Forums / General Discussion / Video editing apps!

I currently use Sony Vegas Movie Studio and Sony Acid Music Studio to edit my videos with. They both are chock full of many options and great features and perform very well for a lower grade editing application. The price isn't too bad either. I'd prefer to be using Final Cut Pro, but that is way pricey. I also use AVS Video Tools for conversion and other needs. :)

final cut studio all the way. student discount puts it at $500, for which you get final cut pro, soundtrack, motion, dvd studio pro, compressor, livetype, qt pro, and a library of loops and video elements. i cannot recommend it enough. i have been using fcp since v1.0, and it is better than it has ever been.

i use adobe premier pro..fairly basic..but you can get some pretty good effects and options out of it, very good for its price

Sony Vegas for me, with a little Adobe Premeire, After Effects and Pinnacle studio 9 sometimes.

.adobe premier all the way for the pc as an editor..
a little bit of after effects, alam dv, sqirlz, cool edit, photoshop of course, dvd lab 1.3, ulead cool 3d, bluff titler,fruity loops and once in a while a little poser.yeah i know mostly older stuff but clients never complain.

Wow. I use Windows Movie Maker.

I am so intimidated by you all using fancy programs.

I'm with Jayel Aheram.

.pros and cons?..i hate macs, i love pc's..thats the question you need to ask yourself..it really comes down to what software you want to use..then that will determine which platform you'll need to run on.so if you want final cut then you'll need a mac.

It also comes down to the size of your wallet and how fussy you are about having all the greatest features.

I'm using Windows Movie Maker at the moment as well, though I hate the restriction in formats, and I can't easily convert WMV. I would prefer to use iMovie or even better, Hyperengine AV, but I can't properly record video from Second Life onto my old Mac, I have to use this PC.

I use Vegas.

I have used iMovie before and sweet god, it made video-editing a snap.

I just downloaded the trial version of Pinnacle Studio Pro 10, but... I actually found it worse than WMM. It doesn't seem to want to import video from FRAPS, for a start, whereas WMM doesn't have a problem with that. Bizarre!

Is there any simple program that will let you rotate a video frame? I looked at WMM, but it will not let you rotate a frame 90 degrees. I had held the camera vertically.

Final Cut Pro Express is great, and way cheaper than the studio version. The biggest pro is that you are learning the program and if one day you can afford the real thing, you will be familar with the interface!

***Is there any simple program that will let you rotate a video frame? I looked at WMM, but it will not let you rotate a frame 90 degrees. I had held the camera vertically.***

There is... it is called "Video Effects."

I just got Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 - It is very complex and full of features. Con: it does not convert into iPod Mp4 format. Pro: It even mixes multiple audio tracks and multiple video tracks, not sure of the terms, but you get the idea.

Final Cut Pro rules...

FCP Studio, After Effects, various 3D apps.

Im looking into upgrading to Final Cut Studio 2. Is it worth the upgrade or should I hold out longer?

iMovie for the win. That is, until I get FCP

I currently use Final Cut Express HD. I should probably think about upgrading to Pro instead. I think I'm ready to take the leap. I was so weird going from iMovie to FCE but once I got the hang of it I couldn't imagine going back.

What are the main advantages of using FCE versus IMovie (the older version)?? What can I do on FCE that I can't do on IMovie? Thanks...

I've stuck with Final Cut Pro 6, I've also got Adobe Premiere CS3, but prefer Final Cut. iMovie, well I've had that for as long as I've had my Mac since it comes pre-installed, but I have to admit, I've never touched it.

I started a similar thread a little ways back (vimeo.com/forums/topic:3568) I should probably list this in a features request, but it would be great if we can have a forum or forums devoted to various movie making techniques and programs. I am still using WMM as I find it the easiest for the type of videos I have been making (mainly converting old VCR tapes to share with family and friends). The biggest advantage is how quickly it renders compared to the test I did of Vegas and adobe. There are some excellent forums and sites devoted to WMM that show you how to make it really sing for a simple program. I wish it had multiple video and audio tracks, bu oterwise it does quite well.

Well said, Jeff. I use Vegas and have for many years trough many upgrades. I know the program and like you with WMM, Vegas works very well for me.

I started using Vegas Pro 8 because it's like "the little engine that could". Plus, B&H is selling version 6 for $80 plus the Pro 8 upgrade for $100, so I took advantage of that and I got Vegas Pro 8 for $180, and the cheapest you can get the retail version is $300 more than that. Really nice program, and works very well for HDV. It even smart-renders HDV, something not even Premiere does.

I use Adobe Premiere Pro Cs3 on Windows. A little pricy for beginners but a great app once you learn everything. For beginners, i would suggest Vegas or Elements (Adobe). Adobe elements has a lot of the basic features of Premiere, but easier to use. I love Premiere though. Only thing I don't like about it so far is the time it takes to index and conform .m2t (mpeg2) files from my HD camera. But you get used to it :)

I go between using Adobe Premiere and WWM - often together on the same project - for example: Decode, Read, Rough Cut, & Render to a windows media file type using Adobe. Then move project into WMM and trim, merge tracks, tweek sound, and re-output.

Sony Vegas Pro 8.0b, Adobe After Effects.

Sony Vegas Pro, to tell the truth, is quite amazing.
It doesn't really differ from Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 7 or8, as far as I know of.

The audios better, and I like how it looks just like WMM, and theres a masking took (thats a pain in the butt, thank god for adobe after effects) but overall its just like the platinum versions of vegas.

if you willing to spend over 200, then i'd go with vegas pro 8. if not, and you like vegas, go with vegas.

i also have adobe premiere cs3, but i haven't really tested it out.


...if only FCP studio 2 was for pc's!

I'm using iMovie, I've been using it since I got a Mac two years ago. And I don't really plan on upgrading.

Make sure you're using iMovie HD though, not iMovie '08. Terrible upgrade.

Adobe Premiere Elements 4, only $99. Super awesome. It is the number 1 selling consumer video editing software.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Premiere_Elements

Adobe Premiere on the Mac! Final Cut is better, but why not use what was included in my Adobe Production Bundle?

I use Final Cut Studio on a PowerMac and Final Cut Express on a MacBook and i love it!

The most important you need to know is, wich footage will i edit for wich purpose? If you want to edit DV for internet then iMovie or WMM will do it. If you want to edit (full) HD footage for the cinema's then Final Cut or Avid is the best for you.

Is started editing with Final Cut on my very first Mac and i stil do.

I used Vegas 7, but upgraded to Vegas Pro 8 now!
I love it, its so easy to use, but you can still do the most advanced things. And it works great with HD video.

i just find a free trial download of a program, use it till the trial expires, uninstall it and download another.

once you go mac ....... you don't go back!!!
FCP STUDIO 2 ......smoothcam is great!!!.....plugins are awesome.....and macs don't crash....if ur serious about editing , go FCP...all get the job done.....but FCP is awesome.,I have used avid , premiere and vegas....but think FCP is the way 2 go.

lol, you're funny.

Sure, I'll say PC's are the way to go if that's the environment someone prefers to work in, in this day and age a person doesn't have to learn a new operating system just to edit. You've already conceded and defined other applications that are on other platforms as being, by your definition "Pro", so it's kind of silly to then try and assert Mac as being the be-all-end-all. Nothing against Mac, just saying it's by no means the only way to go.

You work in a production house, that rules man, I'm sure you'll learn a lot. I've checked out some of your co-workers work and there's some talent there to be sure. But working at a production house does not make you the expert, it just means you got a job, congrats. And you are correct that you have a right to say whatever you want, you would have that right even if you didn't work at a production house, it just doesn't mean you would be right.

- Ray