Software Recommendation

[clockworks]

Hey guys,

New poster here (second thread, woohoo). Anyway, I've started putting together a list of midrange equipment for my first attempt at filmmaking by scouring through these forums and looking for stuff that fits well at my price etc. That said, I'm a bit stuck on what software to go after. I was told to use some free software and then go from there, but I don't want to waste my time trying one free software just to learn that there is a consensus better one out there that I didn't use - nor do I want to risk downloading any application under the nickname of 'free' (hello viruses etc ) without some kinda direction.

Is there an entry level software you guys would recommend? Alternatively if there is a cheaper paid application that is worth the investment I'm open to that suggestion as well. Thanks guys!


*edit* While Im on the topic, is software to utilize basic green screen available? If so is it something that is terribly difficult? It's always something I've wanted to play around with I just have no idea what it's like.

 

[sfoster]

I'm assuming you're talking about editing software?
A lot of them have free 30 day trial periods.

otherwise you're going to get a bunch of different opinions that might not agree with you

 

[Chris Tempel]

For free, look at Lightworks or Resolve... although Resolve needs a fast computer, more than you'd think.
I used Vegas Pro for 9 years before switching to Adobe because my work was getting VFX heavy and I needed the integration with After Effects. At only $50 a month, it's pretty affordable and my YouTube channel more than covers the cost of a subscription. Some guys will hate on the sub model. I love it as it makes the software affordable so there's no need to acquire it by questionable means.

 

[VivaChiba]

As mentioned above, for free (though it's of a profesional quality), Lightworks for PC/Mac is an absolute steal.

I'll warn you though that the learning curve is very tough if you don't have any editing experience, and you may want to start small (Windows Movie Maker - also free) until you're ready to progress.

 

[First at Bat]

If you have never used editing software before, start basic. The fundamentals are all there. If you start on "pro" programs you will get lost unless you are a natural, which could be the case.

But if you're asking preference, I'm all Adobe.


*embrace the bins*

 

[DigitaleFilms]

CyberLink Director Suite 3 is a seriously good-looking deal!

It's aimed primarily at consumers but I have been using the demo for a few days now, and I have experience with Final Cut Pro. This "consumer" software is more advanced, ripe with more features, and works generally better. It's very similar to Adobe Creative Cloud.

Best of all, if you go with the subscription plan (the $99.99//year plan), it will only charge you $8.39/month! It's incredibly affordable, and I've had no issues other than the ColorGrade tool crashing once, and that was caused by my own stupidity (trying to load more programs as it was making changes in the background).

Linky

Like I said, I used FCP for a while and liked it really well, but there's no denying the value of this Director Suite. Sure, it doesn't have anything like After Effects (so no advanced Chroma Keying or masking), but you'll be surprised just how much you can do with it! It does have basic Green Screen editing that works well if your footage was shot properly.

Now if you combined the power of this with something like Hitfilm? You'd be all set, for under $500!

EDIT: Just want to warn you about a few caveats with CyberLink I've discovered since this post.

First, every one of the programs is prone to crashing for inexplicable reasons. They'll just shut off without warning. I actually got a refund for my purchase because of how many times it crashed!

Second, it slows to a crawl if you have more than two clips on the timeline. This does not directly cause the crashes, but for some reason CyberLink will eat tons of memory after that.

Third, green screen capabilities are frankly not that great at all.

It's great software, but after dealing with the crashes I can't recommend it anymore. Go with something known to be more stable, like Adobe Premiere Elements. Not quite as capable, but it's solid software and gets the job done quite well.