Which Is The Best Video Editing App ?

[blewyn]

I have video from several cameras in different formats - DV, MOV, AVI (mp4 and mjpeg), with varying frame rates and audio rates. I would like to be able to cut bits together from different sources and output as one file, with no loss of visible quality (for example output the whole lot as hi-rate DivX). Is there a program that will let me do this, along with adding transitions and titles ?

[edDV]

The way most editing programs work is everything is decompressed to RGB internally and recompressed on export. Some formats are supported at the project level (e.g. DV, HDV, sometimes MPeg2) where only processed frames are converted to RGB while unprocessed frames are passed unchanged.

The various programs will "support" a list of input formats. Those will be decompressed to RGB internal to the program. Formats not on the list need to be externally decompressed and imported as uncompressed RGB or YCbCr for minimal loss.

[neftv]

We been using Edius pro made by Canopus Grass Valley. It is considered a multi-format editor and the nice thing is it can also rip DVDs and author a Basic DVD too. In our situation we use DV format and Mpeg2 format on the timeline then export to Mpeg2. We found its more frame accurate then what we use to Womble MPW. They have a 30 day trial on it too.

[edDV]

blewyn,

We need more information on your level of experience, budget and goals.

[blewyn]

Goal - to easily and quickly cut together video from different formats onto a single timeline while adding titles and transitions, then exporting to a single movie with little to no loss of quality. I guess this means increasing the resolution of all clips to match that of the highest-res (while maintaining aspect ratio by means of letterboxing) and increasing all framerates to match that of the highest fps clip.

Budget - willing to pay $300-$400 for something that actually works out of the box and is quick to use.

Experience - I have just reconverted a bunch of 30fps videos to 29.97 using Virtualdub so that I can use them with another bunch of 29.97fps videos in Pinnacle Studio without losing audio sync.

[guns1inger]

to easily and quickly cut together video from different formats onto a single timeline while adding titles and transitions, then exporting to a single movie with little to no loss of quality

Can't be done unless you are happy with very, very large files. No loss of quality can only be achieved if you use lossless or uncompressed output, which produces very large files playable only on a computer.

Also, most of the better editors do not like working with end-playback, heavily compressed formats like Xvid and Divx. They either won't work with it, or they will do so only with extra effort.

Your level of experience suggests Ulead's VideoStudio, or perhaps Premiere Elements or Vegas Movie Studio. VideoStudio is probably most likely to work with the widest range of over compressed source.

However if you then output to Divx/Xvid or other mpeg based compression there will be some quality loss. Repeated use of lossy compression takes it's toll.

[Mariot]

I use Vegas 6 (got a nice crossgrade deal from a OEM bundled video soft) but didn't upgrade to Vegas 7 or 8 as it doesn't really give me much more and the yearly upgrades are expensive. I like Vegas, I liked it from version 1.

I also use EditStudio, it cost less than upgrade to Vegas and has as much power and even more fun.

I got Premiere Elements bundled with my Sanyo camera, but that thing works like broken clock, I had it create a mpeg2 from my Sanyo videos and first half of the mpeg2 is fine, second half has no audio. (The source files are fine)

There is also Serif Movie that looks like old version of Vegas Home and works as well, but Serif is known for repeated sales calls - and you have to activate soft by actually calling them (so they can get your number). Ugly business. So rather get Vegas Home if you ask me.

If you are into HD, then there is SpeedEdit, expensive but fast for HD. It require some learning as it is rather custom interface and not always logical. But probably fastest editor for HD out there.