Software Suggestions

Hello everyone!

I'm pretty new to the Mac world, but loving it. However, because I'm so new, I don't know many of the software programs that are out there and/or what they do. So I'm hoping someone might help me out.

I'm a pastor, and I would like to start creating some short Sermon Illustration videos.

These video's might have some filmed parts from a video camera, as well as I would like to have some motion text (like text scrolling down or across or in some other cool fashion) and motion backgrounds. Hopefully some of you will know what I'm talking about.

You could go to some sites like Sermonspice - Home - Buy Church Videos or WorshipHouse Media to get some ideas of what I'm talking about.


Anyway, can you all make some suggestions on what type of software I could use to create some stuff like that?

Thank you all in advance!

Steve

I'd suggest using Keynote, the powerful slideshow program you can buy directly from the Mac App Store for $20.

You can drop video files right onto a "slide" and they'll play (might want to install Flip4Mac WMV Player and Perian -- both free -- to ensure maximum compatibility). Motion text is built into the programs, and motion backgrounds are widely available at modest prices from third-party vendors like Jumsoft.

Chas, thank you very kindly for your recommendation. And I must say that you are one heck of a knowledgable guy!!

By the way, I started messing around with iMovie last night and I'm blown away by all you can do with this out of the box.

Seems like every day that goes by, I'm becoming more and more convinced that I'll never go back to pc's.


As a side note, do you happen to know if there are other effects or text transitions that you can get for iMovie? It just seems that there aren't that many in there so after a while they could get a bit worn out. Are there any add on's or third party products for iMovie that would open up that possibility?

Thanks again.

Just to add to chas_m's good advice.... you may wish to wait a bit before purchasing Keynote. A new version of iWork is overdue and since Lion is just around the corner to be released to the general public, there is a sense that Apple will release a new version shortly thereafter.

Would you gents mind shedding some light on something for me? When the new OS comes out, does that mean that any app that I've bought on Snow Leopard (iLife related: Pages, Numbers, etc) will have to be bought again? Because I just got my iMac a month or so ago and did buy Pages and Numbers. Did I mess up?

And will they upgrade iMove and Garageband too or do I have to buy a new version of those?

Thanks you guys.

System software upgrades don't always require that the iWorks apps (Numbers, Pages, and Keynote) or iLife will need to be updated. In this case the Numbers and Pages have not been updated in a while. You might give this site a try for information on which applications should work with Lion. Mac OS X Lion Application Compatibility - RoaringApps

I have looked at some of the iLife apps and it seems they work with "minor" issues.