An Evaluation Of Digital Film Editing Software
College students and amateur video enthusiasts, heads up: If you are looking for simple solutions to edit and produce your very own digital film, be it a class or personal project, you have no need to look further - your Windows-based home computer can do that very task for you. If you are running Microsoft Windows XP, you can benefit from a variety of video-editing choices that are preinstalled on your computer. Given that the cost of third party digital film editing software may not be within your budget, it is always best to tinker with your personal computer and explore the programs that can help you create your own digital film right in your home. But since we are talking about free software here, it should also be pointed out that some advanced features of digital film editing software may not be included in the basic package. Nevertheless, these great add-ons can surely churn out pretty good results.
Your Windows XP operating system includes a version of Movie Maker which operates as a basic film editing software. To get the latest version, simply use the Windows update feature and download it on your computer. The latest downloadable update included Microsofts good selection of transitions title options, and 2-D special effects all aimed to provide you with competent video-editing solutions. One feature in particular is called AutoMovie - using this fun feature, you can automatically convert your video footage into MTV-like music videos (complete with special effects and the ubiquitous lower-left quadrant track title info) using selectable themes to control the style and pace.
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Keep in mind that Windows Movie Maker is a free application software, thus it does not aspire to compete with midrange products. Movie Maker can readily offer enough basic features to help you get the job done, but for more advanced options and effects you might need to consider setting aside some of your allowance in order to purchase a third party software. An example of a feature that might not be available in Movie Maker is the canned text styles - the most that it can produce are text motion effects for rolling credits and similar animations. You also cannot adjust the volume levels at specific locations in the video timeline but only one track at a time.
The trimming control of Windows Movie Maker also has quite an awkward feel to it, thus making performing precise edits difficult, and a general lack of configurability. For example, you do not have to option to set levels on filters like blur, pixelate, and other special effects. As an endnote, Movie Maker can handle very basic projects for people who have simple needs and wish to produce simple but quality output. It gets the job done but for more complicated film editing needs, you might want to consider shelling out at least twenty bucks for a more enhanced application.
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