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[jough]

Hey kids,

I'm trying to find a decent lightweight video editing programme for Windows.  Basically I just want to take video of various formats, edit them (which means joining and cutting, basically) so maybe I can strip out the commercials or combine a few clips together, etc., and then output the final version to some format, either DVD or Divx or something.

Anyone do this with their home movies or DVR recordings? 

Everyone keeps suggesting iMovie on various other fora, but I'm on Windows here.

I've tried Avid's free thing (doesn't work at all on my system), WinDVD Creator (makes the audio out of sync for every video I throw at it) and Ulead Movie Editor, which is a chore to use to edit things.

The Windows Movie Maker 2.1 is such a joke I almost don't consider it a video editor.

Mostly I'll just want to open something, trim out the commercials, and re-save it.

I'm basically looking for "Sound Recorder" but for video.  Free is good but I'm willing to buy something if it works well.

Ideas?

[CortJstr]

Not Pinnacle Studio 9 or 10. LAME

[jough]

Yeah, I keep seeing crappy ones that people are warning me away from, but nothing where people go "Oh, I use _____ and it's awesome!"

[AugustWest]

Razor blade 'n' Scotch Tape?

[FlipConstantine]

Jahshaka is free software (as free as any Java app can be).  I haven't used it, but I've heard good things.  It may not fit the "lightweight" criteria, however. 

[side_show]

I have done a huge amount of editing in my life, but never in Windows, always on Mac.  I know that you've already stated quite clearly that you're all about Windows, but iMovie is indeed sort of the standard way to go - my last film was edited in this way. 

Final Cut Pro, again for Mac, is the absolute best editing program out there, used by tha' pro's, and great at creating a professional looking final product.  It's a very complex program, but a lot of fun to use once you learn it.  It's got all sorts of nice ways to edit and cut - slo-mo, slice cuts, text that doesn't look like a high school English project...  It's got three layers of sound editing, which is fantastic for layering in ambient sound and music.  What I remember most is the fantastic audio options - you can dampen sounds, add echo, distort.... all sorts of fun stuff. 

I've got the mad skills when it comes to the theory/aesthetic side of editing, so I can tell you how to make it look good.  I actually gave up working in film because my obsessive focus in the editing suite was too all consuming, and I don't want to be an editor.  Let me boil down the two year film making course I took into the most important "rules":  always cut from still to still or movement to movement, always only rotate 180 degrees or less from shot to shot, and use a reason when you do cut (person on camera's eye movement, off-frame action, audio, etc.) - never cut just for cutting's sake. 

I can completely understand that you don't want to buy another system, but if you're actually looking to edit quite a bit, you could look into your local film group - for me locally, the film group charges a fairly reasonable hourly fee for using their editing suit, and they'll have suggestions for any Windows programs out there, though they will tell you what everyone is telling you; Mac is better. 

I have a friend who edits at home on her PC.  I can check with her and tell you which program she uses - she also prefers to use our editing suit at the office, which is a souped up version of iMovie, but since she has a new baby, working from home is a necessity to her, hence whichever program she's using on Windows.  Strangely enough, she also used to live in your city, so I'll ask her how/where she edited locally.  I'll be back at work in early Sept., and I'll tell you then.

[Hobot]

I've done some video-editing in my day, and I agree with everyone else: if you want it to look classy, you need to use a Mac.  Even most PC users will admit that Macs have the best software for that sort of thing.  So if there is any way you can get access to a Mac (you live in Philly, therefore you are surrounded on all sides by rather excellent, well-funded colleges and universities; if they allow anyone to use their computer lab facilities, that's your best bet), I recommend doing so.

If you have your heart set on using a PC, I am sorry for this useless post.

[jough]

Yeah, I have no use for a Mac.  I already have a display I like and all of the macs (save the mini, which isn't really powerful enough for video editing) have built-in screens, which makes them less-portable laptops.  Worst of both worlds?

Anyway, most pros use Avid editing software - I've never seen a Hollywood feature film that used Final Cut Pro.  That one is definitely "pro-sumer" and I'm sure some short films have been edited using it.  I'm sure it would serve my needs just fine.  Too bad it only runs on a Mac.

There's really nothing special about the Mac hardware that makes it more suitable for video editing.  I have a better video card than you can get in ANY Mac on the market today (although I could use this same card in the new Mac Pro, I guess, if I wanted to spend upwards of $4500 on a server).

I'll keep looking.  I'm not crazy about Adobe Premier, and it's a bit pricey, but if I have to I'll use it.  It's clunky, though (on windows or the mac) and way more complicated than I need.

Microsoft has this free "photo story" thing which is AWESOME for panning over stills and adding narration, but it's not a general video editor, and I will still need something to marry the photo story movies and other footage.  There is nothing for the mac that comes close to Photo Story and I know people using Parallels just so they can use Photo Story.

The search goes on...

[Ben-San]

I already have a display I like and all of the macs (save the mini, which isn't really powerful enough for video editing) have built-in screens, which makes them less-portable laptops.  Worst of both worlds?

This is not true.

This isn't Mac proselytization, just pointing out that they do, in fact, make tower-style Macintoshes.

[slink]

You do know you can pick up Premiere for cheaper than really expensive. If you have... ways.
I just got a new version of it the other to check that the rip of a movie my friend did would import for her to reedit it, and aside from the fact I still don't really know how to use it, it worked a treat.
I can certainly stand by Avid though. I used Pro Tools to work on the soundtrack for a film, which will import the movie and lay it in to a timeline perfectly, as they're now owned by Avid, and it was a dream. I can only imagine how nice Avid's video editing setups would be to use.

[jough]

Ben: they phased-out the PowerMac G5s and are replacing them with Mac Pros now.  They still have some in stock but they're already dead, reaching their EOL this past Monday after the WWDC keynote.  I mentioned the Mac Pro in an earlier post - it doesn't sound like a 747 like the G5 did, so it may be useable in an office situation, but it's meant for business users only, pretty much, and is way more expensive than this PC system that I build from parts.

I was hoping for something not as ridiculously expensive as a G5/Mac Pro server but more powerful than a Mini.  Maybe in a mini-tower or HTPC format, with some room for expansion but a smallish form factor so it fits on my desk.

Really, though, I won't be satisfied to use OS X until I can install it on a box that I built out of the best parts of my choosing.  If I can't do something simple like upgrade the video card (something I'll probably do far more often then buying a new PC) then I don't really have any use for it.

Avid's consumer products aren't as good as their pro stuff - it wouldn't even run on my system because they only support nVidia video cards.  Oh well.

I could probably get a cheaper educational discount version of Premier if I wanted, but I've used it and never liked it.  However, I guess I'll use it if it's the only game in town.

I heard that Sony has something called Vegas too, but I can't find it anywhere.  Maybe it only comes with their Vaio systems?

[slink]

I heard that Sony has something called Vegas too, but I can't find it anywhere.  Maybe it only comes with their Vaio systems?

Oh yea, I came across that a while back. I think it's something they bought of someone else, as Sound Forge is now Sony Sound Forge.
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/vegasfamily.asp
Half the price of Premiere it seems, and doesn't appear too shabby.

[Ben-San]

Ben: they phased-out the PowerMac G5s and are replacing them with Mac Pros now.  They still have some in stock but they're already dead, reaching their EOL this past Monday after the WWDC keynote.

Oh, okay. That sucks. I am using a G4 tower and before that had I think a G3 tower of the same external design. I really liked that design; it bestrode a line between whimsy and not looking like a total douche.

[jough]

The new Mac Pro looks like the G5 on the outside - same case dimensions and general look.  I like the handles on the top.  It actually looks to be a decent machine, albeit overpriced in the traditional Apple fashion.

[wombat]

I really liked that design; it bestrode a line between whimsy and not looking like a total douche.

This is one of those annoying threads that I have to keep checking in case the topic wanders off into something interesting.  But this sentence made it worth it.