Hello all,

I know this is referenced indirectly in a couple of threads, but I'm looking for some clear advice on a good video editor. This will be to produce some HD family footage with .mts files off the Canon Vixia HFS11 I purchased gave my wife for Christmas.

Our normal use is to film some kids sports games and play activities (zip line, climbing, etc.) We will be sharing these in HD (720 or 1080) via some of the popular sites with family members. Additionally, my wife will probably put many of the edited videos on DVD to play at awkward times when guests are over. I have a laptop on Vista and two desktops on XP.

The ImageMixer editor that is provided is proving inadequate and frustrating. I stumbled on the AVS video editor and its trial download worked very well with many features I’d need. I have one computer on Vista and two on XP. Has anyone used this and have a PIREP? Is there another easy to use option I should look at. Keep in mind I over-extended my knowledge on this subject immediately following “Hello”. Thank you.

Brett

I use Pinnacle Studio, but there are many programs out there that basically work the same. Nero and Adobe make good products that are pretty user friendly. No matter what you use, there is a learning curve that will take a little while.

The best thing I did that helped me the most was to get an Apple computer.

Steve

I've played HD recordings with ATC's line (.mov), Sony's camcorder (.mts), Contour's line (.mov on micro-SD yuck!), and just starting with Drift HD (.mov back to SD yeah!).

I started on a 2 GHz 2003 Vaio that had nowhere close enough horsepower for video editing. I'm now running XP on a Q6600 2 2.4 Ghz with 1 TB internal disk, and external disks of 1, 1.5 and 2 TB. If you need to buy another computer, I second Steve's advice of getting an Apple.

I tried a variety of editors (brief moments of happiness with GOM, VLC) before opening my wallet and getting Pinnacle Studio.

(For pictures, I'm learning a lot from Adobe Photoshop CS 4, but Google's Picasa 3 almost always does magically what I want. I print on an Epson Photoshop 2200 which satisfies my need for instant gratification but I have been quite pleased with photos from Shutterfly.)

As to Vista, when I replaced our Vista computer which my wife used with a Mac, my level of home stress dropped to the noise level. When I replaced Vista on my Sony micro-computer (VGN-UX180), all of sudden I had a useable machine.

Good luck,
Dick

X2 on the Apple (if you can afford it, which I can't)

I currently use Magix Movie Edit Pro. It certainly has a learning curve and may be a little more than you need for just some quick edits for home videos. But if you want to get picky it does well. (It does basic well too though)

Free Trial Download:
http://download.cnet.com/Magix-Movie-Ed ... 76357.html

I have also used Sony Vegas Pro, which is much like the Magix software. I think the Sony was a bit more at the time so I went with the Magix. Good overall programs that can do as little or as much as you want.

Check any program for file conversion (this can be a REAL pain in the ass). If the programs can't convert it from xxx to .mov, .mpeg, .avi, then you're going to spend a lot of time converting it before you even start.

Also, HD video takes a pretty powerful computer to edit (this is where the apple shines). I currently run a 2 year old computer and it is glitchy (need a new comp asap). For PC, you'll want a dual core+ or a core i3+.

Above all, be patient as it takes a lot of time. But in the end, it's a lot of fun.

X 3 on the pinnacle Studio. I have been using it since version 7 or 8 and am now up to version 12. It will do alot more than I have used, but is very easy to use and puts out some great video. I am running it on my laptop, but I had this machine built specifically for gaming and video editing. It was not cheap, but it has worked flawlessly and never hickups on any games or videos.