Need Good Video Editing Software

[PLAZ]

Can some of you experts please recommend good video editing software? I hear of so many problems with the software that is out there. Also is it possible to connect my DVD recorder to the computer to record the video I edit with the recommended software?

[TwoRails]

That's kind of a subjective question. "Good" could mean anything from $50 to Thousands of $$$.

What is it you'd like to do? What's your budget? If you want an all-around "home" package, then you may want to check into Roxio 7.5, or 8. It'll capture, edit, and make DVDs and a whole lot more.

[The Cooncester]

I loved Sony Vegas for the short time I got to use it. It's without a doubt the best one out there IMO. It's user friendly, and has a lot of options. It can be extremely costly though depending on which version you want.

[PLAZ]

TwoRails--I just want video editing software to mix home video pictures and sound with transitions and titles and indexes and put them on a DVD. I was thinking of a budget of around $150 for the software.

[The Cooncester]

None of that sounds extremely complex so to save some cash you might just want to check out some of the video editing programs they talk about on the front page of PCMech. If you can find one that uses the same type of file as your camera then I bet you're set.

[glc]

I have a friend that swears by Pinnacle Studio 10 Plus. He tried Vegas and hated it.

[sgtspector]

Have you tried windows movie maker yet? I know it doesnt have a whole lot of features but it will do what you need and cosst nothing if you have xp. There's also funs paks from ms that will add features like sounds and titles. Give it a try before you spend a bundle on something else.

[The Cooncester]

Originally Posted by sgtspector Have you tried windows movie maker yet? I know it doesnt have a whole lot of features but it will do what you need and cosst nothing if you have xp. There's also funs paks from ms that will add features like sounds and titles. Give it a try before you spend a bundle on something else.

That's what I was thinking.

glc: Eh... to each his own. I must admit that I haven't tried Pinnacle Studio though so I might give that a try sometime.

[SonicVanguard]

I would look at Adobe Premiere Elements - the power of Premiere Pro with the ease of use that the Element's line has been known for. It's not as crash happy as Pinnacle Studio can be and it more powerful all around.

[glc]

Dave, what's the story these days with Avid DV Free?

[SonicVanguard]

It's still available: http://www.avid.com/freedv/ Pretty limiting and no real support, but if you're doing nothing but DV work and don't need much in the line of transitions/effects, it's a great product. Users would also need a way of taking the AVI-DV to MPEG-2 if they plan on DVD output - thats why I like Premiere Elements - it's a nice all in one package that has a simple learning curve for all users.