For my new videos, what kind of software do you guys topically use?
I am using CyberLink PowerDirector. It is adequate and not terribly expensive.
The range around here is from “ghetto-riffic” to “Professional” in terms of cost and quality. You can use iMovie and Windows Movie Maker if you want to go the free route. Even though it’s free, it’s not junk, just not necessarily “feature rich”. I will say a television show that was nationally broadcast and syndicated was made using iMovie, which proves the talent can supercede lack of features if one knows what one is doing. Granted, the show was very simple, but that’s not the point.
I’m using Sony Vegas Pro 10, which cost me over $700, and my “update” fee can range from $135-$180/year depending when I have the funds to jump on it. Sony has lower cost version that start around $100. Adobe Premier costs around $2000, as does Final Cut Pro, but there are scaled back Final Cut versions that are much better priced. Yes, Premier and Final Cut Pro are much better than Sony Vegas, but I can do amazing stuff with Vegas and for what I do, it’s an ideal product. With most things, with more cost, you get more features. Do you really need more right now? No, not yet. Maybe soon, but not yet.
Nero and Roxio Easy Media Creator costs $100 each and are a full suite that comes with a bunch of stuff you can use: burning, rendering, DVD making, CD making, video editing, audio editing. Nothing is amazing, both are OK. Both have given me grief from time to time. It’s not a bad “one stop shop” that crams a lot of stuff into one software solution. I think they do trials as well. My past experiences are that I no longer like the video editing of either of these packages, but I’m kinda onto bigger and better stuff, which those software packages pushed me to out of necessity.
The most important thing really: will your software work with your media? If you’re Mac, try iMovie. If you’re PC, try Windows Movie Maker. There’s no reason to spend unless you have to. Sony Vegas(any version) will let you have a 30-day trial for free(with some features not available, mostly on the rendering/output side), which can let you try that out as well.
Again, you can do AMAZING stuff with the free software, especially in regards to most yoyo videos. Only spend the money if you want to expand what you can do, or if it makes good business and/or financial sense to take a larger plunge. Nobody will care what you shot it with, as long as they can see it and it looks good in the end.
i’ve mostly used imovie for iphone to edit videos. works surprisingly well, if you’re patient. i want to try imovie for mac, though.
I use imovie, Its really all you need for the most part.
Most of making a video look good is film technique and knowing how to lay out your material in a good way.
No matter how good and expensive of a video program you have, a badly lit, terribly framed shot will stay as such.
J
Use imove or moviemaker until you get to the point where you want to do something those programs can’t do. For myself, Vegas Pro was waaaay too much of a learning curve, and Moviemaker does what I need it to do.
Funny you should say that. I found the learning curve for Windows Movie Maker and iMovie annoying. With Vegas, it was very logical and intuitive and almost zero learning curve. Must be all those years of working with non-linear audio editing.
It was more a function of with Moviemaker there aren’t as many tools, and they are all right in front of you. Vegas I spent 20 minutes and couldn’t even get it to cut a clip out of a video. I was later told I needed to start by watching some Youtube tutorials, which put it in the category of too much work, lol.
Yeah some of those video edit programs can be very confusing to learn how to use. I worked with imovie for years, and when I recently got Final Cut Pro, I found myself very confused on what to do.
I will learn though for sure, but it may take some time.
There’s always blender if you want a learning curve…
iMovie for yoyo videos, it does everything I need it to. 
Apple Motion for FX on any short films I’m working on.
Heck there is always flash…
. >
J