Free Video Editing Software Comparison
Comparison
Video Comparison Project for EDLD5363
My current project calls for a comparison of two free video editing products. I have selected Windows Movie Maker and Wax for the project that will be via a podcast and blog. I first selected the product Wax and from the beginning this partnership was doomed to be a slow spiraling death as I had difficulty finding a dependable link to download the free product. The results produced the following evaluation of the Wax program. The second partnership started on a more positive note with the Windows Movie Maker software and the results of that evaluation is listed below also.
Wax
The product was labeled as special effects software sporting a tag of flexibility and high performance. The main bragging point of the product was the ease of creating a dream video sequence using optional 2D and 3D special effects. The product also sports two modes – a standalone application and a “plug-in” to video editors. Although the product has a very impressive list of features, there are several disadvantages also. Starting with the positive perspective of advanced features that some of the professional video editors have it is easy to use, very powerful and of course it is free. These positive comments do come with one qualification and that is it is easy to use but only after tutorials or allowing someone to show you how to use the product. The negative comments range from difficulty incorporating sounds, a definite learning curve and a lack of support of multiple formats of videos.
Windows Movie Maker
The product was labeled as video creating/editing software with features such as effects, transitions, titles/credits, audio track, timeline narration and Auto Movie. There are several add on features including a fun pack for home video creations. The software is also a basic audio track editing program with the ability to apply basic effects like fade in and fade out and can be exported in the form of a sound file.
With the use of a storyboard and timeline view the product allows for the collecting and organizing of imported video and photos. The display is styled like a film strip showing each scene in clips. The best feature in my opinion is that you can view the video, audio and titles all at the same time. The ability to be able to drag and drop is even easier to use by stretching the audio over several frames. The bars can also be cut to any desired segments seamlessly along with lowering the volume to allow the narration to be heard over the music file.
Importing footage is a breeze by using the capture video option with the ability to pull from camera, scanner and many other devices. The accepted formats for importing are .WMV/.ASF, .MPG (MPEG-1), .AVI (DV-AVI), . WMA, .WAV, and .MP3 . A downside to importing older video is that the results are poor sub VHS quality but the newer USB 2.0 allows much better video quality.
Editing and output occurs after the importing of video and allows from the drag and drop ability on the timeline. After the video is on the timeline the clips can be split, copied, deleted and more. A really cool feature at this stage of the movie making is to use the Auto Movie option. This option offers predefined editing styles for quickly creating movies. The export format will be DV AVI and allows users to publish a finished video on video hosting websites.
Additional enhancement packs are available for the Windows Movie Maker called Fun Packs. The packs range from the Creativity Fun Pack to the Winter Fun Pack. The packs boast of making home movies like a pro with brand new collections of creative extras, video titles, music and sound effects all making home video making fun.
It is my hope that you gathered some valuable information during this comparison post and it will save you the time and effort of conducting your own evaluation. In the meantime, get starting converting your old VHS tapes to sleek new home videos that will make your friends jealous.
My current project calls for a comparison of two free video editing products. I have selected Windows Movie Maker and Wax for the project that will be via a podcast and blog. I first selected the product Wax and from the beginning this partnership was doomed to be a slow spiraling death as I had difficulty finding a dependable link to download the free product. The results produced the following evaluation of the Wax program. The second partnership started on a more positive note with the Windows Movie Maker software and the results of that evaluation is listed below also.
Wax
The product was labeled as special effects software sporting a tag of flexibility and high performance. The main bragging point of the product was the ease of creating a dream video sequence using optional 2D and 3D special effects. The product also sports two modes – a standalone application and a “plug-in” to video editors. Although the product has a very impressive list of features, there are several disadvantages also. Starting with the positive perspective of advanced features that some of the professional video editors have it is easy to use, very powerful and of course it is free. These positive comments do come with one qualification and that is it is easy to use but only after tutorials or allowing someone to show you how to use the product. The negative comments range from difficulty incorporating sounds, a definite learning curve and a lack of support of multiple formats of videos.
Windows Movie Maker
The product was labeled as video creating/editing software with features such as effects, transitions, titles/credits, audio track, timeline narration and Auto Movie. There are several add on features including a fun pack for home video creations. The software is also a basic audio track editing program with the ability to apply basic effects like fade in and fade out and can be exported in the form of a sound file.
With the use of a storyboard and timeline view the product allows for the collecting and organizing of imported video and photos. The display is styled like a film strip showing each scene in clips. The best feature in my opinion is that you can view the video, audio and titles all at the same time. The ability to be able to drag and drop is even easier to use by stretching the audio over several frames. The bars can also be cut to any desired segments seamlessly along with lowering the volume to allow the narration to be heard over the music file.
Importing footage is a breeze by using the capture video option with the ability to pull from camera, scanner and many other devices. The accepted formats for importing are .WMV/.ASF, .MPG (MPEG-1), .AVI (DV-AVI), . WMA, .WAV, and .MP3 . A downside to importing older video is that the results are poor sub VHS quality but the newer USB 2.0 allows much better video quality.
Editing and output occurs after the importing of video and allows from the drag and drop ability on the timeline. After the video is on the timeline the clips can be split, copied, deleted and more. A really cool feature at this stage of the movie making is to use the Auto Movie option. This option offers predefined editing styles for quickly creating movies. The export format will be DV AVI and allows users to publish a finished video on video hosting websites.
Additional enhancement packs are available for the Windows Movie Maker called Fun Packs. The packs range from the Creativity Fun Pack to the Winter Fun Pack. The packs boast of making home movies like a pro with brand new collections of creative extras, video titles, music and sound effects all making home video making fun.
It is my hope that you gathered some valuable information during this comparison post and it will save you the time and effort of conducting your own evaluation. In the meantime, get starting converting your old VHS tapes to sleek new home videos that will make your friends jealous.