Video Editing

[THaNaToZ]

Not sure where to post this but I wanted to find some tools to help edit some video.
My canon 70d took video in .mov format.
I'm able to convert the format easy enough using a converter (wmv or mp4).

Although, I wanted to know what recommendations there are for the following:
1. Combine or trim video files (airesoft or wondershare seem to work ok)
2. Crop the video down (they were 1080p but may not need that size)
3. Remove sound. Add a new layer sound (mp3) over it
4. Combine video with pics

Thanks

[Geoff F]

There are many video editing programmes available ranging from free to rather expensive, and you might already have something suitable, although basic, with your camera or computer software.

When I was in a similar position last year, I found that the Sony software was well recommended; but I tried an old Serif Movie Plus programme (version 5) which I got as a freebie when purchasing something else, and it did all that I required. Actually worked better than some of the other trial software which I downloaded.

I was doing similar edits to what you require.

For creating slideshows, including mixing photos with video plus adding a soundtrack etc I use Proshow which works well, although not the cheapest option. You would still need an initial video editor though.

[Manfred M]

Ankit - the tool used for this kind of work done with a non-linear editor and there are lots of different ones out there. Even Photoshop (starting with CS6, I believe, has this functionality). I work with the high end ones (Premiere Pro CS2014 and Final Cut Pro), so am unfortunately not much help with the lower end ones. If you are using Windows, I suspect you can still get Windows Movier Maker as a free download from Microsoft.

1. Cropping and splicing is what these editors are designed to do. The more complex ones allow for separate audio and video timelines.

2. No; if you recorded in 1080p, continue to work in that resolution. Scaling up or down can add additional complications; in general the rule of thumb for video is that you should record in the format you plan to play it in. Some rendering applications do let you this, to a certain extent, but other than frame rate changes, the end results may not be particularly what you want.

3. The non-linear editors I use defintinely let you work the sound tracks, including removing the existing one and replacing it or simply overdubbing and changing the volume of the track your camera recorded.

4. Adding still images is not an issue, but they should be reformated to the video format you are using; for instance 1920 x 1080 would likely be the scaling you need.

[dje]

Hi Ankit

Probably the three most popular consumer video editing programs are

• Cyberlink Power Director
• Corel Video Studio
• Adobe Premiere Elements

The best way to evaluate them is to download the trials. I think Adobe Premiere Elements is the only one of the three that works on a Mac.

I have Adobe Premiere Elements 11 (12 is the latest version I think) and am quite happy with it. It is the cut-down version of Premiere Pro that Manfred mentions above.

Any one of the three above should do all you want.

You would be best to do all your editing on the HD files straight from the camera. There will be no need to transcode these before using them on these programs. One thing to note is that for editing HD video, you need a computer with a fast processor (i5 or i7), plenty of RAM and preferably 64 bit OS.

Check the prices on the web but they are around the $100 mark I think.

Dave

[THaNaToZ]

Thanks for responses...

I think the combining and trimming the videos seem to be the easiest of the tasks.

I mentioned cropping the video because some of the videos, the entire space is not used. Wondershare and movie maker don't seem to do true cropping. I can "crop" the video but then when I export, it forces it into a standard format like 1080p or one of the 6 drop downs. Cropping would allow the file sizes to be reduced too and seem more clean for people to view.

I'm not sure what the camera has to offer in terms of editing the videos in the display. Maybe I'm missing it. I also completely bypassed thinking of the CDs it came with which may have something but I'd have to dig up.

I'll have to take a look at those programs an give them a go. (assuming my internet at home ever gets restored).

[Manfred M]

Thanks for responses...

I think the combining and trimming the videos seem to be the easiest of the tasks.

I mentioned cropping the video because some of the videos, the entire space is not used. Wondershare and movie maker don't seem to do true cropping. I can "crop" the video but then when I export, it forces it into a standard format like 1080p or one of the 6 drop downs. Cropping would allow the file sizes to be reduced too and seem more clean for people to view.

I'm not sure what the camera has to offer in terms of editing the videos in the display. Maybe I'm missing it. I also completely bypassed thinking of the CDs it came with which may have something but I'd have to dig up.

I'll have to take a look at those programs an give them a go. (assuming my internet at home ever gets restored).

A few thoughts;

1. Trimming and reordering video clips tends to be quite easy. The same is also true for sound tracks;

2. You don't want to reformat (crop) video if you don't have to. Video formats, especially if you plan to play the videos on a television are pre-defined and shooting at one of the standardized frame sizes and frame rates is recommended. Playing on a computer screen is a bit more forgiving, but even then, reformating is generally not done other than perhaps final output rendering.

The black bars that you see is how your video player matches the video to your screen size. I would highly recommend that you let your player figure out the appropriate rendering. Don't for get video frames are tiny; the standard 1920 x 1080 is around 2MB and the other standard 1280 x 720 is around 1MB. In video frames, you don't have a lot of material to begin with, so throwing some away is not going to be a brilliant thing to do, unless you are planning on poor quality YouTube video.

In camera video editing is awful. I would totally ignore that functionality and use a software non-linear editor on your computer.

[proseak]

Avidemux is free, cross-platform, and will do a lot of this for you... well, the first 3. I've never tried #4, and would be interested to hear how it goes.

HTH

Peter

[shumicpi]

Though I didn't use it, but yet I have heard that Avidemux software is good and it is free for any kind of video cutting and joining task. You have already get some idea from all responses as well as you check this out also.