iMovie vs. Vegas Movie Studio...vs. [??]

April 2, 2010 8:50 AM

NoviceVideoEditorFilter: iMovie vs. Vegas Movie Studio...vs. [??]

I've gone as far as I can go with MS Movie Maker (2.6) and am looking for a new and reasonably user-friendly video editor with A) More editing features, and B) More output format options than those offered by WMM. My crux: Should I get a better video editing program for my current home PC [Intel 2 Quad/2.4 GHz/4gb RAM, running Vista], or should I start looking at video editing software options for Mac, and get a Mac (which I planned to do anyway, for various reasons, but was waiting until my PC was a little more outdated)?

What I like about WMM is editing in timeline, and WMM's uncluttered interface (aware as I am that "elegant and minimal" is sometimes a nicer way to say "empty and absent"). What I would love to have that WMM doesn't offer, in addition to more output format choices, is:

*At least one more audio track,

*Audio equalizer (or at least the ability to output to formats I can run through Virtualdub),

*More volume control (WMM on Vista really fails here) and,

*More slow/fast motion options (WMM allows only double speed or half speed--that's it).

Geniuses of Metafilter, I am not skillful. The videos I make are for a hobby blog and are ..decidedly unprofessional. I don't need Blu-ray, dvd quality, etc. I doubt I can find the skill or patience for complex programs like Final Cut or Adobe Premiere, so I'm looking for a reasonably straightforward consumer option that's a step up from WMM. I also don't need 400 transition options shaped like inverted hearts and butterflies or the American flag, but I can disregard them if they're there.

*Could a Mac w/iMovie 09/iMovie HD be what I'm looking for? If not, what other Mac options might you suggest?

*If I stay with my PC for now, should I try Vegas Movie Studio? Something else?

I tried CyberLink PowerDirector 8 (clean licensed install on two different PCs) a few months ago and it crashed approx. every 15 minutes on both computers. Awful--ended up getting a refund. But I liked PowerDirector's interface while it was running. The trial version of Corel Video Studio 12 I downloaded was also buggy for me, though not as bad as PowerDirector.

**Bonus Question re saving/converting my existing .wmv movies: I'm using a Logitech 9000 webcam that outputs to .wmv. I don't remember ever setting .wmv as an option format. Does this mean that I might have original files in .avi (or other native format?) on my hard drive?

Thanks for reading this. I sincerely appreciate any advice any of you may be able to offer on any of these questions.

posted by applemeat to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Best answer: The problem you're going to have is this: You want a timeline.

IMovie HD (Current) is optimized for a different use: People hate to capture. It's not meant for finesse, it's meant for exactly what you describe (bobbiest, some volume control, speed changes). It's really good. It's quite easy; it's not designed for people who want an 'easy' video editor, it's literally designed for people who don't want to learn about video editing at all.

The idea that you know how an Audio EQ works, means that you might want to take a look at Final Cut Express at an apple store (discount when you buy a new machine.)

But you might also want to look at Premiere elements (which is not available on the mac.) It has a timeline, it's priced right and is pretty stable.

Vegas is also good - and strong with audio.
posted by filmgeek at 9:13 AM on April 2, 2010

Vegas has a free demo. Why not download it and give it a shot?
posted by The Lamplighter at 9:37 AM on April 2, 2010

Best answer: I'd actually disagree a bit with filmgeek; you might want to give iMovie a try. It's gotten way more fully-featured since the last version, and I think it would fill all your needs. It's free with a new Mac as well. I really reccomend going in to an Apple Store for an iMovie workshop. They're free and will give you a chance to see how it works and ask questions.
Final Cut Express is a great option as well, but it's a bit more expensive and has a steeper learning curve. You can give both a try and see which works for you.
posted by raygan at 10:19 AM on April 3, 2010

Best answer: Vegas is as fully featured as FCP and Premiere are; it's wrong to think of it as a simpler version of a non-linear editor. Having said that, it's an excellent program and the NLE of choice for any professional working on a PC.

I think Final Cut Express might be the one for you -- but you'll need a Mac to run it.
posted by Bobby Bittman at 3:47 PM on April 3, 2010

Response by poster: OP Follow-up in case anyone else reading is looking for the kind of program I was hoping to find when I posted this question:

I ended up going with Serif's Movie Plus X3, an inexpensive NLE (PC only) that is still relatively new. I've been using it for a month now, and am generally very pleased with its easy interface and sophisticated features that are thousands of miles more advanced than Movie Maker's. Movie Plus X3 has storyboard mode, many highly-customizable video effects, it splits clips into audio and digital tracks automatically allowing for easy audio adjustments and equalization, allows multiple audio and video tracks, and the program has played well with all of the various audio and video file types I've imported. So far, Movie Plus X3 has been >99.5% stable for me (Windows Vista), and provided that continues I would happily recommend it for beginner/intermediate, non-pro editing on PC.
posted by applemeat at 9:10 AM on July 18, 2010