Software for video Editing

[phoenixgnome]

What would be the best software to use for video editing on a macBook or a powerBook? Any information is welcome. Thanks!!!

 

[Kash]

The bundled iMovie is a good place to start.

 

[phoenixgnome]

What is your favorite multimedia editing software and why?

Please list your favorite multimedia editing software and why. I'm curious to see which is the top.

 

[phoenixgnome]

What is your favorite multimedia editing software and why?

Please list your favorite multimedia editing software and why. I'm curious to see which is the top.

 

[phoenixgnome]

Software for video Editing on mac laptops

What would be the best software to use for video editing on a macBook or a powerBook? Any information is welcome. Thanks!!!

 

[fiveightandten]

Macbook and Powerbook are 2 different situations, as one is an Intel machine, and one is PPC.

What type of editing do you intend to do? Anything advanced...anything from an HD camcorder that records in AVCHD?

What kind of experience do you have? You'll find that the "best" application will vary from person to person. Final Cut Studio will provide professional levels of versatility and it's VERY in depth. It also has the steepest learning curve by far.

Basically, there are 3 main levels of commonly utilized editing software for Macs (excluding 3rd party software):

-Basic/beginner: iMovie
-Amateur/Semi-pro: Final Cut Express
-Professional: Final Cut Studio

With each application, there are newer and older versions that either add or removed features. For instance, there's a big difference between iMovie 6 and iMovie 7 (aka iMovie '08). The former is more versatile, the latter is more user friendly but has a good deal less features. Also '08 deals with AVCHD, and 6 does not.

Final Cut Express 4.0 (new version) has support for AVCHD, but lacks the audio tailoring that the previous version (FCE 3.5) had.

Let us know what you'll be doing, what kind of hardware you'll be using, what types of files you'll be working with ect., and what your experience is.

Hope that helps.

-Nick

 

[firsteggprez]

Well I personally don't find the point of this topic. For the mac its clearly Final Cut Pro. Well i guess you could argue and say Avid but meh.

The new adobe premier on the PC is quite a nice app as well but I cant bare to use a PC anymore other then gaming.

 

[D3v1L80Y]

NOTE: Merged crossposts

 

[tomthesuperdude]

Is apple software able to be installed on different machines or possibly the same machine if it happened to crash? I know some new software can only be installed once and that's it. If you had 2 or 3 macs under 1 roof would you need to buy 3 copies?

 

[xstep]

Installing software on multiple machines from one disc depends on your software license and how smart the software is. Final Cut will not run on another machine if the same license key if found to be already running on the same machine within the local network.

As far as the OP is concerned, you need to find the specs for each application you are considering. Even if you can install the FCP suite, things like Color and Motion require more horse power than a Macbook. You'd need at least a Macbook Pro. Go do some homework online.

 

[zevimetal]

picking up on this subject, I had been using iMovie HD (previous version to the 08) and thought the new skimming through video and other new features would be nice. Just installed iMovie 08 (bought the iLife package) and although to my mind I have tried virtually anything with iMovie opened and with a project imported from the previous iMovie, I can't seem to find any Video FX tool like slow motion for example. Is it possible that this newer version doesn't have this kind of (ultra) basic tool?!!!! I mean, every 65 year old mom and dad like to watch this kind of effects. Does one need to get Final Cut just for this??!!!!!

 

[xstep]

No, that so called basic tool isn't in iM08. You do have transitions though. Note that you can still have iMHD installed and use that for such sequences, but most people seem to expect the eventually iMHD will no longer be supported. When that happens, hopefully the newer version of iMovie will have some of that lost functionality restored, along with plug in support.

FX is something you should use sparingly. Sure it is cool, but when abused it just turns people off.

 

[zevimetal]

well, but if everytime I want to use slowmo I have to use iMHD, then the project formats are not compatible, etc. For that I would not have bought iM08. I rarely used any FX, other than slowmo or fast motion on the other extreme since most stuff I was doing has some action flight of birds that need to be slowed down a bit for perceiving details. It was not about the "coolness" of the thing... well, just the worst software "upgrade" I ever did. Like this it will be just like iPhoto, iWeb and all the other iLife stuff I never use. Just money into the the garbage...

 

[xstep]

So in most cases you can use iM08. In those cases where you need the effects, export the video into some high end codec and finish the few scenes in iMHD. iM08 can help speed up you editing so it wasn't a complete waste. Time you can spend on other interests.

 

[izmc79]

I just can't understand the point of removing functionality!

If some people - and I do find it kind of hard to imagine - were finding iMovie too complicated, then why not just tab away the "difficult" stuff into an advanced options section? Why take away the timeline?

Final Cut Express is not a replacement because it takes ages to import your clips and is therefore much more fiddly. But maybe I'll have to get used to FCE now...

 

[xstep]

Final Cut Express is not a replacement because it takes ages to import your clips and is therefore much more fiddly. But maybe I'll have to get used to FCE now...

What do you mean it takes ages? Are you using the current 4.x version or something older? Is it capable of importing and automatically spliting the clips like iMovie does?