# Video editing software?



## chillbot (Mar 23, 2017)

Specifically if you were going to make a music video what software would you use?

Is there video editing software that you can lay it out like a DAW with measures and BPM instead of timecode? Like if the track is at 90BPM I'd like to lay out all the videos to start at the same point and comp between them like I'd do audio tracks. And line it up in tempo so I can easily cut on downbeats.

Something reasonably priced and not too complicated? Is that asking for too much?

Obviously I have no idea what I'm talking about I've never edited video before except for really simple things, I use Windows Movie Maker to add music to scenes to deliver to clients for preview.


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## John Busby (Mar 23, 2017)

Sony Vegas if you're on PC
Final Cut Pro if you're a Mac user
both are very user friendly now especially Vegas and incredibly powerful and since you're a beginner a few YT tutorial videos will get you up and running in no time!
i wish i had more time and i would edit more...
this is the kind of stuff i did for while


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## ZenFaced (Mar 23, 2017)

What about Avid Media Composer?


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## PeterKorcek (Mar 23, 2017)

Vegas Pro is really good, you can learn basics very quickly and dig deeper as you go. I can recommend it, I got it for 300 USD


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## d.healey (Mar 23, 2017)

I think all video editors work in timecode/frames. You can actually edit video in Reaper so theoretically you should be able to display the timeline in BPM while editing the video, from what I understand it's a little clunky, there are some good tutorials on YouTube. I also recommend Blender which makes a good free video editor but there is a bit of a learning curve as it's got some unique ways of working that I haven't seen in Vegas or Premiere


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## chillbot (Mar 23, 2017)

Thanks. Vegas looks good... I bought a copy a LONG time ago like 17 or 18 years ago... but doesn't look like they have an upgrade price and it's probably too old anyway. Is there any particular version you'd recommend? Can I get by with Vegas Movie Studio $49 for an amateur project or do I need to get the real thing? Love that they have a 30-day trial... so not used to that in our sample world.


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## wst3 (Mar 23, 2017)

Vegas - not sure what will happen to it now that Magix is at the helm, but the last several versions were mature and stable. I don't do a lot of video work, but when I do...


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## gregh (Mar 23, 2017)

davinci resolve is free. I have been using Premiere but my next video will be in Resolve https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

the interface looks like it might suit me more than Premiere which can get very crowded

Resolve comes from a Mac background so for PC you have to do things like convert MTS video to MKV (or other formats). A drag but easy to do as batch thing first up

Unless you are wanting to really get in to video then the Magix home and prosumer video products impressed me a few years ago and do pretty much anything most people want for things like youtube or vimeo videos that are chiefly about the sound rather than highly developed video


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## Smikes77 (Mar 23, 2017)

Lightworks... it`s free too.

http://downloads.techradar.com/downloads/lightworks


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## MChangoM (Mar 23, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Like if the track is at 90BPM I'd like to lay out all the videos to start at the same point and comp between them like I'd do audio tracks. And line it up in tempo so I can easily cut on downbeats.



I'd want something with multi-camera editing - where you can play the audio track and view the footage of all cameras *simultaneously* and switch between cameras to choose footage for the final sequence. I use Premier Pro CC, but that can get complex and would not be considered "reasonably priced" unless you only need it for a short project; Adobe has monthly rental.

At any rate, trying to edit a music video without multi-camera editing would drive me crazy, but that would be not be a long trip for me.


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## Nathanael Iversen (Mar 23, 2017)

Adobe Premier.


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## Thorsten Meyer (Mar 23, 2017)

Premiere is a standard editor, if you get a CS6 copy you have one time costs or select the subscription model from Adobe for the latest and greatest version of Creative Cloud products. On MAC you can use Final Cut Pro as well. Blackmagic's Resolve is available in a Studio version at a costs or in a free version, however Resolve is still considered as a additional tool on top of you editing software for color grading.


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## heisenberg (Mar 23, 2017)

If you want free/cheap and easy to use, that is a difficult one. 

Editors since the demise of FCP 7, 5 years ago have migrated largely to Premiere Pro due to the interoperability with After Effects and being able to export timelines via XML to either AVID, FCP X or Davinci Resolve. Some have moved to FCP X now that it is maturing and there are a lot of addons that fill in the gaps of this editor. If you are in LA, chances are you use AVID Media Composer.

DaVinci Resolve is free unless you want advanced noise reduction in video and the full ability to edit above UHD. The free app is almost identical to the new user and extremely capable. High learning curve although for editing you could proabably figure it out for standard editing behaviors. Vegas is an option although, you will not be able to translate this skill base to anywhere beyond your own use. The Vegas paradigm is someone different from the others and Sony sold it recently, so as a long term solution, I dunno.

If I were to be in the OP's shoes. I would either hold my nose and go with Premiere Pro CC and get the subscription or go with DaVinci Resolve but you will need a semi-decent NVIDIA card to to run Resolve. If you are on a Mac, I would seriously consider FCP X but I think that is few hundred bucks but the app is quite something but the paradigm is VERY different from the others. Is editing on an iPad a consideration? If you have one with a decent amount of memory, there are some capable video editing solutions available that are inexpensive.

I have done a lot of video editing.


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## Jdiggity1 (Mar 23, 2017)

If you want to edit to a beat, play back the video and tap your 'insert marker' key to the tempo of the music. Your clips should snap to these markers and thus be on the beat.


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## pranitkhedekar (Mar 24, 2017)

Video editors work with timecode/frames (*SMPTE timecode). *they don't use BPM.
if you're on a mac then you can try Final Cut Pro or else Adobe Premier pro is the best option.


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## garyhiebner (Mar 24, 2017)

Reaper has some editing capabilities in it now. Don't know if thats an option. Least similar workflow then cos working with a DAW. But the editing stuff is very basic with it


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## karelpsota (Mar 24, 2017)

I'm not sure about the BPM grid. Bur there's a really cool feature in Adobe Premiere Pro:

*"Multicam Editing"*

Premiere analyse the audio in each video and lines it up so you have you one synched video files containing different videos (usually different angles).
You can then swap through the videos with your keyboard. That means that you can hit record, and just drum on your keyboard to align the shots. if you're precise. You can edit your whole video in one run.
Here's the tutorial I used:


And, this is how I used it (extremely overkill use of multicam):


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## jamwerks (Mar 24, 2017)

Do any of these video editors allow to modifie the frame rate, or do I also need a convertor? I'm receiving multiple videos that each have a different frame rate, and Cubase can't always adapt.


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## pranitkhedekar (Mar 24, 2017)

@karelpsota  Superb!


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## pranitkhedekar (Mar 24, 2017)

@jamwerks Adobe Premiere Pro CC allows you to modify FPS.


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## Farkle (Mar 24, 2017)

Sony Vegas for us PC dudes, chillbot. I imagine the 50$ model will be just fine for your needs. I have Vegas 10 or 11, and it's great for my editing needs.

Mike


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## Jacob Cadmus (Mar 24, 2017)

I'd say Premiere if you wanna get really deep into video editing. Vegas Pro if it's more of an occasional thing for you and if you want some familiarity coming from a DAW; Vegas is the most DAW-like NLE because it started out as a DAW (also worth noting that Reaper's design was inspired by Vegas).


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## MisteR (Mar 24, 2017)

www.provideocoalition.com/the-best-and-free-video-editing-software/amp/


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## MisteR (Mar 24, 2017)

But, you know... Premiere.


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## jononotbono (Mar 24, 2017)

Prem is great especially on PC. I've just started learning FCPX and it's very slick (and with no subscription like Prem). Resolve is good too (and free).


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## chillbot (Mar 24, 2017)

I actually own Adobe Premiere Elements (I forgot) I used it to make a movie once but was never a big fan... not sure how different it is from the real version... I could upgrade for $80 but I think I'll try Vegas instead.


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## John Busby (Mar 24, 2017)

chillbot said:


> I think I'll try Vegas instead


You won't be disappointed!


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## JimVMusic (Mar 24, 2017)

I have found Screen Flow to be a great "video editor" on a Mac. Super user friendly, plus you can record stuff from your screen to put in your video. Final Cut X has a nice multi-cam edit as well.


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## TIM_STEVE_97 (Mar 24, 2017)

JimVMusic said:


> I have found Screen Flow to be a great "video editor" on a Mac. Super user friendly, plus you can record stuff from your screen to put in your video. Final Cut X has a nice multi-cam edit as well.


Screenflow is great. I also use Handbrake open source for faster conversion.


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## heisenberg (Mar 24, 2017)

Unlike DAWs which allow you to globally change BPM globally which effectively changes the speed of time on the project, with video you are limited to changing the speed on a clip by clip basis. You have more flexibility to do speed ramping in a DAW either globally or on a more granular basis. Video editors generally use markers on the timeline when beat matching video events with sound.

Back to the OP, Premiere Pro CS6 is an excellent suggestion.


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## C.R. Rivera (Mar 24, 2017)

I use PP CS 6 (and many of its suites) regularly. I have yet to miss any of the super duper toys from CC.


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## sazema (Mar 24, 2017)

You can't go wrong with Premiere, it's a rock solid and almost standard in video world, beside Avid Media Composer.
This 2 app's are standard, from Hollywood to Bollywood


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## kurtvanzo (Mar 24, 2017)

jamwerks said:


> Do any of these video editors allow to modifie the frame rate, or do I also need a convertor? I'm receiving multiple videos that each have a different frame rate, and Cubase can't always adapt.


Many film editors convert framerate with an outside convertor, so they can batch convert while still editing. If you don't need the editing software, these programs are cheaper and may be the way to go. Handbrake is one many people use (and it's free!) but it's for Mac, on PC I'm sure there are a few too...
https://handbrake.fr/

As far as video editing Final Cut Pro X has come a long way, and has the advantage of many plugins that will do all sorts of things, even all of my audio plugins (Fab Filter, Sound Toys, etc.) show up and work fine in FCPX (you just need to install the AU versions). But I must admit, that quick editing as shown above in Premiere is pretty cool.


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## PeterKorcek (Mar 24, 2017)

Handbrake is also for PC - I use it all the time


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## Thorsten Meyer (Mar 24, 2017)

For good education on filmmaking after you purchased Adobe Premiere or Final Cut
Film Riot
https://www.youtube.com/user/filmriot

Todd Wolfe together with Jared Polin published an video editing guide, however comes at a medium costs


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## Phryq (Mar 25, 2017)

Just a heads up, Reaper allows basic editing!

For complex stuff, there's Fusion.


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## Thorsten Meyer (Mar 26, 2017)

You can take a look at chinfat Videos, a lot of good content about Adobe's Premiere

https://www.youtube.com/user/chinfat


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## peter5992 (Mar 26, 2017)

ZenFaced said:


> What about Avid Media Composer?



No ... unless you want to pursue a career as film editor. Clunky, $$$$$ ... back in 1995 it was state of the art (coming from editing on moviolas), famously first used with great success on The English Patient by Walter Murphy on a very expensive hardware system, but the world has moved on then. 

I'd suggest Vegas which is really easy to use (PC), and Reaper has some simple video editing functionality as well. 

It depends on how sophisticated / complex your video editing needs are.


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## ZenFaced (Mar 26, 2017)

peter5992 said:


> No ... unless you want to pursue a career as film editor. Clunky, $$$$$ ... back in 1995 it was state of the art (coming from editing on moviolas), famously first used with great success on The English Patient by Walter Murphy on a very expensive hardware system, but the world has moved on then.
> 
> I'd suggest Vegas which is really easy to use (PC), and Reaper has some simple video editing functionality as well.
> 
> It depends on how sophisticated / complex your video editing needs are.



Good to know


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