There is always something new out there that you can learn.
It was not until a week ago that one of my clients asked me to help edit his videos for advertisement purposes.
Well, it was a big task for me since I never did it before and I did not want to mess his videos up. I tried recommending him to a professional but he insisted. I had to find out how to do it and also look for the best application possible.
So, after some hours searching on the net for some ideas, I came across the article below; which I believe may help some of you get started, just as it did for me.
How to Choose Video Editing Software, by: Phebe Durand
Making the decision to invest in video editing software is a commitment. If you’re planning to edit video on your computer, you’re committing to storing and using very large files that will test RAM and push the limits of hard-drive space. You’ll also need to consider the type of video that you’re producing, as video for the Web, for home DVDs and for professional use all have very different requirements.
Check Your System
Before you start shopping for video editing software, take an inventory of your computer’s power. You’ll need to know the type of processor you have, the amount of RAM memory and the amount of hard drive space. Be warned that uncompressed video is very large and will tax all but the most robust PCs. It’s worth investing in an external hard drive to store works in progress, but you’ll want to connect it with FireWire to avoid load times that are too lengthy to be practical.
Consumer vs. Professional Video Editing Software
When evaluating the video software available, the first thing you’ll notice is the price range. You’ll find programs for under $100 that offer basic functions and fully featured professional applications that cost more than $1000. It would be easy to let price determine your choices, but you’re much more likely to be disappointed with your purchase if you go this route.
On the consumer end, video software is all about ease of use. The most popular programs in this category are focused on making it easy for you to compile home videos and short clips to share online. Most support video from AVCHD, HDV and DV camcorders, digital cameras, tape-based and tapeless camcorders including flash memory, hard drives and DVD cams. This wide variety makes it easy for most home users to take the devices they already have and plug them right into the video software. Easy.
In addition to the most basic functions—putting clips together and sending them to friends or burning them to disc—many video software programs also allow drag-and-drop movie building. This can be tons of fun; take a few clips saved from your camcorder, drop them into the software and rearrange them any way you like. From there, you’ll be able to add simple transitions (fade-ins, for example) and even place titles into the movie you’re building.
To get the most out of consumer video software, be sure to look for a program that includes DVD authoring. Without this key feature, you’ll be stuck with sharing your videos online.
Professional video software takes the basic (but very cool) features of consumer programs to another level. This is the video software that is used to create many of the movies that we watch in theaters today. It includes the same basic video and audio editing capabilities and expands those functions by making it possible for you to edit and manipulate frame by frame. Most professional video software lets you publish streaming video right to a dedicated server. And you’re never going to be stuck with a digital file. DVD authoring options that rival anything you’ve ever seen on a store-bought DVD are built right into professional video software.
What it boils down to is the end purpose of your video creations: hobbyists and home users will find the best value in commercial video software, while extreme hobbyists and professionals will want to opt for the feature-intensive professional versions.
Top Commercial Pick: Adobe Systems’ Premiere Elements
Adobe’s Premiere Elements takes the most popular features of their professional video software and bundles it in a user-friendly format. This program offers a clean interface that makes the learning curve very, very low. It will allow you to apply visual tagging to categorize people, places or events and even apply movie themes to make your creations look more polished and professional.
There are also some features inside Premiere Elements that can’t be found in competing commercial programs, like their Audio Mixer that works just like a mixing board in a recording studio and can automatically detect the tempo of a musical soundtrack, allowing you to sync scenes with the beats for slideshows and movies. Sharing your videos is easy, too, with the ability to upload to the Web, mobile devices and the Apple iPhone or burn in high definition, including Blu-ray Disc format, though you’ll need a Blu-ray burner to create the discs.
You will need to take a careful look at your hardware before buying. An Intel Pentium 4 or Celeron 1.7 GHz processor is a minimum, but if you want to burn your videos in high def, you’ll need the Pentium 4 3GHz processor. Also make sure that your Windows is updated to SP2 or that you’ve installed Vista, and that you have at least 1 GB of RAM if you’re running XP (2 GB if you run Vista). Hard drive space? You’ll need nearly 5 gigs for the program, and another few for your creations.
Top Professional Pick: Sony’s Vegas Pro
When Sony says that this software offers professional video, audio and DVD creation, they’re not kidding. Top-notch utilities including DVD Architect and Dolby Digital encoding software make this program a winner for serious production enthusiasts. You can edit and process DV, AVCHD, HDV, SD/HD-SDI and all XDCAM formats in real time, fine tune your audio with infinite precision and output everything as a studio-quality, dual-layer DVD with surround sound.
The workspace in Vegas Pro is much more complicated than anything you’ll see in commercial video software, but it’s better than most professional versions because it’s fully customizable. You can dock your windows across multiple monitors, making the entire process run more smoothly.
A workhorse like this really deserves its own computer to run on. You’ll need XP with SP2 or Vista installed, a minimum 2.8 GHz processor and at least 800 MB of disk space for the program and optional reference library. While Sony only recommends 1 GB of RAM, things work much better when you have at least 2 GB installed.
To get the best deal on professional video software, consider starting with an entry-level version that can be upgraded. These are available through any of the big manufacturers that offer a full line of video programs.
Original article posted by: Phebe Durand at Life123.com
Besides what was mentioned in the above article, there are also other powerful Video Editing Softwares on the net and one of them is called PowerDirector.
PowerDirector, provides direct HD video uploading to Facebook and YouTube, enabling easy sharing on today’s most popular social networks and video blogging sites.
This Video was created with PowerDirector
PowerDirector combines a good balance of simplicity and versatility. The software takes advantage of technology and has so many professional-grade tools, but it’s easy enough that you can actually use it. Enjoy your finished movie in HD at home by producing Blu-ray Discs or AVCHD discs in high-definition resolution. If it’s mobility you are after, you can produce files for playback on your iPhone, iPod, or PSP. PowerDirector allows you to output AVCHD projects to an SD Card too.