In this video I am going to cover some of the main points that you should keep in mind when it comes to choosing the best video editing software for your needs.

The consumer video editing software market is fiercely competitive and although that benefits you the user as far as pricing and features go, it also comes with a downside.

That downside is the fact that intense marketing and advertising tends to make choosing the right one to suit you seem far more complicated that it really needs to be.

This is especially true when it comes to the features and functions on offer. Everything is presented as something you absolutely must have.

This is simply not true. Video editing software features fall into three main categories.

What you must have.
What it is desirable to have.
What is unimportant.

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It is the “unimportant” category that marketers use most often to distract the consumer. Bright, colorful and shiny stuff to get you all excited and reaching for that credit card!

To help negotiate this minefield check out the rest of this video and remember that this is an overview only. Your specific needs may vary.

The Video Editing Software Interface

Most consumer level video editors carry a wide range of features and capabilities these days.

Keeping the interface simple and intuitive while at the same time allowing access to advanced settings and controls is a pretty difficult task.

Don’t be alarmed when you open any video editing software for the first time and the interface looks totally unfamiliar.

They will all seem strange at first because they have no “real world” equivalent that you are familiar with.

It’s easy for a word processor to copy the real world by starting with a virtual blank sheet of paper on the screen and a keyboard in front of you.

This is not true in the case of a video editing interface so regardless of your choice don’t place too much importance on the interface because they will all look unfamiliar.

As you use the software not only will you become more comfortable with the interface, you may even begin to see the logic that led to the design in the first place.

Input Video File Formats

This is a vital point to consider when choosing video editing software even though most types of software offer compatibility with a wide range of video file formats.

However because this field is developing at such a bewildering rate the range of video recording devices, video sources and video file types seems to change weekly.

So check to see that the video editing software you are looking at can handle your exact video file format.

Video Capture – Video Import

Again you need to carefully check that your device or method of video file import is supported by the video software in question.

Video Editing

You would think that this category would be the one you need to check most carefully. After all, you are trying to choose video editing software right?

The truth is that the competition in this market is so intense that no-one can produce a video editor that is in any way deficient in editing video.

I really could go on and on here but honestly, market forces have you totally covered in this area.

Video Editing Tracks

This refers to the number of tracks that are available to you when you are editing.

Some offer infinite tracks which I guess would mean something if you had infinite things to place on the screen all at once but let’s get real…

In addition to the main video track you will need another two or three video tracks for overlays to do “picture-in-picture” effects or insert mask effects.

You probably need another two tracks, one for images and one for… well actually I don’t know what for but let’s just throw it in anyway.

You need a title track for your titles.

You may need a subtitling track separate from the titles track.

You need a music track.

You need a voiceover track.

That’s a total of ten tracks and believe me if you had a video project with something in every one of those ten tracks, I can almost guarantee the result would be a totally unwatchable mess.

All the better video editing programs have more than enough tracks to play with so this is also a low priority point.

Video Transitions

The most common transition between shots in a professional production is generally a straight cut from one scene to the next. In other words, the most common transition is no transition.

The purpose for creating a video is so that people can watch it… and when I say “it” I mean the video… not a bunch of twisting, spinning twirling and flipping images in between every shot.

One of the main points upon which any video editing software marketing department will try to dazzle you with cool looking stuff will be the transitions.

The video transitions you really need are:
1. No transition, just a straight cut from one shot to the next.
2. A cross-fade or dissolve. Allowing the shot to smoothly transition from one to the next.
3. Fade to black. This can be a soft fade through black into the next scene. A fade to black to end the video or to mark a major end point or a fade from black that opens a new scene.

All the good software on the market has more transitions than you will ever need so this point can be ignored completely.

Video Special Effects and Filters

This is the second point where the video software makers will try to distract you with the colorful, shiny stuff!

There are basic effects that you will need and they all have them because everyone else has them, the rest will largely remain unused.

Audio Control

In the past this was not such an important feature due mainly to the fact that all video editing software was pathetic as far as audio control goes.

Currently it is a different story as the market has matured and the old saying, “the most important part of video is audio” holds true.

This is one point when choosing video editing software that deserves close attention.

In fact it is an excellent point you can use to differentiate between two products which are otherwise inseparable.

Video File Output – Video Distribution

With the introduction of online video hosting services such as YouTube and the new breed of portable playback devices this area has widened remarkably over the past two years.

Previously it was a matter of choosing to go with DVD or a highly compressed video file format for computer playback.

Have a clear picture in your mind of all the possible video file formats you may want to produce as well as all the possible media you may want to export to.

Video Editing Software Stability

There are two ways I look at the stability of the software I am testing.

The first is the actual operating stability of the video editing software on my computer as opposed to what they say on the box.

No matter how good the product looks, no matter how perfectly the product fits in with what you want from it, do not move until you have tested it on the actual computer where it will be used.

Video editing is a demanding and resource hungry activity and you will have no idea what will happen with any video editor until you actually run it on your machine.

Always take advantage of the free trials and if the software maker doesn’t offer a free trial then move on to the next brand.

The second point is that of the stability of the company that makes it.

Video editing software, video file formats, video recording devices and video distribution methods are changing constantly and they are changing fast!

When you choose a video editor you need to be sure that you are connected to a software brand that has been around for a while and will continue to be around for a long time in the future.

Those are some of the main points to keep in mind when you are choosing video editing software.

Video transitions are probably the most common form of device used by video editing software makers to try to dazzle you into buying their product… don’t believe the hype.

Generally when I see people trying to work out what video editing software package they should choose, they seem to place tremendous importance on certain things and almost none on others.

In this video I am going to cover one of the most misunderstood features of video editing software especially when it comes to choosing software for your needs.

What I am talking about here are transitions.

To put it simply, transitions are little effects which are inserted in between the end of one video clip and the start of the next one.

They might be simple, like a dissolve from one video to the next or they can be sophisticated such as the scene gradually fading to black then the subsequent scene slowly appearing from the black.

In fact, they can be especially complex and when seen on their own can seem very impressive.

When most people first see these video transition effects they are often hypnotized by the fact that they can create such a dramatic effect automatically with the click of a mouse.

Unfortunately this is exactly what the video editing software makers want to happen. They want you to be astounded!

They are simply creating in you an emotional state which will cause you to be far more likely to hit the “Buy Now!” button.

Generally speaking most people don’t have any real, hard information or recognized solution for choosing the ideal video editing software application.

As a consequence of this they will usually tend to possibly take a guess at what they believe may be good or they fail to put into place any decision whatsoever.

The video editing software creators solution to this situation is to incorporate into their program, stuff that will appear interesting to a normal person and might cause them to make a buying decision.

So let’s take a look at the real situation and keep the emotion out of it.

Most of the mainstream video editing software programs will offer you an array of video transitions, generally a great deal more than you could ever need.

To evaluate transitions properly is rather simple. All you have to do is watch a few TV shows and some movies to get the idea.

While you are viewing don’t bother following the story… this is research!

Instead, watch the transitions being used from scene to scene that the professional editors are using.

You will see straight cuts where no transition is being used at all, the scene simply just switches immediately to the second scene.

You will see dissolves or cross fades where one scene melts into the next one and as a variation on that, you may see the scene fade to darkness just before the next one appears.

Apart from a few rare exceptions that represents the totality of transitions being used by the pro’s.

The real purpose of transitions is to move the story forward in a way that holds the viewer’s attention on that story.

This holds true regardless of what kind of video project we are talking about.

What the transition is NOT designed to do is pull audience attention off from the narrative.

If for example, the viewer is happily following along with your video, then finds himself mentally noting the “cool effect” or the transition in any way, then he is not actually following your video anymore.

This is the opposite of what you are wanting to achieve by editing your videos in the first place.

The bottom line here is that even the simplest video editing software on the market today comes with an absolute bucketload of transitions which you can additionally tweak and adjust on top of their preset parameters.

If you are in the market for video editing software and are trying to work out what is important and what is not you can safely dismiss transitions as being of any relevance.

All the good programs have them and they all have more than enough.

I put up a video the other day on my YouTube channel on the four different levels of video editing software.

It’s a good idea before you choose any video editing software to understand a little about each type and specifically who they are aimed at.

One question I see constantly cropping up on various online resources is, “What is the best video editing software?” Unfortunately like most things in life this is a questions that cannot really be answered with a general “one size fits all” solution.

There is a whole range of variable preferences that could possibly influence anyone’s choice of video editor and simply asking which is the best video editing software is like asking how long is a piece of string? – Which piece of string?

With the wide range of video editing software available today it should be easy to to choose one for yourself that is the best for you. The reality is that it is not. The reason for this is not due to software programmers or even software companies as such.

The real culprit in all of this is that evil part of any organization known as…. the marketing department. Video editing software is just like any other business. It needs to create a product to fill a demand… simple! – Well not so simple really.

In order to survive it not only has to sell the product to the market that is demanding the product but it also has to create demand within those who are not specifically demanding that particular solution.

Very few people go online and start researching video editing software with specific goals in mind. They tend to identify and narrow those goals as they move through the research process. This is the “in” for the marketing department. They know this and they use it to their advantage.

While the average person is forming ideas of what he or she may be looking for the marketing guys are blithely telling the searcher that yes of course their software is perfect for that persons needs. They do this regardless of whether they have any clue as to the persons needs at all… they just say, “yes, we have that,” or “yes, we can do that.”

At the same time, based on the relative inexperience of the searcher and the known propensity of humans to become attracted to bright shiny objects they engage in a process of misdirection that would make any stage magician proud.

“Forget those boring details like video file types, computer specs and all that! Look here! Look at these transitions that spin and whirl and do really cool things on your screen! How cool s that!”

“Look at these flashing colorful demo clips we have paid a professional editor to create (most likely on some other software platform) they are totally rockin’ and if you buy this brand of software you will be rockin’ too!”

“Look, look! Videos of pretty girls flouncing about on the beach. Buy Brand X video editing software and you too can be somehow hanging out with women that look like this.”

See the problem here is that none of this has anything to do with how you can choose the best video editing software FOR YOU. And honestly THAT is the question that needs to be asked – not, what is the best video editing software.

If you really do want to get the best one for you, have a plan.

Set yourself a rice range. (… and stick to it.)

Generally speaking simple editors – $30 to $50.

Top of the line consumer software – $70 to $120

Prosumer – $300 to $600

Pro – $800 all the way up through to an arm, a leg, your house and first born male child.

Get a realistic picture in your mind of what you are actually going to DO with the software.

Identify the main video, audio and image file formats you will be importing.

Identify the main distribution (output) formats you will be creating.

Identify any specific special effects/features you want.

Take note of the minimum system requirements of the software for working with standard definition and high definition… then double it. E.g. They say 1GB RAM needed, assume 2GB RAM is needed.

Use free trials. Do not even look at anything that doesn’t offer a free trial. Nothing on this website or my others recommends anything that doesn’t offer a free trial and this is absolutely for me a deal breaker when it comes to video editing software.

Video Editing Software Company Has Major Meltdown. Listens to Users and Tries to Make Video Editing Fast.

After a few years of following the sometimes sloth-like progress of the consumer video editing software market one tends to get lulled (not lol’d) into a kind of hypnotic trance.

The steady to and fro of the various players in the game swapping back and forth between each other trading features and minor oneupmanships (OK, if that isn’t a word it now is cos’ it’s my blog and I say so!) settles into a steady, rhythmic pattern.

It’s like watching a prize fight between two octogenarians… in slow motion.

One adds Dolby then the others add Dolby, one adds transitions in the overlay tracks then the others follow and on it goes.

I have another website where I list my choices for best video editing software at the consumer level. The actual order of the list has not changed for two years now!

They all keep improving but it seems that they do it at exactly the same rate. I keep waiting for one of them to do something outrageous, something unexpected… in word something intelligent! They never do.

In the background throughout all of this operating systems have been fighting tooth and nail to get ahead, hardware has been aggressively improved and changed and video file types have been transformed completely.

So too have the expectations and needs of the consumers.

All this time the video editing software makers have just kept plodding along tweaking and polishing the same old products built on the same old architecture.

Why? Because it’s cheaper and easier to keep on flogging that same old dead horse rather than burying the poor thing and getting another horse.

The truth is that even I hadn’t noticed this happening until just the other day and what alerted me to it was discovering an upgrade to program where they actually did it.

CyberLink PowerDirector 9 Ultra is not just a bit of spit’n'polish applied to PowerDirector 8 and packaged in a new box.

It is a major rework of the software and with it they went for something that consumers have been wanting for ages… speed.

This is not a review but in the trials I ran on this software it simply smoked everything else in its category.

They have added a bunch of other stuff as well and you can click here to see the full CyberLink PowerDirector 9 Review or the link below to take the trial version for a spin around the block yourself.

CyberLink PowerDirector 9