PC Video Editing software

Has anyone found decent, easy, non-buggy video editing software for Windows/PC?

Or am I going to have to buy a Mac (and use iMovie)?

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asked on Jun 21, 2008

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comments and reviews

I used Pinnacle Studio 9 for my last round of video editing (I think their up to version 12 now).

It was stable and straight forward, and about $100, as I recall. Much better than a low-end adobe video editor I had tried before that, which had too many bells and whistles, and was way too slow.

One thing for sure, you need a really solid machine to do video editing ... it's hugely CPU and memory (RAM and hard-drive) intensive.

#1 - posted on Jun 21, 2008 (9:07 pm)

I work on PC's all day. I "play" on a mac at night.

If you buy a mac. You will not regret it -- worst case it runs windows too.

I haven't used iMovie all that much, but "playing" (music/photos/web-browsing, I can only imagine iMovie) just "feels" a lot better. It's hard to explain. Think about it this way: How many people bought a mac and told you it sucked?

Suggestion:
Take your videos to the local apple store. I'm sure they'll let you try some video editing out.

Try that with your PC.

#2 - posted on Jun 21, 2008 (9:18 pm)

I've used iMovie a ton - and think it's awesome. Super easy to use combined with new processing power and graphics card of Mac make ripping videos and editing them a breeze. I made a video for work and chopped it up and added titles swipes and transitions and it only took about 10 minutes, uploaded it to YouTube and onto my iPhone, then showed everyone in the office.

Go mac baby!

#3 - posted on Jun 22, 2008 (7:33 am)

I've been using Adobe Premiere Elements on Windows and have mixed feelings about it. I think the UI and workflow is pretty good. But it's SLOOOW, it needs lots of resources, and it sometimes it does crash.

I've spent the last few weeks transfering old MiniDV video tapes to DVD via Premiere, and if I avoided a few features, it worked well. Keep in mind that my current home computer is over 5 years old, though it has a lot of RAM and disk.

I just got a new HD camcorder (HDV format - shoots to tape and imports over firewire). I had a lot more trouble with Premiere in HD. Given my computer's age and the demands of HD editing this might not be all Premiere's fault (though it should never crash).

Before you buy new software, or even a new computer, you should think thru the whole workflow you intend. E.g. if you might buy a new HD camcorder, they come in several formats, not all compatible with any given editing software. Premiere Elements for example doesn't like the AVCHD format used on HD flash camcorders.

Having said all that, I happened to be in the Apple store last night, and iMovie on their high-end macs was pretty cool.

#4 - posted on Jun 22, 2008 (11:32 am)

Thanks, look like I should at least try Pinnacle and Elements... until I break down and get a Mac!

#5 - posted on Jun 23, 2008 (10:32 am)