Okay - I am poor, but I want a more powerful video editing software
package to create DVD movies. Currently I am using Roxio Easy CD/DVD
Creater. It has worked great for capturing and encoding/burning my
DVDs - but for editing it sucks. I want the option of adding some
special effects and better transitions from clip to clip.

I can find CHEAP copies (like, $3) of Ulead Video Studio 6 and
Pinnacle Studio 7 (which both seem to do what I want) on e-bay, but I
fear I am going to get what I pay for (nothin) and waste a whole lotta
time. Pinnacle is easy to use, but apparently is not DVD authoring
software (and this version is buggy). Ulead seems to be better, but
is not as easy to use and has less of what I want.

Should I bite the bullet and buy Premiere, or will a cheap, old copy
of Ulead do the trick?

Thanks,
Larry

My answer isn't so great because I use Premiere and have done very
little with the other choices. From what I think I know, it's worth
the cost and effort to go with Premiere if your goal is to turn out
really high quality videos - commercial quality or nearly so. Among
other things, Premiere includes a lot of ways to improve your content,
including some that affect your video in they ways you've come to
expect with still-image editors. I'd suggest buying the cheapest copy
of 6.0 that you can find. The "last" (I hope not, as I don't much like
Premiere Pro at its present stage of development) version of Premiere
Pro is/was 6.5 and I don't recall the improvements over 6.0 but 6.0 is
pretty decent and likely around $50.

Note that Premiere, like Adobe products in general, makes no effort to
look like a normal Windows program, and that (plus its positively
useful complexity) makes it hard to learn. If you go that way, be sure
to get a good tutorial - otherwise it's hard to know where to begin.
There are some very non intuitive things to learn.

larry_both@hotmail.com (Larry) wrote:

On 23 Oct 2004 22:33:57 -0700, larry_both@hotmail.com (Larry) wrote:

operating system you have. If current enough and fast enough you
should look for Pinnacle Studio 9 full version and not the SE shit.
If you are patient and check the local stores like Best Buy, Comp USA,
and Circuit City or Frys you can Pick it up cheaper than the normal
$100 price. If you can not afford a decent editing program in this
range then your going to get crap if you pay less. You are completly
wrong about Pinnacle being buggy if you have a sufficient hardware and
a fairly stable system. For every complaint you hear about it there
are hundreds of successful installation. For the price you get
everthing you need plus more than you could expect. Capturing ,
editing, and burning all in one. I have produced dozens of DVD of my 3
grandkids with outstanding results.

Larry wrote:

Take a look at Vegas Movie Studio+DVD. It's the "lite" version of Vegas.
It's available on the Sony site for $100.00 which means that you should be
able to find it cheaper elsewhere. The great thing about it is that, if you
ever want to upgrade to Vegas, you'll save money because of the discount
available.
More info on this software is at
http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.co...ct.asp?PID=932

Mike

"Larry" <larry_both@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:2b801013.0410232133.2e77883d@posting.google.c om...

"a-e-i-o-u-" <joseft@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:8BPed.34164$QJ3.10608@newssvr21.news.prodigy. com...

or Vegas of course

I'd avoid Premiere for many reasons...but do have a look at Vegas.

I've used versions 3 + 4 and it is excellent! You can even download a demo
and use it for 30 days - full features.

However it really depends on what exactly your requirements are to what is
best MM2 is fine for most people - if you don't want the
whizz...bang...effects.

Also Edius is a new editing prog that now works on OHCI and is fantastic!
search around and you could get a copy of V2 or 2.5 for around $250. You
also can try a demo at is at www.canopus.com

"Paul Harrison" <mail@paulharrison.f9.co.uk> wrote in message
news:417c0fb2$0$80685$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net...

Which ones?

Premiere certainly isn't for everyone, but primarily because it's a
bit hard to learn due to its eschewing of the normal Windows metaphor,
and all its features. To make a blanket statement like Paul's isn't
helpful. At the high end, it's an excellent program, comparable to
AVID and other similar "professional" editors.

"Paul Harrison" <mail@paulharrison.f9.co.uk> wrote:

"Larry" <larry_both@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:2b801013.0410232133.2e77883d@posting.google.c om...
I have used Magix's Video Deluxe (SE) which I found
for $2.50 in a "Managers Discount" bin at Comp-USA.
It was probably once bundled with some hardware. You
might find that or something like it. One thing you can do
with such finds is use them as the basis for a discounted
upgrade purchase.

I always thought little of Magix products in the past but
thought, what can I lose for $2.50. I was very surprised
at how well this is working and the features it has. If I did
more of the kind this of thing I'd get the $40 upgrade to the
full version. Now even the full version can't compare to
those high end products mentioned (like Vegas or Premiere)
but it can do what you mentioned and a great deal more.

They may have a demo you can download, don't know.

Luck;
Ken

I've tried:

Premiere - Extremely powerful, but slow and explensive; unstable (on an
Athlon 2500+ XP, 512Mb RAM, 120Gb HDD, Win XP SP1). (Score 20%)

Ulead VideoStudio 8 - very limited, but fun for newbies. (Score 60%)

Ulead Movie Studio (?) - Ulead's answer to Premier. Powerful, but slow and
not intuitive. Definitely for the pro market. (Score 50%)

Pinnacle Studio 9 - much the same as Ulead 8 (Score 60%)

Vegas 5 - very slick, and generally easy to use, though not really
intuitive. But too expensive for me! (Score 70%)

And then I stumbled across an advert for Magix Movie Edit Pro 2005. I
couldn't find much about it on the web, but the previous version, 2004, was
available as a demo download (search for "Movie Edit Pro e-version" on
Google)... Anyway, I tired it and loved it. It has 16 tracks to play with,
some pretty powerful editing features and is very easy and fast and stable.
It hits a perfect medium between newbie and pro. And the price is much the
same as for Ulead and Pinnacle's offering. I bought 2005 from Amazon uk for
£35 including postage.

I very highly rate this product and recommend you have a play with the
e-version. (Score 90%)

good Luck,

Nelly