Home Video Editing

Resist said:

So I want to get into home video editing and was wondering what I need. Currently I have a PC desktop and laptop. Windows Movie Maker doesn't impress me to much and not sure if Windows 7 would make things any better. So I am thinking about getting an Apple computer but am not sure what to get. I may want to go beyond simple home editing and try my luck at animation video.

Any suggestions would be great.

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Windows 7 doesn't come with Windows Movie Maker,though you can download it.

As for going with a mac,honestly we would need to know how much you plan on spending on one before we could give you a better answer.I have a mac mini and recoding just kicks it in the rear,but it will let you edit basic video just fine.

I personal wish I had the iMac with the i7 intel processor.

For video editing I suggest iMovie with looot of RAM (considering you are a new comer to this). If you get more advanced Final Cut Express with an external FW harddrive will be a good upgrade, so avoid the new Macbook

Video editing is consuming a lot of CPU power and RAM. So you have to estimate your needs, because basically the more expensive is the better... I think an iMac would be a very good start. But pros go only with MacPros because they can set up RAID units.

I had a nifty reply about trying Adobe Premiere Elements* for your PC since it seems pretty popular.... but I took a closer look at Adobe's site and it looks like a bit of a handholder to me. So I won't suggest getting it.

I use a Mac for video editing because I have always had Macs. I started with iMovie and now use FCP, but software alone doesn't make your movies work. There was even a zombie movie made in my city that got cinema release (and good reviews. well, OK reviews. it was a zombie movie after all...) and it was all cut on a PC using Premiere and After Effects. I read an interview with the creators who complained the PC was crashing every half hour by the end of the project, but dammit they got it out the door. That's movie making.

Feel free to buy a Mac, I love my 24" iMacs (home with FCE, work with FCP) and learning FCP may get you into the industry if that's where you want to go, but if you just want to noodle around a bit with editing, grab something decent for your PC and see how you go. The fundamentals are the same, even if the keyboard shortcuts are different.

IMO, a Mac Pro is overkill for FCE/FCP. You might get some value of of all those CPU cores, but it's an expensive machine. Even a 21.5" iMac is a beast these days - better specs than my not-quite-top-of-the-range iMac I bought a year ago for a grand more. (make sure you get the full size wired keyboard)

The first time I saw video editing done on a Mac (on a Quadra, IIRC) I said: "That is so cool. One day, I am going to do that." And now I do. My only regret is that I meandered into it. If you want to really do video editing, grab it with both hands and do it.

(*assuming your PC is up to spec for it)

In my opinion, Final Cut Pro is definitely a very good video editing suite, but I feel that if you're already using a PC, I would go for a software package such as Adobe Premier.

It may seem a bit baffling at first, but to be honest I think this is true of all editing software, and it just is a case of learning how to use it.

I've actually just switched back to Windows after my Macbook died, and of course, I am now using Adobe Premier CS3.

being on a mac forum, i'm going to recommend you buy an imac

one of the new ones would be sweet! although the last gen 24" is still very good!

i have a late 2008 imac 24" and make home movies (of the family - not adult nature! lol).. i used to use final cut express, but it was probably too much for my needs.. i just wanted to quickly edit while adding titles and a bit of flare.. and imovie09 is great for that! (u get it free with new imacs)

rendering & exporting a movie might still take a few hours on the imac, but for me, that's a not a huge deal.

hope this helps.