Which movie editor?

[Kurt]

I use EditStudio (http://www.mediachance.com/) to create, cut and adding sound to my videos.

BUT i don't encode with it - sometimes it crashes if i want do encode directly in xvid, divx or something. I create first a uncompressed avi that works always. To encode the "final" video i then use Virtual Dub or another software (i.e. if i need it as MPG etc.)

With the problems I'm having with Premiere, DD, I might check it out.....

[Kurt]

I spoke too soon, FirstLight. Premiere is giving me all kinds of grief. Adobe's forums are full of very helpful people who help out, but the more I read the more I suspect Premiere is not the NLE it used to be.

Do you use it yourself?

Kurt.

[LeonRegis]

What about the Pinnacle VideoSpin, you tested it yet?

[Burnart]

Most of what I do is very basic - I use a program by Stoik called Videoman which I've had for years. Its not very sophisticated, kind of a poor man's Premiere 4. I'm helping a friend with a project and we are using the full pro version of Sony Vegas - I'm actually very impressed with it. Its powerful, oodles of options and meshes extremely well with Sony audio software. It isn't cheap though so I won't be buying my own copy. There is the nub of the problem - if you want something sophisticated it is going to cost you. I've looked at the more pocket friendly versions of Vegas and they leave out the tools and capabilities that are the most tempting. There is yet to appear a usable open source compositing program. The real question in the end is one of what do you NEED to be able to do with it?

With Videoman I just use it primarily as a program for assembling frame sequences, attaching audio and outputting to a video format - avi, divx or wmv. I don't do any fancy layer compositing or special effects in it (beyond cross fading) basically because it can't. Any processing I need is done in paint shop pro with batch processing of frames by script or rendered via whatever 3d program or layered and pimped-out in pIllusion and output to a frame sequence for assembly. Its a matter of making the most of the tools I've acquired over the years - but I really would like a nice proper compositor. Just can't afford one worth having.

[First Light]

I spoke too soon, FirstLight. Premiere is giving me all kinds of grief. Adobe's forums are full of very helpful people who help out, but the more I read the more I suspect Premiere is not the NLE it used to be.

Do you use it yourself?

Hi Kurt,

It's best to use the full name or you won't be understood by some readers because Adobe has more than one video editor with "Premiere" in the name. If I remember, you purchased Premiere Elements. Premiere (no "Elements") is a professional program and I know pros who prefer it (and After Effects) over Apple's Final Cut Pro. So its got to be very good to compete at that level. But they are pros and I'm a beginner when it comes to video editing.

Yes, I have Premiere Elements 7, but I haven't done much with it yet. I picked it up because I needed an inexpensive video editor that can handle high definition video. Eventually, I'll upgrade my Adobe Creative Suite to the Master version (for my work) which will include the pro version of Premiere. I figured that if I learn the Elements version now, it will help me later.

One of the things I usually do with a new program is get a good book or training course for it. This was a challenge for Premiere Elements 7 and the best book I could find was "The Muvipix.com Guide To Adobe Premiere Elements 7" by Steve Grisetti. It can save a lot of time and trouble. The author made a pretty big deal about the video format at the heart of Premiere Element's core engine and how you should convert your video to this format first before beginning editing and things would go much more smoothly. But I can't remember the format and I can't find my copy of the book either---it's been a while.

You might be able to find more information from the muvipix.com website.

Don't give up---video editing is somewhat like 3D in that it can have a steep initial learning curve.

Best regards, First Light

[Finis]

I have Ulead (Corel) Video Studio 11. It works well for editing small things for web display. I haven't used most of its abilities so I don't know what it can do for large productions.

[Kurt]

What about the Pinnacle VideoSpin, you tested it yet?

Not yet, Leon. I decided to persevere with Premiere before I abandon it altogether.

I suspect it used to be a much better program than its latest version would suggest.

[Kurt]

....Any processing I need is done in paint shop pro with batch processing of frames by script or rendered via whatever 3d program or layered and pimped-out in pIllusion and output to a frame sequence for assembly.

Now, that's intriguing, Burnart! Are you saying it's possible to move video footage as a sequence of frames to an app like Paint Shop pro, and apply effects to each frame via a batch process, then export that back to the NLE and convert it back to motion footage?

[Kurt]

Hi Kurt,

It's best to use the full name or you won't be understood by some readers because Adobe has more than one video editor with "Premiere" in the name. If I remember, you purchased Premiere Elements. Premiere (no "Elements") is a professional program and I know pros who prefer it (and After Effects) over Apple's Final Cut Pro. So its got to be very good to compete at that level. But they are pros and I'm a beginner when it comes to video editing.

Yes, you're right, First Light, it's Premiere Elements 7. And if some people prefer it over FC, that certainly is a heck of a good argument for it!

One of the things I usually do with a new program is get a good book or training course for it. This was a challenge for Premiere Elements 7 and the best book I could find was "The Muvipix.com Guide To Adobe Premiere Elements 7" by Steve Grisetti. It can save a lot of time and trouble. The author made a pretty big deal about the video format at the heart of Premiere Element's core engine and how you should convert your video to this format first before beginning editing and things would go much more smoothly. But I can't remember the format and I can't find my copy of the book either---it's been a while.

Yes, I know Steve from the Premiere Elements forum. Very helpful guy and I've followed some of his suggestions already. He's also mentioned the muvipix.com website and I definitely intend to join up there.

Don't give up---video editing is somewhat like 3D in that it can have a steep initial learning curve.

Best regards, First Light

You can say that again! But I expected that. What I didn't expect were the technical glitches I'm experiencing. Frustrating this is, it's not easy to tell hardware problems from software problems without lots of painstaking work.

Still, I'll keep at it. I got the new computer and Premiere for the sole purpose of getting the most out of Truespace. I'm not giving up yet! Too much fun to be had!

Thanks for your interest, First Light,
Kurt.

[Kurt]

I have Ulead (Corel) Video Studio 11. It works well for editing small things for web display. I haven't used most of its abilities so I don't know what it can do for large productions.

I have Corel Ulead stashed away somewhere, Finis. It came with an external hard drive for my Mac, if I remember correctly . Never tried editing on it, but I'll dig it out and see what it can do anyway.

Cheers,
Kurt