I'm wanting to try my hand at video editing but I don't know what software I need. I would like to be able to create a video with a matte that will allow me to place sever videos on the matte and possible rotate them and possibly scale and drag around on matte. Will final cut or premiere do that. I don't think any low end will allow this will it?

Do you just want to do picture-in-picture stuff? if so then cheap s/w (premiere elements) will allow this. Your choice of words like 'matte' and 'drag around on matte' make me thing of odd shaped paths for animating your clip position on. I think you can do this easily enough but the more odd the shape the more likely you'll be looking at somethign like After Effects rather than Premiere if you go the Adpobe route.

No experience of Final Cut, sorry.

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Don't really know my terms but that sounds like what I'd like to be able to do. No odd sizes just video ratio size. I'd like to be able to have multiple videos on screen and be able to size them and rotate if possible. I've looked at premiere 2.0 and didn't really see how to get multiple on screen. I'll keep searching around.

OK, from your answer then standard (Picture-in-picture) i what you are after. Like a news item eh? A small piece iof vide playing in the corner while the main one is rolling.

If this is what you want then any video editori that caters for multiple layers will do you. No need to look at Premiere Pro 2 at hundreds of pounds or dollars when Premiere Elements will do the job adequately.

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I'm not young enough to know everything!