Editing Software

[PoloGreen94]

I'm sure this question has been addressed a thousand times but everyone's situation is different, so please take that into consideration before calling me out as making dupe posts.

I'm shopping for video editing software. I have footage that I definitely needs to add a red filter to, so that is my primary concern: which software can apply red to the video with the least amount of problems? I'm using a laptop that is just under a year old, so processing speed shouldn't be an issue.

My video is also not on a card, but on HD tape. I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[lostcajun]

If you are using a Mac Final Cut Pro X is great, especially if you will do a lot of editing. If not the less expensive way to go is iMovie. If you have a "PC" toss it in the trash and go get a Mac.... ;-)

 

[diversteve]

Basically what you'll do is use some sort of color picker to identify white in the footage then use the software to autocorrect to that point. You don't add red in post processing - that's done with a filter during shooting only. What you're doing is compensating for the loss of red in blue water as you go deeper.

Most of the better editors have that function. Some also have a manual dial or levels that you can adjust for each of the color channels or across all of them. I haven't kept up with the latest versions so there's probably some that do white balancing automatically also now - it's not only used underwater.

My personal preference is Sony's Vegas Movie Studio Platinum - it's under $100 on Amazon or via download from: Home Studio Family Overview

Other's I've seen/used are Adobe's Premiere or Pinnacle's Studio. My buddy gets good results with Pinnacle Studio without much of a learning curve. I believe VSMP has more functionality but is harder to learn initially. There's also Premiere Elements which is a less featured version of Premiere wrapped around menus etc. Any of these should be under $100 - most also have a free download trial version on their websites to try b4 you buy. All have upgrade paths to "pro" versions if you need that later.

To capture from tape - assuming you have a camcorder with Firewire (Sony calls it iLink) all you'll need is a firewire port on the laptop. And a cable - although some Sony's may have included it since the camera end is proprietary. Get a 6pin as it allows the software to control the camera. Since it's tape, you'll be capturing at 1to1 so I suggest reviewing/logging the footage before you capture it for editing.

If your laptop doesn't have firewire there are external capture devices that capture video for transfer via USB. If you need one, Pinnacle sells the Dazzle line - the better ones are HD IIRC. And they bundle it with Studio. Something like this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4949219&CatId=1428 I've never used it but did have an SD Pinnacle capture card about 10 years ago - it worked.

I see decent ones around $100. Ensure that they're HD, some lower priced ones downgrade the video quality during transfer. I don't think those Firewire=>USB cables sold cheaply on Amazon work very well - you probably lose color depth or HD with them. What do you expect for under $20?

If you have a Mac, you've already got Firewire built-in.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

Diversteve is about spot on with his comments. I just about tried them all (free trials) for most and found out the following: 1) all of the free trials I tried never had the full features to play and test with...more or less a watered down version. 2) Some take some advanced dedication and ALOT of time. (sometimes several weeks just to get 10 minutes of good video). 3) Some are not just expensive but very expensive.
I am a diver first and a camera man second. I was just wanting something that I could share with buddies and friends and keep for the memories. Some my roll their eyes but I went with Muvee. Very easy, cheap, fast and comes with free music and other features. Here is an example. The cave was very silty. Used a 21w HID with video reflector, a diffused 10w HID and an Intova Sprot Pro. Feel free to get past certain areas and check it out. Peacock Springs - YouTube I hope that this helps.

 

[matdiver]

Hi PoloGreen94,
everything Diversteve says.
I don't know what set up you have but I found out early on that if you can't use red filters and manual white balance then you're always struggling. The good news is that if you're in reasonable vis. and not too deep (shallower than 25m, e.g.), then the results can be great, with only minimal colour correction. There's only so much even the best software can do, so getting things as right as possible in camera is worthwhile.
Cheers,
Matt

 

[Captain Bil]

If you are using a Mac Final Cut Pro X is great, especially if you will do a lot of editing. If not the less expensive way to go is iMovie. If you have a "PC" toss it in the trash and go get a Mac.... ;-)

This is the only suggestion that makes sense. As a long suffering PC user, I recently got my first Mac. I won't be going back to a PC clunker.. IMovie works very well for me, very intuitive and easy to use.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

[KevWind]

I'm sure this question has been addressed a thousand times but everyone's situation is different, so please take that into consideration before calling me out as making dupe posts.

I'm shopping for video editing software. I have footage that I definitely needs to add a red filter to, so that is my primary concern: which software can apply red to the video with the least amount of problems? I'm using a laptop that is just under a year old, so processing speed shouldn't be an issue.

My video is also not on a card, but on HD tape. I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

So far you have gotten some great info. Albeit all over the board. Mainly because you did not, indicate weather you are using a Mac or a PC, or a budget range, or indicate weather you will also be doing photo editing or just video. All of which will help in getting much more targeted info to (as you correctly indicate) your specific situation.
.

 

[kelemvor]

If you're windows, then movie maker for simple stuff like titles,transitions,cuts. It's free, and free is for me.

Adobe Premiere for more advanced stuff. Premiere will do simple stuff as well but it's got a HUGE learning curve. One of the nice things about premiere is it's PC or MAC. Learn the application and don't worry so much about whose OS you're using. Premiere is expensive.

If you do go premiere, there are tons of instructional videos you can watch on youtube or buy.

 

[Doubler]

I keep hearing people say how easy Final Cut is, which version do you have? I have Final Cut Hd and haven't figured it out yet because it is not intuitive. I use iMovie and it is a piece of cake. I have used Movie Maker on my PC and it was okay, not great.

 

[KevWind]

I keep hearing people say how easy Final Cut is, which version do you have? I have Final Cut Hd and haven't figured it out yet because it is not intuitive. I use iMovie and it is a piece of cake. I have used Movie Maker on my PC and it was okay, not great.

Do you mean Final Cut Express HD ? Or one of the numbered Final Cut Pro versions 4,5,6,7 also HD compatible? No matter really then yes Final Cut Pro X is quite different, and many feel more intuitive, than any of the previous versions
One thing you can do ( not commenting on your intelligence personally) is got to Amazon and type the version in like " Final Cut Express for Dummies" there you find used books for as little as $3.25