Recommended video editing software

[shmendrapolk]

I've been using Pinnacle Studio, mainly because it is easy to use and is fairly powerful - the interface is similar to Windows Movie Maker but it is of course much better.
However, I find it very slow and it crashes my computer often (XP Pro, Pentium D, 2 gigs of Ram). I tried Sony Vegas and found it too difficult to use.
So I want to switch to Adobe. Would you all recommend premiere pro or Elements? Ease of use is important.

I also need camcorder advice, but I don't know if this forum is the appropriate place for that. Briefly: I mainly film my 10 month old twins and make short 3-4 minute videos, adding special effects, transitions, picture in picture, etc. I bought a Sony mini-DV camcorder (DCR-H28) last spring, but I'm unhappy with it because it. The main problem is that I find it a pain to transfer the video to my computer before I fill up a 60 minute tape, since the data is stored sequentially as one file. And when filming babies, you tend to only do a couple of minutes at a time. So there is a lag of a month or so in transferring my videos.

The end result is that I've been using the video mode on my Canon Elph much more often, since it's just so easy to shoot, transfer & clear the card.

So I'm wondering if anyone has a hard drive or DVD camcorder they would recommend in the $500 range. I'm no professional & I want to get something with video quality similar to the DCR-H28

Thanks!

[Dark Shikari]

I haven't used elements, but Premiere as a whole is a very good tool if you're into the timeline/keyframe mindset.

Its main problems are:

1) Stability: mediocre, probably better than many others but it does crash sometimes.

2) Import ability, or lack thereof.

[shmendrapolk]

I haven't used elements, but Premiere as a whole is a very good tool if you're into the timeline/keyframe mindset.

Its main problems are:

1) Stability: mediocre, probably better than many others but it does crash sometimes.

2) Import ability, or lack thereof.

I've been playing around with keyframes in Pinnacle. It just takes so long to process.

Will I be able to import the AVI files produced by my Canon-Elph camera?

[JohnnyMalaria]

If you found Vegas too difficult, you will positively detest Premiere Pro.

I've been using Premiere since version 1.0 (about 15 years ago!). It has always been buggy and apt to crash. Premiere 4.0 was okay. Premiere Pro has a dreadful interface and the on-line documentation sucks. I'm a very proficient computer user and Premiere Pro is the second worst application I have used (the top honor goes to Lotus Notes). And Premiere Pro is *expensive*.

I had finally had enough and bought Vegas Pro 8.0 a couple of weeks ago for about a third of the price (there's a way to get it for about half-price legitimately). Vegas is a breath of fresh air with an intuitive interface.

Anyway, if you want to try Premiere Pro, you can download a trial from Adobe.

Just my 2c.

Through the years I have also used Ulead Media Studio - also buggy. My favorite NLE was EditDV which sadly became an orphan application being passed from pillar to post. It was a joy to use - fast, easy and powerful. That's probably why it got killed off - too much of a threat to the big boys.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Will I be able to import the AVI files produced by my Canon-Elph camera?

The AVI files are MJPEG but with a custom format tag in the header. This makes them unuseable. There is a simple modification to the computer's registry to make them useable. (Microsoft provide an MJPEG codec with DirectShow 9.0 which is built in to XP and Vista).

[shmendrapolk]

The AVI files are MJPEG but with a custom format tag in the header. This makes them unuseable. There is a simple modification to the computer's registry to make them useable. (Microsoft provide an MJPEG codec with DirectShow 9.0 which is built in to XP and Vista).

I've had no trouble importing these files into Microsoft Movie Maker and Pinnacle Studio, so I am surprised.

[JohnnyMalaria]

I've had no trouble importing these files into Microsoft Movie Maker and Pinnacle Studio, so I am surprised.

They should work with other editors then.

(Canon must have changed things.)

[2Bdecided]

The main problem is that I find it a pain to transfer the video to my computer before I fill up a 60 minute tape, since the data is stored sequentially as one file.?!

You can copy the data from miniDV to PC at any time, in as small or large a chunk as you want. If you split by time stamp (e.g. use WinDV) you end up with one file per scene. The only issue (on my aged camcorder) is starting recording again - there's no automatic way of starting again from the end of the last recording, and it's a nuisance to leave a gap in the miniDV tape. I just record a few seconds of nothing before re-winding to replay, and hit stop during that few seconds of nothing when I've finished copying to PC.


However, if you want a change, there are plenty of HDD based camcorders around, and a few flash-memory based ones. IIRC the H28 is hardly high end (Sony seem to have stopped putting so much effort into miniDV consumer camcorders) so it shouldn't be a problem to match the picture quality. Check out the reviews here...

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/

The end result is that I've been using the video mode on my Canon Elph much more often, since it's just so easy to shoot, transfer & clear the card. - and you always have that with you, whereas you have to remember to take your camcorder? That won't change whatever camcorder you buy!

You'll also have more of a pressing back-up problem if you move away from tape-based media, though you'll already be familiar with that having a digital camera, but on a smaller scale.

Cheers,
David.

[shmendrapolk]

Thanks for the tips.
My problem with mini-DV tape is more-or-less what you've mentioned.
camcorderinfo is a great site and I've read their reviews. The problem is they don't do direct comparison between cameras that use different media. So they will compare the Sony HDD camcorders to Panasonic, Canon, etc, but not to the mini-DV cameras.
I just want to know if Sont's $400-$500 HDD camcorders will shoot roughly the same quality as the DCR-HC28 (which I paid $265 for last year).

[KenJ]

The newer HDD and DVD cancorders look very good played back directly to a standard definition TV display but the secret that few want to say in reviews is that they are horrible for editing. You already have a fine camcorder that, except for perhaps the lens, provides professional quality video. I strongly suggest living with the 1-to-1 transfer times required.

For editing I suggest Adobe Premiere Elements. The latest version 4 has just been released. Look for it in stores in a week or two. Very stable with DV camcorders since that is the native editing format. For M-JPEG I suggest getting a commercial codec such as the Lead unit for just $9.95. That will provide proper M-JPEG support for Elements. Here is where to get it:

http://www.leadcodecs.com/codecs/LEAD-MCMP-MJPEG.htm