Home video editor

[Mycroft]

Hi all,

I've used iMovie on a Mac I have at work. Easy to use, quick enough, etc. I'd like to purchase a video editor that I can use on my Dell Studio 15 laptop at home. My dell has an integrated video card, which may not be ideal. I'm trying to avoid buying a new computer for now, but if folks here think it's simply not workable, I can consider it.

I'm looking at several software options, all of which on the surface seem fine:

Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11
Pinnacle Sutdio 15
Adobe Premiere Elements 9

I'll just be using it to take the videos I record from vacation and family events (shot on an HD video camera), so nothing too serious. I don't need stuff like adobe premiere full version, after effects, etc. Still, I'm looking for something better than Windows movie maker.

Any thoughts or recommendation?

Thanks in advance.

 

[blinblue]

Sony Vegas Studio and Adobe Premiere Elements are the only ones that I've had direct experience with. For me Sony Vegas had a bit of a learning curve to it. So if you are just doing pretty casual editing then it might not be the best fit.
Adobe Premiere Elements has a simpler and more intuitive interface, and is more or less equally featured.

That said, once I got used to Sony Vegas I like it a lot. Can't comment on Pinnacle as I haven't sued it

You can download demos of each of those
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/moviestudiope
http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSi...+Ultimate+version+14+Trial?code=studio14trial
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=premiere_elements&loc=en_us

 

[gevorg]

Recently I did a HD video editing project with Pinnacle Studio 15 and Sony Vegas Studio 10. The Sony is much better than Pinnacle in terms of output video quality. Even though Pinnacle Studio is easier to use, its still not worth it. Premier Elements looks interesting, see if you can get a trial, it might be even better than Sony.

 

[Griffinhart]

http://get.live.com

Try Windows Live Movie Maker. It's free, Easy to use and does all the basic stuff and more.

If you need more than this, then try the other stuff.

 

[FishAk]

I bought Adobe Premiere Elements 7, and it is very powerful. I need many of the advanced features, and it delivers.

However, it is the least intuitive program I have ever come across. I absolutely HATE using it. It's very complicated and takes a very long time to figure out how to get the desired result. In the end it does a very good job with great granularity and control, but wow! I almost don't have any hair left after using it.

 

[Dulanic]

http://get.live.com

Try Windows Live Movie Maker. It's free, Easy to use and does all the basic stuff and more.

If you need more than this, then try the other stuff.

I was about to post this also. The live movie maker is pretty decent for free.

 

[Rottie]

I find Premiere Element is very easy to use and very simple than Premiere Pro. So for basic editing I would go with Premiere Element.