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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Video editing software - Good for cheap?
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Showing posts 1 - 15 of 15, (reverse)
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 03/28/2009 08:07:35 AM · #1
I've always used the bundled "Microsoft Movie Maker".

A software package called "MotionSD STUDIO 1.3" was included with my Panasonic camcorder, but it sucks to the point of being unusable, and it looks like I might have to keep it on my laptop simply to download and convert the files from the camcorder.

Is there a decent solution out there? I have Photoshop CS3, but I could justify buying that as I make money with it. I will NEVER make money with my videos, they are for family only, so a cheap solution is what I'm looking for, and an improvement over Microsoft Movie Maker.

Any advice is appreciated!
 03/28/2009 08:25:09 AM · #2
I am using Pinnacle Ultimate Studio 12, and it retails for $129.00. They have other cheaper programs too. I am very pleased with it. The support with the program is wonderful. There are lots of tutorials on-line, and this summer I participated in some free on-line classes too. The program has lots of great features and I needed to learn how to use them correctly. The program also comes with Boris Graffiti, Magic Bullet Looks, and proDad Vita Scene. They offer all kinds of studio Add-Ons to make your videos different and more appealing, but you can choose to either purchase them or not. I would totally recommend this program to you...

//www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Family/
 03/28/2009 08:36:56 AM · #3
Thanks, I'll check it out. The price-point is good for me.

Also, looking at Adobe's website I think "Premier Elements" would be a good solution for me, it even has green-scrren, which would be fun. But I'm confused by pricing. I'm going to have to figure out if there's a lower price available for me since I already own Photoshop CS3. Or would I have to buy all sorts of extra crap.
 03/28/2009 08:45:57 AM · #4
Pinnacle Ultimate has the green sheet for creating Chroma Key effects

Green Sheet (approx. 5.95 ft x 5.58 ft) included in retail box version of Studio Ultimate version 12. Essential for creating high quality Chroma Key effects.
 03/28/2009 09:32:01 AM · #5
Magix Movie Edit Pro is worth a peek, got a deal going on until the 2nd of April.
 03/28/2009 09:51:01 AM · #6
Originally posted by dagaleaa:
Pinnacle Ultimate has the green sheet for creating Chroma Key effects

Green Sheet (approx. 5.95 ft x 5.58 ft) included in retail box version of Studio Ultimate version 12. Essential for creating high quality Chroma Key effects.

Thanks. I already have an enormous green screen for photography. :-)
 03/28/2009 10:20:35 AM · #7
Sony Vegas Studio is a decent program.
 03/28/2009 10:35:34 AM · #8
do you have photoshop cs3 or cs3 extended? i've done all my videos on cs3 extended so far, works great.
 03/28/2009 12:56:12 PM · #9
I took a look at Adobe's web site and they're selling Premiere Elements 7 for $140US. I looked at Best Buy and they're selling it for $140CAN. We stopped by Best Buy and picked it up on our way home from the chocolate factory tour, mmmmm.
 03/28/2009 02:02:35 PM · #10
Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Pro Pack

I've been using this and really like it, plus there are tons of 'how-to' videos on youtube on how to learn the features. The 'pro' pack includes a number of sound effects, soundtrack generators, audio editing and a pretty good DVD menu creator program. It can burn blu-ray movies (no menus though) but I haven't gotten that to work on my computer yet - locked up last time I tried.
 03/28/2009 03:51:29 PM · #11
iMovie and iDVD are a bit of an expensive package at about $1200, but they do come with a free computer. ;-)
 03/28/2009 04:10:05 PM · #12
I really like Cyberlink's PowerDirector... I have been using it for a while and it works really well for me...
 03/28/2009 09:05:46 PM · #13
Adobe Premier is a great program...we've used it a lot, even for professional productions. I think it's user friendly and easy to set up. I've also used Pinnacle a lot...but the last version I have is Pinnacle 8 I think. It's also very easy to use. I think either one would serve your purpose.

I have fiddled with Sony Vegas but I didn't care for it as much. Just a personal preference, I guess.

Good luck in your quest.
 03/29/2009 03:08:20 PM · #14
I used Ulead MediaStudio Pro, then got Premier as part of a Master Collection. (Got if for my daughter who's in school and needed it for video design) Tried it and saw how much better it was than Ulead. Note--Ulead doesn't seem to have come out with a newer version lately, so it may be comparing 3 year old technology with Today's version.

Premier is a lot more stable than Ulead. What does losing an hour's work cost you?

Premier and the associated programs have lots more features. I haven't begun to learn them all, but two that are interesting are speech-to-text capability and the ability to remove camera motion in After-Effects

Cost: Its not cheap, but if you have PS, you can upgrade to one of the suites that has Premier in it. If you have one of the suites already, you can also upgrade.

Message edited by author 2009-03-29 15:08:42.
 03/30/2009 01:17:58 PM · #15
Originally posted by GeneralE:
iMovie and iDVD are a bit of an expensive package at about $1200, but they do come with a free computer. ;-)

I had to use iMove for the first time last Friday and was blow away by the capabilities. I know this doesn't help the Windows users, but it's certainly a great product and a steal at $79 for the iLife bundle.
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