Video editing software for digital camera?

[doglady8]

I have a Sony digital camera that I've used to take many short "movies". I'd like to edit them together with music, etc., and am looking for a software program to do just that!

I've read about Pinnacle (bad reviews) and Adobe Premier Elements on Amazon, but am not sure if they would work with my video files - which I believe are .mov format.

Does anyone have any expertise with this and/or recommendations for software?

Thanks,

Nancy

[Jazzmatazz49]

It is hilarious that you posted this today. I just spent over an hour downloading Pinnacle, based on recs from a class I'm taking for a graduate degree. It turns out it would not work well or easily with my Sony digital camera. So I spent another half hour unloading it. Windows MovieMaker will fit my needs well enough, so I'm going to go with it. It's already on my PC, so I have nothing to lose. It seems fairly straightforward, and since I'm just making a movie (supposedly seamless) from several clips, it will be something I can work with without the learning curve. I'll watch this thread to see if anyone comes up with a real suggestion.

[doglady8]

Jazzmatazz -

Well I just discovered that I also have Windows Movie Maker on my PC and on my laptop! Duh! Who knew? :eek:

I'm going to try it to see if it meets my needs. I did download the manual for Sony Vegas. It costs 65 on Amazon, and seems like it is a giant leap above MM.

I did hear from friends who own Pinnacle that it was a horrible piece of software.

I've decided to give MM a trial-run for a week, and if it isn't for me, I'm going to order Vegas from Amazon.

Nancy

[sandee]

I'm using Adobe Premiere Elements (not the Pro version) right now to do a wedding video and slideshow retrospective for my friend.

I didn't have any previous experience with this kind of stuff (I tried doing something similar for my brother's wedding last year with Roxio Easy DVD and that program is terrible). I have used Photoshop before though.

It's fairly intuitive, you can edit and undo edits very easily, as well as speed up, slow down, etc. It can handle multiple video formats, so it should work with your camera.

Uploading songs (mp3s) has been really easy too.

There are preset transitions for video, audio and photos so you can fade, cross dissolve, page peel, etc. There are also preset dvd menus so you can pick something appropriate to your project or make your own in Photoshop.

One cool thing if you have used photoshop and are familiar with its features, is that many of the adjustments such as levels, sharpen, color balance, etc. are all applicable in Premiere, with the video as well as the stills. There are audio filters as well, but I'm less familiar with those.

All in all, I'm very happy with the program, and I learned how to use it with only the help menu included in the program and the tutorial.

[MISSINDI]

I use Picaso, a free download from www.hello.com, and love it. Simple and very user-friendly. The only thing it doesn't fix is the green that dog's eyes sometimes turn in pictures.

[PamN]

Picasa can edit videos, too? I thought it could make a video from still images, but didn't know you could use it on your videos too.

[MISSINDI]

Picasa can edit videos, too? I thought it could make a video from still images, but didn't know you could use it on your videos too.

Yeah, my bad. Totally missed the word "video" in the post subject - didn't notice it until the e-mail notification came over. :D Going on vacation next week, and mind is obviously already there. ;)