Editing footage software

You seem to be having a pop at my hand held footage which has been ACCEPTED by SS and P5 so it can't be that bad. Big bang is just awfull. Had to endure it for a youngster who wanted to watch it at our house. Real comedy is Frasier, Cheers, MASH, Bilko, Fawlty Towers etc etc etc.

I know it may be impolitic for me to step in thusly, but I gotta say no-one is having a pop at your work, Ian, you're doing fine...relax, man! Let other people have thier opinions, too, as everyone has the right to like or dislike. But yeah, MASH and anything with John Cleese....finest kind!

Regarding handheld, yours are worth looking into considering a new learning curve for you, which would be Warp Stabilizer in Premiere of After Effects. Believe me, I've tried pretty much every post shooting stabilizer, and Warp Stabilizer works best. That allows for natural motion, but eliminates the jiggle. Plus you get really great rendering options and such. I prefer Sony Vegas PRO for editing normally, as it's TOTALLY DIFFERENT and way better than the "Studio" versions. Vegas has always been intuitive and easy to use for me, but then I started with Version 4. Didn't actually pay for it until I got a great deal on Version 9 since I bought a $3200 camcorder, I got Vegas Pro for $100 otherwise the jump from V4 to v9 Pro would have taken a lot longer. Tried the Magix stuff myself way back, I don't know how they are now, but when I was having BSOD crashing issues, since I had bought a "consumer" version of their better software, the rep told me I got what I paid for, and I never looked at that company again. Probably just a bad rep, but really, that left a sour taste.

Editing video is a huge PITA. Not easy, and the more you learn, the harder it gets, especially if on a budget. So just be patient with people trying to help you, and be patient with yourself as you learn. Keep all your footage so you can go back and reprocess stuff later too, after you learn other ways to use it, or at least not mess it up.

But a quick look at your footage says you are on the right track. Love those aquarium algae shots!

Now you kids quit arguing so I can render a shaky handheld clip of a baby moose trying to suckle....

Thanks Mizamook. I was part tongue-in-cheek anyway as I agreed in an earlier post that my first hand held shots were far less than perfect. Yes, I appreciate all the help I have had here. In fact, it's the only help I have had and I have learn't a lot already :-) What I have since discovered with the Sony RX10 is that it's video stabilization is excellent and smooth. I had it set with those earlier hand held shots but it didn't seem as effective as when I was playing around with the shutter speed settings the other day. Then it seemed more like it was working better but I am a novice when it comes to video settings. Totally different than photography. I have started to use my tripod for more shots now as it is very sturdy like a Manfroto. I will be going to local village events so I think hand held will be the thing to get as much footage as possible. Sony Vegas Pro is very expensive for someone just starting out in video. Adobe Premiere gets higher ratings but it too is £340. The Magix audio is a mystery as support tell me that it should be playing audio for the trial version. They were not very helpful though.

I personally have no issue with your handheld footage when you not start questioning P5's artists terrible audio in video. :)
I have handheld footage also but I will use tripod to shoot your subjects. Full-Stop.
I even linked you for a cheaper solution of Monopod Unipod instead of expensive Manfrotto. I tested the first generation of this Manfrotto Unipod few years back. And it is not functioning as I wanted. It is not for outdoor, not stable (even little wind), but ONLY for event. It seems you believe totally of one Youtube video, telling this Manfrotto unipod is the best for video. So no one can really convince you to use a real tripod (it seems so), but it is your choice. You are standing in your own way when people just want to help you--a new competitor. ;)
I had the same experience as you had now when I started footage---Struggling against a real heavy tripod which you can't avoid. I am glad P5 artists point me to a real video tripod so I take good steady shot.

BTW: EU consumer rights has changed to favor a bit more to shop and seller.

@Gene

Magix crashed a lot before, still crashed sometimes. But for simple cut and render you don't really need Adobe. AfterEffects cost a lot when not subscribe to their monthly scheme.

Maybe i'm a little bit late to part this thread, but about Magix i can say only the best and i never had any problems.
I use Magix Video .... since a lot of years, several versions in between and always got the actual upgrades for a low price. Didn't know what i want more. In between i've upgraded to Magix Pro x6 which includes the Mercalli Plugin for best stabilisation. That works great, i never got such perfect results with the Mercalli stand alone version, but last not least, if the handheld video is real shit the best stabilisation won't help. ;)
As i read by a quick view that you have any audio problems within Magix, i don't believe that it's a Magix problem. Usually it's a codec problem which is forced by installing different softwares and can become more worse if audio codecs are not deinstalled before reinstalled. Especially if you try to get free software this problems can be usual. So it's better to spend some bucks and buy only 1 prog instead of trying out 3 and more.

Stefan,

My Magix 2007-2008 crashed hundreds times. My new version 2003 is much better, still crashed. I can stand this crash as I use it really intensively as a professional software, so it cry is normal. :)

Glad to hear another Magix user here as well. Yours is a Pro version cost €399, too much for a beginner .

patuwe97,
yes of course € 399.- is too much for a beginner, and as i wrote i self started years before with the cheap Video deLuxe versions. At that time i produced no stock videos, but Magix was the perfect solution for my private YT music videos for which i needed several single video tracks at once for my artistic ideas, while other software offered only 1 or 2 video tracks.
Won't say that my Magix versions never crashed, but about the years i got the experience that it's not the software as itself. It are always the system components which will beat the single software and as more software is or was installed for try out, so bigger are the problems. Also "system- and registry-cleaning software" doesn't help long time. So i think especially for a beginner of whatever it's a better solution to inform at first about the possibilities of the different software and then spend some bucks for the best personal solution. And of course the system features should be well for video editing.
About Magix Pro X6 it may be important to know that it don't export to QuickTime mov. Oh i'm lucky about that, because my last info was that we are only allowed to uploat mov here and nobody informed me about changings in between. Now with Pro X6 and mp4 or others it's such a quick workflow for me, that i got a strong new fun to prepare and upload all the stuff which i've filmed in the last 2 years and never handled in lack of time.

Well back to square one. I never got to the bottom of why no audio (yes, I will need it for some shots) as the magix forums failed to solve the issue before my trial time expired :-(

$399 is nothing in reality if you really want to have reliable software. Think about how much time wasted on trying to work cheap software. I would guess that you have spent more that 400 bucks on wasted time. Or is your time worth nothing? Try Adobe CC. It's 50 bucks a month and all your pain will go away.

Agreed. Having wasted lots of time trying to save a few, I wonder how much productivity I lost doing so. I don't buy cheap unless full functionality is proven (software/tools/materials/parts)

Marbury, consider downloading and trying out Hitfilm2. They have various levels of functionality/cost. I'd probably use it but I'm happy with Vegas Pro/After Effects (which Hitfilm is trying to be the love child of)