Advice for a Beginner Creating a Web Video

[flickall]

Hi,

I just bought a Sony HD cam and I want to create some videos for my website. What kind of editing software would you recommend for a beginner? Any advice would be great. Thanks!

[wired076]

I would either recommend Sony Vegas or Ulead Video Studio. I would not recommend a free video editing software package because I believe it won't cater for your needs adequately as they are only basic and quite difficult to use. Sony Vegas can be found at http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/default.asp and then click on the appropriate package off this Sony site that suits your needs best or alternatively you can get Ulead Video Studio at http://www.ulead.com/runme.htm .

Make sure that if you are going to buy the program off the net that you pay for the product in your country's currency otherwise it may become an expensive exercise for you.

Good Luck.

[Kaisonic]

For a beginner, one of the free video editing tools is probably a good place to start. Windows Movie Maker or iMovie if you're on a Mac. There's also the Avid Free DV program, that's a more advanced video editor, but still free. After that, there are of course the aforementioned Sony Vegas and Ulead Video Studio, which are a little more advanced, but still very user friendly. If you want to get really professional, your best bet will be Adobe Premiere Pro - that's the best editing software in my opinion (or if you're on a Mac, I believe the best one is Final Cut Pro).

Links:
Avid Free DV
Adobe Premiere
Ulead Video Studio
Sony Vegas
Final Cut Pro

[wired076]

In our opinion Avid Free DV is not easy to use and will take some time getting used to.. We used Windows Movie Maker at one stage which is extremely basic and may freeze up from time to time. We used it to render a small video which took much longer than it should of because it is slow and cumbersome.

If you want one that is extremely easy to use Ulead is your best bet. Vegas is more powerful but takes some getting used to. Adobe Premiership is good software albeit expensive and you may not use all the tools it have which might equal a waste of money for you.

What it really comes down to is what you want to use it for, what you like the best from trialling different software and choosing one that suits your needs the most.

[stalker]

well i would use a mac if you have access to one.

use imovie to add effects, edit movie, transitions, add audio, etc.

then you can use idvd to burn the movie to a disk.

you can also use garage band to create your own music for the movies.

not to sure about windows but im sure a few people have suggested things to you.

[Jace]

I would NOT recommend Windows Movie Maker. It's great if you're a 11 year old without a clue and just want to get the hang of things (like I did), but otherwise I'd recommend Sony Vegas or Adobe Premier Pro. I'm not sure about Vegas, but the biggest down side of Premier Pro is it's mind boggling pricetag.

I'd download the try-out version first if I were you.

[bizzard]

Try pinnacle studio. Its user friendly and have many effects. It won't require any extra hard ware like that needed for EDIUS Canopus. Also, softwares like Virtual dub will be much helpful.