Best video editing software for a beginner

[meloo72]

I was a film major in college many moons ago where we edited our film by scraping the emulsion and gluing two pieces of film together. Things have changed since then. I am starting a business converting old fim and video to DVD and also offering editing services to organize videos and all nice menus with title's. I know my computer has everything it needs to run the functions I want to, but now I need to know what is the best, most reliable, easy to use software for the beginning PC editor and what device and/or software is the best to convert all types of video to digital so I can edit it using that software? I'll have VHS, VHS-C, hi-8, 8mm video and mini DV - as well as photographs and slides. So - to sum it up I need 2 things:
1 - Best PC editing software
2 - hardware/software for importing and converting video, photo and DVD formats to a format recognizable by the editing software.
Thanks!

[ozymango]

Hmmm ....

Well, for starters, congrats on the new business, good luck to you.

Now, as for software ... the thing is, you want:

1) The best
2) Most reliable
3) Easy to use

and I'm not sure that you can find all that in one package. :P

Actually seriously, I suspect you'll need a multi-pronged approach: Some videos you get will look great and all you'll need to do is input them into a DVD recorder and get footage you can then edit -- very simply -- with something like Womble MPEG.

Or you may get a tape that needs more restoration work (colors are funky, need to adjust contrast/saturation/everything), and it might be best to transfer that to your PC in DV format (DV camcorder pass-through or Canopus box), then edit with Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas.

Then you could author to DVD with Ulead DVD Workshop, or DVD-LAB.

Or a bunch of other options.

But I can think of some hardware that you might as well get, no matter what software you end up with:

DVD Recorder
DV Camcorder (might as well get HD camcorder) w/DV out
DV input card for your PC (if you don't already have one)
A bunch more hard drives for storing stuff (external)

For photographs and slides, I love Epson's Photo scanners; if you end up doing a lot of slides and negatives, it may be worth also getting a Nikon Coolscan scanner. And Photoshop for photo restoration.

That's a start, anyway.

[edDV]

I'll play the role of your banker financing this business.

First you need to hire somebody who knows what they are doing.

In the meantime, analyze the many other businesses out there doing the same thing and explain your competitive advantage. What niche can you dominate and why?

Film to tape requires projectors-cameras or flying spot scanners that are very expensive to maintain and require skilled operators. Explain how you intend to make the transfer.

[BJ_M]

adding to the above:

a canopus ADVC300 http://www.canopus.com/products/ADVC300/index.php (or 500)

as much as you can do in hardware -- do it ..

as it will save you time and make you money in the long run

[ozymango]

In the meantime, analyze the many other businesses out there doing the same thing and explain your competitive advantage. What niche can you dominate and why?

Geez, it's just like some people to rain on our parades with questions of logic and common sense! :P