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.