Please help me decide which editor to use

[sstinman]

I'm looking to buy video editing software. It seems that all the software under $100 has some flaws/issues. So I want to pick the one that meets my needs with the fewest issues.

I have it down to:

1) Ulead VideoStudio 8.0
2) Cyberlink Power Director 3
3) Sony (SonicFoundry) Vegas Movie Studio+DVD

Is any of the above beter than the other 2? I'm open for suggestions.

I'm looking for software that is straight forward and easy to use with a few custom functions.

1) Easy to use and fast. Primary task will be to trim raw video and add pictures, music, and voice overs. Preview without rendering is a must.

2) I have Nero 6 Ultra (full version) so if the software is not good at burning DVDs. That's OK so long as it can create an ISO without frame drops or audio sync issues. That brings another point I'm going to excursively create DVDs. I don't need alternate video formats. Also, 5.1 AC3 is not required.

3) Automatic filters to brighten and color balance is needed for low light conditions.

4) Will run on P3-1000 MHz
1GB of PC133 (2x 512MB)
Asus TUV motherboard (VIA chip set)
2x 120 GB hard drive (7200 rpm w/ 8MB caches)
Pioneer and Lite-On DVD burner (4x and 8x speeds)
GeForce4 4600 with 128MB of ram.
Turtle Beach audio card, Firewire, and USB 2.0
Running Windows XP SP2
The computer is very stable and runs fairly quickly for a 3 year old machine.

[lgh529]

I'm looking to buy video editing software. It seems that all the software under $100 has some flaws/issues. So I want to pick the one that meets my needs with the fewest issues.

snip ---

3) Automatic filters to brighten and color balance is needed for low light conditions.

I would pick Sony, but thats my preference based upon my experience. All three editors will do pretty much everything, except automatic filters. I would pick Sony for fast and easy to use.

In fact, I currently use Vegas v5 and it doesn't have automatic filters because every clip is different. Creating filters for video needs human interaction and a lot of patience when your first beginning. Its somewhat of an art.

Vegas Movie Studio will do most everything else in your list. It won't create an iso file from an authored DVD (at least I don't think), but there are freeware tools that will do that just fine

[qlizard]

I think it would definitely be between VS8 and the sony. For under $100, I really like VS8. It is versatile and has a lot of features. The interface is a little "cartoonish" but is well put together and easy to use. It excels at video capture and has a nice large preview screen. Plus it has great mpeg editing features. Mpeg is not made for editing, but this product does a great job with it, and the "smart render" feature (not even available on many high-end editors) is remarkable. It won't re-render mpeg material unless you add a transition or filter, and then it only renders at that exact spot. The resulting edited mpeg is of higher quality and is produced much quicker than if it had to be re-rendered. Very useful if you end up editing mpeg. VS8 is also very good at slideshows. I mainly use it for this now, since I use premiere for movie editing.
I also have heard good things about the sony, but I haven't used it.

[lenti_75]

i personally use VS8, love it. tried a lot of software out there, includind sony, and stick to Ulead.

[pyscrow]

You did not spec what type of video you want to edit, but Mpeg2Schnitt and Cuttermaran are good free Mpeg2 editors.

[DaveS]

I'm an avid sony vegas user (no pun intended) but my vote would be for vs8 (which I do not have). I love the sonic foundry (er, I mean Sony) product, but it does have a learning curve. The vegas 5 has many features you may not need and I don't know if they dumbed down the lower cost version to remove the complexity.

I have a feeling the VS8 is easier to use off the bat..the upside for the sony would be that if you want to upgrade to full out ver 5, once you have invested some learning in the entry level version, you build on it for the ver 5 (which is part of their strategy). If you think your needs won't expand, the vs8 may be all you want. And, an unsolicited comment, stay away from pinnacle studio 8 / 9 at all costs.

If you can narrow it down to 2, you may want to download the demos and fool w/ them...

[proxyx99]

Vegas is in another league. But VS8 will get you there as well. Comparing prices I'd say VS8 will do the job really well for just little money whereas Vegas will cost you some serious coin. If you need all Vegas features go for it, otherwise VS8 is a tested and reliable performer. I believe there are demos for both available from respective websites. Why don't you try VS8 and Vegas and decide if the difference justifies spending some extra cash. It's more about your expectations and future use rather then the software.

And, an unsolicited comment, stay away from pinnacle studio 8 / 9 at all costs.

Not sure about that. No matter how I look at that it is a great piece of software that doesn't want to quit on my PC, but I admit, some users do have trouble with it. It "feels" so good that it's among my all time favourites.

[csheng]

I would recommend Sony Vegas MovieStudio. though it does not have an automatic filter, there's the brightness & contrast and color balance filters.
real time preview as well as. And it comes with DVD Studio 2.0. for USD99 it's a good deal.

VideoStudio is ok, but it doesn't really have realtime preview.

[DaveS]

And, an unsolicited comment, stay away from pinnacle studio 8 / 9 at all costs.

Not sure about that. No matter how I look at that it is a great piece of software that doesn't want to quit on my PC, but I admit, some users do have trouble with it. It "feels" so good that it's among my all time favourites.

it's got a lot of really great features for an entry level package from capture through author, but for some reason, they just can't get it right and the s/w has tons of bugs .. tons... after a while it wasn't worth the frustration and wasting of time..if you had good luck w/ it, I am happy for you...anyway, I didn't mean to hijack the thread .. there are plenty of other threads on s8 (/9)...

[BJ_M]

Sony Vegas MovieStudio - my vote

[lordsmurf]

Vegas.
Only because Premiere was not listed.

[jabloomf1230]

I have VS8, Premiere Pro 1.5 and Vegas 5.0b. For someone that doesn't need every possible sound and video editing option, VS8 is a great choice (and it's considerably less expensive). Premiere and Vegas are neck and neck in my book for power users. Vegas is a little more intuitive and fun to use. Premiere is all business and can be challenging at times when you can't figure out exactly how to accomplish your task. Vegas has more powerful options when it comes to AC3 editing and when combined with its sister applications Sound Forge 7.0 and DVD Architect 2.0, you can really do some powerful audio and video editing with ease.

[sstinman]

Thanks guys! I was lossing hope that no one would answer.

So it looks like Power Director 3 is out. Funny how no one seems to have mentioned anything about it.

I'm going to try the demos for Vegas MS and VS8 and see which one I like better. But the mpeg edit has my attention now. Since my computer is not exactly a speed demo to re-render a whole project to tweak a scene or two doesn't sound like fun. But if I can make the change with VS8 in mgeg and save all that effort it my prove to be a good feature.

By the way I have a copy of Priemere 6.0 I've installed it some time ago but can't get past the steap learning curve. Is it worth the effort? I don't intend on becoming a pro video guy.

Also, I've tried pinnacle 7 and 8 with moderate success resolving the software issues. Never again will I speed time and money on pinnacle.

[BJ_M]

premiere 6 is not that good -- 6.5 and up is .. if you want to stick with that route ..

[jvolino]

Just to clarify -- Sony recently changed their naming scheme, which has created some confusion for those replying to the original post. The "Vegas Movie Studio+DVD" product is really just a new version of the product line formerly-known-as "Screenblast Movie Studio" (and before that, Sonic Foundry's Video Factory.) The current version of this line is v4.0. This is a trimmed-down (but still very capable) version of the true Vegas video editing program.

When people refer to "Vegas 5" in their posts, they are actually referring to the full professional-level version of Vegas, so you need to check what they've said against the details on Sony's site (such as http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/Products/showproduct.asp?PID=932&FeatureID=7790) Also on that page is a link to a chart that compares the full DVD Architect authoring program to the "Studio" version.

All that being said, I'm a reformed Pinnacle user who is now a fan of the Sony Screenblast/Vegas Studio product. The biggest advantage of the Sony program is its stability -- crashes are extremely rare. It does have a steeper learning curve than other consumer-level packages however.

--Judd

[csheng]

For Vegas MovieStudio + DVD, there's the interactive tutorial which is really good for beginners. with 3 video track & 3 audio tracks, chroma keyer, pan&crop features, and more, ....sure beats other consumer level progs out there.

there's a review here. http://www.dmnforums.com/cgi-bin/viewarticle.cgi?id=27966

[BodaZoffa]

Spend the extra $$$ & get Vegas 5. You'll eventually want to move up to something on this level, & it an incredible editor.

[cz9h3d]

I've gotta give my two cents on this subject....or maybe it's $200 depending on how wordy I get........okay, I guess it's more like $2000! Read on....

A lot of folks in the forums seem to promote Vegas, Premiere, etc. which is fine - but as a father and husband my time/ability to get in-depth to the workings/features of these very powerful programs just isn't there......I basically want to backup my tapes to DVD with some editing (remove pure crap, titles, some transitions, menus)

I've been shooting miniDV tapes for 5 years, and haven't found the ideal program yet - I want something that is relatively easy to use, but yet capable.

I've used Pinnacle Studio versions 7, 8, and 9. I love the interface, how it organizes clips, the simple stupid trimming, titles, sound, etc. However the DVD creation capabilities of 9 have discouraged me, as well as the good old out of sync issue! Cheeses me off when everything seems fine onscreen, but the burned DVD is missing images for the chapters!

I've also been lately trying Ulead VideoStudio 8 based on very good recent reviews. First approach was just capturing directly to MPEG and burning to disk (simple tape backup). First DVD was fine, second had out of sync issues!!! Argh! So then I decided to just capture as DVD quality video and edit. Editing is okay, but not as simple as Pinnacle Studio. I'm still stuck on how to put in a simple title - not an overlay on my image. I'm sure I probably just need to insert a "black" image and add the title to that, but I liked the onc click in studio. I'll keep playing and see how the burned DVD turns out, but I don't think I'll stick with it. Still not sure how to only have chapters menus - i don't want/need a title menu too!

Tried the trial of Sony Screenblast Movie Studio. Never got past an issue where it dropped mega number of frams (vs. none for Pinnacle Studio!) . I do miss a storyboard layout as an option.. Maybe I'll try the new version of Vegas Screenblast Movie Studio to see if the update has fixed my problem and to evaluate the now integrated DVD tools.

I'm also waiting for a trial of Adobe Premiere Elements. That one should be interesting.

That's all for my rant. I'm up to 15 tapes over my kids 5 years to backup with some minimal editing.

P.S. My system is a P4 2.53GHz, 512MB RAM, dedicated 200GB hard drive for capture. Can't see using less, and am considering a faster processor and more RAM. I think WalMart has a standalone DVD-Recorder for $150 this week! Now that might be my short-term answer! Argh!

[BodaZoffa]

I've gotta give my two cents on this subject....or maybe it's $200 depending on how wordy I get........okay, I guess it's more like $2000! Read on....

A lot of folks in the forums seem to promote Vegas, Premiere, etc. which is fine - but as a father and husband my time/ability to get in-depth to the workings/features of these very powerful programs just isn't there......I basically want to backup my tapes to DVD with some editing (remove pure crap, titles, some transitions, menus)

I've been shooting miniDV tapes for 5 years, and haven't found the ideal program yet - I want something that is relatively easy to use, but yet capable.

I've used Pinnacle Studio versions 7, 8, and 9. I love the interface, how it organizes clips, the simple stupid trimming, titles, sound, etc. However the DVD creation capabilities of 9 have discouraged me, as well as the good old out of sync issue! Cheeses me off when everything seems fine onscreen, but the burned DVD is missing images for the chapters!

I've also been lately trying Ulead VideoStudio 8 based on very good recent reviews. First approach was just capturing directly to MPEG and burning to disk (simple tape backup). First DVD was fine, second had out of sync issues!!! Argh! So then I decided to just capture as DVD quality video and edit. Editing is okay, but not as simple as Pinnacle Studio. I'm still stuck on how to put in a simple title - not an overlay on my image. I'm sure I probably just need to insert a "black" image and add the title to that, but I liked the onc click in studio. I'll keep playing and see how the burned DVD turns out, but I don't think I'll stick with it. Still not sure how to only have chapters menus - i don't want/need a title menu too!

Tried the trial of Sony Screenblast Movie Studio. Never got past an issue where it dropped mega number of frams (vs. none for Pinnacle Studio!) . I do miss a storyboard layout as an option.. Maybe I'll try the new version of Vegas Screenblast Movie Studio to see if the update has fixed my problem and to evaluate the now integrated DVD tools.

I'm also waiting for a trial of Adobe Premiere Elements. That one should be interesting.

That's all for my rant. I'm up to 15 tapes over my kids 5 years to backup with some minimal editing.

P.S. My system is a P4 2.53GHz, 512MB RAM, dedicated 200GB hard drive for capture. Can't see using less, and am considering a faster processor and more RAM. I think WalMart has a standalone DVD-Recorder for $150 this week! Now that might be my short-term answer! Argh!

It sounds like all you need is Sony DVD Architect 2.0. You can do basic editing with this program, & then turn around & put your video footage onto a DVD. It's not a very hard program to learn either.

Boda

[BJ_M]

Sony DVD Architect 2.0 you can not buy alone ..

he tried the new Sony Screenblast Movie Studio which now has dvd authoring -- and he said it didnt work for him .. which is unusual ..

[proxyx99]

Unfortunately, among seemingly endless variety of editors and DVD creation apps there's only a handful that feel right and even less that are affordable and reliable. You may have a look into Magix Movie Edit http://site.magix.net/index.php?7305&version=standard. I've had a chance to test their last years' Video Deluxe and it feels like Pinnacle.

Encoding quality was good indeed. Never made a DVD though. Pricewise it is in the right bracket. They have a new Deluxe version only avail. in German (for now) that offers all the same editing features as Pinnacle Studio 9 (autoexposure, 16:9, camera shake removal etc.). Not sure if they have a demo version.

Tough truth is that most editiors suck in DVD dept. just like most DVD creation suites do not offer good editing features. Most of the members here use 2 or more apps to complete the task...

There is also a learning curve issue. Seldom you will accomplish all tasks on your first try. You need to learn how to handle hiccups as well as some tips and tricks of the trade...

[boycalgary]

You may have a look into Magix Movie Edit Pro / Tough truth is that most editiors suck in DVD dept

I have had the pleasure of testing every version of Magix Movie edit Pro as well as their audio and other software, and even have the pleasure of communicating with the company and suggesting fixes and new features

You are right about most editors sucking in the DVD department however, Movie Edit Pro 10 is quite nice to work with in editing and DVD. It is well under $100 and offers surround sound, 16:9, and HD support as well.

Also, i will admit that the DVD authjoring section is a bit limited (in design, not encoding) but i have created a DVD menu wizard (along with some other software and addons) to make Movie Edit Pro (and other editors) more flexible.

If you want to check that out you can visit http://www.newdogdigital.com/eng_downloads_dvd_menu_wizard.htm for the menu wizard.
http://www.newdogdigital.com/eng_downloads.htm for all downloads available on the site, or
http://www.newdogdigital.com/eng_products_surplus_video.htm for the surplus video sets