Advise on Mac editing software

[iMike]

I take and edit short videos of my family for posting in the family blog. They're typically 5 minutes or so in length. Today I'm using an old Panasonic mini DV camcorder (standard def) but it's in the process of crapping out and I want to get an HD camera. I've settled on the HV20/30, which I will order this weekend once I decide which to get.

My question relates to editing. I have a four or so year old G5 tower with 1.8 dual PPC processors, running Tiger. 2Gb of RAM. My version of iMovie doesn't accommodate HD.

So I need an HD-capable editor. Happy to learn something new if it's the best choice as I think iMovie is a little buggy anyway.

• Which HD-capable editor should I get given my machine?
• Do you have any tips for output that will give me a good quality streaming video to post?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[veg]

Firstly, welcome to you iMike!
Before the 'RTFF brigade' get to you I suggest you have a good look around this forum.
Also. If you really see a future in HD Video Editing for you and your family, a four year old G5 aint gonna set you up for the next five years. Comps. are relatively cheap and easy to build now. Upgrade and breathe easy while you edit.
veg.
Edit : Sorry ,to answer your question I'm a Sony Vegas fan but everyone has their own preferences.

[Eugenia Loli-Queru]

Upgrade your iMovie to iMovie 06 (not the latest 08 version which actually has fewer features). On that G5, the HDV footage imported as AIC, will fly. It almost flies on my dual G4 1.2 Ghz with 2 GB of RAM, so on yours will work fine. Keep Tiger as the OS, as it requires less RAM than Leopard, RAM that will go towards the video engine, rather than the bells and whistles of Leopard (HDV requires quite some RAM, so keep Tiger).

So yeah, spend that $50 and get iLife 06 and a firewire cable (if you already don't have one) and you are set.

Use this for exporting: http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/1...ktime-in-720p/

[Crosby!]

I concur with Eugenia, get iMovie 06 (aka iMovie 6 HD) and learn it. It's easy to use and has more features than the newest version that's in iLife '08 -- if you have to get iLife '08 not a problem as iMovie 6 HD is a freebie then.

There's also free, shareware and commercial plug-ins for iMovie 6 HD; titles, transitions, picture-in-picture, etc. You'll have a blast!

I did HDV editing on a dual 867 G4, you'll be fine.

[iMike]

So yeah, spend that $50 and get iLife 06 and a firewire cable (if you already don't have one) and you are set.
[/url]

Seems that iLife 06 is selling for $100 or so at Amazon (third party seller). I missed a copy on eBay which eventually sold for $65 or so.

Any tip on a reputable retailer that still has '06 for $50 or so?

[ipodguy007]

imike . . . iLife08 sells for $79 thru apple.com. Buy it and dwnld imovie 06 free.

[iMike]

imike . . . iLife08 sells for $79 thru apple.com. Buy it and dwnld imovie 06 free.

Sweet. Thanks.

[Swefsvr]

well, few questions:
1. do you need to work on color correction for your family video?
2. do you want to do animation, caption, dvd menu, etc?
3. about streaming video, youtube or you host your own?

[black_fx_35]

There's also free, shareware and commercial plug-ins for iMovie 6 HD; titles, transitions, picture-in-picture, etc. You'll have a blast!

:

Where is the best place to get free plug-ins for iMovie 6? Also, anywhere to get plugins for iMovie 08? Thanks.

[elantric]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...e+6%3F&spell=1

Don't waste time with iMovie '08 - download iMovie HD6 (free with iLife '08)

[woowha]

Here is a list of free video editors for mac users.

If you want more, go to www.pure-mac.com

[kafeero]

I have the license for Final Cut HD. I think that works on the G5.

[rnjt]

I too have a Canon HV30 and iMovie 08 & 06.
I occasionally shoot & edit short HD videos for my family and as a hobby.
Is there any advantage to installing Final Cut Pro as compared to Final Cut Express 4?
Should I get FCE4, or should I stick with iMovie 08.
I am not a pro just a hobbyist who occasionally shoots HD videos.
Will iMovie 06 give me the best possible conversion to HD as Final Cut Express?

[mattias]

The "quality" is the same regardless. Fcp is the best of them because of the user interface, the professional workflows it allows and the advanced tools it includes, not because it magically produces better results. Personally i've hated imovie since the first beta because it doesn't allow even such basic editing as j and l cuts, let alone match framing and such.

[EssentialParadox]

For your needs, iMovie is the better bet.

Although some people mentioned avoiding "the latest version of iMovie", there's now iMovie '09 which resolves all of the previous issues and I'd say iMovie '09 is now the better version, and it even includes some quite professional and incredible features.

You can see a demo of it in action here: http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

[alowl]

For me, iMovie HD '06 is still the best for accurate, rapid clip editing and movie assembling. iMovie '09 seems very sensitive to errant curser/mouse control and, in general, feels foreign and unrelated to the FCP interface which is where I prefer to be for more complex movie making.
I finally gave up on '09 when I was unable to put a 16:9 movie on an iphone but maybe I had just reached the limits of my frustration with the app.

[jimmyhat]

Use this for exporting: http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/1...ktime-in-720p/

i am lost what is this a part of quicktime if so what version or something seperate?




I have imovie 08 version 7.1.4
Do i need to buy something else?

Looking or imoviehd6

[Dr. Benway]

i've hated imovie since the first beta because it doesn't allow even such basic editing as j and l cuts...

Yep, I find it's much more fun banging my head against a brick wall than using iMovie.

[macworld2009]

For Mac users, there is no easier application for creating a home movie than Apple's own iMovie. Its ability on video editing is one of reasons I bought a Mac computer.
Basic operations and advanced tips about using iMovie

Of course, professionals should get more professional program.

[Makey]

Please can someone advise me? I have an iMac and OSX 10.5.6 (Leopard). I used Apple's free download of iMovie HD 6.0.4 because it's supposed to be an excellent combination with the HV30. But I have a PROBLEM with the AUDIO. The HV30 is recognized by iMovie HD6 and, apart from the audio, it imports into iMovie HD6 O.K. However, the first thing I've noticed is that, while importing, the sound can be heard playing normally in the HV30 but not heard at all in imovie. After importing, the audio is partly present in iMovie but my voice is distorted and in some parts of the project the sound is just not there at all. In desperation I shared the project into iDVD (7.0.3) and burned it to a DVD. The DVD opening theme music plays normally and the VIDEO part of the project also plays normally on my TV BUT the sound is still either distorted or totally missing from some clips. I even got the HV30 replaced under warranty but the new replacement has exactly the same audio problem. Apple technical were unable to help. It seems from this forum and Apple's forum that iMovie HD6 is highly rated to use with the HV30, so I just hope there is someone out there who knows about this audio problem and who knows how to sort it out. Please tell me what I can do.

[krisht]

Personally I prefer FCE4, which runs well on my iMac G5 1.8Mhz, so should go great on your tower. Just make sure you have plenty of RAM, which is dead cheap from Crucial. The advantage of FCE4 over iMovie is it has lots of pro features, without the pro price, and sets you up for working with FCP, if you ever want to. It also imports iMovie projects. It's a pity they dropped Soundtrack from the bundle, but kept LiveType, as Soundtrack was much better than GarageBand. Maybe you can find an old version of FCE3HD instead for Soundtrack, then pay the upgrade price. FCE3 is just as serviceable, although there may be some issues with importing HV20/30 footage.

[maccolar]

iMovie is my favorite video editor for mac, found a nice guide about how to use iMovie to make and edit video.

[egendron]

what is the oldest version of FCP that will work w hv30?
I currently have FCP HD (and am running it on a powerbook G4 1.25 gigs ram.)
Someone told me that I could use HV30 in 480 x 720 interlace mode and that itd be ok ... does anyone know if this is true?

someone else told me that I'll have to use my FCE HD to capture the clips as AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) and then I can work w/them inside FCP 4.5.
has anyone else ever tried this?

and if so, it is doable?
If I use the apple intermediate codec, will files then be HD? or SD? (im assuming HD)
will it work properly after that?
has anyone ever tried such a thing?
If so have you ever seen any weirdness as a result of conversion?

It sounds so much simpler to buy something that;ll just handle the codec. but that just ain't in my cards right now. I need to try and find an upgrade to V5 on ebay, since I called apple and they wanted 600 smackers for an upgrade. UG! no chance.

...in fact even the ebay option might be a stretch or even too much for me. how many people think i can do it with what i currenty have?
this is all very confusing.
-eg

[iThinkergoiMac]

what is the oldest version of FCP that will work w hv30?

FCP 5. FCP HD (aka 4.5) will *not* recognize HDV. Or... you can get a copy of FCE HD and use it to import your video and use FCP HD to edit it. That's my workflow right now and it's not worth upgrading to FCS 1 or 2 until I get a better computer.

So FCS 1 (which includes FCP 5) is the oldest version that understands HDV.

Edit: Just read the part where you talked about using FCE like I said. While I haven't actually done it myself, I know it will work. AIC is just a QuickTime codec and it's already part of FCP 4.5. FCE HD (3.0 or higher) also installs it into QuickTime. You definitely shouldn't have any trouble whatsoever doing things that way, although it's kind of a weird workflow.

A word of caution: when you import HDV through FCE HD, you don't get the normal log and capture window you're used to. It just starts playing the camera and capturing footage. This is generally not a problem since, with HDV, FCE (and FCP 5+) automatically creates separate clips at each start/stop marker. In fact, that's how I normally import HDV into FCP 5 on the school iMacs: just hit go, let it import and separate clips, and delete the ones I don't want. Of course, I shoot with this in mind, hitting the start/stop button each time I do a new shot.

So, yes, you can import with FCE and edit in FCP and you will be just fine.

[derekw]

Hi,

I just got an iMac with iMovie 8. Is the iMovie hd6 better for hv30? I can't find any download of iMovie hd6 in apple site.

Could any one help and point out how can I download the iMovie version 6 free since i have the version 8?

Will the version 6 overwrite the version 8, or both versions co-exists?

Thanks.

Regards