Video Editing Software?

[UTJetdog]

What do you recommend as a good easy to use video editing software for my wife? She's not highly tech savvy - neither am I for that matter.

[skianddive]

What do you recommend as a good easy to use video editing software for my wife? She's not highly tech savvy - neither am I for that matter.

How powerful is the system you will be using for doing your editing - i.e. what is your processor type and speed? What operating system are you running on it?

With regards to the video, will it be HD? And where will the video be coming from? VCR?

What kind of editing do you want to do? Cut/splice/paste? Adding titles and/or special effects?

And what do you want the output to be? DVD's? YouTube videos?

[Sombeech]

I started out just using Windows Movie Maker. It's included with your windows operating system.

I still use it once in a while, but I've moved on to more technical programs that cost $$$. I'd definitely start with WMM since it's free, just to get the hang of the terminology.

[skianddive]

I started out just using Windows Movie Maker. It's included with your windows operating system.

I still use it once in a while, but I've moved on to more technical programs that cost $$$. I'd definitely start with WMM since it's free, just to get the hang of the terminology.

And if he and his wife are using a MAC?

[UTJetdog]

Running XP Pro on a basic desktop - 2.4 Ghz Celeron processor w/ 512 Mb Ram?

Video is coming from Mini DV camcorder.

Thanks!

[Sombeech]

Running XP Pro on a basic desktop - 2.4 Ghz Celeron processor w/ 512 Mb Ram?

Video is coming from Mini DV camcorder.

Thanks!

Do you have a firewire card to connect to your camcorder? If not, that's the only thing you need to buy. No worries, the card and cable are usually under 20 bucks at any computer store.

[skianddive]

If not, that's the only thing you need to buy.

But you'd better ask Santa for some additional memory.

Video editing is disk, processor, and memory intensive. Your processor should be OK if you don't intend to do anything else while you're editing, and I'll assume you have at least 5GB available on disk (in addition to the 25% of the disk you should always have open for defragmentation).

As far as memory goes, I'd ask Santa for another 512KB of memory since editing programs like to use memory for fast storage (i.e. cache).

Windows Movie Maker is a great starter video editing program - especially since it's free with XP (look in ALL PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > ENTERTAINMENT). For some instructional videos and other help to get you started, check out the material available on the MS site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...r/default.mspx

After you've used WMM and if you decide that you need more control over your videos, I highly recommend either Adobe's Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements ($85.49 at Amazon) or Sony's Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum ($69.99 at Amazon).

[UTJetdog]

Affirmative on the Firewire.

Thanks for the great advise!