Video Editing Software

Overview With the advent of more powerful PCs, faster data transfer rates, and the growth of affordable digital video equipment, desktop video editing has become both simple to perform and popular. Inexpensive video editing software can provide you with the tools to capture, edit, and produce your own video. 

General Information Typically, video editing software prices are directly proportional to the quality and functionality of the software. Low-cost (under $100) video editing software gives you basic tools to capture and edit video footage, take still photos, and add effects and text to your video production. More expensive, professional video editing software can cost as much as $2000 but includes features such as high quality editing tools and a more powerful interface. Professional video editing software is typically compatible with other editing software such as photo editors and vector graphics editors. 

To begin exploring video editing software visit PCMag.com for a useful list of video terminology. You’ll also find an article that provides a general overview of video editing  and video editing software at desktopvideo.about.com/.  Another introductory article about video editing software, hardware, and capture cards can be found at Hardwarecentral.com. Here you can find information ranging from prices for video capture cards and video editing software to descriptions of many different video editing software packages. For a comprehensive list of many of the video editing software packages and related products on the market today, visit this Web page. Considering that desktop video editing software has only been available for a brief time, the variety that exists amongst video editing tools is somewhat surprising. 

Adobe Premiere Adobe Premiere is widely considered to be one of the best video editing software packages available. The current version, Adobe Premiere 6.5, sells for over $500 for the full installation. Its features include the ability to directly import DV (digital video) via a Firewire or iLink port, directly output to the Web, and to interface with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. You can read all about this powerful video-editing program at the Adobe Premiere home page. For further information about Adobe Premiere, read this tutorial prepared by the Berkley Multimedia Research Center. Another useful Adobe Premiere site is the Wikipedia Premiere Pro Web page. Here you will find reviews, tutorials, purchasing information, and FAQs about Premiere.

Apple iMovie Apple Computer’s iMovie video editing software is a powerful and affordable video editor for the Mac OS. iMovie is usually included, pre-installed, on the G3 and G4 models at no extra charge. It can also be downloaded for a reasonable price of $45. With iMovie, you can capture, view, and edit your movie and export it to the Web or to DVD. Apple touts iMovie 3 as having a highly intuitive interface. They are so convinced of this, that a manual is not provided with iMovie 3 software. Visit Apple Computer’s iMovie page (www.apple.com/ilife/imovie) to download iMovie and to read about the newest release of iMovie, and to view a PDF file of product specifications. Another useful iMovie resource is en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imovie. Here you can find tips and tricks, tutorials, reviews, and updates for iMovie. A thorough iMovie tutorial can be found at the Mac site (www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/). To learn how to use iMovie with a digital camcorder, read this list of tips. 

Other Video Editing Software In addition to Adobe Premiere and iMovie, there are many other video editing programs available. Some can be downloaded free of charge, whereas professional editing tools can cost thousands of dollars. To view a list of free video editing software, visit this Web page. To see the full range of features video editing software offers, compare “domestic” video editing software with “professional” programs.