Cool Minecs

Becoming Your Own Video Editor

The ability to shoot some nice film with a camcorder and share it with friends is prompting many people to start learning about video editing. For novices, there are cheap and easy ways to get started. You can see if you like it and are really interested in it before spending hard earned money on expensive software.

There are several completely free approaches for editing software. Theyre fast, and theyre convenient and theyre online. Adobe, which is so good in so many areas, has one called Adobe Express. Its easy enough to learn and it is compatible with youtube and photobucket.com. If you own a Mac, iMovie is a great starter piece of software and it comes on all new Macs. Movie Maker, Jump Cut, Zwei-Stein and others are all free online. A quick google will get you lists of all the free online options.

If you want to start out with some better software, there are reviews everywhere for all price levels but count on a highly rated software running a thousand dollars and up. Because of the high price, some of them will let you do a test run without charge. Before you leap though, check around locally to see if there are any classes. Local cable access stations often have free training and will let you use their equipment, and community college or local university adult classes may offer editing classes.
If you need technical support, want to share some ideas for feedback or just want to talk, check out any of the hundreds of boards and discussion groups online. It might take a little looking but you will find a group you feel comfortable with.

Being able to take your own camcorder shots and cut things together and adding music can be rewarding, and if you end up loving the process, it could be a new career. video art