Entry-level video editing software

[vibrantvideo]

Hi folks,

I was wondering what software you can recommend for entry-level video editing? At the moment, I've been looking at Cyberlink PowerDirector and Sony Movie Studio.

Also, if I were to later upgrade and get more advanced, what software would you suggest? Sony Vegas or?

Many thanks! D

[usually_quiet]

I have seen a number of members here recommend Sony Movie Studio 13 Platinum for novices. I don't see many recommendations for Cyberlink PowerDirector.

Sony Vegas 13 is still being maintained, but will be the last version of Vegas. Speculation is that Catalyst Production Suite will be Sony's replacement for Vegas.

[vibrantvideo]

Thanks, I'll probably go with Sony Movie Studio then!

Interesting with Sony Vegas... Are there any other software programs you'd suggest when upgrading from entry-level video editing?

By the way, do you think Intel HD Graphics 520 (integrated graphics) would be fine with the Sony video editing software? Thanks!

[usually_quiet]

Thanks, I'll probably go with Sony Movie Studio then!

Interesting with Sony Vegas... Are there any other software programs you'd suggest when upgrading from entry-level video editing?

By the way, do you think Intel HD Graphics 520 (integrated graphics) would be fine with the Sony video editing software? Thanks!

Intel HD Graphics 520 should be fine for viewing HD video. Current Intel CPU graphics have limited support for UHD/4K. UHD/4K video can require a dedicated graphics card.

Sorry, I can't help much with your other question. I only replied to get the ball rolling here. I don't normally use any of the more feature-rich editors favored by those with camcorders.

All I need to do is edit out unwanted parts of TV shows that I record, so I use editors that either smart-encode or don't re-encode at all. I did try an older version of PowerDirector that was bundled with my PC's Blu-Ray burner. It was buggy (froze often), and I had better software for editing my recorded TV files, so I uninstalled it. Newer editions of PowerDirector may be better, but the software just doesn't get much praise on this forum.

[Brainiac]

You may want to download the trial version of the Sony software and give it a rigorous test drive.

Brainiac

Edit: Saw your post about editing laptop...hadn't realized you did not yet have the system.

[vibrantvideo]

You may want to download the trial version of the Sony software and give it a rigorous test drive.

Brainiac

Edit: Saw your post about editing laptop...hadn't realized you did not yet have the system.

Thanks Brainiac!

Yes, that sounds like a plan to download the trial.

Did you have any thoughts about my choice of system? Would it be fine for what I need to do?
P.S. Here's the message again...

"-Asus X555UA-DM111T: i7-6500U (2.5GHz), Intel HD Graphics 520, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD.
-Asus X555DG-DM057T: AMD FX-8800P (2.1 GHz), Radeon R8 M350DX graphics, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD.

So, I can either go with the more powerful Intel processor and have to rely on the integrated HD Graphics 520 (with draws up to 1.7GB of RAM from the system's RAM), or I can go with the supposedly weaker AMD processor (though it's their latest one) and the dedicated graphics card (which is actually an R5 M330 plus an R7 graphics card in cross-fire = R8). I'm just not sure which to choose, so if you have any feedback that would be much appreciated thanks!"

[usually_quiet]

"-Asus X555UA-DM111T: i7-6500U (2.5GHz), Intel HD Graphics 520, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD.
-Asus X555DG-DM057T: AMD FX-8800P (2.1 GHz), Radeon R8 M350DX graphics, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD.

So, I can either go with the more powerful Intel processor and have to rely on the integrated HD Graphics 520 (with draws up to 1.7GB of RAM from the system's RAM), or I can go with the supposedly weaker AMD processor (though it's their latest one) and the dedicated graphics card (which is actually an R5 M330 plus an R7 graphics card in cross-fire = R8). I'm just not sure which to choose, so if you have any feedback that would be much appreciated thanks!"

I meant you would at present need a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 or 960, which have HDMI 2.0 support, for viewing some UHD/4K video. (Plus a suitable TV or monitor, of course.) Neither laptop video cards nor Intel and AMD CPU graphics support HDMI 2.0 yet. I think some of Intel's Kaby Lake mobile CPUs will.

[Brainiac]

Did you have any thoughts about my choice of system? Would it be fine for what I need to do?

I have older hardware so no, I have no thoughts on system choices.

Brainiac

[pepegot1]

Try VideoStudio Pro X9. Much easier to use than Vegas and an excellent Help Forum at: http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewforum.php?f=1
If you are a beginner you will appreciate this.

[vibrantvideo]

Thanks, I'll probably go with Sony Movie Studio then!

Interesting with Sony Vegas... Are there any other software programs you'd suggest when upgrading from entry-level video editing?

By the way, do you think Intel HD Graphics 520 (integrated graphics) would be fine with the Sony video editing software? Thanks!

Intel HD Graphics 520 should be fine for viewing HD video. Current Intel CPU graphics have limited support for UHD/4K. UHD/4K video can require a dedicated graphics card.

Sorry, I can't help much with your other question. I only replied to get the ball rolling here. I don't normally use any of the more feature-rich editors favored by those with camcorders.

All I need to do is edit out unwanted parts of TV shows that I record, so I use editors that either smart-encode or don't re-encode at all. I did try an older version of PowerDirector that was bundled with my PC's Blu-Ray burner. It was buggy (froze often), and I had better software for editing my recorded TV files, so I uninstalled it. Newer editions of PowerDirector may be better, but the software just doesn't get much praise on this forum.

Thanks usually_quiet

Actually, I've just found a new system which has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 2GB - so that should be good right?

Here's the system by the way:
-i7-4720HQ (2.6 GHz, Quad-core)
-NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 2GB
-15,6" Full HD (1920x1080)
-256GB SSD
-8GB RAM
-WiFi adaptor 802.11ac
-2.45kg
-4-cell lithium ion (44Wh)
-Windows 10

Any thoughts on the above system overall? Thanks

[usually_quiet]

Thanks usually_quiet

Actually, I've just found a new system which has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 2GB - so that should be good right?

Here's the system by the way:
-i7-4720HQ (2.6 GHz, Quad-core)
-NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 2GB
-15,6" Full HD (1920x1080)
-256GB SSD
-8GB RAM
-WiFi adaptor 802.11ac
-2.45kg
-4-cell lithium ion (44Wh)
-Windows 10

Any thoughts on the above system overall? Thanks

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M is better than Intel's integrated graphics, but lacks some features present in the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 video cards for desktop systems. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M doesn't support HDMI 2.0 and NVIDIA's specs don't mention anything about HEVC hardware encoding or decoding. However, if you don't plan to be watching 4K video in the near future, and don't need to worry about editing 4K video editing anytime soon, none of that matters.

The hardware specs are pretty good for a laptop. Does it have USB 3.0 ports? You will need a high-speed USB 3.0 port for adding a USB 3.0 external hard drive.

[vibrantvideo]

Thanks usually_quiet

Actually, I've just found a new system which has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 2GB - so that should be good right?

Here's the system by the way:
-i7-4720HQ (2.6 GHz, Quad-core)
-NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 2GB
-15,6" Full HD (1920x1080)
-256GB SSD
-8GB RAM
-WiFi adaptor 802.11ac
-2.45kg
-4-cell lithium ion (44Wh)
-Windows 10

Any thoughts on the above system overall? Thanks

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M is better than Intel's integrated graphics, but lacks some features present in the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 video cards for desktop systems. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M doesn't support HDMI 2.0 and NVIDIA's specs don't mention anything about HEVC hardware encoding or decoding. However, if you don't plan to be watching 4K video in the near future, and don't need to worry about editing 4K video editing anytime soon, none of that matters.

The hardware specs are pretty good for a laptop. Does it have USB 3.0 ports? You will need a high-speed USB 3.0 port for adding a USB 3.0 external hard drive.

Thanks usually_quiet

I keep forgetting that many laptop components are not the same as the desktop versions (e.g. with the GTX 950 vs GTX 950M), that's unfortunate with the 4K video but it's not a big deal for me.

Yep, the laptop has 2 USB 3.0 ports (plus one 2.0 port).

Actually, I've found one last option (Lenovo IdeaPad Y700, below) and wondered what you think of this compared with the ASUS X550JX? Thanks again

Lenovo IdeaPad Y700
-i5-6300HQ (2.3 GHz, Quad-core)
-Nvidia Geforce GTX 960M 2GB
-15,6" Full HD IPS (1920x1080)
-1TB HDD
-8GB RAM (DDR4)
-WiFi adaptor 802.11ac
-2.6kg
-4-cell lithium ion (60Wh)
-Windows 10

ASUS X550JX-DM257T
-i7-4720HQ (2.6 GHz, Quad-core)
-NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 2GB
-15,6" Full HD (1920x1080)
-256GB SSD
-8GB RAM (DDR3)
-WiFi adaptor 802.11ac
-2.45kg
-4-cell lithium ion (44Wh)
-Windows 10

[usually_quiet]

I found that you already have another thread going on hardware for your editing computer. Forum rules state that you are allowed only one thread per topic. If I have any additional thoughts regarding hardware, I will post there, not here.

[vibrantvideo]

I found that you already have another thread going on hardware for your editing computer. Forum rules state that you are allowed only one thread per topic. If I have any additional thoughts regarding hardware, I will post there, not here.

Oops sorry I've kind of gone off track with this thread
I think everything has been covered here as I'll give Sony Movie Studio a try from what you suggested.
Thanks for posting regarding the hardware side of things.
Appreciate your guidance

[TreeTops]

There are different versions of Sony Movie Studio so get the Premium version.

Edited post to correct statement to Platinum version

[vibrantvideo]

There are different versions of Sony Movie Studio so get the Premium version.

Thanks TreeTops!
Yes, I saw there's Sony Movie Studio Platinum and Suite (with Suite being the best I guess?).
What's the audio editing like in that program ('Acid' I think it's called?)? Otherwise, I was wondering about exporting audio into Audacity for editing and then re-inserting it into Movie Studio... not sure if that's a good idea/possible?

[pepegot1]

Have fun with Sony Moviestudio, but you will be sorry!
Too much money and a steep learning curve. No storyboard either.

[smrpix]

Have fun with Sony Moviestudio, but you will be sorry!
Too much money and a steep learning curve. No storyboard either.

Nonsense. $30-$60. Basic editing can be learned in half an hour and you can rearrange items in the timeline working with thumbnails.

[vkmast]

I saw there's Sony Movie Studio Platinum and Suite (with Suite being the best I guess?).
What's the audio editing like in that program ('Acid' I think it's called?)? Otherwise, I was wondering about exporting audio into Audacity for editing and then re-inserting it into Movie Studio... not sure if that's a good idea/possible?

Movie Studio 13 Suite is actually MS 13 Platinum with some nice extras. See Movie Studio 13 Suite. Both have Platinum and DVD Architect Studio 5. The Suite version gives you Sound Forge Audio Studio, but you can use the free Audacity as well.

[vibrantvideo]

Have fun with Sony Moviestudio, but you will be sorry!
Too much money and a steep learning curve. No storyboard either.

Nonsense. $30-$60. Basic editing can be learned in half an hour and you can rearrange items in the timeline working with thumbnails.

Agreed. I've trialed older versions of Sony Movie Studio and they were quite easy to use, plus not expensive to buy.

[vibrantvideo]

I saw there's Sony Movie Studio Platinum and Suite (with Suite being the best I guess?).
What's the audio editing like in that program ('Acid' I think it's called?)? Otherwise, I was wondering about exporting audio into Audacity for editing and then re-inserting it into Movie Studio... not sure if that's a good idea/possible?

Movie Studio 13 Suite is actually MS 13 Platinum with some nice extras. See Movie Studio 13 Suite. Both have Platinum and DVD Architect Studio 5. The Suite version gives you Sound Forge Audio Studio, but you can use the free Audacity as well.

Yea, I'm just tempted to save a few dollars and go with Platinum instead of Suite... is it really worth the extra expense?

Also, it's unclear to me whether MS 13 supports 4K video editing? (I know that Cyberlink PowerDirector does).

Thanks

[vkmast]

I'm just tempted to save a few dollars and go with Platinum instead of Suite... is it really worth the extra expense?
Also, it's unclear to me whether MS 13 supports 4K video editing? (I know that Cyberlink PowerDirector does).
Thanks

Look into the SMSSuite 13 Product page I linked for the extras to see if you think you need them. Only you can tell.
As for 4K, read the bit about it here.
Your best bet is to download and install the free time-limited trial and evaluate for yourself.

[vibrantvideo]

I'm just tempted to save a few dollars and go with Platinum instead of Suite... is it really worth the extra expense?
Also, it's unclear to me whether MS 13 supports 4K video editing? (I know that Cyberlink PowerDirector does).
Thanks

Look into the SMSSuite 13 Product page I linked for the extras to see if you think you need them. Only you can tell.
As for 4K, read the bit about it here.
Your best bet is to download and install the free time-limited trial and evaluate for yourself.

Thanks vkmast!
It looks like 4K is supported which is great.
I'll download the trial and go from there