Simple Video Editing Software for Home Movies Needed

[TruthIs1]

I want to take a bunch of old VHS home movies and Put them on to DVDs with chapters and no large gaps. I have a DVD/VHS recorder, so I can get the raw footage on DVD, but I would like a PC program that will help me take it another step.

Suggestions?

Thankx

[pentachris]

Personally, I like Sony's Vegas Movie Studio + DVD for video editing. Pinnacle and Adobe also make popular video editing software. I chose Sony's because I'd read that it was known to be more stable, less prone to crashing than the others.

The problem, though, is that once the video is in DVD-video format, it's not easy edit. I'd suggest getting some sort of capture device that will bring the video in to the PC as editable files (preferably .avi, but .mpg will also work), do your editing, then build the DVD structure and burn.

[mjc]

I second that motion...it is a lot easier to edit them before encoding them as DVDs.

[johnny_quest]

Windows Movie Maker works great and it's free. if you want to spend $500+, you can buy Sony Vegas.

Panasonic's DVD-RAM/R recorders allow on disc editing, simpled cut and splice stuff. It's instant, no loss in quality, no waiting for enconding.

I used one of those, plugged my analog camcorder in, copied all the video, edited it by remote control, and the DVD-RAM data can be copied right to your computer without quality loss as an .mpg

Yeah you'll have to buy a $200 burner, but you'll see how expensive quality capture cards are... I never had any decent results with capture cards upto $200. The realtime encoding will kill the quality.

[pentachris]

if you want to spend $500+, you can buy Sony Vegas.

Or, if you want to spend $90, you can buy Vegas Movie Studio (http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/showproduct.asp?pid=977). (I've occasionally seen it cheaper in store on sale.)

[junk]

adobe premiere is good and i think premiere elements is the scaled down version and should be good for what you want to do....
dont know the cost off hand...

i have used pinnacle studio in the past.
it will frustrate the hell out of you at times, but when its working, its decent.
ive had many frustrations with it, so i cant say id recommend it that much.
but version 8 is okay and would cost prob ard $75 i think


also, jsut note, if you want to do a lot of editing, it will take lots of time, and LOADS of hard disk space.
1 hour of video footage in .avi format (editable) is 13 GB.
although, like the above post mentioned i think you can edit in mpg format also,


if all you plan to do is add menus to the footage you want to convert, and dont really want to edit, i would say its not worth the time. (i.e. if your dvd recorder can create chapters i would say stick with that)

[chrisling]

Windows Movie Maker works great and it's free.

I'm preferring Windows Movie Maker too :)

[mjc]

Just because it is included with Windows doesn't mean it is 'free'...if it were a stand alone product, MS would probably be charging $99.95 for it.

[emily]

I am using Cucusoft iPod Video Converter Suite to help me to put my favorite dvds onto my ipod , it works pretty good . I downloaded it at convert-DVD-video-to-iPod-video.html . What are you using now ?

[bassman]

reported to mods

[Budfred]

emily,

As a new member who has posted exactly twice using one IP from China to register and then posting under 2 more IPs from China, your endorsement of that program is pretty dubious... I have disabled the links in both cases... I have not banned you yet, though I am inclined to do so... If you are not here simply to SPAM that program, I suggest you let us know your intentions or you will be removed...

Edit: Never mind, I see that you have SPAMmed that tool all over the place... Bye-bye...

[mjc]

Besides, this thread is a rather old one...interest on the original topic has long since passed.

[yokolucu]

Or, if you want to spend $90, you can buy Vegas Movie Studio (http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/showproduct.asp?pid=977). (I've occasionally seen it cheaper in store on sale.)

Vegas is complicated.W.movie maker is so simple.User frindly

[Samuel60]

Power director is simple one.