Video Editing software

[Cam]

I've been using Windows Movie Maker (WMM) for years to cut short videos. It's has it's issues, but it's simple and quick for what I want to do with it. The best thing about it was the price--free. Since getting the Replay XD, I've discovered that WMM chokes on 720p videos more than about 15 minutes long. It just refuses to process them properly.

That said, any of my fellow video editing dabblers have a suggestion for simple, cheap (preferably free) video editing software?

[Blerpa]

In the old times V-dub or Virtualdub (IIRC?) was the cheap free program to use on Windows, check it out. Unfortunately I'm out of the loop since years (I last edited on Avid with PowerPCs and then with Premier Pro around 2004 or 2005, LOL) so my knowledge is otherwise useless: do check Avidemux too and I think Lives should be interesting.

[Freude am Fahren]

Sony Vegas can be found very cheap (NewEgg usually gives it away with things like DVD burners), and is pretty capable, I've found.

[thesameguy]

I haven't had that experience with WMM, but I don't use it that often. Are you using the latest version on Win7 or 8?

I also still make significant use of vdub - as long as you're dealing in a format that it can handle and aren't looking for NLE features it's great and fast.

Vegas also tends to get good marks, and Adobe Premiere Elements is pretty darned affordable, especially if you get a non-current version of it... just one version out makes it very cheap.

[Cam]

I've heard in the past that Vegas is good value.

I upgraded to WMM 2012, build 16.4.xsomething.or.other and I get the same problem, using Windows 7. It "processes" the video, only for me to get the yellow triangle with the exclamation mark after it's done. :(

I guess I'll check out Vegas.

[stephenb]

You can download a free trial of Vegas, or at least you could when I checked it out a few months ago for processing video captured via Nvidia shadow play. If you've got the right GPU it can use it to accelerate encoding. I was only using it to compress my captured footage before uploading to youtube, to try and get better results but can't really say I had much success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_dR7w05LDo

[Random]

I bought Vegas a few years ago and have been very happy with its capabilities.

[FaultyMario]

and it's made by Sony so you know it is AWESOME VALUE.

[Reynard]

FWIW Cam I've been using Powerdirector since ver. 9. It's easy to get to grips with for a hobbyist such as I (also coming from WMM at the time) and is plenty powerful for more serious business. I chose it because I knew it could take advantage of my particular hardware for some very fast encoding and that it certainly does. It was markedly faster then the competition when I bought in, not sure if that's still true today but I'm happy with it. I know in your hands it could churn out some very impressive stuff.

[Cam]

Cool beans! I'll have a look. Haven't gotten around to trying anything yet anyway.

[novicius]

and it's made by Sony so you know it is AWESOME VALUE.
Actually it was made by Sonic Foundry here in Madison, WI -- Sony just bought the tech well after it was built. :up:

[FaultyMario]

I seem to remember Stacy being involved in the development of both Vegas and Soundforge.

#oldskoolhomies

[SkylineObsession]

Given up on Windows Movie Maker, as it doesn't seem to save edited (cropped/trimmed) videos back into HD, or to the quality it was before. Kinda annoying, so a backlog of vids is building up on my compy.

Looking at Sony Movie Studio 13 (?) but haven't looked into it a mega amount yet.

I'd like one that can;
- combine two or more video clips into one (i.e. combining footage from a drag race event into one long video instead of twenty 15 second clips)
- edit FHD videos and save them with the exact same quality
- edit non HD/standard definition videos
- allow me to add music/mute sections etc
- :random:
- add text and other effects
- save vids into the same format they are in, or at least one that Media Player etc can access and play

Budget of +/- $150 NZD, had enough of free crap.

Check out some of my latest footage (truck convoy in particular) to see what you think of the quality (aforementioned truck footage is MUCH better quality unedited, but it's about 5-6 or more separate clips).
www.youtube.com/skylineobsession

HALP? :sadbanana:

[Cam]

http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?708-Video-Editing-software

[Kchrpm]

For the last 2 or 3 years I've been using YouTube to edit my videos. After the initial wait of uploading, it frees up my computer from doing the processing, and lets me use YouTube's video stabilization without screwing up whatever titles I've added. And when it's done, you can download an MP4 of your completed video.

It's far from perfect and not incredibly powerful, but it's free, doesn't bog down your computer for hours, and has a library of music you can use when posting online without issue.

[Freude am Fahren]

I started using CyberLink's Power Director. Was actually quite impressed. The only thing I don't like about it is that you can't edit clips then put them in the timeline. It's like a linear-non-linear editor kinda. You have to put the file in the timeline then trim it. Would be a pain in the ass when you have to work with long clips that only have a short amount of used content. Not expensive either, I think like less than $100 for the top version. and under $200 for the suite with other programs.

[overpowered]

I've been using the video editor built into Blender. It's free. I found it non-intuitive but I found some good tutorials for using the video editor on Youtube.

[Cam]

ZOMG, I didn't even know Blender existed! :eek: I'm SO downloading it RIGHT NOW.

Edit: ZOMG, that's going to be a steep learning curve. :eek:

[overpowered]

Definitely want to do a Youtube tutorial. Blender's primary mission is to be a 3D animation app. The video is just part of it and like I said, a lot of it is non-intuitive (at least it was for me).

This is the one I did:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjyuVPBuorqIhlqZtoIvnAVQ3x18sNev4

[Cam]

Oh, I'm totally interested in the animation side too. I am an animator, after all. :)

[SkylineObsession]

So can Vegas do everything that i bullet pointed in my post above?

[Cam]

I never actually tried it.

[MR2 Fan]

I just found a good one. FREE, does screen capture FREE, transparent overlays and lots of other effects

http://www.videosoftdev.com/

[Random]

I don't know what FHD videos are, but I was able to do the rest of that with Vegas, SO.

[Blerpa]

FHD = Full HD as in 1080p, I suppose.