Hi Everyone;

This is a loaded question I know, but does anyone have a recommendation for an NLE for someone that is new to video editing?

I am very familiar and comfortable with computers and digital still photography/graphics, but I am new to video. I do have a well equipped PC and a Canon GL2 camera

I was looking at such software as ULEAD Video Studio 7, Vegas 4.0, Adobe Premier, Screenblaster 3.0 etc. Pinnacle stuff kind of scares me as unstable software is not something I want to deal with.

Any opinions on whats good and whats not and the difficulty level to learn the software is most welcomed...

Eric
Ottawa, Canada

P.S. Video I'm working with is for personal/family use at this point and not for broadcast or resell.

Personally, I like Vegas. Screenblast is a "baby brother" to Vegas - same screen, fewer features. Most people think Vegas is easy to use (people switching from other NLE's sometimes struggle).

I don't use Premiere or Ulead so will let someone else talk about them.

Thanks for the input Edward. After serching the forums I did get the impression that Vegas was quite powerful and still somewhat intuitive and easy to use even for a novice.

Thats the one I'm leaning to so far...

Eric
Ottawa, Canada

I have used a couple of different editors and own Pinnacle Studio 8 and now Liquid Edition. I did have trouble with studio on an older machine but have had no problems with it on my machine which I bought a year ago. I tried Vegs but did not find it any easier or better than any other editor. I know people will claim otherwise but that was what I found. I would suggest trying any available trial ware then buying what suits you.

I'm sort of biased to Premier myself, when I started with video I used Premier, and I learned without any outside help. Honestly I think any program you get will work for you, but I agree with Tim that you should get the trials and what you like best.

Exactly, try demos of each. I sat down with Premiere on a machine but it didn't "click" for me. Vegas did. However, some other program may "click" for you. Most of them have demo versions available.

If you use other NLEs then Vegas is just plain weird. I think it's easy to use. You just... drag and drop stuff. Some of the really useful things are hidden away from you though, like split edit. You need to hit "s". I'm not sure how you're supposed to find it yourself.

I love Vegas though.

Get the demos of products that meet your demands and look
good/interesting. Have some footage standing by to actually
edit in all of the packages and sees what works best for you.

Excellent Advice! I now have trials of Premier, Vegas, and Pinnacle on my desktop and I'm, going to see which one "clicks for me"!

Thanks all for your patience, I guess this answer really should have been obvious to me from the start!

Eric

Another thing to look at are things that are beyond the obvious. Speaking for Vegas, there is now a scripting language available to help automate repetitive tasks, for example. However, this ability has also spawned many scripts written by others. Many are shared on various sites and a few are now for sale. For example, a Multi-Cam mixing script (with 12 other functions built-in) is available for less than $60 and runs directly within the Vegas interface.

Look for hidden jewels like this in the various programs.

Edward, I had to smile when reading: "Most people think Vegas is easy to use (people switching from other NLE's sometimes struggle)."

As my friend from Arkansas likes to say, "boy howdy." I'm determined to leave Final Cut Pro. In my search for a replacement, I checked out Vegas (their demo) and while I have to say I was very impressed with the job it did importing my DVX100 footage, I did indeed "struggle" with it. I used to work in professional Avid bays before running away from Hollywood, and I was repeatedly scratching my head with the thing.

As it stands now, I'm going to go with Avid Xpress Pro (now that they've gottent their stuff together with DV) for my latest system of choice. It's just so intuitive to me after working on Avid systems for so many years. But I really wanted to like Vegas. I have a new little Sony Vaio I bought at Costco for half of what a Mac with the same stuff, and the Avid recommended PC server workstations, cost. And while I absolutely the love the new Sony (the 19" LCD screen is breathtaking) I was worried about using a non-Avid recommended system. My thinking was, Vegas HAD to work good on it, right? And it does. Truly. But it turns out that the Vaio works great with the Avid demo as well (despite not being on their approved list), so I'm going to go for it owing to the familiarity factor. (And there are a zillion Avid editors around LA if I need to hand my project off. Vegas doesn't appear to be very compatible that way.) But as I said, I truly was impressed with what Vegas can do. It was just absolutely baffeling to me the way (and why) it did some things.
Marcia

For many things, you need to "unlearn" the other NLE's method of performing a task and learn the Vegas method. It is really very logical in its methodology but it does NOT work like Premiere, FCP, or Avid. Many people find that refreshing. I find it works the way *I* want to work.

"This is a loaded question I know, but does anyone have a recommendation for an NLE for someone that is new to video editing?"

For someone that is new to video editing I recomend Pinnacle Studio version 8.5.21. Simple, intuitive yet powerfull, and finaly stable. Will help you learn "how to drive" so you can latter drive the "big cars".

Best regards,
Arnaldo