Editing Digital Video

Training & Development, Jan, 2001 by Ryann K. Ellis

The previous installment of Software Roundup reviewed the top digital video cameras. By now, you have your camera, you've shot a few scenes, and you're ready to add the video to your latest e-learning project. But to produce polished video clips, you'll need to have user-friendly editing software.

Some video-editing packages can cost up to $10,000, but there are useful packages available for as little as $600. Indeed, there is even video-editing shareware, though we don't recommend that you use those programs for professional projects.

Falling prices aren't the only advantage of editing software. Do-it-yourself trainers are in luck because most programs include new ease-of-use features, allowing trainers to avoid dealing with such technical issues as bit rates, compression drivers, and frame sizes and rates. However, complex editing features are still available for more advanced users.

To aid the production process, trainers-turned-producers can pick from a laundry list of available features, including

* timelines that order individual video segments

* drag-and-drop icons for storyboarding

* drawing tools and texture tiling

* audio playback and mixing

* real-time transitions and playback

* numerous special effects.

In addition, two major issues to consider before you purchase software are

* Will the software accept video feeds from either analog or digital cameras?

* What are the final video formats: MPEG, RealNetworks, QuickTime, and so on?

The roundup chart includes product features, cost, and contact information of three leading software packages.

Ryann K. Ellis is Web editor of T&D, rellis@astd.org.

                 Adobe Premiere 5.1
Contact          Adobe Systems
information      888.724.4508
                 www.adobe.com
Video capture    [] IEEE 1394 interface
                 [] batch capture with timecodes
Editing Features [] back-timing
                 [] drag and drop
                 [] unlimited title layers
                 [] supports Quick Time
                 [] customizable transitions
                 [] video layering
                 [] unlimited scrolling text
                 [] 3-D manipulation
                 [] supports third-party plug-ins
Audio features   [] special effects
                 [] audio-only capture
                 [] 21 built-in controls, 14 new
                 audio filters
System           PC:
requirements     [] Pentium processor
                 [] Windows 95, NT 4.0, or later
                 [] 64MB of RAM
                 [] 60MB of disk space
                 Mac:
                 [] PowerPC[R] processor
                 [] MacOS software 7.5 or later
                 [] 32 MB of RAM
                 [] 30 MB of disk space
Price            $599
                 EditDV 2.0 (PC)
Contact          Digital Origin
information      800.572.3487
                 www.digitalorigin.com
Video capture    [] IEEE 1394 interface
                 [] batch capture with timecodes
Editing Features [] three-point editing
                 [] back-timing
                 [] drag and drop
                 [] unlimited title layers
                 [] supports Quick Time
                 [] unlimited video layering
                 [] pictute-in-picture effects
                 [] 3-D manipulation
                 [] more than 40 transition effects
Audio features   [] audio rubber-banding
                 [] built-in channel mapping
                 [] audio-only capture
                 [] two-channel audio capture
System           PC:
requirements     [] 200MHz processor
                 [] Windows 98 or 2000
                 [] 64MB of RAM
                 [] 5MB of disk space
                 Mac:
                 [] PowerPC[R] processor
                 [] MacOS software 8.5
                 [] 96 MB of RAM
Price            $499
                 MediaStudio Pro 6
Contact          Ulead Systems
information      800.858.5323
                 www.ulead.com
Video capture    [] IEEE 1394 interface
                 [] batch capture with time codes
Editing Features [] back-timing
                 [] drag and drop
                 [] support MPEG
                 [] unlimited scrolling text
                 [] video layering
                 [] 3-D manipulation
                 [] more than 100 transition
                 effects
Audio features   [] read and edit MP3 files
                 [] drag and drop
                 [] special effects
System           [] Pentium processor
requirements     [] Windows 95, NT 4.0, or later
                 [] 64MB of RAM
                 [] 70MB of disk space
Price            $495