Video Editing Software...Opinions Anyone??

[Trackrocket]

Ok, I have had all the Chasecam "goodies" for awhile now, probably since July. I have TONS of on track footage downloaded from an 8Gig CF onto my laptop and/or home computer...but I want to convert to DVD.

Someone at the track suggested looking into Magix Video Editing software an in perusing their site and other sites, seems like the Magix Movie Editor Pro 14 Plus is the ticket? ...I've poked around various websites and it seems that I can't find anything but GOOD things about this software.

It's about $85 to download...or can take a "trial" version.

Does anyone have a better and maybe cheaper suggestion? ...is there free/shareware out there that's decent?

I used to use NERO DVD software but I changed to a new/larger hard drive earlier this year and somehow lost the disc I had...probably a blessing as that software was FREE and it was basically crap.

Now it's time to find something to convert my videos...again, if you have any suggestions - I'm listening. :D

[BroussalM]

Trackrocket

The subject is large !

I'm not going to tell you that it's the best solution, but I test the one I give you and it's working fine.
If you just want to put some frames on YouTube, you could, purhaps, find a freeware for video editing. If you want to make a good DVD, forget it.
Before buying a PDR, you didn't think to have this quality for free? no?;)

Pinnacle studio 12 is a good soft, simple, intuitive and full fonctions for DVD. For 49.99$, I think it's a very good choice for you. You're going to cut, put some effects, etc... All what you want for your DVD.

If you get some more money.
There is 2 other kind of Pinnacle studio 12, it's depend on what you want as result.

If you get more than "some more money".
With Adobe Premiere pro CS4, and all the softs of the Premiere suite, ( or Final cut Pro for MAC) you enter into the not intuitive and not simple soft but there is no limit. The only one is your ability to understand that...there is no limit!

Attention to the "codecs". When you install NERO, you get the good one for the PDR 100. If you can't see the videos with Pinnacle Studio or other, just re-install Nero. After that it's going to work fine.

If you want to creat DVD and showing your movies to your friends, just a thing that we forget all the time:
We are fascinate looking our car or bike, turning on a track or on a road, and never mind if it's during ten minutes or more... Realy WE are the only one !
If you look at a race "in live" you like to stay in front of the TV, waiting to something happen. But, if you look at a record race, you look at the start, jump to the yellow flags and to the 3 or 4 last laps.
If you make DVD, the more shorter it was, the more your frends passed a good party.

Hope it's help you
Regards
Michel Broussal

[Trackrocket]

Michel, thanks for the advice. I'm really not looking for someone to tell me what is the "best" just some opinions so your response was perfect. I was satisfied with the NERO software I had previously, when I was turning mini-DV into DVD...but I always wanted more.

I've had other advice that says to peruse the different software available online and that paying some $$$$$$$ will get you a FAR better platform than any shareware/freeware would yield.

I have to find a solution soon because I have about 80Gig worth of downloaded video from my PDR in the last four months!

Thanks again, I would appreciate any more advice/suggestions on this matter.

[RandallNoll]

Hey Jeff,

For video editing, I'm using Sony Vegas here, just because that's what we have. It seems to be plenty robust, to the point that I am nowhere close to really leveraging it's power. Final Cut seems to be the one all the "pros" use. Randy also said the Adobe product is very good. I would assume all of these are multiple hundreds of $$.

For simple clip stuff Windows Movie Maker and the Elecard.com codec seem to work fine. I've used that just to make stuff for youtube.

For simply writing to a DVD, one of our Aussie customers has stumbled across Ulead which he seems to like. He's a plumber/drain inspector and needs to quickly burn the files to a DVD in the field for customers, and Ulead seems to work well for him.

It seems that there is often one product for editing, Sony Vegas for instance, and another for creating the DVD, like Sony DVD Architect.

Hope this helps!

[jdog109socal]

Hey Jeff,

For video editing, I'm using Sony Vegas here, just because that's what we have. It seems to be plenty robust, to the point that I am nowhere close to really leveraging it's power. Final Cut seems to be the one all the "pros" use. Randy also said the Adobe product is very good. I would assume all of these are multiple hundreds of $$.

For simple clip stuff Windows Movie Maker and the Elecard.com codec seem to work fine. I've used that just to make stuff for youtube.

For simply writing to a DVD, one of our Aussie customers has stumbled across Ulead which he seems to like. He's a plumber/drain inspector and needs to quickly burn the files to a DVD in the field for customers, and Ulead seems to work well for him.

It seems that there is often one product for editing, Sony Vegas for instance, and another for creating the DVD, like Sony DVD Architect.

Hope this helps!

I never tryed final cut i heard it was good. My version of Sony Vegas is the movie platinum maker.. about 129.00 I all so have Sony Vegas 8.0 pro version whic is 599.00 whic i really like too. Just depends on what CPU im editingon what i use..

Jeff

[sandy]

I have used Sony Vegas with good results, both 7/8 versions. And did the pro update at some point. I only use 1/100 of it's capabilities but like the interface and came with some good DVD creation software.

Sandy