My 12 year old wants to learn how to edit videos

First, what camcorder is being used to create videos? This is important. For example, if the videos are 108060p an older computer won't even be able to play them. Surprsingly any *new* cheap computer with an Intel chip can, and you can edit with it. For example, a new, netbook with an Atom processor can play and edit 108060p videos, and it costs $199.

Windows comes with free editing software - Windows LiveMovieMaker, that now can input almost any kind of video (including 108060 AVCHD). So, get the cheapest latest-vintage Windows, Intel-processor machine. Do not get an old model, period.

Windows Movie Maker, which is free, is a good starter program. The big names have 30 day trials that can be downloaded for free.

What type of video files does your camcorder produce? That's the determining factor of whether an older computer will choke on them or not. If it's just for practice he can record low resolution video so the computer will likely handle it. IMHO, Windows 7 64 bit version and a quad processor is a must for modern HD video editing.

I second Windows Movie Maker. Very easy to use, free and a great start.

I highly recommend Sony Vegas Platinum editing software for $45:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MSPMS12000-Movie-Studio-Platinum/dp/B008MIMHDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354838878&sr=8-1&keywords=vegas+platinum+12

It has FX, transitions, stabilization, coloring, audio fx..plus a lot more. There is also a "show me how" tutorial function where it will walk you through the steps of many of the program's operations. When in that mode, it won't let you continue until you get it right as it highlights/draws a flashing box on what your supposed to click next.

You can download the free trial, fully functional for 30 days:
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/moviestudiope


If you already have an operating system on a disk, like XP or windows 7...you could buy a barebones kit and put together yourself:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?page=1&Nav=|c:332|&Sort=4&Recs=10


And there are a bunch of deals on pre-assembled PC's with operating systems...

For example, this Lenevo desktop... $305 after coupon:

Desktop:
http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-H430-57310096-Desktop-PC/product_985091

Coupon:
http://reg.e.staples.com/c/s/tagfrm/hBQvlZFB7SHGCB8vibUNs$nc-W8/coupon.html?n=8442&COUPON_1=94835

Definitely take a look at Fat Wallet and slickdeals.net two deal sites before you buy a used PC.

Great question, I was about to ask the same for an opinion on a good video editing software. I just ordered my first camcorder (a canon m500 yet to arrive)
I was looking to start from scratch on learning a good video editing software that is easy to learn. From what I see here the free windows program seems like the best bet, so based on that I think I will start directly with the windows video program and not even bother with the canon editing software that will come with the camera (any opinions?)
at my age (I'm a bit older than 12 LOL) I only want to deal with one learning curve so I would like to start with the best option an grow with that, any further input ?

My opinion on your computer question ......
I'm no computer expert but given your budget parameters why not try the dell or hp on line refurbished outlets. As stated by others here look for the least expensive machine that will handle what you need. It might be slightly more $ than you want to spend but at least you get a warranty and access to some tech support.

I know a 2006 model Macintosh with Intel Core 2 and only 1 gigabyte of memory can edit videos with iMovie '06. . So I think a 2006 model PC should be able to edit video using an older version of Windows Movie Maker.

I edit video all the time using the latest version of iMovie (iMovie '11) with my 2007 model Macintosh that has Intel Core 2 and only 2 GB of memory. The camera you shoot with is irrevalent because because even if the camera records video in AVCHD it can be quickly converted to an .mov file, .mpeg4, avi or whatever else you want it to be using inexpensive video converter programs that have free trial periods.

Two years ago my granddaughters said they wanted to "do video". One is now 10, the other 12. I buy the equipment and 'coach' on how to use it. They both have learned a lot and developed skills beyond my expectations. Last Christmas their gift to me was a well done documentary on how Grandma makes beef stew. They used Windows Movie Maker.

School systems are constrained on what they can teach. Certainly "video" is all but impossible at the grade school level because of equipment costs. Yet, the kids are surrounded by video in every form. They love it.

Do what you have to do to get your kid something that works.

Bill

Vegas Platinum for $45 is a good deal. The only thing it lacks is "Video scopes: WFM/Vector/Parade/Histogram" for precise levels adjustment. http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/moviestudiope/compare Will likely be faster than WMM. Not sure whether modern Vegas apps are 64-bit only (Pro versions are). In this case it won't work on 2005 machine. That machine is plenty fast for DV and maybe HDV. I believe that with better graphics card it can handle AVCHD, modern Vegas versions can use GPU at least for final rendering, not sure about timeline scrubbing.

What is that?

Bill

Bill, histogram is invaluable to correctly set black and white levels. You can try eyeing it, but for DVD you need very specific black and white levels to ensure the maximum possible contrast yet to preserve all blacks and whites.

Vectorscope is useful for checking color, whether it skews into certain direction and whether it is broadcast legal. Not very important for amateurs.

I'd say if Sony added histogram into cheaper consumer versions of Vegas there would be very little point for me to use Pro version. I don't use other features of Pro. Well, I used XDCAM EX import when I had the JVC HM100 camera.



Anthony1, this seems like a very decent machine. Is Windows 64-bit or 32-bit? I would not go for 32-bit version these days. Also, Vegas Pro went 64-bit only.

I was suggesting build your own only if you already had an operating system disk. Like I said, go to Fat Wallet dot-com and slickdeals.net. They have links to PC deals everyday in the hot deals section. (They won't let you link those deal sites here.)

You can get a machine with Windows 7 or 8, quad core, decent graphics/RAM for $300..if you look. Buying used is risky, especially if you can get new for close to the same price, because you don't know the real history of the machine and it might eventually show problems. Then it was a waste to buy. At least new will have a year warranty and better resale value - if that's what you might eventually do.

Vegas Platinum 12 can run on 32 or 64 bit ...but almost all the new machines are going to have a 64-bit architecture. If you can, look to get 64 processor, anyway, as to future-proof the machine in that 64-bit is really becoming the norm now.

EDIT: Just found this deal:

Next Gen AMD Quad-Core A8-5600K Accelerated 3.6GHz 4MB L2 Cache Processor
8GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 SDRAM memory, expandable to 32GB
1TB 7200RPM Serial ATA hard drive
SuperMulti DVD Burner
Desktop Video Graphics AMD Radeon HD 7560D
Windows 8

HP Pavilion p6-2326s @ Staples valid today 12/7 and 12/8 $399, with coupon $299:
http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-p6-2378-Desktop-PC/product_990649?PID=361116&CID=AFF%253A361116%253A361116%253A10422268&cm_ite=Ongoing+-+Staples+Basic&cm_mmc=CJ-_-361116-_-361116-_-10422268&SID=FWbe1b6g&cm_pla=361116&AID=10422268&cm_cat=358129&cm_ven=CJ&storeId=10001

Coupon:
http://reg.e.staples.com/c/s/tagfrm/hBQwaIGB7SHGCB8vmLDCWXqvzhu/coupon.html?storeId=10001&AID=10422268&cm_mmc=CJ-_-3640155-_-3640155-_-10422268&SID=skim115X178X9df7bba98a75fb3329cd7381164d1acf&n=8447&COUPON_1=74570&PID=552179
Edited by xfws - 12/7/12 at 6:22pm

Thanks, I had not seen anything like that for video. I'm beginning to learn similar for photos in Lightroom.

Bill

You can do it with Vegas too. Copy frame into clipboard, paste into PhotoShop, adjust levels, then convert accordingly between [0,1] and [0,255] (I believe Vegas uses 255 as white, while Photoshop uses 1 as white). If you don't have a lot of shots this would work, but tedious. It is much better to have levels checker right there in the video editing app.

Excellent deal and choice. You do NOT need a graphics card - the new Intel chipset specifically has H264 video hardware accelerated decoding and encoding, and new editors take advantage of that. A graphics card is esential for games and might give slightly better performance for video editing, but the new processors have diminished this advantage for editing h264 (AVCHD, MP4) video. Save your money for now.
Edited by markr041 - 12/9/12 at 7:44am

Nice find. Everything is self-contained with the correct power supply for that machine.
All you need is the editing software.

I am embarrassed by how much I spent on a new video editing laptop! You did well.

The suggestions for software have been good. My granddaughter was 11 last year when she put together a 5 minute documentary on how "grandma' makes beef stew. She used Windows Live Movie Maker. It was a Christmas present and a sort of "thank you" for helping her learn how to make videos. "Beef Stew" has a music track, titles, transitions and effects. It brought tears to my eyes.

I've been learning a lot about how my now 10 and 12 year old granddaughters learn complex skills- like video and photo editing. The software that has allowed them to learn the most (and quickly) is Adobe Premier Elements (and Photoshop Elements for photos). They are very complete tools. I won't say they are better than the other 20 or so choices, but the learning resources are off the chart.

When we started I expected my granddaughters would learn sequentially -- start at the beginning, learn the simple first and work towards the more complex. I was wrong. They learn randomly -- I want to try this before we try that. If they could see each element work, they would master it quickly, regardless of the learning order.

So the trick is being able to show them.

That's where the learning resources come in. Of course Adobe makes sure there are free tutorials on "Adobe TV" and there are an amazing number of amateur YouTubes. I think better are the courses from video2brain or lynda.com that play on the computer. Think of them as an organized collection of short demos with coaching. For my granddaughters it was as important to see what was possible and then learn it. "I didn't know you could do that!" was a constant comment. Fun for me was to say, "Did you know you could ......".

Rewarding for me is watching them learn "visual' communication. They have become quite good at figuring out what they want story they want to tell, getting the clips and putting them together effectively.

After now two years of wonderful success with my beautiful, charming, polite, brilliant and drop dead gorgeous granddaughters, my recommendation is that you buy this:
http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Premiere-Elements-11/dp/B0093FRO7A/ref=sr_1_2?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1355072989&sr=1-2&keywords=premier+elements+11

..and this:
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Adobe-Premiere-Elements-11/dp/0321898354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355073179&sr=1-1&keywords=video2brain+premiere.

And, when he shows some photo interest, this:
http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Elements-11-Learn/dp/0321898362/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355073433&sr=1-1&keywords=video2brain+photoshop+elements+11

Have fun with your son. You are providing him a wonderful opportunity that most 12 year old kids will never see.

Bill
Edited by bsprague - 12/9/12 at 9:18am