Software recommendation please!

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Though I am a graphic designer primarily working in print for my organization, I've been tasked with helping out our A/V department more and more making their stuff look better. They are all technically proficient with their system– Avid on a Windows-based PC– but they lack the design sense necessary to take their work to a higher level.

I've received permission from my boss to start looking into video editing programs for myself, so I can create some mockups to show both the A/V people and our supervisors (before A/V even gets involved). The work that I do won't likely be the final product.

At home, I've created a couple of movies using the latest version of iMovie, and have found that a bit lacking even for personal projects, particularly with placing text and images over the top of live video. I'm not sure I need all that Final Cut Pro X offers, but the price is definitely in my budget, whereas the Mac version of Avid isn't. I also know that FCE was just discontinued earlier this year.

Not that it is necessary at all, because any video I send them will be better than still images I'm using now to describe what I'd like to see and they are just recreating everything I currently send anyway, but is there any program that would allow me to export something that they can directly import into Avid?

Thoughts?

 

[Kevin Monahan]

Check out Adobe Production Premium at 50% off right now. You'll have Premiere Pro, After Effects, as well as Photoshop and Illustrator + more. http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/production.html

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Thanks for the reply, Kevin. I'd forgotten about Premiere, and since I work a lot with Adobe's other products, this might be an intriguing option.

I currently have Design Standard CS4 on my system, without any video production tools. It looks like to upgrade to CS5.5 Production Premium, it would cost $649. Even though I wouldn't really be "switching" (as the A/V guys would still be on Avid) would I be eligible for the 50% discount using one of their serials?

Any thoughts on Premiere or Final Cut or anything else from anyone else?

 

[VideoCave]

Re

A video editor app is not what you really need. What you need is Apple Motion (which is $50 in the appstore and a download) or After Effects.

To give you an idea the difference here is FCP, Priemer, or Avid would be what InDesign is, something you bring everything together in for final output.

Motion or AfterEffects would be what Photoshop is to a graphic designer. An app that can do all the special effects, mask, overlay modes, particles, generators, 3rd party plugin effects.

 

[blunti]

automatic duck can get your stuff from final cut into avid ( and vica-versa) without a hitch!

 

[handsome pete]

automatic duck can get your stuff from final cut into avid ( and vica-versa) without a hitch!

there's a $495 hitch i can think of.

plus that's export from FCP7, not FCPX.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Thanks for the additional responses, guys. Is Motion or AfterEffects more like what I need? I have no experience with either, and short of the explanation from VideoCave (thank you for putting it in terms I can understand), have no idea what they do. Any other opinions?

 

[handsome pete]

Thanks for the additional responses, guys. Is Motion or AfterEffects more like what I need? I have no experience with either, and short of the explanation from VideoCave (thank you for putting it in terms I can understand), have no idea what they do. Any other opinions?

What information are you looking for beyond what VideoCave posted?

AE is a motion graphics/compositing program. It's basically photoshop for motion video. While you can do effects in your Non-linear Editor, it's limiting.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

What information are you looking for beyond what VideoCave posted?

AE is a motion graphics/compositing program. It's basically photoshop for motion video. While you can do effects in your Non-linear Editor, it's limiting.

I'm not looking to do a lot of effects. Just some text layers and image layers over the top of video that has been recorded. It seems to me like Premiere or Final Cut or Avid would be best for that, but it has been suggested that I should be looking at After Effects, a program I've heard of, but didn't have any experience with.

Sorry if I'm not explaining what I'm looking for, or what I'll be doing, well enough. This is somewhat new to me.