It's easier and less expensive than you think!! (Dec 2008)

When we began publishing this article over 5 years ago, the world of video was much more limited. DV Camcorders were over a thousand bucks (analog VHS and Hi8/8mm cams had just hit the under $500 level) and although you could shoot in several formats, the end result was almost always the same - producing a VHS tape that you could watch. Affordable DVD burners had just hit the market and we were in the middle of a format war. Web video was limited to postage stamp sized clips with choppy play back.

My oh my, how things have changed. Today DVD burners are standard issue in every computer and the DVDs you create can play back on anyone's DVD player, computer and even video game. We have a new DVD format war, this time it is for High-Definition video Blu-ray Disc vs HD DVD. Everyday we view streaming video on websites like CNN, ESPN, YouTube and hundreds of other video sharing sites. We watch videos on our TV, our computer, our cell phones and our PDAs. Digital video is everywhere.

Anyone and everyone can make video that they can share, but not all video is equal. If you want your videos to look better and be more enjoyable to watch, you need to edit them. Many folks getting started in video editing want to learn more about the various options they have to produce videos that look great and more. This article has been updated to provide you or your friends, family members, children or business associates the information they'll need to get started and do the job right. If you are already an experienced digital videographer, pass this along to the folks you know who are looking for a starting point.

This article is broken into several parts, each one loaded with useful information to help you on your way. At the end of the article you'll have a list of the products we recommend most for getting started on a budget, as well as a wide range of training DVDs to teach you how to get the most out of your new video editing and production gear. Before we get into our products, lets talk about the two things we assume you already have, a camcorder and a computer.

Camcorders & Formats

Digital (DV)
Over the past 5 years the Digital Video (DV) format has emerged as the best choice for videographers. This format is dramatically better than the older analog standards. When you combine the quality of DV with the special FireWire (or IEEE1394 or iLink) and a fast computer, you get a digital video editing system that is simply incredible. All you need is a FireWire port, the computer and software do the rest. All our DV video editing solutions deliver video that is identical to the original footage. DV in = DV out. The video quality is the same regardless of what card you buy. There are now two consumer digital formats. MiniDV and Digital8. After you have edited your DV footage you can burn it to DVD or upload it online to YouTube or any other web video service.

DVD
Over the past year or two a new format has come on the scene – DVD camcorders. These hot selling camcorders allow you to record directly onto a DVD disk that you can then play on your home DVD player. These are excellent choices for the casual point and shooter, but they do have a draw back for more serious videographers. These cams record to the DVD in MPEG2 format. MPEG2 is great for storing and playing back, but it is difficult for editing. Or should I say it WAS difficult to edit. Today almost all of our editing software supports these DVD camcorders and give you the ability to rip the video straight from the DVD to your computers hard drive and edit the MPEG2 files.

HDV & ADVCHD
Over the past year prices on HD camcorders have dropped below $1,000. That's right, for under $1,000 you can now record your family's history in stunning HD quality. I've been using a Canon HV20 (pictured below) and I absolutely love it! The picture quality is superb and I really like the form factor. One of the coolest features of the HV20 is the HDMI output. This allows me to plug it directly into my Sharp Aquos 52" LCD HDTV & view my footage immediately in all its HD splendor.

Editing HD footage requires a very fast computer and pretty powerful software. While the getting started video editing products we carry will all edit HD to some degree, you will find that they are just not that efficient. For best results with HD footage you need to step up to one of our more robust and professional NLE solutions such as:

• Adobe CS4 Production Premium for PC
• Sony Vegas Pro 8 Collection with DVD Architect 5
• Avid Media Composer 3.5
• Apple Final Cut Studio 2

Analog
If you have an older camcorder that is not DV, or you want to capture old footage from VHS/ S-VHS then you will need a video capture card/device along with NLE software. VHS & 8mm cams use composite video jacks (they look just like the RCA jacks used to connect a stereo). S-VHS & Hi8 cams use a special connector called an S-Video (or YC or SVHS) jack. This special connection breaks the video signal into chrominance (color) & luminance (brightness). If your camcorder or VCR has these jacks, you definitely want to use them when you edit. We call the composite & S-Video jacks analog video. All our analog capture devices have both composite and S-Video jacks.

The Right Computer for the Right Job

Over the past two years we have seen dramatic improvements in the quality, stability and usability of low cost video editing software. Windows XP has built in support for FireWire, so all you need is a FireWire port and you can capture and edit your video from your DV camcorder. If your computer already has a FireWire port then you can simply add software and edit away. If you do not have FireWire you can purchase an inexpensive card like the ADS Pyro64 / Pyro PCI 64 for only $29.95 .

Today's consumer NLE solutions are more powerful than ever, but this power and performance requires a faster computer. We recommend a minimum of a 3.0 Ghz single core processor (or Athlon equivalent) and 1 full GB of RAM. For the operating system you'll want to go with Windows XP home, Service Pack 2. You’ll also want a good 3D graphics card with at least 128 megs of RAM. We recommend a dual head graphics card. Once you start using dual monitors for your video and other computer tasks, you’ll never want to go back!

If you have a machine that is over 2.4 GHz but under 3.0 Ghz, you may be able to get it to edit video, but you are going to want to take the time to make sure it is optimized for video work. This doesn't mean you have to go out and get a new computer, it just means you'll need to do a little more research into your machines resources and probably give it a little tune up. We have a very useful page in our tech support section "Top 10 Tech Tips" that will help you understand and troubleshoot your computer.

If your computer has less than a GB of RAM, the first thing you should consider is buying more RAM for it. Having a full GB of RAM is very important for video editing. If your system supports dual channel memory, make sure you add your RAM in matched pairs. So a GB of RAM is actually 2 x 512 meg sticks. For best results you want to have 2 GB of ram (4 x 512 meg or 2 x 1GB sticks).

We also recommend a dedicated hard drive for your video. This is very important for getting the best possible results. This means you have 2 hard drives in your computer. The first is for your operating system and all your software. The second drive is used only for your video files and projects. Adding a second drive is very simple, and any off the shelf 7200RPM drive (EIDE or SATA) will do the job. You can also use an external FireWire drive for your video.

If your computer just does not meet the minimum spec, then we do suggest you invest in a new computer with a dual core processor. Today's NLE software is written to take advantage of faster processors. If you want to put your video on the web you will need to encode and compress it. This is a very CPU intensive operation, so you will want to use the fastest computer you can. In our DIY6 we spec. out a quad-core computer that is affordable and can run any and all of the NLE solutions we sell  from begginer consumer video editors up to our advance NLEs!! If you use these machines as your guidebook you'll be able to start editing in no time!

If you plan on getting a new computer on a budget, we recommend getting a system with a dual core processor. The more CPU speed/performance you give it, the faster your video editing software will work - especially when it comes time to encode your video for DVD or the web. You want a minimum of 1 GB of RAM, but with memory prices so cheap, we recommend you go with 2 GB (2 x 1GB sticks) for better performance. Get a 60+GB system drive and a second larger dedicated 7200RPM drive for your video.

You do NOT want a computer with a built in graphics card. This is one of our biggest tech support issues. Make sure you get at least a 128 Meg PCIe graphics card (256 is better). We recommend an ATI Radeon, GeForce or Nvidia card. Finally make sure the system comes with little or no additional hardware (ie PCI cards). We have a page on our website that not only gives you recommended system configurations, but a list of potential hardware conflicts and problems. Reading this page BEFORE you buy a new computer will definitely save you time and money.

What about Macs?
Last year Apple made an announcement that stunned the computer world. They were going to switch to Intel processors. A year later all I can say is WOW! These new Intel based Macs are fantanstic for video editing. If you have an older Pre-G5 Mac we strongly urge you to upgrade to one of the new Intel based models. As a loyal Mac owner you really owe it to yourself to get one. All Macs come loaded with Apple's iMovie editing software. It is very basic and a good choice for a beginner, but you'll quickly outgrow it. If you own a G5 or new Intel based Mac and you want to be able to do more - just add Apple Final Cut Express 4 and increase your editing capabilities without blowing your budget. If you need to capture and edit analog video with your Mac, check out the PYRO A/V Link Digital Converter Box (Hardware Only).

Videoguys' Top Products for Getting Started

The MOST important decision you are going to make when you get started in digital video editing is picking the right software for you. We've picked our top solutions for folks who want to give video editing a try without having to invest a whole bunch of money or time into it. While inexpensive and easy to use, these video editing software titles allow you to edit the video, add soundtracks, titles, transitions and effects, then send it back to tape, burn it onto a DVD or export it as a file for sharing on the internet. All of these products include easy to use video editing software plus hardware that will allow you to import your footage from DV or older analog sources. If you do not require analog I/O, then you can save some money by just buying the software alone.

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