Good Video Editing Software?

27 replies
Hi warriors,

What's some good software for making marketing videos?

For my copywriting I'm doing quite a few videos for people, just the texty bits. For some of the more basic gigs I'm considering creating the actual video as well...

Nothing too fancy but does need to be able to do things such as spinning text, whirling text, text fading in and out, falling from the top, whizzing to the size and all that kind of thing.

I don't think Camtasia does that?

Ideally I'd like something that's capable of producing graphical vids too, such as this one:

http://www.yesware.com/

Price isn't too much of an isse, my main concern is how easy it is to use.

Yes, that does rule out Adobe I can't stand their bloatware.



Any ideas?

Ideally something that has plenty of tutorials available for it...



Cheers,

Alan P Carr
#editing #good #software #video
  • Profile picture of the author OBEYchristina
    Camtasia!

    It is easy to use and has tons of tutorials available and also able to do what you listed above...
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  • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
    That was quick Christina! Cheers.

    Camtasia? Really? I used it years ago and found it clunky and awkward and didn't notice anything to do with funky text?

    Mmm. Could download the latest demo I guess - but any other options out there?
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    • Profile picture of the author paulie
      Hello Alan,

      I would suggest Photodex Proshow Producer. You can do all that and more. It is not that cheap though, that's the only thing but IMHO well worth the investment. There are tons and tons of effects you can use with it too.

      Hope that helps you a little.

      Regards
      Paulie.
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  • Profile picture of the author eugenedm
    For me the best free video editing software is no other than Windows Movie Maker, but there are other free software.

    Windows MovieMaker 2 is a great little editor and ships free with virtually all new XP computers these days package.
    http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using…

    Virtual dub
    This is a powerful freeware video editor with many features such as a selection of compression codecs, splitting, addition of audio tracks. Excellent.
    Welcome to virtualdub.org! - virtualdub.org

    WAX
    This is a high quality and flexible video compositing and special effects software. The idea for Wax is to be very general purpose and flexible in video compositing and effects, so that you can compose your dream video sequence with ease everytime.
    Wax - [ Homepage ]

    Zwei-Stein
    Zwei-Stein 3.01 is a freeware non-linear, non-destructive video compositing and editing system which offers many advanced features unavailable elsewhere.
    With Zwei-Stein you can edit up to 256 video, audio and still image clips, each with up to 64 effects chained serially. Cropping, panning and custom effects are easy with automatic key frames.
    http://www.thugsatbay.com/tab/?q=zweiste
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  • Profile picture of the author Gail_Curran
    Camtasia alone will not get you very far. But used in conjunction with other programs it's a great tool.

    For basic moving text and image effects, you can use Powerpoint. Create the slides with the effects, then save as a video (File -> Save and Send -> Create a Video). If you want a voiceover, record it separately in Audacity (or Camtasia) and then join the audio and video in Camtasia.

    For a more graphical look, check out Powtoon.com and Sparkol.com.

    The video from yesware was made with After Effects or something similar. Sorry to break it to you, but there is no easy way to get that level of sophistication. You need both the right software and the necessary expertise.

    Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Terry Kyle
    Hi Alan,

    Probably the simplest option is to create the effects and presentation you want in Powerpoint (as Gail said), then play the Powerpoint presentation as you record it with Camtasia - I recommend a basic USB Logitech microphone (c. $20), I use that method and it works fine.

    The mic I use on Amazon:

    Amazon.com: Logitech USB Desktop Microphone...Amazon.com: Logitech USB Desktop Microphone...
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  • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
    I don't mind spending some time learning - but I won't, ever, touch Adobe products. They're senseless bloatware at ridiculous pricing and i *know* other companies make superior products.

    I'm just not sure which companies, for video editing

    I live in SE Asia, I could get a fully functional pirate copy for 5 ringgit but I just can't stand Adobe. They're the software version of jargon; a deliberate barrier to entry.

    ("Oh YOU can't do that, nooo, you have to spend 10 years or more, figuring out this Adobe crap..")

    The other thing I never do is rent software, and that Sparkol thing is renting. Powtoon is offline but probably the same..?

    Proshow Producer is looking like it could do what I want, though the interface seriously sucks. Not intuitive at all. I'll play with it some more when I have time.

    Have downloaded Camtasia, again. Seems a bit better than it used to be but I'm not really seeing the options of playing with text..? Omigod, this is as hideous as I remember...

    No, just no.

    I'll have to keep experimenting I guess...


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    • Profile picture of the author Gail_Curran
      Camtasia doesn't have options for playing with text.

      There is NO magical software that will meet your requirements. Like copywriting, quality video creation takes skill, time, and effort.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paperchasing
      Originally Posted by AlanCarr View Post

      I don't mind spending some time learning - but I won't, ever, touch Adobe products. They're senseless bloatware at ridiculous pricing and i *know* other companies make superior products.

      I'm just not sure which companies, for video editing

      I live in SE Asia, I could get a fully functional pirate copy for 5 ringgit but I just can't stand Adobe. They're the software version of jargon; a deliberate barrier to entry.

      ("Oh YOU can't do that, nooo, you have to spend 10 years or more, figuring out this Adobe crap..")

      The other thing I never do is rent software, and that Sparkol thing is renting. Powtoon is offline but probably the same..?

      Proshow Producer is looking like it could do what I want, though the interface seriously sucks. Not intuitive at all. I'll play with it some more when I have time.

      Have downloaded Camtasia, again. Seems a bit better than it used to be but I'm not really seeing the options of playing with text..? Omigod, this is as hideous as I remember...

      No, just no.

      I'll have to keep experimenting I guess...


      ACP
      Explain to me how you know there are superior products if you don't know what they are, because the logic escapes me.
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      • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
        @paperchase I mean superior in that they're easier to use, without requiring you to become a liberal dropout for a few years at your parent's expense and then whine like a butthurt b*tch when you can't find a job.

        Sorry, was that harsh?

        That doesn't mean such alternative to Adobe are suitable for what I'm looking for here though.

        Kurt, I'm not looking for perfection, simply something that's usable for my purpose, which is primarily simple, text-based marketing videos.

        @ Brian - Hi Brain! I think you're probably right!

        I'm confused though, when you say you can do snazzy stuff with Powerpoint text?

        Looks to me like the only animation is for the whole slide/frame, not individual bits of text? Let's take a closer look...

        Yep.. yep...Mmm... usual stuff... eh? What's this? "Insert text box.." now I can 'add effect" on that separately... So you CAN make individual words move around..

        I can haz cheeze?

        Ooer.

        I didn't realize you could do so much with Powerpoint!

        Cheers Brian!



        Alan
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael D Forbes
    Sony Vegas is pretty powerful, streamlined and (mostly) intuitive. There is a LOT you can do out of the box with text, and if you add a plug-in or two you can do way more. The learning curve is way shorter than AE or Premiere, and it can do vastly more than Camtasia can.

    I use all 4 programs so yes, I am familiar with each of their strengths and weaknesses. I don't believe there is a one-size-fits-all video editor out there, but Vegas is a good balance of Pro potential and Noob ease.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
    Cheers Micheal,

    Right now I don't have time to play with it but that Photodex product Paulie mentioned seems pretty much ideal, though it's hard to tell what you're doing until after you've done it. Probably a very good program if you get to know it.

    Regarding Sony Vegas, I've often heard good things about it... Haven't downloaded the demo yet as it offers only a 64 bit version, whereas my Win7 is 32 bit.

    Might still work.. I'll try downloading it and see what happens... Nope, their help section says it won't work.

    *sigh*

    They have "movie studio platinum" though, which is 32 bit, I'll try that..



    Cheers
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    • Profile picture of the author Brandon Tanner
      Originally Posted by AlanCarr View Post

      Regarding Sony Vegas, I've often heard good things about it... Haven't downloaded the demo yet as it offers only a 64 bit version, whereas my Win7 is 32 bit.
      Strange that the trial download is only available for 64 bit now. I use Vegas Pro on a 32 bit Windows 7 system... works great. But yeah, download the 'Movie Studio' trial... the user interface is basically the same as the 'Pro' version... the only real difference is 'under the hood'.

      I must say though that while Vegas is a great "all around" video editor... it isn't exactly known for its "effects". If you're looking for amazing animations / FX... then After Effects is where it's at (along with a steep learning curve, of course).

      I don't know why you need/want to use those kinds of effects for copywriting videos though... but if all you want to create is text effects, there are other programs out there that are much easier to learn than After Effects (though "easy" is a relative word when it comes to animation / FX software). That said, these are the simplest "text effects" programs I've ever used...

      BluffTitler: 3D Effects for Video Titling and Digital Signage - Homepage

      Animated text effects & video titling - Wildform Wild FX

      Both have downloadable trials, so you can test them out to see if you like them.

      And as a few others have mentioned, ProShow Producer has some pretty cool effects, at least as far as "easy learning curve" programs are concerned.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    Video Software for Under $100

    For pure graphic text, Corel Video Studio is best, but has other issues.

    Proshow Producer is best for creating slideshows, but I found it renders very slowly on my system.

    Sony Vegas is the best over-all editor, but doesn't have great graphical text or slideshow features. You can find older, 32 bit versions on eBay.
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  • Profile picture of the author dimazgyba
    camtasia still the best and easy to use, because it have feature to record power point too.
    of course adobe product is high and ridiculous price because it have much feature that you don't need if you want just to make video marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
    Burt, what are the "other issues" with Corel?

    Brandon, just tried both those little programs, hated both of them!

    Have spent half an hour with Sony's Movie Studio thing, which does seem to offer most of what I want, though only offers one type of animation per element. That means I can make a word slide onto the screen... but I can't make it slide off again! I can make it vanish but you only seem to get one option in terms of animation.

    Proshow offers animation for incoming, steady and outgoing text, which is a whole lot better.

    The Corel thing is still downloading... (1.3 gigabyte!)

    Brandon, you ask why I'd want such a thing for copywriting? Because I'd like to offer clients something beyond a crude Powerpoint slideshow or, as I do at present, tell them to go find a graphical person. However many such videos would be find with just the client's talking head or voiceover, with the writing shown here and there, preferably as more than just some static text.

    Doesn't need to be anything too fancy, I don't need twirling 3D chrome lettering thats on fire and lit by 4 different light sources, just the ability to make a word in bold drop down into the sentence, or fly off the screen and be replaced by a different word, that kind of thing. Something a bit more interesting than downloading a 10MB video just to read 2kb of static text...

    If I'm going to charge clients for such a service I need to do more than say "Look, I Camtasia'd some Powerpoint slides for ya! Impressed huh? Huh?"

    On the other hand, less is more... I want some animation but to drive home the sales message, not distract from it.


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  • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
    The Corel thing was a complete waste of time. Like so many other programs it only really allows editing of TITLE text, whereas I need to edit individual words from complete paragraphs of normal text.

    Yes I can make the text smaller but it only allows effects on the entire "title", not individual words or sections. Useless to me.

    :?


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    • Profile picture of the author Kurt
      Originally Posted by AlanCarr View Post

      The Corel thing was a complete waste of time. Like so many other programs it only really allows editing of TITLE text, whereas I need to edit individual words from complete paragraphs of normal text.

      Yes I can make the text smaller but it only allows effects on the entire "title", not individual words or sections. Useless to me.

      :?


      ACP
      You also don't give any details of what you want to do, then complain when a program isn't perfect.

      Good luck in your search for perfection.
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      • Profile picture of the author Marty S
        I used to use Camtasia (as well as Corel VS and Sony Vegas) and PowerPoint which was a decent enough combination. However a few years ago I purchased an iMac and started using ScreenFlow and Keynote.

        I find the Mac + ScreenFlow + Keynote a significant improvement in my video production workflow, not to mention it is a lot more "fun" to actually be working on a project, which in my case, helps in being able to be more creative. One major improvement that I can mention now is the fact that ScreenFlow can record outrageously long screencasts without taxing your computer's system. This was a huge issue for me with Camtasia (PC) as I often recorded hour long poker sessions.

        If you do have the opportunity in the future to switch to Mac, especially if video production will be a huge part of your marketing - I highly recommend switching or adding a Mac OS to your office.
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  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    Hey Alan (long time no type),

    Since I'm fairly certain you're not interested in using a Mac and Keynote, I'd suggest you just step up your game with Powerpoint and use Camtasia to record/render.

    For snazzy but simple VSL's, you'll be more than fine (once you get hip to animating the text / transitions in PP).

    The next rung on the ladder of video sophistication is definitely not worth trying to do in-house unless you're as dedicated to getting as good at video production as copywriting.

    My 2¢,

    Brian
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  • Profile picture of the author Al amin
    Have you ever tried Ulead and Adobe premier pro?
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  • Profile picture of the author Jan W
    the king or queeen of video editing software is still adobe premiere. But really expensive like all the other great adobe products. But you can ckeck out the trial for 30 day. give it a try. If you want fast results you should combine powerpoint and camtasia or photodex proshow videoproducer.
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  • Profile picture of the author cypherslock
    There is also Adobe Premiere Elements.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gleborg
    Guys, don`t over complicate this stuff - Pinnacle Studio 15 or Avid Studio which is around 150 bucks is perfect for the purpose of Alan.
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  • Profile picture of the author HorseStall
    I'm partial to Camtasia.
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  • Profile picture of the author danilion55
    Adobe After effects is best but you need to learn it its not for newbies
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  • I use Sony Vegas. It is powerful and isn't too complicated to use.
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