Editing software?

[cofn]

Hi all,

Relatively new to the forum here, just picked up my gear for diving in Bahamas this fall, this will be my first venture into UW Video.

I am planning ahead here and would like to know what software I should be picking up to do the editing?

A dive buddy I met in Cancun this last spring recommended Pinnacle, is there anything out there a little more high end?

Any and all wisdom is welcomed.

Thanks

 

[sharksdelight]

You don't say whether you will be editing on a PC or a MAC and that is important. If on a PC, don't assume that your computer is capable of editing video regardless of what NLE you might be using. Not only will you need, at least, 4 gigs of ram, but your video card and the ram it has is also of great importance. Processor speed is also quite important unless you don't mind interminable renders. I am a Mac person myself and edit in Final Cut Studio 2. I really don't think there is a better editing suite than FC which is why so many studios use it for both off and online editing. However, if I were on a good PC, my choice of software would be either to go with AVID or Edius. Avid is also used by many studios.

Welcome to the world of filming and editing. There is a learning curve and you will need to be very patient with yourself and your software. If you can find someone to teach you, it is worth the investment. If not, there are many supplemental books and tutorials dvds out that you may also find useful. I've been an editing instructor for a long time, and, especially with beginners, if you don't practice, you will forget everything. So practice, practice,practice.
Good luck to you,
Steve

 

[Skooter]

I have just began to shoot video after many years of stills myself and went through the same thing you are now. I am using a pc and went with pinnacle studio 12. It does what I need to do and is easy to learn. Until I finish swallowing the cost of camera, housing and lights I can't justify a mac. Someday I will but until then I use a 500 gig external harddrive and pinnacle if that helps. BTW my laptop works just fine for editing.

 

[cofn]

Doh!!, totally forgot to mention I am on a PC.

The system is not an issue, I am a hardcore gamer and have a suitable gaming box, so I should be covered there.

I will definitely check out AVID and Edius tonight online and see what I can find.

I will also start looking for some tutorials, I am a computer engineer, so the background in hardware/software and self learning is covered as well, I actually enjoy toying with new software packages (must be the masochist in me, hahaha)

I did take a peek at FCP, almost makes me want a Mac after what I saw.

Thanks for the advice Steve

Kris

 

[diversteve]

Avid is about $2500 retail afaik - a friend uses it in their business.

I'm using Vegas Movie Studio Platinum. It's $85 retail. The Platinum version does HD. The upgrade path will be to the full version of Sony Vegas ($600) but so far VSMP does everything I want. It comes with DVD Architect for authoring DVD's if that's something you want to do. And it handles AVCHD input formats if you're buying a new camera - at least for Sony their entire consumer line is AVCHD this year.

You can download both as trial versions first, I recommend doing so as Vegas products have a user interface you either get or you don't. Sony Creative Software - Vegas Pro, Vegas Movie Studio, and Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition

The Studio 12 product mentioned above is also a good choice, I gave it to my sister who had no prior editing experience and she was able to make a quality movie in a short period of time. I think they have a free demo also. I found the menus to be a little too isolating for my taste.

Another option would be Adobe's Premiere Express with the upgrade path to Premiere Pro. Express starts around $100 - I've seen it for $60 on Amazon.com, Premiere Pro CS4 is about $800. Personally I've struggled with the Premiere interface in the past - haven't looked at the latest versions. Trials of both are available here: Adobe - Downloads

 

[joshjensen]

I've been using Edius for years and have been really happy with it. It is pricey (I paid $1300, don't know what it costs now). But you can download a free trial which is fully functional for a month. I use a Mac now, but am running Edius via Bootcamp and Windows on the Mac because Edius handles my camera format better (HVX200 - P2 system with mxf files).

 

[cofn]

I have grabbed most of the suggestions here, I am going to play around a bit tomorrow and see what feels right.

Thanks for all the advice gang.

 

[diversteve]

I neglected to point out that the Avid I was referrring to was Media Composer.

The upgrade path from Pinnacle Studio 12 is to Avid Liquid, it starts about $500 retail. Afaik, Pinnacle bought Avid a few years ago - or vice-versa.

 

[robint]

I am a Pinnacle user and love it. I had switched to Vegas for a few months and really didn't like it, I liked the format on Pinnacle better. Pinnacle just seems to be more functional for me, a non-computer geek. I am back with Pinnacle and upgraded to Ultimate v.12, which ran about $120 when I got it. It is HD compatable which is important since I upgraded my camcorder to HD, too.

 

[JohnQPS122]

Download the free trial of Adobe Premiere Elements. I use a much older version, so I can't really tell you much about the latest release, but it's worth a try.

movie editing software | Adobe Premiere Elements 7

The auto color correction feature has been very nice when editing my underwater videos.

I use Final Cut Pro at work, so I'm spoiled, but Premiere Elements has been good enough for me at home.