What is the most best computer/editing software for basic video editing?
December 17, 2015 8:11 AM Subscribe
I’m a television documentary executive/producer/writer/director. Earlier in my career, I did some some basic editing, but it was never my specialty. For the last dozen years, I have hired editors and post supervisors to handle everything, so I’m terribly out of touch with the best options out there. Can you help?
Now, I am developing new projects and I will be working under extreme budget constraints as I pitch concepts to networks. So to save every penny, I will be putting together the presentation materials and bringing editors on for a day here or there to make it pretty. I anticipate using this system to:
- Cut together casting reels (5-15 min) made up of source materials that will range from HD video to Skype recordings. I estimate I will be working with anywhere from 5 to 15 hours of materials for each project.
- Cut together presentation reels (5-10 min) that may include documentary verite scenes, interviews, archival and some graphics. I would do the bulk of the work and then hire a finishing editor for a couple days to polish.
- Create string-outs of materials that would then be passed on to editors to shape and polish.
- Organize footage and materials for projects.
- The bulk of the projects finished on this system will be for development purposes but it will also be used to cut promo reels for my company as well as for promos for future projects once they are on their way.
In regard to software, I know my way around FCP (about 10 years ago!), but I understand the latest versions are not great and it’s not longer a viable professional option. The vast majority of projects that I have overseen for the last 10 years have been on the Avid, which I am familiar with as well on a basic level. What about Premiere – that seems to become the low cost alternative to Avid?
I’m aiming to spend between $2000-$4000 for this including software and memory. Is this realistic? Can I do less? Have to do more? I would prefer Apple and a desktop. And I’m hoping to buy it this year so I can apply to 2015 taxes.
Thoughts? Thanks so much in advance!!!
Now, I am developing new projects and I will be working under extreme budget constraints as I pitch concepts to networks. So to save every penny, I will be putting together the presentation materials and bringing editors on for a day here or there to make it pretty. I anticipate using this system to:
- Cut together casting reels (5-15 min) made up of source materials that will range from HD video to Skype recordings. I estimate I will be working with anywhere from 5 to 15 hours of materials for each project.
- Cut together presentation reels (5-10 min) that may include documentary verite scenes, interviews, archival and some graphics. I would do the bulk of the work and then hire a finishing editor for a couple days to polish.
- Create string-outs of materials that would then be passed on to editors to shape and polish.
- Organize footage and materials for projects.
- The bulk of the projects finished on this system will be for development purposes but it will also be used to cut promo reels for my company as well as for promos for future projects once they are on their way.
In regard to software, I know my way around FCP (about 10 years ago!), but I understand the latest versions are not great and it’s not longer a viable professional option. The vast majority of projects that I have overseen for the last 10 years have been on the Avid, which I am familiar with as well on a basic level. What about Premiere – that seems to become the low cost alternative to Avid?
I’m aiming to spend between $2000-$4000 for this including software and memory. Is this realistic? Can I do less? Have to do more? I would prefer Apple and a desktop. And I’m hoping to buy it this year so I can apply to 2015 taxes.
Thoughts? Thanks so much in advance!!!
A lot of people really like FCP X at this point, although it still has a bad reputation and I guess the UI is a little different. You might want to give it a try — pretty sure there's still a free 30-day trial and the program is only $299.
I don't know the precise implications for your tax situation, but it's worth noting that Adobe has gone pretty much subscription only, so you'll be paying for your software one month at a time. It's more expensive, but consider going for the entire Creative Cloud suite rather than just Premiere Pro — it would be worth it to me just to get access to Photoshop and Audition (audio editing) and as a bonus I get to fool around learning After Effects, too.
posted by Mothlight at 3:02 PM on December 17, 2015
I don't know the precise implications for your tax situation, but it's worth noting that Adobe has gone pretty much subscription only, so you'll be paying for your software one month at a time. It's more expensive, but consider going for the entire Creative Cloud suite rather than just Premiere Pro — it would be worth it to me just to get access to Photoshop and Audition (audio editing) and as a bonus I get to fool around learning After Effects, too.
posted by Mothlight at 3:02 PM on December 17, 2015
Oh, as far as your required hardware goes a recent iMac will probably be plenty of horsepower for you. You may want to invest in an external RAID to throw all of your media on.
posted by Mothlight at 3:08 PM on December 17, 2015
posted by Mothlight at 3:08 PM on December 17, 2015
I used Final Cut Pro for years and years. I've used Final Cut Pro X, too. FCPX is...pretty different; there's not exactly a smooth transition. There'll be some fumbling until you get acquainted.
Good news? I never used Premiere in my life before 2 months ago, but I was able to actually teach somebody how to use it, because it was so similar to Final Cut. So Premiere may actually be the easiest for you to transition to; easy cutting and corrections should be reasonably easy to accomplish.
Whether FCPX is viable professionally depends entirely on what exactly you're going to do. There's no hard and fast rule as to whether you could or couldn't use it. But you said you'd be hiring a finishing editor. If you already know who you're working with, ask them what would work. I suspect that's where using FCPX would be a problem for you, since you could certainly do everything you listed with it.
Regarding price: Premiere is on Adobe's aggravating monthly subscription plan. Long term, it could cost more than literally everything else that isn't Avid, since you have to pay monthly. FCP X would absolutely be the cheapest, but you're already aware of some issues it has. Mothlight's assessment is completely on the money; any Mac that isn't in the low power bracket (Macbook, Macbook Air, Mac Mini) should be fine, power-wise, for your editing tasks and software. I'm familiar with Macs so that's what I can tell you about. Doubtless anybody on metafilter can advise you to the specifics of a PC rig, but my advice for buying a Mac is as follows:
-Get a machine with dedicated graphics hardware - no graphics card from Intel.
-More RAM is better; if possible, do not buy from Apple but on their laptops, it's soldered into the logic board so you have no choice.
-Requirements for literally everything go up if you're working in 4K. If so, do not skimp on your computational power. Seems unlikely if you're under extreme budget constraints, but all the video hardware for 4K is much cheaper than it used to be.
It should be more than doable to put together a rig for the budget you've listed, but the more you tell me about what specifically you will do, the more clearly I could advise.
posted by Strudel at 12:33 PM on December 18, 2015
Good news? I never used Premiere in my life before 2 months ago, but I was able to actually teach somebody how to use it, because it was so similar to Final Cut. So Premiere may actually be the easiest for you to transition to; easy cutting and corrections should be reasonably easy to accomplish.
Whether FCPX is viable professionally depends entirely on what exactly you're going to do. There's no hard and fast rule as to whether you could or couldn't use it. But you said you'd be hiring a finishing editor. If you already know who you're working with, ask them what would work. I suspect that's where using FCPX would be a problem for you, since you could certainly do everything you listed with it.
Regarding price: Premiere is on Adobe's aggravating monthly subscription plan. Long term, it could cost more than literally everything else that isn't Avid, since you have to pay monthly. FCP X would absolutely be the cheapest, but you're already aware of some issues it has. Mothlight's assessment is completely on the money; any Mac that isn't in the low power bracket (Macbook, Macbook Air, Mac Mini) should be fine, power-wise, for your editing tasks and software. I'm familiar with Macs so that's what I can tell you about. Doubtless anybody on metafilter can advise you to the specifics of a PC rig, but my advice for buying a Mac is as follows:
-Get a machine with dedicated graphics hardware - no graphics card from Intel.
-More RAM is better; if possible, do not buy from Apple but on their laptops, it's soldered into the logic board so you have no choice.
-Requirements for literally everything go up if you're working in 4K. If so, do not skimp on your computational power. Seems unlikely if you're under extreme budget constraints, but all the video hardware for 4K is much cheaper than it used to be.
It should be more than doable to put together a rig for the budget you've listed, but the more you tell me about what specifically you will do, the more clearly I could advise.
posted by Strudel at 12:33 PM on December 18, 2015
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If you're looking for cheaper alternatives you can try Lightworks or Resolve. The only caution I'd have with using an alternative to one of the industry standards is that if you have to pass along files, or invite an editor to use your system you may run into troubles.
posted by sardonyx at 8:31 AM on December 17, 2015