Which NLE software do you recommend?
 

Untill now, I have been using Final Cut Pro (not too much, I have just started with video). However, my Powerbook G4 is not really competent anymore in editing HDV from my Sony-HDR HC1E. Therefore, I decided to update my computer. As I believe that Apple hardware is too expensive (although I really, really like it), I have decided to opt for a PC configuration.

I have the hardware sorted out pretty much, but I do not know which NLE to choose. The three I know are Avid Xpress Pro, Adobe Production Suite and Sony Vegas. I have heared good things about each one of them, but not enough to make a decision. So I would like to ask you which one you are using, why you have chosen for it and what are the main positives and negatives.

Thanks for your feedback.

For realtime speed you can't beat Canopus Edius Pro. If you want fine control of everything and an excellent audio editor get Vegas 7, has integrated DVD authoring and AC3 too. Premiere Suite has integration with all the Adobe products. If you can only afford one you may want Premiere Pro Suite if you get two then get Edius as well for its speed. I have all three( !!!), Edius for speed, Vegas 6 for audio and fine control and I still like Premiere 1.5.1 for its titler and fast Smart render file export.

Ron Evans

I never heard of the Canopus software but I did hear of Sony Vegas. But I thought it was really in its infant shoes compared to other editors. I really like the Final Cut Pro lay-out / style so I do not know which of the NLE's on PC does resemble it most (or which Final Cut resembles most).

In terms of interface, you will probably be more comfortable with Premiere. There is a fair ammount of similarity in appearance and workflow between those two.

(I cut on Avid Xpresspro)

If you are just starting out and are unfamiluar with any one brand, it may be wise to go with Premiere Pro 2.0. In am upgrading from 1.5.x to 2.0 Premium bundle right now and with the newer abilities to integrate all of the Adobe programs and move items around and such I think it would make a great package.

Everyone will have an opinion on what is best, but it comes down to what you have tried and are used to. Most, me included, have never used more than one software extensively, and are generally biased toward that one, human nature.

One thing I can say about Adobe is that they have all of the programs covered, Editing, after effects, audio, DVD authoring, and on and on. This is a great package.

Mike

That is a good point about Adobe. As I also practice digital photography, and am planning to do more with that in the future as well, and I work with Photoshop CS2, everything in the same program/workflow might be a good thing.

I've used Avid since I started here in 1994. It made the most sense to me of any programs available at the time. I came out of TV news where in some cases we(well the cameramen, I was a reporter/anchor) still shot on 16mm film. so the bins and clips terminology was familiar to me as I worked with them cutting film in the asbestos laden basement. LOL. but seriously it made sense to me, the rest of the interface was easy to learn and get around rather quickly. for me I found it more intuitive than the Media 100, Videocube, DVision, that were around at that time. I use Xdv3.5 at work (state agency so upgrading is more hassle than its worth) and Xpro 4.6 at home.

I have also used Ulead's Media Studio Pro 6.5 at home(produced my Pine Barrens documentary on it) and that was purely a price dirvie purchase. I was able to get 5.0 for $50, the a free upgrade to 5.2, and then $99 upgrade to 6.5.

One of the things I really like about Avid is that when I output the tape (which is most of the time here) I only have to render the effects, and it plays back from the same time line. Others I looked (includ Ulead) wound up rendering an entire new file, at least with smartrender it didn't re-render parts that had no effects,but it still created an entire file, which ate up GHD space.

I am also a "use it til it dies" kinda guy. I don't have to have the newest, latest, greatest. To me they are all tools. When it gets to a point that it won't do what I need it to do, then I upgrade.

Thanks for your feedback! I also want a program and do not care if it is the latest or best version but as I am switching, I need to find a new program and therefore want to make sure I pick the right one for my needs. I will be editing HD footage from DV-tape and the idea is to make short films and documentaires. Maybe this can be of help in giving me advice.

A Vote for Adobe
 

I'm a long time web developer and photographer, but new to video editing, so I'm a bit biased. After evaluating all the products you mentioned, I went with Adobe because PPro was recently upgraded heavily, and I think Adobe's overall strategy and recent execution has been excellent.

I've been using Production Studio for three months, and I'm very impressed with PPro's very tight integration (Bridge) to great illustration, audio/video effects and DVD authoring tools. Adobe also bought Macromedia, a fantastic move, so Flash support is native now and other future developments are sure to be integrated as well.

Every tool in the studio is feature rich, offering comprehensive application and media integration, including native support for PDF, Flash and a myriad of other formats. There may be a better tool in one particular area, but nothing comes close to matching Adobe's comprehensive capabilities and level of integration IMO.

Moreover, since you already own Photoshop, you save a bunch doing the upgrade to Production Studio, a very good value compared to other options. Adobe has made a big push forward, gaining new customers and converts while regaining its base. Merging with Macromedia also gains Adobe a huge amount of excellent web-based technology, and a very large following of web technologists.

;->

I look at them as tools. Check the specs and see if it will handle what you want to do, download a trial version and see if it works like you think. then use it. I can edit on just about anything, but I am fastest on Avid, it works like I think and vice versa I guess LOL... yes there are some quirks, they all have em, but its a question of what can you live with. (for example XDV3.5 is screwed up wtih QT... it exports half the audio at half speed, so I need to export a Reference QT, go into After effects and render out from there.)

I sadly just might switch to Edius
 

I'm a long time user of Premiere Pro 2.0 - I love how they've integrated Adobe software- I also love how intuitive it is. I don't need Magic Bullet! I can get all the effects I want straight from layers/opacity/adjustments etc. I editted my film, Beimo, http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=beimo, in Premiere and did all my post-color effects directly in Premiere. Unfortunately, Premiere doesn't seem to be good at keeping a stable firewire connection with my DVX100 (original). It disconnects, freezes, and lags every 5-10 minutes when I use it with my DVX100. The funny thing is that most other DV cams work fine with my setup-- no lag/disconnect/freezing. I think its just a camera compatibility problem. I haven't found anything on the web to address this issue.. I just installed Edius and it works PERFECTLY with my DVX100-- no compatibility issues, and its blazing fast. I can even multi-task between different programs (which was a no no in Premiere when I was connnected to my dvx- and sometimes other cams).... Anybody know what could be the problem?

Firewire Support
 

I haven't had that problem capturing from a Canon XL2. If the problem goes away when capturing the same content using another package on the same computer, I would suspect Adobe doesn't like your computer's Firewire hardware. They publish supported hardware on the website. You've probably already tried this, but I would suggest removing all other Firewire/USB devices from your machine, including hubs, then reboot and try capturing with a different and *shorter* Firewire cable that's connected directly from the camera to your PC (no hub). If your Firewire card does turn out to be the problem, the good news is Adobe-compatible Firewire cards are cheap.

GPU Multiprocessing Support
 

Another thing to consider when evaluating NLEs is how much effects processing you do. If you do a lot of effects work, After Effects is very powerful and PPro can offload a lot of rendering (shading, etc.) to your video adapter's GPU, if you have a supported graphics adapter, like an NVidia Quadro. The ability to multi-process is a very nice bonus, and keeps things running smoothly on my workstation. I'm not saying this feature is a critical/deciding factor; it's just another very cool tool to have at your disposal when time is money...

Lol
 

Adobe Support Reference
 

That support page isn't very helpful is it?

It should state "all Microsoft OCHI compatible", but they forgot to include "Microsoft" and at least a link to Microsoft's hardware list. Specifically, a Microsoft certified OHCI IEEE 1394 interface card with the very latest driver for Microsoft DirectX, and a compatible video display adapter.

;->

Thankfully, the Adobe support search engine does a better job, so here you go:

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/326320.html

This is a good "stutter" troubleshooting guide for Premiere 6.x, but most of it still applies to PPro 2 as well. Another thing to consider (which is discussed in the article above) is your PC hardware capability. There's a reasonable chance that nothing is wrong with your Firewire card, and the sluggish performance is because your hardware just isn't strong enough to support editing that content with PPro. If other NLEs you've tried work cleanly editing the same camera/content, it's probably because those applications require less memory/CPU/disk resources; PPro has recently gained a lot of features, and also gained a lot of weight in the process. You may have just enough horsepower with those other packages to avoid "stutter", but PPro crosses that line and pegs your memory and/or CPU. If this is the case, try shutting down all unecessary applications, add more RAM and/or faster disks; unfortunately, you may even need a new workstation designed from the ground up for intense video/audio/graphics processing. Based on the growth path Production Studio is on and the nature of HD editing, memory/cpu requirements will continue to rise rather quickly...