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Video
Editing Software: A Guide to various Video Editing
Software Packages
This
is a tricky one. How does one categorise video editing
software? Do I start with the cheapest one and work my
way up? Do I divide them by manufacturer, or popularity,
features or foibles, or by how long they've been around?
I can't divide video editing software by price as that
changes all the time; I'd be forever updating this page
;-) ...so I'll do it by manufacturer. Some
come free: Just before we look at the main
manufacturers of video editing software - and you
trundle off to find the prices - please bear in mind
that many of the video editing software packages come
bundled with video editing cards. So while they may have
a stand-alone price of $700 or £500 they may well come
free with a video editing card that costs only $600 or
£400, making them great bargains.
There are also free video editing software packages like
this
one and this
one and these.
And free
trial versions of commercial video
editing programs. Why
buy software at all?: Do remember that you don't
need to buy any video editing software if what you want
to do is just basic video editing, as all modern
versions of Windows include a basic video editing
software package within Windows itself (Click on Start
and go to Programs). What
is and isn't strictly video editing software: There
are visual effects packages, format conversion programs,
DVD encoders and various other programs that
professional videographers use when they want to
transfer footage to a PC, perform some NLE (non linear
editing) on it and output to a device like a DVD. I'll
try to not stray from pure video editing packages, but
no promises :-) I will provide some links here for other
useful packages that are not strictly "video
editing" programs. 
Video-Editing Software from Adobe
(in alphabetical order): Adobe
Premiere is probably the most famous and most used of
video editing software packages and probably the easiest
to get support on as there are several good Premiere
support sites like this
one. It has wide acceptance
in the industry and a lot of useful features. It's a
steep learning curve if you're new to video editing but may be
worth the trouble. It's a bit pricey if bought on it's
own but it does come free bundled with some
video editing cards. Adobe also do a visual effects
package called After Effects and a DVD authoring
package called Encore. Adobe Photoshop, their
image editing program, has long been a leader in it's
field. If you're planning on buying several Adobe
programs consider their "collections" packages
which may work out cheaper. Our support page has a link
to a page containing links to all Major IT
Manufacturers, including Adobe. Video
Editing Software from Avid: Among
professional video editors Avid is probably the most
respected name in the business. The timeline and other
industry standard interfaces that most other video
editing software packages use were originally developed
by Avid. Avid Symphony, at almost a six figure sum is
not for the faint hearted. Avid Xpress is a lot more
affordable. And they do a range of Special Effects
programs as well, but we won't dwell too long on Avid
as Video
Editing Software from Canopus: Canopus
are famous for their high-end video editing cards but
they also do video editing software packages like Edius
and Procoder. Edius is a newer package it
doesn't have the same industry acceptance that Premiere
does. Canopus also do visual effects software like
Xplode, PhotoAlbum and Imaginate. If you are checking
Canopus out have a look at their Production Suites. No
matter what package you finally buy be prepared for the
odd problems/incompatibilities/limitations of that
software when combined with your chosen video editing
card. In that respect you safest bet is to go with a
manufacturer who makes both the card and the software.
Canopus and Pinnacle are good bets. The Canopus DVRex-RT
is a combo hardware + software solution for the
professional market but their Raptor and DVStorm cards
work with their lower priced packages. Edius needs
DVStorm2 or above. Go
to Canopus's site
Video
Editing Software from Pinnacle: Traditionally
Pinnacle were known more for their hardware offerings
than video editing software. They usually bundled other
manufacturer's video editing software with the video
editing cards. But their focus seems to have
changed. Pinnacle Edition has received a lot of
good reviews in the press. They sell a lot of Advanced
"Plug Ins" for Special Effects. Again, the
argument used above with respect getting both your
hardware and software from the same stable applies to
Pinnacle products so have a look at Pinnacle Liquid Edition Pro. Video
Editing Software from Ulead: Many
believe ULead packages to be very affordable compared
with the main player, Adobe Premiere, but that may be
true of video editing software like Ulead's VideoStudio,
for which they even usually provide a free trial
download. However, move up to Media Studio Pro and the
price starts looking like Canopus's Edius and not far
off Adobe's Premiere. Their StudioQuartet is their
professional offering, and the price reflects that .
They do Visual Effects Software like Cool 3D Production
Studio and a million other packages for 3D, animation
and web design. Definitely worth a visit. We have a link
here to our database of all major IT companies. Go to
our main support
page and look for the link.
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