Editing Software

[phyllosc]

Has anyone out there in BF got any experience of using video editing software?

I've started to use it recently. The one that came bundled with the camera, Presto Videoworks, was as good as useless. When I approached Canon about it they couldn't care less. Eventually, I got hold of a demonstration disk of Pinnacle Studio 8 and found it to suit my needs and my PC. I've now bought it and started to edit together footage of my Goa trip in January this year.

If anyone has any tips or advice on video editing I'd be grateful to hear them.

Dave Carr

[qwark]

I use Pinnacle 8 ,its fairly easy and can create DVD discs , with menus, also SVCD or VCD discs (burned onto ordinary CD discs) which will play on some DVD players.
However Adobe Premiere is much more difficult but will do much more. I use both at various stages.
Summing up Adobe Premiere 6.5 (version 7 on way soon) is best, but Pinnacle is better to start with.

[Learner]

I too use Pinnacle 8 and so far I am quite happy with its performance.Adobe Premiere is certainly a brilliant package but at a price !!

[Geoff Brown]

I also use Studio 8. It is incredibly easy to use but there is a very good seperate manual, Visual Quickstart guide Pinnacle Studio 8 for Windows by Jan Ozer (ISBN 0-321-18653-2) published by Peachpit Press. I got mine from Amazon.co.uk. 378 pages of useful information.

[phyllosc]

Geoff

Thanks for the book recommendation. I shall check it out

Dave

[phyllosc]

Geoff

I bought in London yesterday. It looks very user friendly.

Dave

[qwark]

Don't forget to go to www.pinnaclesys.com and get the lateset upgrade which is 8.5 something (maybe 8.521) This fixes SOME of the problems. I believe that a new fix is iminent.
Hope this helps
Qwark

[Geoff Brown]

Dave,

Hope you get on O K with it, so far I have had no problems using it.

[phyllosc]

Qwark

Thanks for the tip.

Geoff

I'm slowly plodding my way through it. One thing I did wonder about was the reference made to an instruction manual. I know there is the on-line help system but in the box there was no printed manual. Somewhere in the vastness of the internet I thought I'd read that Pinnacle do supply one with the software but wasn't too surprised not to find one when I opened the box.

Am I missing out on something? Did anyone else get a printed manual with their Studio 8?

Dave

[Geoff Brown]

Phyllosc,

yes you should have got the Pinnacle Studio 8 manual with your software. Suggest you contact Pinnacle and ask them for a copy.

[phyllosc]

Thanks again Geoff, I shall do that

Dave

[Steve T]

Phyllosc, Sorry to come to this so late, you're probably an expert by now.
If you are editing your own material the number one tip, is to think how you are going to edit the sequence, before you film it. If you record the shot well ( eg. sharp, steady, tite, wide and for longer than you think you will need.) and resist the temptation to zoom and pan all over the place, you will have no problems editing your footage. Oh and remember to shoot some cutaways, eg general views of the habitat, including wide shots.
If you want to create slo-mo sequences, you may find that the slowest shutter speed will avoid jerky slo-mo.
Create an archive on dv tape of general behavioural shots, or beautiful sunsets etc. etc. these may come in handy when editing in the future.
You've probably already discovered that a little editing time easily runs to a full day, it's fun isn't it.
Happy editing.
Eddie Torr