UKC

I would assume that adobe is the best package going, however, for those of us with a budget what's the best digital video editing software available?

At the moment I'm thinking of going with Pinnacle, does anyone have any experience of this or are there any other good quality alternatives?

In reply to Swirly: don't bother with adobe. get avid express or get a real computer* and get final cut pro.





*apple

In reply to Swirly:

I've used Avid but 'experts' tell me it is the most user-unfriendly editing software and Adobe rocks...

In reply to dominic_s:

!!!!

I have only used Avid and didn't really have any problems with it but then I have nothing to compare it to...

Isn't final cut Adobe? Obviously not...

In reply to Swirly:

Vegas pro.. is the friendliest and gets pretty close to pro level..

Will

In reply to Swirly:

I use Pinnacle. Seems to do everything I want, easy enough to get started, lots of stuff under the covers when you get more expert. And you can buy more transistions if that's your bag.

In reply to Swirly: adobe have rencently released a cut down version of their full premiere product - called, predictably enough 'premiere elements'. it's available from $99 in the US - not sure of the price over here.

premiere is my tool of choice, but it's totally overwhelming initally, and the interface takes some time to learn. I started with Videowave, now supplied by Roxio, and that seemed to do most of what i needed to begin with.

tim.

In reply to Swirly:

A (not so recent - July 2004) PC Plus review put Pinnacle Liquid Edition 5.5 above Adobe Premier Pro 1.5, and also rated Canopus Edius 2 above PP in some areas...

All 3 are costly, though

Cheaper packages that were rated were:

Ulead Videostudio 8 (entry level and price)

Canopus Let's Edit (intermediate level and price)

http://www.canopus-uk.com

http://www.pinaclesys.com

http://www.ulead.co.uk


Or you could go the linux route and try cinelerra

In reply to Swirly: I used Adobe on... errrrrr... a mates computer, and I have to say that once you get the hang of it, it is very easy to use. Having said that though, it doesn't allow you to superimpose multiple pictures ontop of each other unless your subject is in the right part of the screen.

I certainly have no problems using it!

In reply to Swirly:

Used pinnacle v8 & v9. Both easy to use, with excellent results...has some gimmicky stuff with it (supply backing music and let autoedit do the rest, hey presto instant music video).
But as said above, loads of transitions for wipes/fades/etc or picture in picture.

In reply to Swirly:
I use Final cut pro 4
DVD studio pro 3
Livetype
and Compressor
all from Mac and for total intergration across these apps is superb.

Kev

In reply to Kev on the road:
And you can buy it all bundled with Motion for graphics motion for £899 through the aple store
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/91001/wo/tZ2PmLqvz5On2s...

In reply to Swirly:

I have Pinnacle studio 8 which seems to work well enough for the little I do. The reviews say it's a bit unstable but I can't say I've noticed particularly.

If you have Windows XP there is a simple editor included, Windows Movie Maker. It's in the "accesories" menu. I tried it the other day to make a slide show video with music, titles, fades and captions and it seemed to work too. It has the advantage of not costing you anything too.

In reply to Swirly:

Go with Pinnacle Studio first, either as a demo or cheap version just to try it out and learn. Sometimes you can get it free with a box of CD discs. Though its cheap anyway. Very easy to use. Can be buggy, it either works well or will crash occaissionally. I think they have improved that aspect in V9.

I use Pinnacle Liquid Edition. It is superb. Can't fault it at all. Very creative. Very professional results. Very, very stable. Would recommend it. Only thing that lets it down is the titler - fairly basic titles - 2D, static pre-fx. All the other features are perfect, great effects, it renders (on CPU and GP) whilst you work so it is quicker that Adobe in that aspect. Good DVD authoring.

I tried Adobe and wasn't that impressed, didn't seem easy to use.

Feel free to email me if I can help anymore.

In reply to Swirly: I use pinnacle and it's easy to get the hang of and will certainly do the job.

In reply to Swirly: i use final cut pro 4, works fine for me.

In reply to Swirly:

As an editor who has used pretty much every software on the market I would say:

Avid DV if you have the budget and are on MAC or PC
Adobe Premier if your running a budget on PC
Final Cut if your on Mac

Pinnacle is a very limiting software. Might be cheap but as you get more experianced you will want a few extra bells and whistles.

All can handle braodcat quality video, all you have to do is have a computer that is powerful enough to give real time effects.

If you want anymore advice drop me a line.

In reply to Head For The Hills:


Pinnacle Studio (v9) at about £50 is a very different proposition from Pinnacle Liquid Edition (currently at v6) at about £215 (or £435 for the Pro version)