly fine (touch wood).
Other good ones I've heard of, and that my fellow film-making friends use, are Avid and Final Cut, but I'm not sure if those are freeware or if my friends pirated them, or if they're fairly cheap, or what. I'd recommend you check those out and check the prices, then decide if they're right for you.
Really, anything is better than the standard stuff that come with a Mac or PC, though a Mac is definitely the better option to use when doing anything relating to film. In fact, for anything creative, it's better to go Mac, if you're doing office based work then PC is the way forward. The software, therefore, should reflect that. But you should be fine with the basic default stuff like Movie Maker if it's for an amateur project, if it's something more professional then you should check out Final Cut and Avid, and their prices, ASAP.
Hope this helps
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Other good ones I've heard of, and that my fellow film-making friends use, are Avid and Final Cut, but I'm not sure if those are freeware or if my friends pirated them, or if they're fairly cheap, or what. I'd recommend you check those out and check the prices, then decide if they're right for you.
Really, anything is better than the standard stuff that come with a Mac or PC, though a Mac is definitely the better option to use when doing anything relating to film. In fact, for anything creative, it's better to go Mac, if you're doing office based work then PC is the way forward. The software, therefore, should reflect that. But you should be fine with the basic default stuff like Movie Maker if it's for an amateur project, if it's something more professional then you should check out Final Cut and Avid, and their prices, ASAP.
Hope this helps
.
Our video editors use the Adobe CS5 Production Premium suite, though the video creators can use whatever they like. Yahtzee, for example, still uses Windows Movie Maker last I heard.ZombieGenesis said:
If you're just making videos for yourself, you can use whatever you like, but if you're looking into getting into video editing in a professional capacity, you really need to learn to use Premiere or Final Cut.
When I started editing I used pinnicle, very easy to use and quite cheap. one company i worked for used Sony vegas which is not crazy expensive but can handle a decent workload. all the other suggestions are spot on though.
I saved enough money when I was younger to buy premiere and it was the foot in the door I needed to get from film into t.v. it's very similar to final cut and if you can get your head around it you can get work as a professional editor.
My top suggestion though is pinnicle. cheap, easy and powerful.
Don't pirate my mate works for Avid
I saved enough money when I was younger to buy premiere and it was the foot in the door I needed to get from film into t.v. it's very similar to final cut and if you can get your head around it you can get work as a professional editor.
My top suggestion though is pinnicle. cheap, easy and powerful.
Don't pirate my mate works for Avid
When I was in college editing short films and music videos etc, I used Final Cut Pro, which is the best editing software I have ever used. At home though I use Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9, which isn't as good but it get's the job done, and it's much cheaper too.
If your really serious about editing though then I suggest you fork out for Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere.
If your really serious about editing though then I suggest you fork out for Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere.
I use Adobe Premiere CS5 and Final Cut Pro pretty much interchangeably, and Adobe After Effects for special effects like fire or blaster bolts or whatever. I also use Autodesk Maya and Rhinoceros 3D for 3D stuff and Audacity, Soundbooth, and GT Player (for capturing my guitar if I need music in something) for sound. I'm a better director than I am editor but if you know the software, it's pretty easy to make a nice looking video.
Also: Microsoft has End-of-Lifed MovieMaker although there are ways to get it apparently. We are trying to get it at the school where I work and we're not having much success. Honestly, it can't do very much. I've tried to use it many times and just wind up frustrated. Don't waste your time.
EDIT: Also worth noting is if you're using a hard-drive camera, particularly a Sony, it's not easy to make Premiere work well with it. The one I've been using lately (to my dismay; I prefer my tape camera) won't import sound.
Also: Microsoft has End-of-Lifed MovieMaker although there are ways to get it apparently. We are trying to get it at the school where I work and we're not having much success. Honestly, it can't do very much. I've tried to use it many times and just wind up frustrated. Don't waste your time.
EDIT: Also worth noting is if you're using a hard-drive camera, particularly a Sony, it's not easy to make Premiere work well with it. The one I've been using lately (to my dismay; I prefer my tape camera) won't import sound.