Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook Talking technology, computers, and the Internet… for the average computer user

I’ve been searching for some quality video editing software these days. The kids and I have been more interested in video these days. I bought a JVC analog camcorder last year (takes mini VHS tapes) and it’s cute for them. However, there is no means for me to convert the analog recordings to digital, for DVD or computer viewing. So I got a discounted digital camcorder (it was a steal– a Samsung flash memory camcorder! I bought the display model) and we are having a blast making movies. I am also pleased that since I make videos for certain advertisers, I can write off the expense for my business. Nice.

Well, all we have is Windows Movie Maker. I like it but it’s very basic. I’ve been looking for something with more features, but I don’t want to spend anything if I can help it. Finding and comparing video editing programs is a little like shopping for auto insurance quotes: you need to compare apples to apples to make sure you’re getting what you need without a buncy of fancy (and useless) bells and whistles.

You know what? After days of searching, I haven’t found anything better than Movie Maker. I’m surprised.

I tried the Corel VideoStudio Pro trial version (found here at C|Net). I was disappointed. It was a huge 121MB download, too! All that waiting and I was displeased. The program is bulky and very slow. I don’t have a clunker computer, either– Athlon64 processor, Vista OS, 2GB RAM, etc. The Corel program jerked and stuttered. When I tried publishing my files to a movie, the movie didn’t include the last clip! And this program sells for $100! Yikes.

I looked around more, but there’s slim pickens. I then tried Avidemux, but that didn’t work for me. I imported my .avi file and all I got was a green screen. ?!

So I’m back to Windows Movie Maker. I did find a site that offers some additional split video clips to add to the collection– it’s a free download called Rehansplit. It’s safe, and Kim Komando recommends it.

For your information, I found a Flash creator program called Riva FLV Encoder. And I found a free online video editing program called JumpCut. That looks good, but I wanted downloadable software.

So for now, I stay with Windows Movie Maker, unless any of you have any ideas. I’m tired of looking for programs; they are hard to come by.