Author Topic: help me buy a video editor/converter... (Read 7149 times)

wellington1869 · « **on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 00:26:18 »

ok, i'm done searching for, and playing with, the mish-mash of "free" video converters and editors out there, such a pain in the ass. I just want one product that works well. I *dont* have heavy duty editing needs when it comes to video. Can you help me?

These are my needs, very very simple, but i cant seem to fulfill them:

1. Able to handle sort-of-large video files (like a gb? even 100mb video file? Windows movie maker *barfs* and *chokes* even on those. I want a program that will handle them.

2. Able to handle a pretty decent variety of video formats, esp both apple and pc common formats (quicktime/mov, ipod formats, but also mp4, ogg, wmv, avi).

3. Under $100 please! preferably $50.

Does such a product exist? What should I buy? Sony vegas? Adobe premiere? Ulead? (how do you sort between the DOZEN versions (marketers are **numbskulls**) of each one? Can you just tell me what to buy and I'll buy it? Jesus I hate doing video on computers. I'd rather stick knitting needles into my eyeballs and twist them around. I'm serious, I would. I really really would.

zefrer · « **Reply #1 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 06:15:47 »

Linux and PyTube or AviDemux. Donate whatever you want.

AviDemux:

PyTube:

wellington1869 · « **Reply #2 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 08:07:57 »

hmmm... i'm running win7...

dont want to have to switch to a linux installation just for dealing with videos...

zefrer · « **Reply #3 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 08:26:51 »

VM? LiveCD?

The only windows program I know that is decent is the adobe stuff. Not cheap.

keyboardlover · « **Reply #4 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 08:33:31 »

Use the Windows 7 version of Windows Movie Maker. It's free and kicks ass.

zefrer · « **Reply #5 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 08:39:44 »

Well, no, it certainly does not kick any ass

Quote

1. Able to handle sort-of-large video files (like a gb? even 100mb video file? Windows movie maker *barfs* and *chokes* even on those. I want a program that will handle them.

Quote

hmmm... i'm running win7

keyboardlover · « **Reply #6 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 08:50:41 »

It might be his computer hardware...I haven't had a problem with it. I had problems with the Windows XP version doing that though.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #7 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 13:08:48 »

okay, sony vegas it is. Now for the bewildering array of versions of sony vegas that are being sold...

"sony vegas hd movie studio 10" seems to be generally available around $80.

and the "sony vegas hd movie studio 10 suite" for $90

there is also the much cheaper "sony movie studio hd" for $25

I dont believe I need HD or dvd burning (vast majority of my video will wind up on youtube, not on bluray dvds.) On the other hand I do need the basic video formats (and conversions between them) as listed above, and for it to handle video files several 100 mb big...

according to the quite unhelpful "product comparison" matrix at sony's site, perhaps all I need is the non-platinum, "consumer" $25 version...

hmmm, looks like even in the $25 version you can do the basic things i'm interested in (titles, brightness, etc)

keyboardlover · « **Reply #8 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 13:17:52 »

Quote from: wellington1869

vast majority of my video will wind up on youtube, not on bluray dvds.

Links or it didn't happen!

wellington1869 · « **Reply #9 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 13:33:27 »

Quote from: keyboardlover;240247

Links or it didn't happen!

what, you havent watched my credit card antics and my wrestling with alps keys yet?

Ok, i've downloaded the free trial of version 9 of sony vegas from the sony site. I'll play with it tonite and decide. I can handle $25

I hope it can handle my files...

ch_123 · « **Reply #10 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 15:12:58 »

Avidemux has a Windows port. It's meant to be good, but I have no idea how suitable it will be for you as I have nary a clue about video editing.

Viett · « **Reply #11 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 16:24:19 »

I don't know about commercial video editors, since I've never brought myself to purchase software, but free alternatives are very good.

Avidemux is probably the best free, easy to use video editor out there. Note that they compile for Windows. The latest version simply has not been compiled yet. You can get 2.5.3 by going to their files page.

It also handles more formats than Vegas without codecs, since it uses code from the ffmpeg libraries. You can also encode using x264, which is currently world's leading high-definition video codec. In short, it easily meets your first two criteria.

Give Avidemux a shot at least, since it's absolutely free. If you don't like it, $25 is not bad for Vegas.

There's also VirtualDub, which is an amazing program, but I would say that it's very difficult to use.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #12 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 16:28:31 »

Quote from: ch_123;240270

Avidemux has a Windows port. It's meant to be good, but I have no idea how suitable it will be for you as I have nary a clue about video editing.

i could have sworn i used avidemux before (and liked it), but when I went to find it again, their website says windows version 'not out yet'.
http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html

wellington1869 · « **Reply #13 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 16:30:40 »

Quote from: Viett;240286

Avidemux is probably the best free, easy to use video editor out there. Note that they compile for Windows. The latest version simply has not been compiled yet. You can get 2.5.3 by going to their files page.

i'm only seeing a DMG there. Where is this alleged windows version?!

ah, possibly here:
http://avidemux.razorbyte.com.au/

I'm pretty sure i've used it before and yea if its the one i'm thinking of, it handled a full dvd rip "with aplomb" as they say.

That said, I also remember having to wrestle with codecs with it...

I'm inclined to plop down $25. Maybe i'm just getting old.

Viett · « **Reply #14 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 16:42:39 »

Here's a direct link

There's never been any wrestling with codecs for it since everything is built in:
"Avidemux was written from scratch, but additional code from FFmpeg, MPlayer, Transcode, Avisynth and DVD2AVI has been used on occasion as well. Nonetheless it is a completely standalone program that does not require any other programs to read, decode, or encode other than itself." [Wikipedia]

wellington1869 · « **Reply #15 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 16:47:19 »

Quote from: Viett;240293

Here's a direct link

There's never been any wrestling with codecs for it since everything is built in:
"Avidemux was written from scratch, but additional code from FFmpeg, MPlayer, Transcode, Avisynth and DVD2AVI has been used on occasion as well. Nonetheless it is a completely standalone program that does not require any other programs to read, decode, or encode other than itself." [Wikipedia]

hmmmm. can it import MOV files? Maybe i'll give it another shot. Or at least have it as the backup program. It did work like a charm, I remember that, even tho the interface was far from polished.

Viett · « **Reply #16 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 16:52:52 »

Yeah, it can take just about anything as an input. See the chart on the Wiki page.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #17 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 17:34:01 »

I don't ever do video on computers.

msiegel · « **Reply #18 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 17:40:26 »

^ Betamax?

microsoft windows · « **Reply #19 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 17:43:42 »

Nope. I use VHS tapes.

keyboardlover · « **Reply #20 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 18:49:01 »

Quote from: microsoft windows;240313

Nope. I use VHS tapes.

How very 80s of you.

keyboardlover · « **Reply #21 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 19:49:48 »

Well no wonder; you have to compete with the Danish who invented it...

keyboardlover · « **Reply #22 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 20:14:45 »

Quote from: ripster;240347

I thought the Romans invented Porn.

Yes. but the Danish invented Legos.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #23 on:** Fri, 29 October 2010, 20:23:20 »

Quote from: ripster;240329

Actually I used fancy cross dissolves in my movies Welly so the freeware stuff just won't cut it. The marketplace for Lego Porn is quite competitive these days.

yes rippy for all our differences I have to bow to your production values. I was hoping you would have a suggestion here

thanks

wellington1869 · « **Reply #24 on:** Sat, 30 October 2010, 00:51:04 »

Update:

So avidemux indeed did work, though some of its buttons are impenetrable.

Then I tried the trial version of $25 sony vegas movie studio HD. You know what? I did in 20 minutes what I had wrestled with for 2.5 hours last night. Without ever using it before. Even a video noob like me didnt really have any problem. It ran like a champ, had helpful popups all over, more or less logical, and the end result in 20 mins was exactly what I wanted.

So avidemux is great in a pinch -- but ima plunking down my $25.

Voixdelion · « **Reply #25 on:** Sat, 30 October 2010, 20:13:42 »

**** -see if you can sell that post to Sony for an advertising blurb. If I were their PR guy I'd be all over that...free updates on your software for life...

wellington1869 · « **Reply #26 on:** Sun, 31 October 2010, 00:36:16 »

Quote from: Voixdelion;240607

**** -see if you can sell that post to Sony for an advertising blurb. If I were their PR guy I'd be all over that...free updates on your software for life...

Maybe they'll give me $25 for it

Voixdelion · « **Reply #27 on:** Sun, 31 October 2010, 01:00:08 »

Seriously - that kind of stuff is advertising GOLD. Heck, its why I BUY stuff - I'd never even heard of that program before today and now I'm thinking it might be worth spending $25 for. And I wasn't even planning on doing any video editing!!

(Kinda annoyed that its a Sony product though - I'm a bit miffed at them for their decisions on the PS3 and their seeming lack of consumer support since the days of yore. I'd prefer to send a message that there are other options so they don't start to feel entitled to my cash. Reading the PS3 forum posts is somewhat nauseating since the it really illustrates how the current youth is so accustomed to getting ass raped by the corporations that they don't even appear to be offended by it. Some of them actually blame hackers for the fact that SONY pulled the linux support from the older PS3's- which, coincidentally, essentially screwed the people who paid the most $ for it of all the customers who ever bought it. At the time I was outraged that they could get away with such a thing, and I didn't even have a PS3!)

wellington1869 · « **Reply #28 on:** Sun, 31 October 2010, 01:21:33 »

Quote from: Voixdelion;240665

Seriously - that kind of stuff is advertising GOLD. Heck, its why I BUY stuff - I'd never even heard of that program before today and now I'm thinking it might be worth spending $25 for. And I wasn't even planning on doing any video editing!!

well for what its worth, i firmly believe its worth $25... the advantages it has over windows movie maker and free stuff on the market is that it doesnt seem to barf on big video files and it accepts and converts between nearly every major video format I can think of. The only hiccup in installation process was needing to install MS C++ library 2008 (which the sony install wizard tells you you need) and which is a free download from MS (a single google on the name of it took me to the download link). And yea it does seem to have every feature I can think of for rapid get-my-video-onto-youtube work.
Its a free trial, you can try it out and see what you think.

Quote

(Kinda annoyed that its a Sony product though - I'm a bit miffed at them for their decisions on the PS3 and their seeming lack of consumer support since the days of yore. I'd prefer to send a message that there are other options so they don't start to feel entitled to my cash. Reading the PS3 forum posts is somewhat nauseating since the it really illustrates how the current youth is so accustomed to getting ass raped by the corporations that they don't even appear to be offended by it. Some of them actually blame hackers for the fact that SONY pulled the linux support from the older PS3's- which, coincidentally, essentially screwed the people who paid the most $ for it of all the customers who ever bought it. At the time I was outraged that they could get away with such a thing, and I didn't even have a PS3!)

lol, i've had mixed experiences with sony too. I'm surprised this is a sony product cuz generally they *suck* at software, lol.
For that matter, they suck at a lot of hardware too. I've seen too many Vaio's with hardware problems to ever want to buy one myself, as pretty as they are to look at. My sony stereo in the 90s had a small problem where it would turn itself on in the middle of the night (yea. hmmm.) and then catch fire (yup). My original sony walkman's screws eventually worked themselves out and the player disintegrated in my hands one day. Yea, they can suck quite a bit.

That said, my current sony ereader is *brilliant*, works well and is a great design, i have no complaints.

its always hit or miss with sony.

VentiLator · « **Reply #29 on:** Sun, 31 October 2010, 05:58:40 »

why didn't you go for something ffmpeg related? there are some great GUIs/frontends for the win-version.
ffmpeg knows formats you've never heard of

i'm quite shure that sony whatnot can't convert into a gameboy-format

zefrer · « **Reply #30 on:** Sun, 31 October 2010, 06:27:39 »

Avidemux is a frontend to ffmpeg. There are others if you don't like avidemux's interface welly.

wellington1869 · « **Reply #31 on:** Sun, 31 October 2010, 12:32:01 »

sounds good, tho for the moment well i dont need gameboy format... and didnt want to spend another hour hunting down different front-ends for ffmpeg... but will definitely keep this in mind when i hit the limitations in sony vegas...

henryhenry · « **Reply #32 on:** Mon, 01 November 2010, 09:29:57 »

Guess u can also check out some Tunebite Video Converter while u're at it.
Works with the most common video and audio formats, easy to use plus, if I am not mistakin' it also has some special menu that can be to configure individual audio and video profiles according to frame rate, frames-per-second, resolution etc. Should be helpful also.

Earth Worm Jim · « **Reply #33 on:** Mon, 01 November 2010, 16:36:43 »

I'm new here but have you had a look at Kino. I can handle >500MB.

http://www.kinodv.org/article/archive/0

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Author Topic: help me buy a video editor/converter... (Read 7149 times)