adrenalinejunki 0 #1 October 13, 2005 I am very very new to trying to edit video and still pictures. I also don't have anyone to help me along since I live 2 hours from the DZ. What is a good software program for me to buy and be able to use easily and get decent results? __________________________________________________What's the worst that can happen? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #2 October 13, 2005 I have been using Sony Vegas... It seems to do a lot of what I want... Here is my last video I put together on my laptop: http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=2722 I am actually in the professional concert and corporate event lighting business as a side job, so I have seen everything from monster Avid non linear editing systems to Adobe Premiere on a laptop... The first non-linear system I used was on a Mac with many external hard drives... Now you can do 10X as much on a PC laptop... For the price, you can't go wrong with Premiere or Vegas... Do you understand timelines, layers, and things like that??? I wish you were closer, because I could show you how to do all the tricks real quick that I had to dig for... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #3 October 13, 2005 Final Cut Pro for video, Photoshop for stills.I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #4 October 13, 2005 Oh, and you asked about still pictures.... Well, there is only one, and it is called Photoshop. Is there a community college near by that has some classes??? If you are not computer friendly to start with, that will reduce the learning curve a lot.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #5 October 13, 2005 QuoteFinal Cut Pro for video, Photoshop for stills. Ya, but the price issue at hand, I will take Vegas and spend the money jumpn.... $400 ish for vegas - $900 ish for final cut pro... Or am I missing something???? Personally, I use vegas because it was given to me by someone else (who gave me his licence and cds too), so it was even more cost effective. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adrenalinejunki 0 #6 October 13, 2005 Do you understand timelines, layers, and things like that??? __________________________________________________ Not a clue....lol. I am not computer illiterate though. I can do what I need to most of the time. __________________________________________________What's the worst that can happen? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #7 October 13, 2005 Good point on the price, FCP is $1,000. If price is the issue, go with Final Cut Express HD. It has a shocking feature set when compared to something like Premiere or Vegas and is only $300.I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #8 October 13, 2005 QuoteGood point on the price, FCP is $1,000. If price is the issue, go with Final Cut Express HD. It has a shocking feature set when compared to something like Premiere or Vegas and is only $300. Refresh my memory.... Final Cut for PC based computers... I still don't think Apple has done that yet... So for those of us with PCs - We are stuck with Avid/Vegas Premiere/ etc... I don't discredit Final Cut as being one awesome peice of software, but when I first used Vegas I was shocked how much bells and whistles they threw in for the price... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #9 October 13, 2005 QuoteDo you understand timelines, layers, and things like that??? __________________________________________________ Not a clue....lol. I am not computer illiterate though. I can do what I need to most of the time. __________________________________________________ Well, video editing software, from Vegas to Final Cut, works off a concept of a time line where you can drag and drop various audio and video tracks. You can have many tracks, depending on the software. Each track is like a layer, where the one on top covers all the ones below. If you tell the software the top layer is 50% translucent, you can still see the layer below. Or the top layer might just be some text that is overlaid over the layers below. Each layer can have an effect or many effects. I have screenshot the timeline from the go fast video I put together and attached it, so you can see how multiple clips can be on one track/layer, but how some clips need to be on their own. The basics are super simple... It is becoming a power user that takes some time. For an example, Vegas calls the speed of a clip "velocity". You can change the velocity as the clip progresses... Well, you can go negative, which is backwards. The first time I did that I was confused as hell because I did not realize I was in negative land.... Just little things like that. When you look at the screen shot, you will see 7 tracks on the time line starting from the top working down. Track one is all the text effects, because those need to be on top of everything. Track two, in red, is the audio, left and right channels. I actually did splice the song up a bit to make it longer, which is not shown on the timeline because it is at 1.5 minutes in. Track three thru seven are the video clips. You can see on track 4, between each clip where they overlap, Vegas automatically did the cross fade for me based upon my default settings. This is represented by a box between the clips you can see with blue lines. Of course, just by right clicking the cross fade I can change the effects and how it fades. You will see some blue lines over the clips. That is the level or brightness. That is how you fade in and out clips. The green lines are velocity. On track 3 you can see I slowed down those clips. On the bottom of the screen there is the preview window on the right, and the media window on the left. The media window is where you have all your clips already on your hard drive. There are multiple tabs, one that just browses your entire hard drive, another for stock effects, and another for clips you have already used so you can regrab them quickly. There is also a cool feature, called the trimmer, down there. You can drag and drop a clip to the trimmer, like you see in the screen shot, and watch it. You can choose what you want to put into your video down there, then drag and drop just what you selected or trimmed, to your time line. The trimmer can be configured for just audio, just video, or both tracks linked as a group. Does any of this make sense??? Pretty much all the software out there looks like this on the basic side... Once you and the bells and whistles, it gets more complicated and different, depending on the software. In skydiving, they say what is in the wingsuit is what matters, not the wingsuit itself... Well the same is true for software for video... The best stuff can be made on the worst software, and the other way around... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #10 October 13, 2005 Easy, cheap: Pinnacle studio (USD 49 and up), comes with selected camera's and other video products. Harder to learn, more expensive, but better: Premiere. Premiere Elements actually isn't that expensive (USD 149) and comes with selected camera's too. Premiere Pro is more expensive (USD 699) but you prolly don't need the extra features, but it's easy to step up to later if you want. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zoter 0 #11 October 13, 2005 Seconded....Premiere Elements.....price and functionality Dont write off the free program 'Movie Maker' if you have an XP OS If you are new to editing .....this has all you will need You will know when you need more... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adrenalinejunki 0 #12 October 13, 2005 Thanks for the help. I have the free program on my PC. I think I will give it a try this weekend and see what I can do with it. Thats alot of info, thanks for going thru the trouble. __________________________________________________What's the worst that can happen? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WeakMindedFool 0 #13 October 14, 2005 Canopus Edius is hands down, King daddy for the PC...but it costs! Unless of course you know the way of the usenetFaith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves. -Eric Hoffer - Check out these Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
canopywhore 0 #14 October 14, 2005 since I'm new to all of this stuff, I'm assuming that all of the software mentioned is PC based or are some of these available for Macs like I said I'm new to all of this and I've been watching the post trying to decide whether or not to by Mac or Pc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 0 #15 October 14, 2005 QuoteUnless of course you know the way of the usenet www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zoter 0 #16 October 14, 2005 QuoteCanopus Edius is hands down, King daddy for the PC...but it costs! I think you will find thats not strictly true. It might be what you use but that does not make it the 'King daddy' Drop a poll here if you disagree Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #17 October 14, 2005 Quote I'm new to all of this and I've been watching the post trying to decide whether or not to by Mac or Pc Macs are the standard for video editing, hands down. You'll also be free of viruses, popup windows, spyware, adware and general Windows hiccups. But if you ask a Mac guy, they'll say buy a Mac. If you ask a PC guy, they'll say buy a PC. Get some first hand experience before you make your choice.I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 0 #18 October 14, 2005 QuoteGet some first hand experience before you make your choice. Catch-22, you need a computer to get first hand experience... www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #19 October 14, 2005 QuoteQuoteGet some first hand experience before you make your choice. Catch-22, you need a computer to get first hand experience... Friends and stores. Sit down at a friend's computer and root around. Ask them if they've had any problems/what they like/don't like. Go to the Apple Store, talk to some guys there and play with the video editing apps. Maybe sit in on one of the classes. Go to a comparable PC store and do the same. If you ask a PC user about a Mac or a Mac user about a PC, you're going to get a biased opinion. Opinions are like assholes: everybody has one and most of them stink. Form your own!I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean621 0 #20 October 14, 2005 go to ebay and buy a second hand G4...466 or higher processor everyone is buying G5s as desktops but you can still upgrade a G4 to a very high spec and use all the pro software to learn on...imovie and idvd will be on it as standard (big result) stick a high speed dvd burner and a second monitor on it and you are away im using an upgraded G4..in excess of 1TB (thats not a typo) of space...16 speed burner...blah blah blah...one 19 one 21 inch monitor...it rocks... just my two centshttp://www.extreme-on-demand.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #21 October 14, 2005 The only potential problem there is moving into High Definition work. HDV will be fine on an old machine, but my old 867MHz G4 was doing a pretty good job of choking on real HD [1920x1080]. Don't just go out and get yourself a Mac mini. If money becomes the issue, get an older G4 tower... preferably in excess of 1GHz... dual if you have the cash. Then just max it out. My 867 has 1.2TB of internal storage, 1.5GB of RAM and is plenty fast for serious SD editing. My dual 2.7 G5 is my HD/2K/4K composite/colorist machine [7GB RAM and it's connected to a 6TB RAID]. Depends how far you want to take video work. I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tso-d_chris 0 #22 October 15, 2005 QuoteI am very very new to trying to edit video and still pictures. I also don't have anyone to help me along since I live 2 hours from the DZ. What is a good software program for me to buy and be able to use easily and get decent results? What kind of computer are you using? Any new Mac comes with iMovie HD, which is all you need to get started editing video. It does have its limitations, but you will be able to learn and do a lot before you reach them. Macs also come with iPhoto, although it is quite limited in comparison to photo shop. Of course, if you are not trying to edit the stills, iPhoto will be adequate. You can buy a new Mac for less money than some of the aftermarket software available for PCs (or Macs), assuming you get legal copies, which is definitely recommended if you plan on selling your work. For Great Deals on Gear Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Winznut 0 #23 October 15, 2005 Maybe you want to try ULead. For simply cutting stuff together it seems to be good enough and it came along with my Firewire-Card for around $30. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adrenalinejunki 0 #24 October 15, 2005 I have a new HP. It has Muvee Autoproducer already on it. The problem I am having now is getting my camera to download into my PC....lol __________________________________________________What's the worst that can happen? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WeakMindedFool 0 #25 October 15, 2005 "If you find yourself in the majority, it's time to pause and reflect" If popularity meant anything worthwhile then Motley crue and poison were the most musically talented band of the 80's. Since we now know they actually suck...in a hooky sort of way, we know that aint true. When I say "King Daddy" I speak to my personal experience, having used every one of the PC based systems listed, I find Canopus Edius to be the best....in too many areas to list. Speed of rendering and ease of use at the top. Peace! JasonFaith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves. -Eric Hoffer - Check out these Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
