Best video editing software...

I also use imovie. I have quite a lot of experience with after effects and premiere pro however I enjoy the quick workflow of the simpler tools and just get the job done. I'm a busy dad so its important that things get done and dont hang around.

I might like to twist the topic of conversation to good shooting parameters I have got some really nice 4k at 25fps but see some jerkiness at times and think it culd be my machine just cant play it fast enough - a test for that is to compress the rendered file normally but I think it might be cool to ask you all what you shoot in. 4k gets hard to edit very quickly and store for that matter. I am going to try 2.7k for a bit an up the frame rate. I use a gopro hero4. If you want to see the quality of the 4k still taken from the video I have it here

http://style-review.com/images/easyblog ... -video.jpg
you might need to download it to inspect it google chrome makes it fit the window but the zoom control enlarges to original size.
 
I'm in the same boat, researching editing packages. Two big items stick out to me.

1) Can the software do lens correction? It seems some can do a good job of "flattening" the fisheye effect. Which packages support this?

2) Can you view/edit 4K without having to use proxies, and without having a supercomputer? I've got an i7 MacBookPro with 1TB SSD. But I've heard some programs really need to use proxies because it's too slow otherwise. Again, anyone know which packages are better for this?

Thanks for the help.
 
GoodnNuff said:
Great post SteveMann. I appreciate your wisdom (despite your feelings about AMA and your "just a bruise" posts :p )
The "Baby Duck Syndrome" is the perfect analogy.
I'm surprised that no one took me up on my offer to be the crash dummy.
 
Spudboy said:
I'm in the same boat, researching editing packages. Two big items stick out to me.

1) Can the software do lens correction? It seems some can do a good job of "flattening" the fisheye effect. Which packages support this?

2) Can you view/edit 4K without having to use proxies, and without having a supercomputer? I've got an i7 MacBookPro with 1TB SSD. But I've heard some programs really need to use proxies because it's too slow otherwise. Again, anyone know which packages are better for this?

Thanks for the help.
As I said before, Vegas is my choice.
1) There is a spherical correction available in Vegas, but there are other third-party programs that do a better job than any NLE. Look at Cineform from GoPro.
2) Sony Vegas is the only NLE I am aware of that will let you drop just about any type of media on the timeline without proxies, even mixed media. But no NLE will handle native 4K without a supercomputer. If I am in a rush, I can use the low-res proxy created by the GoPro, or let Vegas make a better one.
 
Thanks Steve. So how long does it take to create proxy files, roughly?


SteveMann said:
Spudboy said:
I'm in the same boat, researching editing packages. Two big items stick out to me.

1) Can the software do lens correction? It seems some can do a good job of "flattening" the fisheye effect. Which packages support this?

2) Can you view/edit 4K without having to use proxies, and without having a supercomputer? I've got an i7 MacBookPro with 1TB SSD. But I've heard some programs really need to use proxies because it's too slow otherwise. Again, anyone know which packages are better for this?

Thanks for the help.
As I said before, Vegas is my choice.
1) There is a spherical correction available in Vegas, but there are other third-party programs that do a better job than any NLE. Look at Cineform from GoPro.
2) Sony Vegas is the only NLE I am aware of that will let you drop just about any type of media on the timeline without proxies, even mixed media. But no NLE will handle native 4K without a supercomputer. If I am in a rush, I can use the low-res proxy created by the GoPro, or let Vegas make a better one.
 
SteveMann said:
Asking for opinions about Editing Software is like asking about religion.

The decision of which program to use depends on too many variables to be selected from other people's experiences. First question - is this a career decision?

You edit with your brain - the NLE is just a tool.

I am absolutely certain that you will find few unbiased responses to the question: "Which editor should I learn and use"? You are discovering the "Baby Duck Syndrome" which denotes the tendency for editors to "imprint" on the first system they learn, then judge other systems by their similarity to that first system. The result is that users generally prefer systems similar to those they learned on and dislike unfamiliar systems.

My advice is simple. Most of the modern NLE programs offer free trials:

Sony Vegas:
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials

Avid:
http://www.avid.com/US/specialoffers/product-trials

Premiere:
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=premiere_pro

Corel Video Studio:
http://www.corel.com/corel/product/index.jsp?pid=prod4760101&cid=catalog20038&segid=6700256

Majix Movie Edit:
http://www.magix.com/us/movie-edit-pro/premium/

Lightworks:
http://www.lightworksbeta.com/

Grass Valley EDIUS Neo 3
http://www.grassvalley.com/login?r=/support/downloads/demos

There's dozens of others. All have some strengths and all have some limitations. It costs nothing but time to try all of them with a test project and select the one that best fits your needs.

Finally: Use what works for you. Try them out. All the NLE programs are great... and they all suck! They are just tools and in today's world they all will get the job done. But as tools go, some are better than others for certain jobs. The right answer for me could be the wrong one for you.

Personally, I use Sony Vegas Pro. If you decide to use Sony Movie Studio, I can help you, but Vegas is one of the most intuitive programs I have found.

Hope this helps.

Great response and you're perfectly right
 
I don't think you will need to use so called proxy files but ram is an important factor not just processor power
Quickly think about external storage work flow and backups
What I do is use 2 external drives USB 3 ones These the latest ones one is for backing my whole laptop up (mac) using time machine
The other is for photos and video - and if I followed my own advice these also need copying across to each other as a backup again ! But I take the risk of not backing up my backups.
If these drives are not removed properly they can become Un mountable and I had to jump through hoops to get my data back and reformat the drive that didn't die just got unreadable - it's now fine again.
So I use iMovie and set the folders to the external drive.
This stops my laptop getting clogged up I only have 256gb ssd so it forces me to keep clean system.
I did try gopro studio and it's clear they copied how iMovie is working but of course it's not as good.
If there was anti fish eye then it might be better but I found it not as good.
Edit : I disovered goprostudio does have this effect see this link http://gopro.com/support/articles/how-can-i-remove-the-distortion-fisheye-effect-in-gopro-studio
I will try the non wide angle on gopro 4 to see how that goes.
I don't use so called proxy files - I think you may loose quality if your not careful.
I export only once using iMovie to an exports folder on the external drive.
If I was rich I would have some cloud storage to backup the video I most cared about but most important family photos I already use the free basic drop box

Please people stop quoting whole posts it is filling up the forum thread !
 
All parts of the computer are of equal importance when editing HD video. Whatever program you use, editing and rendering will be as slow as your slowest component. Ram is capital, as is your processor type and power, access to GPU acceleration of a top notch graphic card, and speed of your drive(s).
As a program to choose from, those listed by Steve are the ones to go for. Relatively inexpensive and more than able to fulfill the (even serious) enthusiasts needs.
Avid, FCP(with plugins), and Premiere are costly programs used by pros and can't be really recommended here, unless you can afford them! :)
 
Ok so getting off topic here but still good info on the proxy stuff..
The proxy file is a smaller easier to manage file that represents the footage and makes it much more intuitive to edit and faster - so that is all good. Quality is not lost since you replace the footage with the high quality footage just before render time. Adobe Premiere could do this from memory but there is no option of swapping it out in imovie.
imovie has its limits but suffice to say for the novice and intermediate (my category) it is a good piece of software allowing them to get things done.
 
I'm not saying what is best or what is worst. I'm saying this is what I was able to accomplish with Magix Movie Edit Pro 2016 the first day using it......
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Asking for opinions about Editing Software is like asking about religion.

The decision of which program to use depends on too many variables to be selected from other people's experiences. First question - is this a career decision?

You edit with your brain - the NLE is just a tool.

I am absolutely certain that you will find few unbiased responses to the question: "Which editor should I learn and use"? You are discovering the "Baby Duck Syndrome" which denotes the tendency for editors to "imprint" on the first system they learn, then judge other systems by their similarity to that first system. The result is that users generally prefer systems similar to those they learned on and dislike unfamiliar systems.

My advice is simple. Most of the modern NLE programs offer free trials:

Sony Vegas:
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials

Avid:
http://www.avid.com/US/specialoffers/product-trials

Premiere:
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=premiere_pro

Corel Video Studio:
Video Editing Software by Corel - VideoStudio Pro X9.5

Majix Movie Edit:
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 2016 Premium – Overview

Lightworks:
Lightworks: The professional editor for everyone

Grass Valley EDIUS Neo 3
http://www.grassvalley.com/login?r=/support/downloads/demos

There's dozens of others. All have some strengths and all have some limitations. It costs nothing but time to try all of them with a test project and select the one that best fits your needs.

Finally: Use what works for you. Try them out. All the NLE programs are great... and they all suck! They are just tools and in today's world they all will get the job done. But as tools go, some are better than others for certain jobs. The right answer for me could be the wrong one for you.

Personally, I use Sony Vegas Pro. If you decide to use Sony Movie Studio, I can help you, but Vegas is one of the most intuitive programs I have found.

Hope this helps.

Now how about that answer ;)
 
I'm not saying what is best or what is worst. I'm saying this is what I was able to accomplish with Magix Movie Edit Pro 2016 the first day using it......
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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Am I missing something here, the drone video looks like a dlog setting with no post production applied? It should look as least as good as the other camera view.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
 
@SteveMann great post

I think it's important to have a tool than can handle multiple audio and video tracks.

As mention I use Davinci Resolve 12.5 it includes world class color grading as well. Best part is it's free.

Resolve can be scary at first look, but really not very complicated once you get to know it. But has endless possibilities you will appreciate.

I'm starting a small series of quick tips for Davinci to help new users.

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Let me know if there is some other topics I should cover in future tips.

Thanks
 
Asking for opinions about Editing Software is like asking about religion.

The decision of which program to use depends on too many variables to be selected from other people's experiences. First question - is this a career decision?

You edit with your brain - the NLE is just a tool.

I am absolutely certain that you will find few unbiased responses to the question: "Which editor should I learn and use"? You are discovering the "Baby Duck Syndrome" which denotes the tendency for editors to "imprint" on the first system they learn, then judge other systems by their similarity to that first system. The result is that users generally prefer systems similar to those they learned on and dislike unfamiliar systems.

My advice is simple. Most of the modern NLE programs offer free trials:

Sony Vegas:
Sony Creative Software - Download: Trials and Demos

Avid:
Special Offers | Avid

Premiere:
Adobe: Creative, marketing and document management solutions

Corel Video Studio:
Check Out the Latest Version of VideoStudio Pro

Majix Movie Edit:
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro Premium – Overview

Lightworks:
Lightworks: The professional editor for everyone

Grass Valley EDIUS Neo 3
http://www.grassvalley.com/login?r=/support/downloads/demos

There's dozens of others. All have some strengths and all have some limitations. It costs nothing but time to try all of them with a test project and select the one that best fits your needs.

Finally: Use what works for you. Try them out. All the NLE programs are great... and they all suck! They are just tools and in today's world they all will get the job done. But as tools go, some are better than others for certain jobs. The right answer for me could be the wrong one for you.

Personally, I use Sony Vegas Pro. If you decide to use Sony Movie Studio, I can help you, but Vegas is one of the most intuitive programs I have found.

Hope this helps.
 

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