Sorry to disappoint but I'm a borg clone owned by Bill Gates

Hello all. I have been working with video for as long as I can remember. There are only 2 video ediiting software packages that I would recommend.

AVID is an industry standard

ADOBE Premiere (this is what I personally use) is the second inudstry standard and is most often used by the motion picture industry.

Both packages are PROFESSIONAL and extremely expensive however you may be able to find a deal on ebay from time to time then go to the software vendor and purchase the updates.

If you buy a used copy or even an unopened copy of and older version, MAKE SURE the software is the FULL version so that you can updgrade and that is it not an educational or demo version. You will just be wasting money if you don't check.

All the rest that are mentioned above are for consumers, less functions and only offer basic video editing but are decent.

Adobe Premiere 2.0 for me too.

Nathan

I would like to correct the record with the above statement. AVID is indeed the standard. Below that in feature film use is Final Cut Studio. WELL below that is Premiere, which was used for just one feature film that I am aware of.

Final Cut is NOT a consumer software program as was stated above. In fact, Final Cut is a much more accepted non-linear editor than Premiere in the editing world. As for Adobe being the "second most often used" software, a quick search pulled up the following films and what they were edited with:

Final Cut Pro:
George Washington(2000), Full Frontal (film) (2002), The Rules of Attraction (2002), Spellbound (2002),
Cold Mountain (2003) — Academy Award nomination for best film editing., Intolerable Cruelty (2003), Mio Cognato (2003), Napoleon Dynamite (2003), Open Water (2003), The Ladykillers (2004), The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2004), Shaun of the Dead (2004), Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), Super-Size Me (2004), Wesley Cash (2004), What the Bleep Do We Know!? (2004), Corpse Bride (2005), Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (2005), Gunner Palace (2005), Happy Endings (2005), Jarhead (2005), Little Manhattan (2005), Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), Brick (2005), Hoot (2006) and others.

Premiere Pro:
Superman Returns

I'll let the record speak for itself.

Please note, I am not stating this to start a "Final Cut is better than Premiere" thread. Final Cut is NOT better than Premiere Pro. Conversely, Premiere is NOT better than Final Cut. Final Cut is just better at certain things that are needed to edit film. Premiere Pro is an excellent program. It's just aimed at a different market. For example, it has a strong hold in the music video industry from what I've heard, though I have no experience in this market.

I am only mentioning these facts to correct the record and prevent mis-information from being spread. I'll say it again, Final Cut is NOT a consumer program. Consumers have NO need for 4K editing, EDL exports and Offline/online capabilites. All native features in FCS and AVID.

Anyone who wishes to edit promo videos on their home computer will NOT need 90 percent of the features in these high end programs. Film editors need 4K and 2K resolution with 4:4:4 color depth and offline/online capabilities. Does the average magician need this? I don't think so. Does the average magician even need to KNOW what that is? I don't think so. Most will be editing DV quality video from a home camcorder, WHICH IS FINE! It will never be projected onto a silver screen so they won't need anything more.

It's like asking, "What's the best car?" Well, do you need speed, a large trunk, 4 wheel drive? We all have different needs.

I would say that most promo videos could be edited on pretty much all the software mentioned so far.

But that's like saying any book can be written on any typewriter. It requires much more than a typewriter or non-linear editor. It requires an eye. A good one. It requires knowing about rhythm, telling a story, staying consistent with a marketing image and much more. It requires skill and experience.

This is why you don't see the actor editing the film. The editor does that because that's what he does. If you want to play with an editor, please have fun! But I would strongly suggest if this is something that is going to represent you, hire a professional. After all, I wouldn't perform open heart surgery on myself, I'd get a pro.

Finally, please don't take any of the as a jab towards anyone or any software. I'm simply trying to inform everyone with as much correct information and prevent myths from being spread, knowingly or unknowingly.

Warm regards,
Scott

Scott,

Could you say that again? Nevermind, I got it.

Nathan

As a certified Apple Final Cut Pro trainer, I will second everything Scott said.

FCP is giving AVID a run for its money and wait till you see what's coming (should rumors prove true).
Having said that, I'll add that the editing system that I think blows them all out of the water, albeit high-end and extremely expensive, is Discreet's Smoke. Incredible.

travis