Video Editing Software

[Novelista]

I used to use Windows Movie Maker to make my fan videos and things (I think that's even what we used for our AP English project in high school), but they really...ah...quiggle-d it over in Windows 7. (Not hiding any curses there..."quiggled it over" is the first thing that came to mind. :laughingsmiley:)

 

Is there an editor you'd suggest as a replacement? I have the photos I'd like for a book trailer, but I don't want to do anything with them until I have new software. (Plus, I'm maybe 2/3 of the way done with my latest novel and I'd like to get started on that trailer...although that's not just software; I have to wait for Son of God to hit DVD, too.)

[maikrowsoft]

Hmm, I usually use Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, but those are paid (and quite expensive).

 

Are you talking about this Windows Movie Maker? What are you not liking about it :O

[Novelista]

They used to have a timeline so that you could cut things more easily and rearrange them, as well as adding and subtracting transitions and things. Now it just feels bulky and awkward to me. (Not the same as the WMM in XP.)

 

Yeah, I wouldn't want to pay a lot of money for casual use. :( If I was making a lot of home movies or something, it would be a lot different, but since it's just the occasional book trailer, it's not worth it to spend hundreds of dollars.

 

I tried something called...I think it was Lightbox...but it wasn't very intuitive. Even the instruction videos didn't help. :P

[maikrowsoft]

Actually the timeline still exists in Movie Maker lol. It's just a little different.

 

 

You can adjust how the timeline looks at the bottom right, click and drag the black bar to wherever you want on any clip, split the clip in the Edit tab, Cut/Paste and others with shortcuts or in the Home tab. There's quite a lot of things you can do in Movie Maker 2012 compared to the old one in XP, try getting used to it? >.<

 

If not, perhaps you could try Lightworks, which looks like it has good layer functionality. Unless that was the "Lightbox" you were referring to.

 

 

Edit: If you don't mind paying a bit you could try Pinnacle Studio, used to use it back in the day when making promotional videos for school. Way back.

[Novelista]

If not, perhaps you could try Lightworks, which looks like it has good layer functionality. Unless that was the "Lightbox" you were referring to.

BAHAHAHA! I knew it was light something! *facepalm*

 

Pinnacle looks good...I just wish it had a trial so I knew what I was getting into. :P

[Aquamentis12]

I used to use WMM for my animated music video projects back when I had Windows XP. Now that I have Windows 8, They've removed virtually ALL animated gif support from Windows AND WMM.

 

I found a program that I really like now, it's called MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 2014.

 

Here is their website

http://www.magix.com/us/

 

It's really a much more expansive program, and it DOES have the timeline feature that's very similar to what WMM used to have!

 

The minimum "tracks" you can have is 4, but that doesn't mean you have to USE all 4. The maximum, I believe, is 32. ;)

 

It's fairly intuitive and has pretty solid animated gif support. Although, i do SOMETIMES have problems with gif files over 100 frames, or 1.8 megabytes in size. Then it will read the first frame but for that duration, like WMM now does. I tried support, and the guy even talked to the fellas in R & D but they couldn't explain it, so, I keep my gifs to around 100 frames or less, and if I need more, I split the full-gifs into parts and insert them as parts, that hasn't given me any trouble so far. :D (Current project is over 1000 frames in total)

 

I really can't say much of enough about this program, I am very satisfied with it. At the time I bought it, it was on Clearance at Best Buy, so that means there is probably a newer version coming out. I don't know though.

 

I hope this helps!

[Novelista]

*trumpeting noise* We have a winner!

 

Simple, effective...still no trial. But you can get it $10 cheaper on Amazon.

 

Now I just have to get a job to buy it! :P

 

 

Thanks!

[Aquamentis12]

LOL Which one did you decide on? XD Just curious. ;)

[Novelista]

Yours. The latest (version five) is the same price as the earlier versions--at least on Amazon. :)

[Aquamentis12]

LOL Ok, cool! :D

 

I hope the one you're eyeballing works for you as well as the version I have is working for me. I think that I haven't even scratched the tip of the iceberg as to what this program can do. But my needs are minimal right now. XD

 

I just had the thought that there might be tutorial vids on Youtube. lol I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner, but, if I can figure out some of this stuff without a tutorial, anyone can. lol

 

So you make fanvids? That's cool, like Anime Music Videos? Or something else? I actually started making my own videos from scratch because I didn't have the media, and still lack the know-how to slice up vids and make those neat fanvids people make. I figured doing them from scratch would be easier. lol ;)

 

I have most of my finished on youtube, the audio being from songs my late Dad, late uncles, and my Grandpa singing back in 1984. (Somehow Grandpa is still hanging in there) XD If you're interested I can post the link. XD The songs are old Irish, folk, and a couple western. My Dad, uncles and Grandpa were really good. :D I also have 2 original poems from High school that I animated up there as well.

[Novelista]

Nothin' wrong with grandads hangin' in there. :D I've lost both of mine already, but my great-grandmother lived to be 94, so my remaining grandmother (81, I believe) may still have thirteen years left. (As long as her afib doesn't get her first. :P)

 

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I used to do fan vids in high school, but never posted them to YouTube. I had a certain magician that I adored, so I'd take all the pix I had of him on my HD and set them to music...and had fun swapping songs out from time to time.

 

I did a media issues and television production class in high school, the first year it was offered for credit. Our newscast was mediocre, but we did a commercial for a (fictional) company that arranged travel for exchange students and that went pretty well. (Once I stopped laughing at "my" Texas accent!) We also did a music video to "Hey Ya!" that was pretty popular, namely because we went around the school and filmed people dancing. :D

 

 

Now I do book trailers. They're in no way as good as everyone else's (like you, I lack the skills), but they're all right. (I have them embedded on my book page.)

 

The trailer for Exilium will be the first time I step away from static images (at least since that media class), but if it's as easy to take out the speech track using Magix as it used to be using WMM, I don't anticipate problems.

[Aquamentis12]

I hope your grandmother has a lot more life in her. :) My Grandpa B, is 91, My Grandpa E lived to 95(and a half ;) ) You've gotta admire good genes. ;D

 

Grandpa B is the only one I got left now, my Grandma E died back in early 1992, smoking, My Grandma B, died about 2002 due to heart problems, or something like that. Grandpa B's not eating much as of late, mostly candy, which is ironic considering his main profession was a dentist. lol

My Dad was the eldest of the 3 brothers, he died last, Nov 10th (his Dad's birthday) 2011. Now just the 3 sisters remain on Dad's side of teh family, Dad? He died from acute respiratory arrest, 51 years of smoking will do that to a person though. :( The music videos on my youtube are dedicated to all 4 of them, because it's their singing I use as the audio source.

 

Wow, sounds like you know a fair bit about media and all. I'm.... pretty clueless. lol I'd like to do something in the arts/animation field, but I just don't know where to look for specifics and stuff.

 

The book trailers are interesting and I think Magix can take audio out... I'm not 100% certain because I've never done it, in the last few months I've had it. ;)

 

Here is my youtube link....

http://www.youtube.com/user/CrystallineGates

 

If you're interested in the source for the music vids. They can be found here.

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/BProductions12/playlists

 

I sliced up and uploaded the whole performance, minus the intermission, into 25 parts and uploaded them to youtube the St. Patrick's Day after my Dad died. Thanks to my aunt who gave me a copy of it, and my mom for a nifty Christmas present that let me do the viewing and slicing from the source of the VCR/DVD combo Dad had owned. The playlist will play all 25 songs in order. Including Grandpa's "crummy" jokes and stories. ;) Just be prepared to turn up your volume, I couldn't make the video clips any louder than they are, and they are pretty quiet. ^_^;;;

 

For my current music video project, I have a thread on The Art Gallery here at TDNforums. It's simply called "Art and Animations". where I put some of my animation tests sometimes. Related to the music video projects, or something(s) else.

 

Anyhoo, best of luck with Magix! I hope that it fits all of your needs! :D

[Novelista]

I don't mind hijacking my own thread (haha), but before I do, I'd like to say that I don't think I know too much about editing/movie-making...that class was only nine weeks long, used WMM...and I graduated from high school ten years ago in June. :P

 

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Whoa...sidebar...

 

I don't usually get a chance to snipe, but I was just checking a price on a TCG I'd won from the BD and someone had it up for 5NP. The next lowest price was 1,688! Snatched that baby up!

 

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Pop-Pop (Grandpa M.) died in 1998. He'd been on dialysis for several years, so it might have been his kidneys that finally gave out or complications from Alzheimer's. (My dad tried to tell me he had dementia, but it turns out that dementia is a symptom of Az, not a diagnosis in and of itself.)

 

Grandma M. died in 2004. Based on her symptoms (she wouldn't let them do exploratory surgery--or an autopsy), she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Not having seen the death certificate, I can't be sure, but it's possible that she may have starved to death, because she couldn't even keep down Ensure and that sort of thing toward the end. :(

 

Grandpa P. died in 2011. He had a small to moderate stroke in 2009 that caused Az and sundowner's syndrome, so he basically couldn't be left alone or even fend for himself (except to occasionally go to the bathroom) for the two intervening years. (Sundowner's...I've never looked it up, specifically; but basically, he'd get really noisy/annoying, ask a lot of questions, etc. late in the day. {As the sun went down.}) Based on what I understand, he had two more small strokes in Florida in 2011 and they stopped his heart. (Both were within a few hours of each other, I think.) But I said goodbye to him earlier in the month, so it was a little bit better.

 

 

Also...people tend to get creeped out a bit when I tell them that two funeral home employees have died in the last ten years. (That my dad and uncle work for and I did briefly.) *vague chuckle*

 

But both of those were cancer and one was a smoker, so...