The Desk Top Video Handbook On Line ver 9.5
Over the past 3 years I've written many articles about the newest, latest and greatest video capture cards. Now it's time to give you a round up of all the hottest software titles you can use for creating and editing your videos. I've broken this article down to two groups - Non linear editing programs and plug-ins.
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Non Linear Editing Software
NLE programs are the basic foundation of desk top video editing systems. Without NLEs you can't do anything. That is why just about every video capture card on the market comes bundled with one of these programs (or a lite version). To make it easier for you to get the NLE software you want, I'll give a list of what current video capture cards come bundled with each package. Plug-Ins are software packages that add features to your NLE software. I'm going to concentrate on plug-in packages that let you add cool transitions, filters and effects. After each plug-In I'll give a list of what NLE software they work with. Some of the plug-ins are universal while others have different versions with different price levels for the various software packages around.
The most impressive feature to me is called 3 point editing. Let's say you have a 30 second scene and you want to insert a 7 or 8 second clip into it. With 5.0, you mark the in (1) and out (2) point of the existing clip where you want the new clip to go. Now, when you open up the new clip you want to insert rather than finding the exact 7 or 8 seconds you want, you simply select the in point (3). Premiere 5.0 now lets you automatically insert the new clip into the timeline, making the end point at the exact right spot for the insert. Better still, the 3rd point could be the out point!! Now Premiere inserts the clip perfectly, making sure it ends on the exact frame you selected. Another feature I really liked is the ability to select a preferred transition, say a 3 second additive dissolve. This transition will automatically be added to the timeline every time you line up two tracks and select transition. Of course, you can then select any other transition available if you want to.
Another feature that I really love is the new navigation window. This gives you a graphical 'map' of your timeline that lets you quickly get to any point of your project. Then, just with a simple mouse click, the real timeline snaps to the point you selected on the map. Well, anyone who has ever tried to scroll through a long format (over 15 minute) video will appreciate this feature tremendously. Clip management tools and an all new dual window for previewing and trimming clips make the actual editing process simpler and faster.
With 5.0, Adobe has added something called the media abstract layer. This allows hardware vendors to write drivers that add new features (such as timeline playback) or improve Premiere's performance (faster rendering of certain effects). Unfortunately, these 5.0 optimized drivers had not yet been fully developed by the hardware vendors when this article went to deadline. As a result, most were still shipping 4.2 with their hardware and offering a free upgrade to 5.0. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, all the cards listed below will be shipping with 5.0 in the box and 5.0 optimized drivers.
Pinnacle DC30pro Pinnacle DC50 Pinnacle DV300 Radius MotoDV Studio 2.0 Truevsion Bravado DV2000
The video editor package is quite robust, with its own simple to use titler and a wide range of effects, transitions and filters. I feel that the interface is very intuitive and a very good choice for those getting started in non linear editing. But, just because it's easy to use doesn't mean that it isn't loaded with the features you need to make top notch, professional looking video. Smart Render technology saves your preview renders into temp files, so when the time comes to render out the finished video, these segments are pre-rendered and ready to go. This can cut down the actual final rendering time considerably.
Hardware vendors can build on the Smart Render technology and make it into a timeline playback utility. So far the only two who have done this are Fast and Matrox, but my sources at Ulead indicate that timeline playback will soon be added for one of the most popular cards in the industry!
What truly makes Media Studio pro an outstanding value are the two new creativity tools, CG Infinity and Video Paint. Both tools allow you to drag and drop un-rendered video sequences into the video editor for seamless integration and rendering. CG Infinity is a very easy to use titling package that lets you create really cool animated titling sequences. The titles are fully anti-aliased and look great, plus you get a very wide range of controls so that you are truly in command of every aspect of your titling sequence. The Video Paint software lets you actually paint onto and manipulate the moving video- much like an image editing program that works on moving video.
Canopus DV Raptor Canopus DV Rex M1 Datatranslation Broadway (2.5 VE) Fast AV Master Fast DV Master Truevison Bravado2000
Video Action is by far the most effects & transition loaded NLE program on the market. It also produced the cleanest, sharpest titles of any program in this article. It is so loaded that all these effects have been stripped out of the NLE software and sold as a plug-in suite called Power Surge for Premiere.
Just before I finished writing this article I was sent the new 5.1 version of Video Action for EditBay. It adds timeline playback and the ability to set multiple trim points to the same clip. Rendering has gotten faster, but DPS still has to improve this very important area. By the end of this summer Video Action for Spark+ will be released. This version of Video Action is optimized for the DV format and will integrate seamlessly with the Spark+ hardware. This will allow you to capture, trim and preview you clips from within the NLE program. Currently any DV cards that come with Premiere require you to exit the NLE software and run a separate capture/playback utility for capturing, previewing and playing the DV video to and from your DV device. Video Action DV will also include batch capturing, logging and multi-file playback.
DPS EditBAy DPS Spark+ DPS Perception
In addition to providing a very clean, professional editing environment, EditDV adds two features that I feel put it in a class by itself for DV editing. Draft DV lets you work with a low res copy of the original DV clips you capture. By doing this preview rendering is lightning fast and surprisingly high in image quality. With the 1.5 version of EditDV that should be released by the time you read this, a 1 second cross dissolve in Draft DV mode will take only a couple of seconds!! The other outstanding feature of EditDV is LiveDV. This lets you actually work within the timeline and view the video full motion and full speed out to the DV device hooked into the computer. I have always preferred looking at an external TV monitor vs the VGA screen when I edit. LiveDV is the only software that makes this style of editing possible using the DV format.
EditDV 1.5 also includes batch capture, timeline playback, faster rendering and other improvements.
Capture cards working with EditDV:
Adobe After Effects - Included w/ DC50 In:sync Speed Razor for NT - Included w/ DV Master Pro Media100 Avid MC Express
The latest version 3.5 adds additional features to Boris beyond 3d transitions and shapes. You get particle effects and filters that let you create effects like ripples and waves in the actual moving video. You also get improved keying for creating multi layered video tracks.
Boris FX comes in a lot of flavors and for various platforms, too many to list here, with prices ranging from around $100 for the ltd version up to $899 for professional NLE platforms. But you can get Boris FX for Premiere, Media Studio Pro & Speed Razor for under $400.
Hollywood FX 3.1 Silver is very versatile. It works with Adobe Premiere, Adobe After , Media, In-Sync Speed Razor, Avid MCXpress, Ulead Media Studio Pro and more. There is a PC or Mac version. You can also get a sampler program called Take32 for around $50. It includes 32 of the most popular transitions from Hollywood FX.
At the time I was writing this article Hollywood FX 4.0 was in final development. It should be available in three flavors. Hollywood FX Bronze will be for Premiere and Media Studio only for about $200. It will have a limited amount of features and effects. Silver will be a direct upgrade from the current Hollywood FX Pro and sell for about $400. The Gold version will be for more professional level NLE software programs and include more sophisticated tools for controlling the effects.
In October 1998, ICE purchased Final Effects from MetaCreations
Ray Dream Studio is an inexpensive 3D animation program. Although it is not a plug-in, it is a great program for digital videographers to create and add 3D animations to your work. It is very easy to use and surprisingly powerful considering its low street price of around $300.
Volume 1 includes 3D transition effects like Morphing Sphere, Page Roll, Shatter, Sequential Turn, and Logo Flip to name a few. Volume 2 includes Tumbling Bricks, Coin Flip, File It, Zooming Camera, Rotating Louvers and more.
3D Impact! Pro is Crystal Graphics replacement for their top selling 3D titling program Flying Fonts. While it is intended for web graphics, it can easily be used as a very inexpensive (under $150) 3D titling program for video.
I really love this software. It includes over 300 really cool 2D transitions. Spicerack is a great name for it, because your videos will be much hotter after you start playing with this very easy to use and inexpensive package. The transitions that come with Premiere are nice, but the Video SpiceRack transitions will leave your audience stunned. I'm serious. They are beautiful, smooth and fluid. Pixelan uses the term organic to describe them. I'll try to be more descriptive. Each effect combines a gradual dissolve with a moving transition in variable patterns. Think of scene A swirling and dissolving into scene B. Or the "Scoobie Doo" effect were video A becomes wavy and dissolves into video B. These are just a few of my favorites. Currently the Video SpiceRack plugs into Adobe Premiere, Media Studio Pro, After Effects, in:sync Speed Razor, Pinnacle ReelTime and soon Media 100 Finish for NT on the Windows platform. Unfortunatley it does not plug into medai Stuf\dio pro. While researching this article I made a startling discovery. The transitions used in Pinnacles Studio 400 linear editor are from the SpiceRack. Even cooler, Studio 400 owners can buy the SpiceRack Plug-in and add over 250 additional transitions!!
The Deko line of video titling and graphics products from Pinnacle were developed for commercial/broadcast editing systems costing tens of thousands of dollars. You see titles created using Deko every day on television. In fact, Pinnacle won an Emmy award for it. Well, Pinnacle is now making this great titler available to you. Initially it is being included as part of the new DC30+ bundle (which also includes Pixelan SpicRack). By the time you read this a version for the DC50 and DV300 should also be available. Later this year it will be made available as a universal plug-in for Premiere 5.0.TitleDeko is simply the best video titler I have ever seen for use with today's under $1000 MJPEG capture cards. Titling has always been a weakness with these cards because the MJPEG compression doesn't like high contrast images with sharp edges. Too often the resulting titles would appear either jaggy or blurry. What sets TitleDeko apart is that the titles remain crisp and sharp whether overlaid on video, scrolling or over a solid color background. This is done using very clever edging, shadows and coloring that works with the MJPEG compression to keep the titles looking great. I realize this all sounds very sophisticated, and it is, but the interface could not be easier. The various fonts and typestyles are a mouse click away. You simply type what you want the title to be in the title safe area of the interface. You can then decide if you want it to be static, roll or crawl and if its going to be superimposed over video, a still image or a matte background. When you are done you save it. Then you drag the title onto your timeline. Not only is it this simple, but the rendering was much faster then I expected given the great video quality of the titles.
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Check out the amazing video effects you can create with these plug-ins! Don't have the ViVo Plug-In? Download it now!! | Use the navigation pull down menu below to get more specs and info on the software titles reviewed in this article. |
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