Cheap but functional software?

topic posted Tue, March 25, 2008 - 2:51 PM by  Malvado Supremo
Share/Save/Bookmark
Advertisement
Hello all,

I have only recently reacquired a filming device, now I need a way to edit things I film. Software I hear is the way to go, given I have a digital camera, but the question is, what is a good thing for me to start out with, and what's affordable?

Ideal progarm is:
>Easy to learn
>Affordable
>Enough function to get by with.

One of my interests is animation, so some capabilities with that would be good. Just looking to add a few tweaks then post it somewhere, really. Nothing extravagant to start.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Advertisement
Advertisement
  • Re: Cheap but functional software?

    Tue, March 25, 2008 - 3:42 PM
    Free is a good price.

    If you have a Mac, you probably have iMovie, which is perfectly fine to learn with.

    If you have a Windows box, you probably have Windows MovieMaker, which is also perfectly functional.

    If you have a Linux box, I've heard good things about Kino, but I don't know much about Linux apps.

    They can do about 90% of what you'll need to learn the basics. And they're all free
    • Re: Cheap but functional software?

      Tue, March 25, 2008 - 6:27 PM
      Windows Movie Maker is surprisingly more than capable of doing decent work. In terms of buying software that is inexpensive- you've got a choice of Adobe Premiere Elements 4 or Sony Vegas Movie. Premiere Elements 4 is very easy and similar to Windows Movie Maker, but with some more features, yet I find Movie Maker better for titling. Now Vegas Movie really can give you pro results on a budget! Great video and audio features, but not so easy.
      • Re: Cheap but functional software?

        Thu, July 24, 2008 - 4:22 PM
        I'm considering going for Elements, but am disturbed when you say Movie Maker does better titles. That's one of the areas I was hoping to find a bit more flexibility with, like duration of fade and so forth. Do you know of anywhere that compares the editing features of the three you've mentioned? Everywhere I look, I keep finding junk about blu-ray and dvd and all I'm looking for is something that will work for youtube. But something with a bit more flexibility than movie maker.
        • Re: Cheap but functional software?

          Thu, July 24, 2008 - 5:01 PM
          Premiere Elements 4 is still the one then. In regards to titling, Windows Movie Maker is just easier, but Elements 4 has more options. As far as working for youtube,you can simply render a smaller file version of a full-size project.
  • Re: Cheap but functional software?

    Wed, February 4, 2009 - 12:12 PM
    Go and BUY MAGIX Movie Edit Pro!!

    It'll cost $20 - $50 Dollars. Buy the newest version.

    I've used it for over 5 years, but it'll take about a year to gain a handle on the controls. I know Avid and Adobe and they pale in comparison. The sky is the limit with the software and you can find it online easy, too.

    The ONLY thing that you CAN'T do is reverse sound, but when is that ever necessary? Other than that, any other audio idea is obtainable, but I also recommend LOGIC for Audio, or look into the Audio Engineering Programs that MAGIX also produces, but they're VERY expensive. And by the way, Adobe can reverse audio. It's the only time that I use it.

    Comes with DvD Authoring Componets, too. I'm telling ya, amazing stuff. I upgrade every couple of years and am hardly disappointed.

    *(Montetre)

Recent topics in "Budget Filming"