If you knew what you know now... at DVinfo.net

Mike Buchinger · January 27th, 2003, 03:41 PM

This is my first post here. I recently stumbled across this forum and it looks to be filled with great information.

I'm very new to computer video editing. Currently I have a plain Sony TRV-103, but am looking to upgrade, once I get into things.

As I delve into researching what software to get, the number of options is mindboggling. Premier, Avid, Pinnacle. Then there are the add-ons. After Effects, Borris FX, titlers, AHHHHHHHH!

I guess I'd like to know, based on what you guys/girls know now, which packages are NEEDED, and what you wish you had done.

The trouble I have is where to draw the line on effects and stuff like that. I am looking to possibly do some side jobs (dance recitals, cheerleading competitions, etc.) I'm looking for advice in the Pro-Sumer market. I don't want to spend $10,000 on software. I just want to be able to do some fancy text, simple transitions, and the like.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Mike

Dylan Couper · January 27th, 2003, 04:19 PM

I think I made the best choice for myself, which was Vegas Video 3. I took the money I saved and sunk it into a better computer. I wish I bought bigger hard drives, and spent less on the CPU though. Very glad I bought a video card that allowed 2 monitors.

Rick Spilman · January 27th, 2003, 06:19 PM

A second vote for Vegas Video. Relatively inexpensive yet powerful and as an added bonus, what all software should be but often isn't, stable.

Rick

Dan Holly · January 27th, 2003, 07:18 PM

Vegas Video 3.0 is my friend <;~)

Tor Salomonsen · January 28th, 2003, 03:04 AM

Vegas 4 is out in public beta. One thing about it is that it introduces the use of scripts. My guess is that pretty soon we'll see custom scripts uploaded at several sites for Vegas users to download and use (or just learn from) for free. Users already do that with .veg files. It's great for learning and community building as well.

K. Forman · January 28th, 2003, 05:26 AM

Vegas is o.k., but overall, I still like Premiere the best- for most projects.

However, my best friend in the software world, is still Photoshop. I have done so many different projects over the past few years, and Photoshop has been there for most of them. I have used it for titles, touch-ups, transitions, animations... the list goes on forever.

What made my job easier, was the new PC. With an AMD 1800, Canopus DV Storm, and almost 300 Gig of HD space, I have it soooo much easier than a few years ago. I started with a AMD 450, 20 Gig HD, and a Happauge TV card for capture. I still use that old machine... It is a diehard dinosaur like myself :)

However you choose to go- play hard, and keep trying. Learn as much as you can about whichever software you get, and then make your own rules.
Keith

Tomas Landin · January 28th, 2003, 06:18 AM

*attempts to steal Capt Quirk's HD space*

I would recommend Avid Xpress DV, because that's what I'm used to, but I say: The tool doesn't matter.

I would suggest finding demo and trial-versions of the different packages, and see which one you work best in. If you work better in Premiere than Vegas or Avid, it's pointless using anything else but Premiere just because some nutters on a forum tells you to do so :D

I'm currently left without an editing station at home, mainly because my non-existant budget doesn't allow me to purchase one at the moment. But I'm working up to it (need for instance: Firewire card, _loads_ of HD space and a new video card, and of course an editing application).

As I'm born and raised on Avid so to speak, I will stick with that in the future, old habits die hard as it is.

But, I'm rambling, point I'm trying to make is:

Use demo-versions to find out which software you like the most, then go with that, and like Quirk said, make your own rules.

-Tomas

K. Forman · January 28th, 2003, 01:51 PM

Very well said Tomas! I learned on Premiere, but have tried about 60% of the others. I stick with what I know the best. However, I also need to use other tools from time to time... For instance, the color correction tools in Storm are much better than the ones in Premiere. Vegas has some mighty fine tools too. I just really like the way Premiere lays out and works.

On a side note Tomas- I notice you're in Sweden. Have you ever heard of Swedish Whistler?
Keith

Dan Measel · January 29th, 2003, 04:12 AM

I looked into the NLE's a lot before I bought one. As a neophyte I was not sure what I would want or need in the future. I ended up getting Vegas Video (because of advice from this forum) for $350 figuring it was cheap enough that if it didn't meet my needs I could get one of the more expensive ones later, after I had a better idea of what I wanted, and not be out too much money. So far I have been very happy with Vegas Video. They have a downloadable trial version you can try. Also, you probably already read this somewhere, but apparently Avid is giving away a toned down version of their software free in the near future.

Scott Silverman · January 29th, 2003, 06:16 PM

Mike,
I would agree with everyone here. I started with Premiere and use only it because that it what I have accepted as my standard. I am trying to learn After Effects which is good if you own Premiere because of the compatibility of Adobe products. My only major complaint in Premiere is color correction. It has a few hard-to-use, not-very-effective color correction tools which I don't like. My hope is AE will fix this, but first I need to learn it. Get a lot of HD space on your computer! I have 280 GB and could use more!

You mentioned you had a Sony TRV-103. I own a TRV-110. Actually a nice camera for just entering into the DV world. It was my first DV camera. I got it, hmmm... I think 4 - 5 years ago? I now own a GL2 and let me say, the difference in picture quality is amazing! I also hate the manual controls on the low end Digital8 cameras...there aren't any! Nice thing about those cams is it has digital recording but still uses a analogue tape so it is really cheap. MiniDV tapes are a lot more $. I still use my 110 as a 2nd camera. It served me well!

Have fun choosing an editing system!

January 27th, 2003, 03:41 PM	#1
Mike Buchinger New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Red Bank, NJ Posts: 11	If you knew what you know now... This is my first post here. I recently stumbled across this forum and it looks to be filled with great information. I'm very new to computer video editing. Currently I have a plain Sony TRV-103, but am looking to upgrade, once I get into things. As I delve into researching what software to get, the number of options is mindboggling. Premier, Avid, Pinnacle. Then there are the add-ons. After Effects, Borris FX, titlers, AHHHHHHHH! I guess I'd like to know, based on what you guys/girls know now, which packages are NEEDED, and what you wish you had done. The trouble I have is where to draw the line on effects and stuff like that. I am looking to possibly do some side jobs (dance recitals, cheerleading competitions, etc.) I'm looking for advice in the Pro-Sumer market. I don't want to spend $10,000 on software. I just want to be able to do some fancy text, simple transitions, and the like. Thanks in advance for your advice. Mike

January 27th, 2003, 07:18 PM	#4
Dan Holly Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 336	I'll second that Vegas Video 3.0 is my friend <;~) __________________ Dan Holly Anchorage, Alaska

January 28th, 2003, 03:04 AM	#5
Tor Salomonsen Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Stavanger, Norway Posts: 265	Vegas 4 is coming soon Vegas 4 is out in public beta. One thing about it is that it introduces the use of scripts. My guess is that pretty soon we'll see custom scripts uploaded at several sites for Vegas users to download and use (or just learn from) for free. Users already do that with .veg files. It's great for learning and community building as well.

January 29th, 2003, 06:16 PM	#10
Scott Silverman Major Player Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cupertino, California, USA Posts: 301	Mike, I would agree with everyone here. I started with Premiere and use only it because that it what I have accepted as my standard. I am trying to learn After Effects which is good if you own Premiere because of the compatibility of Adobe products. My only major complaint in Premiere is color correction. It has a few hard-to-use, not-very-effective color correction tools which I don't like. My hope is AE will fix this, but first I need to learn it. Get a lot of HD space on your computer! I have 280 GB and could use more! You mentioned you had a Sony TRV-103. I own a TRV-110. Actually a nice camera for just entering into the DV world. It was my first DV camera. I got it, hmmm... I think 4 - 5 years ago? I now own a GL2 and let me say, the difference in picture quality is amazing! I also hate the manual controls on the low end Digital8 cameras...there aren't any! Nice thing about those cams is it has digital recording but still uses a analogue tape so it is really cheap. MiniDV tapes are a lot more $. I still use my 110 as a 2nd camera. It served me well! Have fun choosing an editing system! __________________ Scott Silverman Shining Star Digital Video Productions Bay Area, CA

January 27th, 2003, 04:19 PM	#2
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	I think I made the best choice for myself, which was Vegas Video 3. I took the money I saved and sunk it into a better computer. I wish I bought bigger hard drives, and spent less on the CPU though. Very glad I bought a video card that allowed 2 monitors.

January 27th, 2003, 06:19 PM	#3
Rick Spilman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Jersey City, NJ Posts: 366	A second vote for Vegas Video. Relatively inexpensive yet powerful and as an added bonus, what all software should be but often isn't, stable. Rick

January 28th, 2003, 05:26 AM	#6
K. Forman Capt. Quirk Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Middle of the woods in Georgia Posts: 3,596	Vegas is o.k., but overall, I still like Premiere the best- for most projects. However, my best friend in the software world, is still Photoshop. I have done so many different projects over the past few years, and Photoshop has been there for most of them. I have used it for titles, touch-ups, transitions, animations... the list goes on forever. What made my job easier, was the new PC. With an AMD 1800, Canopus DV Storm, and almost 300 Gig of HD space, I have it soooo much easier than a few years ago. I started with a AMD 450, 20 Gig HD, and a Happauge TV card for capture. I still use that old machine... It is a diehard dinosaur like myself :) However you choose to go- play hard, and keep trying. Learn as much as you can about whichever software you get, and then make your own rules. Keith

January 28th, 2003, 06:18 AM	#7
Tomas Landin New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7	attempts to steal Capt Quirk's HD space I would recommend Avid Xpress DV, because that's what I'm used to, but I say: The tool doesn't matter. I would suggest finding demo and trial-versions of the different packages, and see which one you work best in. If you work better in Premiere than Vegas or Avid, it's pointless using anything else but Premiere just because some nutters on a forum tells you to do so :D I'm currently left without an editing station at home, mainly because my non-existant budget doesn't allow me to purchase one at the moment. But I'm working up to it (need for instance: Firewire card, _loads_ of HD space and a new video card, and of course an editing application). As I'm born and raised on Avid so to speak, I will stick with that in the future, old habits die hard as it is. But, I'm rambling, point I'm trying to make is: Use demo-versions to find out which software you like the most, then go with that, and like Quirk said, make your own rules. -Tomas

January 28th, 2003, 01:51 PM	#8
K. Forman Capt. Quirk Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Middle of the woods in Georgia Posts: 3,596	Very well said Tomas! I learned on Premiere, but have tried about 60% of the others. I stick with what I know the best. However, I also need to use other tools from time to time... For instance, the color correction tools in Storm are much better than the ones in Premiere. Vegas has some mighty fine tools too. I just really like the way Premiere lays out and works. On a side note Tomas- I notice you're in Sweden. Have you ever heard of Swedish Whistler? Keith

January 29th, 2003, 04:12 AM	#9
Dan Measel Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 196	I looked into the NLE's a lot before I bought one. As a neophyte I was not sure what I would want or need in the future. I ended up getting Vegas Video (because of advice from this forum) for $350 figuring it was cheap enough that if it didn't meet my needs I could get one of the more expensive ones later, after I had a better idea of what I wanted, and not be out too much money. So far I have been very happy with Vegas Video. They have a downloadable trial version you can try. Also, you probably already read this somewhere, but apparently Avid is giving away a toned down version of their software free in the near future.