Video editing software

Video editing software allows you to load and edit video clips on your computer. You can cut and slice clips together, slow video down or speed it up and add sounds, video effects, titles, photos and more - creating anything from a short YouTube clip to a feature film.

Video editing software explained

Video editing software is now cheaper than ever. Coupled with the easy availability of cameras that can shoot good quality video, this means it’s now practical to create films at home – without requiring any elaborate or expensive equipment.

Many of the features and tools used to edit movies and TV shows have trickled down into video editing packages. This means video editing software enables you to access similar technology to that which has been used commercially for years. You can:

• Create slick home movies. Give a professional sheen to your home movies. Cut out the dull bits, add titles and sounds – and then save to a DVD so you can play it back easily.
• Produce online video. Many websites include video clips - video editing software lets you create your own and save as a file that’s small enough to upload to your own site or a service like YouTube.
• Remix existing videos. If you don’t have your own camera, you can use video clips from other sources such as the internet (with permission). Like a DJ remixing songs, it allows you to create something new.

Editing video yourself is also great alternative to using a professional bureau or employing a freelance video editor.

Getting started with video editing

If you’ve not used video editing software before, choose a package which includes tutorials and guides to help you get to grips with the options available. Carrying out simple edits – like shortening clips or adding titles – should be straightforward, but it might take a little longer for you to master the full range of editing tools.

Editing video requires a lot of computer power. Most modern computers are adequate, but use the fastest, most powerful computer you can – and make sure you have a large hard drive to save big video files.

Effects & transitions

Playback

The playback of your video should be as smooth. Proxy files.

Capturing

Effective video editing software should allow the capturing of video from multiple sources such as DV / AVCHD / mini DV camcorders, analog camcorders, VCR and TV.

Importing & exporting

If you want to upload your video to YouTube, it makes sense to choose video editing software that allows you to export FLV file formats.

FireWire

Most digital camcorders will connect to your computer using a FireWire port.

Stabilizer

Proxify files

Proxify files are lower resolution working copies of video files. They help to speed up video editing. The full resolution files are then used again for the final render.

Transitions

Simply cutting from one scene directly to another is often fine for video editing, but there will be some occassions where you'll want to add in transitional effects.

Aspect ratio

Video clips usually come in one of two aspect ratios 4:3 or 16:9. 4:3 is full video quality, while 16:9 is widescreen quality.