Which of the software out there has the smallest learning curve for the impatient? =)

I can spend $500 or so if I need to. I'm not averse to picking up something used off ebay from a reputable seller. It seems all the biggies are available for under $500 there, except for Avid.

I started out with the Windows Movie Maker. That is not bad for simple clipping and titling. Pre-loading big files is just getting painful though. I also don't like the limitations on output formats. I'd kind of like to give it the format I want, rather than choose from the presets. (I'd like to be able to decide to use 1024x768 if I want to, etc)

I have the Vegas Tryout (unfortunately all my stuff is .mpg!). This looks not bad. I'm grabbing some random files off the 'net in other formats just to get a hang of editing with it.

I also have the Adobe Premiere tryout. Like many adobe products, it appears powerful but cumbersome, and might require a book/course just to get moving with it.

I haven't found a downloadable tryout for the Pinnacle software. Anybody know where I can find one?

Thanks!

A little reading goes a long way. The "limited" presets are a function of video standards - the 720x576 et al are a part of the Standard Definition (SD) format that's used in your MiniDV camcorder.

I wouldn't say any Non-Linear Editing software has a steep learning curve (certainly not for the basics) as there's not really anything technically complex to grasp. What takes time to learn is the art of editing rather than the mechanics. Indeed, the more simple the software, the more the art of editing is removed.

Adobe Premiere combined with the help files and a limit less imagination is a good start!

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I like FCP & FCE look on the apple site. Its great thats what I use and its going to be the standerd in a few years.

I'm not exporting this video off the computer, so I don't have a dire need to be in a standard format, or the NTSC export ability would have been fine.

I have some stuff in 1024x768 and 1600x1200 and I don't want to change the format, just edit it cleanly.

I can't figure out how to do that in Premiere. I could be missing something though. Can you edit non-standard video sizes with the full version of Premiere? (I only had a tryout).

Vegas seems to allow you to set it arbitrarily. I'll have to spend some more time on it.

I agree that none of them seem to have HUGE learning curves. I just wanted something I can jump into quickly from Movie Maker. I suppose I'll grab a book or something.

For creating custom templates:

1. Start Premiere Pro
2. Click on New Project
3. Select the Custom tab
4. Change the editing mode to Video for Windows
5. You can now change the frame size and aspect ratio to that which you desire.

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Nifty!

I'll download the tryout again and see if I can make a project do what I want it to do!

Personally my tool of the trade is Vegas as it is very intuitive and great for beginners but at the same time incredibly powerful. I think Premiere is very daunting at first, and can take a while and numerous help files to get you going

Andrew

I ended up getting the Movie Studio 4.0 software, as the demo I downloaded seemed to be approximately what I was looking for. If I outgrow it I can always get Vegas 6.

Thanks for your opinions!