Getting started with video editing is very simple you only need a few items and you can be producing quality movies at home that you will be able to enjoy for many years to come. Maybe even produce a hit Hollywood movie.
The basic items you need are a video capture card, the software to edit, your computer, storage space on your computer and a camcorder, VCR, or you can display your movie on your computer screen.
The process is effortless, all you do is capture the video to you computer using a capture card, then edit your video with video editing software and then download the video that you edited to either tape or burn it to a VCD, CD, or DVD.
Let's look at your computer first. You will need a minimum of a Pentium II 300 or faster, a minimum of 256 Megs of RAM, but you will get better performance with 512 Megs. You will also desire to have a 30GB drive that is split into 2 separate partitions. This means that you will have a C: and a D:. The C: should be given 10GB and will have all of your software stored there and the D: will be where your audio, video and editing projects are stored. Your graphics card should be a 32 Meg AGP. You can have an 8 or 16 Meg but the quality will not be as good.
Storage is probably the most confusing thing about video editing. Video makers have many choices for storing their digital video files and this is why it can be so confusing.
If you desire creating your own DVD's then you are going to need lot of storage. The most you can get out of a single sided 4.7 GB DVD is around 2 hours of video. If you are using DV footage you are going to need 13GB per hour of video, this means you will need 26GB of storage and remember you always have extra footage that you need to factor that in as well so you are now up to 39GB of storage space needed. If you are adding other options such as graphics, MPEG2 footage for the DVD and the folder to hold it all then you are now up to 50GB. So, for your 2 hour movie you will need 50GB of space at least.
So, when you begin be sure that you have enough storage on your computer for the type of video that you wish to store.
On to the video capture card and the video editing software. When you first visit the electronics store you will find many manufacturers that create video capture cards. The most popular include Some of the reputable video capture card manufacturers are: Pinnacle, Matrox, Dazzle, ADS, Canopus, and Digital Origin.
What video capture cards do to put it in simple terms is that these cards use hardware or software compression to digitize your video onto the hard drive on your computer. This way you can edit your video and play it back onto tape or display your movie on your computer screen.
Some times, you can purchase the video capture cards along with the video editing software that you choose. Some of the most popular video capture cards that are packaged with video software include the Pinnacle Pro One which comes with the Adobe Premiere 6 full version, TitleDeko RT, DV Tools 2.0, Hollywood FX, and Impressions DVD. The Dazzle DV NOW AV can be purchased along with the Premiere 6 full version and the DVDit LE.
Having music along with your video can also be accomplished with a MP3 Converter that will allow you to convert your MP3 music into a wav file or the format in which you need for your video. You may also wish to purchase a MP3 Encoder which will allow you to Wav or other formats into a MP3. A CD ripper is another item that you may wish to purchase that will help with converting your CD's to MP3, WAV, WMA type files.
One other software program that will make you life easier when you begin video editing is a MPEG Encoder which is a very easy to use program that will make converting several formats easy than you can imagine. Many of these MPEG converters will aid in converting DVD, VCD, AVI, MPEG, GIF, Flash, WMV, WMA, WAV, MP3, MP4, M4A, OGG, AAC, 3GP and even more/
So, now all you need to do is to find the best video editing software that you feel comfortable with and off you go. You can find several different video editing software companies that offer their software on a trial basis, this will let you try out the software so you can see if it is the perfect software for you. But, remember with the trial version you will be receiving the video capture card. You will have to purchase it separately.
Natalie Aranda is a freelance writer. She's been experinenting Audio & Video Editing with MP3 Converter, MPEG Encoder, and Video Capture Software
There have been some questions on anti-skip protection on mp3... Read More
When browsing the internet you are likely to come across... Read More
This article describes the basic properties of color, what the... Read More
"Automated Testing" is automating the manual testing process currently in... Read More
In this era of Internet, most people are frequent users... Read More
1. Before sitting down for coding, you must have formal... Read More
Below you will find some useful information and comments about... Read More
Do you remember the old saw about how computers would... Read More
Microsoft Certifications are one of the most widely acclaimed, pursued,... Read More
If you have a computer for home use or for... Read More
In the early days, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) were not... Read More
IntroductionMac OS X is the most technologically advanced operating system... Read More
There are soooo many choices. With all the styles and... Read More
For six years, my Samsung PC 13.8 inch SyncMaster conventional... Read More
When I first started studying for my CCNP, some of... Read More
Apache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice... Read More
ASR (Automated System Recovery) is a feature available on the... Read More
We all enjoy our favorite screensavers but in the same... Read More
Those small USB drives have so many names, pocket drives,... Read More
If you've been kicking around the idea of building your... Read More
The basic language of the internet is html. If you... Read More
You probably heard of the new Firefox browser version 1.0... Read More
As the web has evolved, so have the methods of... Read More
That desk in front of you and everything else around... Read More
Tech support tells me to type 'regedt32' as opposed to... Read More
1. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any... Read More
Understanding digital camera prices makes finding the best camera value... Read More
Computers are available in different shapes, sizes and weights, due... Read More
Most people download and save so much information on their... Read More
Up until the recent past, those who wanted to take... Read More
On 21 August 2003 Symantec Security Response upgraded the W32.SOBIG.F... Read More
ComputersBusinesses and individuals alike have all grown to rely on... Read More
Not so many years ago, homes across the country watched... Read More
If you have a computer for home use or for... Read More
Many computer users are worried about their computer's performance. After... Read More
While most small businesses really do need to find a... Read More
"Aaaaaahhhhhh! I've been invaded by a virus!" Getting a virus... Read More
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol that is part... Read More
Are you looking for an MP3 player but am not... Read More
Sometimes your PC will start acting strange for no apparent... Read More
Passwords have a strange dual nature. The stronger and safer... Read More
As the Web grows more crowded and just plain "noisy"... Read More
It seems like fast never quite rates fast enough.No matter... Read More
Simone is exasperated. She has to work on her university... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
You probably heard of the new Firefox browser version 1.0... Read More
The best way to get the gaming computer that you... Read More
If you utilize a computer at home or work it... Read More
No matter how fast your processor and regardless of how... Read More
The year is 1981. IBM has just released the Personal... Read More
With the bewildering number of digital cameras on the market,... Read More
A Computer in Your HandCarrying around an address book and... Read More
All of us are familiar with the pyramids of Egypt.... Read More
Everywhere you look today people are listening to personal audio... Read More
There are soooo many choices. With all the styles and... Read More
Having two operating systems is not as difficult as many... Read More
In this era of Internet, most people are frequent users... Read More
Music lovers have been carrying around radios and other bulky... Read More
Perhaps not yet, but the handwriting might be on the... Read More
Save money. Save 10-15% on utility bills per month. Work... Read More
One of the most common questions computer users ask is,... Read More
When you turn on your computer, does it act like... Read More
You will need the following:1. 1.44MB FDD (floppy)2. NVFLASH utility... Read More
With renting methods such as online DVD rental and pay-per-view,... Read More
OK, so you caught a computer virus and your system... Read More
The first step is: Start > My DocumentsSo you have... Read More
Personal Technology |