Free editing software

[Joe_be]

Hi all,

I'm a beginner at the world of editing videos, and wanna know what is the best free editing software for me to use?
I want it to be simple and yet with a lot of options.

10x!!

[ANK]

To answer you questions we need more info.
1 What is the video type? (AVCHD, AVI, MPEG...............)
2 What is the source? (rips, self recorded from camera..............)
3 What options are you looking for? (cut, transitions, add text or objects, change color................)
4 What is the final output? (Web, computer, Blu Ray.................)

Take a look at the tools selection and download what ever looks good. The best way to learn is by trial and error.

[lordsmurf]

What do you consider to be "editing" ?
Explain in detail...

[budwzr]

Sony Vegas is the best one, but it's not free.

I guess one of the manual scripting editors would work, they're free, but you have to remember how to "program" scripts manually.

Do you like tedious alphanumerical operations full of gotchas that want to make you pull your hair out? Like if you leave out a comma, and the operation just fails with a cryptic message "Input not equal to output".

[videobruger]

http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/free-dvd-video-software.htm/

Sony Vegas is the best one, but it's not free.

and hey ... people around here seems to prefer Sony Vegas. But in IMO http://www.avid.com/US/products/avid-studio/specifications is the best you can get

[budwzr]

Avid "used" to be king in Hollywood, but got bumped off by Apple FCP, and FCP is a very simple basic NLE, so the proof is in the puddin'.

Although able to bump off Avid in H'Wood, FCP was so bad that Apple abandoned it and started a whole new NLE called FCPX, which is also entry level but has more room to grow.

So Avid is making a comeback only because of Apple's misjudgment of where the dollars are at, and where the future of motion pictures is going. Avid slicked up their website and bought M-Audio to repackage themselves, but they just don't get it.

Vegas is designed for the one-man-band, and as such has a much broader and robust tool set. And yes, it IS Pro software.

Another consideration is that there are several different types of editors.

"Broadcast" editors are interested in trimming, cropping, color, and otherwise packaging EXISTING content.

"Content Creators" are interested in FX, compositing, and ORIGINATING content.

Adobe Premiere was lacking as well, until they came out with After Effects to fill the void. Premiere/AE is a viable option, but the price point is ridiculous for what you get.

[Joe_be]

Thanks guys!

maybe Ill pay a bit for that kind of software so that 'Vegas' is definitely a good option it looks like meet my needs

[TreeTops]

I would start with Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 11. Then when you get a grasp of that program you can move up to Vegas Pro.

[Evil_Burrito]

If you are doing real editing work the best free is Lightworks 11. If you are just trimming time or something like that avidemux is great. If you don't mind learning a lot, avisynth programming can do all the complex editing the big boys do.

[budwzr]

Gotta laugh how these general "which one is best?" threads bring out everything AND the kitchen sink. Hahaha

[Cornucopia]

Gotta also laught at budwzr's bias...

Fcp7 is a fullblown, capable pro NLE - no "so bad " about it.
And AVID, while having to share some of its market with other apps, is still behind the lion's share of blockbuster features.

(Not dissing Vegas, which is very decent in its own right)

@OP, I need to add: what is your budget? (Because none of the good NLEs are free, not counting AVISynth)

Scott

[budwzr]

Yeah, I guess you make a good point.

[sanlyn]

WE still don't know what joe_be means by "edit". Are you just cutting up scenes, moving commercials, etc., and rejoining? Vegas/Adobe/etc. are overkill and a waste of time for that kind of work. What's the purpose of your editing?

[budwzr]

Thanks guys!

maybe Ill pay a bit for that kind of software so that 'Vegas' is definitely a good option it looks like meet my needs

OK, buddy, welcome to the Vegas family. If you need help, come on back and start a new thread.

[Joe_be]

Thx again for your answers I'll try it soon

[jimpny22]

Not sure OP really knows what to expect-
"Editing" sounds like it might be a simple process . . . . Arrgh!

I'm interested in Lightworks, having had some grief with Vegas, - can (Evil's post #9) say if it will accept .m2ts files as input? . . . it seems to do almost everything (and the on-line Tutorials are quite smooth), but I don't see my HD file format mentioned - rather than ask them next week... + + what's yr experience?

Thanks.

[Evil_Burrito]

One of the great parts of lightworks is the well written documentation they provide. I flipped through it and on p.262 .m2ts is not listed, so I double checked the website http://www.lwks.com. It says that format is supported, but only in the paid pro version.

[budwzr]

Are you just cutting up scenes, moving commercials, etc., and rejoining? Vegas/Adobe/etc. are overkill and a waste of time for that kind of work. What's the purpose of your editing?

Maybe, but it's a great way to start off. There's no pressure because you're only trimming.

But as you're doing that, you notice one of the scenes is a little dark or bright, and now you're color correcting too!

Then you might want to put some other touches like sharpening, contrast, brightness.

Before you know it, you're an Alan Spielburg.