Editing program for newbies

[RavenEyes]

Hi!

I'm looking for an editing program similar to Windows Movie Maker (since I don't have XP) in terms of interface (user-friendly, with that scene by scene preview, etc...) and easy to use for a beginner. I have Premiere, but it's a little more complicated and I don't have much time to learn if I want to get this project done by the end of the month. Are there any programs out there that are similar to Movie Maker? Thanks!


RavenEyes

[Tommyknocker]

What will the final product format be, and have you tried VirtualDub?

[curryman]

Pinnacle studio has a very easy to learn interface,
you'll be up and running in 30 mins(as long as it doesn't crash first, some people report it as being very unstable)

[RavenEyes]

What will the final product format be, and have you tried VirtualDub?

.mpg or .avi, but it doesn't matter much, I have TMPGEnc so I can convert most formats. Yes I've tried VirtualDub but it's not exactly what I'm looking for.

I googled Pinnacle and it does seem to be very similar to Movie Maker. Just a question, does it cut let's say a movie automatically into little segments so it'd be easier for me to edit? (it was a feature I liked very much about WMM)

Thanks both of you!

[kupton]

Yes it does automatically break the video in to scenes for you. It's a very easy to use piece of software it's just so full of bugs. Hopefully someone can reccomend another easy to use program. I would stay away from Studio 8 and look for something else.

[Tommyknocker]

You may also want to look at Video Studio (trial ware). It can make mpegs, AVS, etc. and also can split a video into scenes as well.

[energy80s]

I use VideoStudio 6. It's a good but simple little program that lets you put titles and transitions inot your video with ease. Some rally car footage I've edited with VS6 can be found here ... www.rallyireland.co.uk ... obviously it looks much better in DVD quality, but it'll give you an idea of what simple editing can look like.

[energy80s]

I use VideoStudio 6. It's a good but simple little program that lets you put titles and transitions inot your video with ease. Some rally car footage I've edited with VS6 can be found here ... www.rallyireland.co.uk ... obviously it looks much better in DVD quality, but it'll give you an idea of what simple editing can look like.

[RavenEyes]

VideoStudio looks interesting too, I'll check it out! Thanks guys!

[RavenEyes]

When I try to open a video file (an existing mpeg or avi) in VideoStudio, I get an error message saying "Either no video capture driver is installed in this system, or no device is connected". Since when do I need a video capture card to cut a video?

[syeager]

I also use Video Studio (v6) and it can do some things no other program does well. When you define the project you want, it immediately jumps to the capture tab and expects to find some sort of tuner to begin capturing. Click on the storyboard tab and you should be good to go. I have an ATI AIW 128 pro so I cannot completely simulate your situation. Hope you enjoy it. It is a great program. I have tried more than a dozen and I keep coming back to VS6.

Are you using VS7 or VS6. If you are using VS7, after you load a clip to edit, you can break up a clip into small scenes by right clicking on the clip and selecting the 'scene split' option. Enjoy.

[RavenEyes]

I tried your suggestion but it still doesn't work. I get the same message. I'm using VS6. I don't think I really need a video capture card to cut a video, do I? At least, Premiere didn't require it.

[Bstansbury]

VideoStudio. Does anyone know how to map the editing effects from VideoStudio ver 6.0 (updated) to version 7.0. It seems that version 7.0 has not been updated to include 20-30 different effects that were provided in a update package for ver 6.0. The most critical one was "Fade in- Fade out"

I'm using ver 7.0 trial package and I don't know how long anyone would have to wait for Ulead to provide the same support for ver 7.0 It's too bad since it is a terrific capture, editing, authoring, burn software.

Thanks in advance.

[donpedro]

BTW: Pinnacle Studio 9 is comming out soon for same price as PS8. Couple of cool new features. 8)

[wwaag]

raveneyes

Just a suggestion. No offense intended, but since you already have Premiere (one of the best editing programs available), just take some time and LEARN to use it. I dare say that the time you've probably spent with some of these "newbie-oriented" apps, you could have easily learned the "basics" in Premiere--inputting your AVI files, cuts editing, additing titles and transitions, and exporting. There are some excellent tutorials at http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/videotutorial/ for newbies like you. Having said that, I will admit that Premiere is not the most "intuitive" or "user-friendly", but once you learn the basics, you will appreciate what a powerful tool you already have. Beside, it won't cost you extra.

Just a suggestion.

wwaag

[RavenEyes]

No offense taken I know about the qualities of Premiere, that's why I bought it in the first place. But I realized it was harder to use than I had expected, it would take some time to get used to it and I'm running out of time for my project, since I was already familiar with Movie Maker (which I don't have anymore), I thought getting a program similar to WMM would be faster. I had no intention to give up on Premiere, I was planning to learn how to use it as soon as I had the time. But it seems that I'll have to do it now since VideoStudio doesn't work and I don't know what the problem is. Thanks for the link!

[The village idiot]

Try Editstudio, it has a 30 day trial, and should link to the tools section.

[Tommyknocker]

RavenEyes, you can still use VS. It gives the error because it can use a capture card, it does not have to use it edit video.