This video editing tutorial will address the issue of purchasing a camera.  Today, there are hundreds of choices from a variety of stores, each with their own assets and downfalls.  After reading this tutorial, you will have greater knowledge of video cameras, and hopefully will have enough background to make your own choice, and buy the camera that is right for you.

What Kind of Customer Are You?

Each family of cameras is marketed toward a different kind of user.  To decide which user you are, you have to ask yourself what you will be using the camera for.  CNET is exceptionally helpful here with their Camcorder Buying Guide.  CNET sorts people into the following categories:

The Home and Vacation Movie Maker aka the Power User: I want to shoot birthday parties, baby steps, holiday gatherings, and school plays. I plan to take my camcorder on vacations, so portability is important. I don’t need to do anything fancy, but I’d like the option of doing a little editing and adding some basic effects. I’m looking for simple controls and easy output.

The Budget Buyer: I can’t afford to spend more than $500 on a camcorder, and I don’t want a model that uses pricey cassettes or discs. I don’t need an advanced feature set or compatibility with lots of accessories, and I don’t mind a relatively bulky design either. I just want a basic camcorder that’s easy to use, but that offers a design and features suited for more event-like shooting scenarios.

The Trendsetter: Who can put a price on coolness? Not me–I’m a technophile and want the coolest, most cutting-edge features available. I want a slick device that will make passersby look twice, and I’m willing to pay for it.

The Independent Film Maker: I’m planning a documentary or a creative video, and I want a camcorder that will give me the advanced controls I need for shooting. I want excellent image quality, and I need output in a format that is optimal for editing and applying effects. I can do without consumer-oriented bells and whistles, but I need compatibility with sound and lighting accessories–I want to shoot like a pro.

The Business Videographer: Since dinner depends on the quality of my video, I need a camcorder that won’t let me (and my boss) down. I want to shoot at the office for important meetings and presentations, as well as at other locations such as real estate properties and onsite events. I want plenty of useful features at my fingertips, but since I’m not a professional videographer, I need intuitive operation too.

The Social Videographer: I like to carry a video recorder with me so that I’m prepared to catch my friends’ hangovers, crazy travelers throwing fits at airports, Ninja cats, and so on. I plan to post it on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace or other social networking site, or e-mail it to friends, and at most will trim the clips; I don’t want to do any editing. While great quality would be nice, I’d like to pay as little as possible. Frankly, I’m happy if people can just tell what’s going on and hear what’s being said. And I’d like it to be easy to use.

The Professional: Video making is my profession, which means that I need the very best on the market in order to stay ahead of the game.  I am not worried about an intuitive design or an all -in-one features.  IT has to shoot excellent footage that can later be edited precisely.  My work will likely appear on screens larger that a computer monitor, which means quality is an absolute must.

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Yesterday, Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone.  Along with this momentous announcement, he also said that Apple will be offering iMovie as an app for the iPhone for only $5.00.  You’re probably thinking, “Surely this will revolutionize the way people edit their video,” or maybe you’re not.  Before you jump to any conclusions, let’s take a look at the history of mobile editing.

Years ago, editing required thousands of dollars worth of equipment and software.  Then Final Cut Pro made it onto the scene, which made video editing much more accessible to people that could not afford to blow upwards of $50,000 on video editing things.  The introduction of Final Cut brought video editing capability to laptops.  This would have been considered mobile editing, which it is.  However, it is simply not the same compared to being able to edit video with your cell phone.

Until very recently, editing with a phone would have been impossible simply because they did not have the processing power required to edit video.  This changed with the advent of smart phones.  At the same time, cameras on phones became common as well.  These two things came together in phones like Sony Ericsson a couple of years ago with them being some of the first phones to offer a video editing program.

Then came the iPhone.  Although Apple had not created their own video editing application, there have been various 3rd party apps.  These include Slowmo, VideoPix, ReelDirector, and various others.  These apps are not overly sophisticated, but they do allow you to get the job done on the go.  Very soon, we will have the iPhone 4.0 with its superpowered A4 chip that will run iMovie, and allow people to do more on their cell phones than they ever dreamed of 5 years ago.

Do I think cell phones will eventually phase out computers in the video editing world?  I think that it is highly unlikely because a crucial piece of professional video editing is being able to view the project on a large scale.  So I believe that unless we begin consuming video exclusively on tiny, cell phone sized screens, cell phone editing will not replace editing on computers.

First off, there are a million different programs to edit video from Windows Movie Maker to Final Cut Studio.  I think that I will begin by outlining some different programs, their users, and their uses. 

For Novices:

PC Options

Windows Movie Maker

Perhaps the easiest and most convenient way to edit video is to use Windows Movie Maker.  It is bundled with every Windows operating system.  Many people use Movie Maker to piece together simple YouTube videos.  The program requires no special skills or knowledge, which makes it the perfect solution for the video editing needs of beginners.  It performs all of the basic video editing tasks from cutting and joining video to adding transitions and music.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio

This is a small step up form Windows Movie Maker.  It is slightly more complicated, but with that complication comes added features.  For example, Sony Vegas allows content to be edited and exported in HD.  Its added capability makes it perfect for wedding type videos and other keepsake type projects.  The downside to Sony Vegas is that it is not bundled with new computers like Movie Maker and iMovie. 

Mac Option

iMovie

iMovie is the Mac equivalent of Sony Vegas Movie Studio.  It offers all of the same features, plus some more advanced ones.  For example, clips in iMovie can be speeded up, played backwards, make use of green screens, and other moderately sophisticated features.  Since it is part of the iLife suite, it comes with all new Macs.  For this reason, it is easily accessible.  People use iMovie to edit videos for YouTube and for simple projects.

For Professionals:

PC Options

The two most widely used professional editors for PCs, and the two that I would recommend are Adobe After Effects and Sony Vegas Pro.  They are both exceptionally good at their jobs, each with their own dedicated following.  However, it seems as though After Effects is used more widely of the two.

Mac Options

Final Cut Express

Final Cut Express offers all of the same features as After Effects and Sony Vegas Pro, but with the intuitiveness that Apple products are known for.  After watching a few short videos from the Video Editing Master  series, I was up and running with the program in no time.  This video editing tutorial ensures that absolutely ANYBODY can make professional quality videos.

Final Cut Studio

Another, more expensive option is Final Cut Studio, which consists of Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Motion, Color, Compressor, and DVD Studio Pro.  This is the software that the big name companies like Disney use for their movies.  Also, most of the shows on television are edited in Final Cut Studio.  It offers a all of the tools needed for big time video production.  It includes everything from animation (Motion) to sound editing (Soundtrack Pro).