Hey folks, I'm trying to finally invest in both a new computer and editing software that will allow me, for the first time, to be able to edit, play, and work with my Canon DSLR video files. I've had my camera for years now and yet my progression with it has literally not went anywhere because I don't have a computer capable of doing anything with the raw files and I haven't bought really any programs able to do anything with the files. I'm at a stalemate. The most I've done is of coarse practicing editing with photographs and getting the most I can out of the experience.... and of coarse, simply learning things online about editing for the film look.
Now, I believe I'm what you'd call an editor who's entirely new to to the interface game, but truly needs software that allows for many professional or semi-professional means of editing video:
1. Color Correction - Probably the most important editing element in this business. That's why I truly want software that allows me to turn Cinestyle for example into something that "pops", also allowing me to play with the lowest and highest white and black values individually, and overall giving me intelligent ways to get the perfect white balance for the shot and all the shots that line up with it. With all that being said, I wouldn't mind also having features that can sometimes very intelligently think on their own, think of the time it could save if a program somehow could save the type of look I'm generally going for in the project and apply it to all the other shots that were shot with the same white balance, exposure, location....
2. Stitching - For me, professional stitching is where you have the option to cut a shot at the millisecond you need it cut. In my editing style, the shots line up with certain tempos or notes in the musical score, and there's others that have action where the shots simply must change right when an ax is chopping off someone's arm in a horror film. Of coarse, slacking off is always great when a certain scene's cut timing isn't all that important from second to second, so I'm not saying I'd cut my footage at 5 seconds, 7 milliseconds, and 2.75 billiseconds every time, but sometimes (most of the time), you just need that feature.
3. Soundwave - What would anyone do without having the soundwaves a general guidance to where a scene's shot may transition or whatever? Of coarse, you should always record at least a very rough sound on your camera with the native file, so you know where the sound is supposed to go anyway, but sometimes you have music files, voice files, or sound effects that you just have to add after the fact, and having the soundwaves visible in the editor helps a lot. Even a feature that may help you discover and mark the tempo or beat of the musical piece may help too.
4. Formats - Obviously, a big editing format you hear about is ProRes. I'd bet there's others. But as well, you have the formats that your footage also gets formatted into in the end, wether it's a format designed for DVD, designed for best Youtube use, designed for best TV use, designed for best theater use, whatever it is, I would hope that whichever software I use can format the files as needed for so many purposes. On top of that, it's a given that I'd want software that's capable with Canon files, Panasonic files, maybe even a RedOne file or two, who knows. And especially on top of that, you want a computer that can handle the files! However, predominantly, I'll be working with Canon.
5. Sound Editing - Now, there are other programs out there for getting your sound to be just right. However, if a video editing program can do this, why not? I recently saw on Final Cut Pro X's webpage about surround sound editing (such as what your film would sound like in theaters) and if it can do something like this, why not?
6. A professional, easy timeline - You just need one, what else can I say?
Now that's really what I need. The things I don't need are any sort of technology for CG rendering, green screen, any sort of "explosion" effects, you know, all that stuff. I just don't need it, those things won't be in any of the shoots I do. If I need any of it, I'm sure whatever software I choose will have stuff that would look good on a goofy commercial or comedy short film, but I won't be needing any of it for my professional shoots, it's just not my type of genre. And as far as professional CG goes and green screen goes, I won't dare touch it, the stuff is just way too savantly complex for me, and by the time any of my films need CG or that type of thing, I believe I'll have the budget I need to hire a graphic artist and editor. But that won't be for years to come.
So what type of software and hardware do you guys recommend? So far, I've just been researching Apple computers and Final Cut Pro X all day, and so far I like what I see, but I don't know if I like the price, and I don't know if there are better alternatives out there. I'm sure not a build-my-own-computer guy, at all, so I'm not sure if picking and choosing custom hardware would be an option for me unless a website or electronics place really helped me out on what to get (and then put it together for me!). It's where I'm thinking Apple might be my best route, but I just don't know. What I will say is that I don't think my current laptop (Windows Vista, HP Pavilion, completely filled memory and slow-as-heck processing) would do absolutely anything without a large amount of money also invested.
Now, I believe I'm what you'd call an editor who's entirely new to to the interface game, but truly needs software that allows for many professional or semi-professional means of editing video:
1. Color Correction - Probably the most important editing element in this business. That's why I truly want software that allows me to turn Cinestyle for example into something that "pops", also allowing me to play with the lowest and highest white and black values individually, and overall giving me intelligent ways to get the perfect white balance for the shot and all the shots that line up with it. With all that being said, I wouldn't mind also having features that can sometimes very intelligently think on their own, think of the time it could save if a program somehow could save the type of look I'm generally going for in the project and apply it to all the other shots that were shot with the same white balance, exposure, location....
2. Stitching - For me, professional stitching is where you have the option to cut a shot at the millisecond you need it cut. In my editing style, the shots line up with certain tempos or notes in the musical score, and there's others that have action where the shots simply must change right when an ax is chopping off someone's arm in a horror film. Of coarse, slacking off is always great when a certain scene's cut timing isn't all that important from second to second, so I'm not saying I'd cut my footage at 5 seconds, 7 milliseconds, and 2.75 billiseconds every time, but sometimes (most of the time), you just need that feature.
3. Soundwave - What would anyone do without having the soundwaves a general guidance to where a scene's shot may transition or whatever? Of coarse, you should always record at least a very rough sound on your camera with the native file, so you know where the sound is supposed to go anyway, but sometimes you have music files, voice files, or sound effects that you just have to add after the fact, and having the soundwaves visible in the editor helps a lot. Even a feature that may help you discover and mark the tempo or beat of the musical piece may help too.
4. Formats - Obviously, a big editing format you hear about is ProRes. I'd bet there's others. But as well, you have the formats that your footage also gets formatted into in the end, wether it's a format designed for DVD, designed for best Youtube use, designed for best TV use, designed for best theater use, whatever it is, I would hope that whichever software I use can format the files as needed for so many purposes. On top of that, it's a given that I'd want software that's capable with Canon files, Panasonic files, maybe even a RedOne file or two, who knows. And especially on top of that, you want a computer that can handle the files! However, predominantly, I'll be working with Canon.
5. Sound Editing - Now, there are other programs out there for getting your sound to be just right. However, if a video editing program can do this, why not? I recently saw on Final Cut Pro X's webpage about surround sound editing (such as what your film would sound like in theaters) and if it can do something like this, why not?
6. A professional, easy timeline - You just need one, what else can I say?
Now that's really what I need. The things I don't need are any sort of technology for CG rendering, green screen, any sort of "explosion" effects, you know, all that stuff. I just don't need it, those things won't be in any of the shoots I do. If I need any of it, I'm sure whatever software I choose will have stuff that would look good on a goofy commercial or comedy short film, but I won't be needing any of it for my professional shoots, it's just not my type of genre. And as far as professional CG goes and green screen goes, I won't dare touch it, the stuff is just way too savantly complex for me, and by the time any of my films need CG or that type of thing, I believe I'll have the budget I need to hire a graphic artist and editor. But that won't be for years to come.
So what type of software and hardware do you guys recommend? So far, I've just been researching Apple computers and Final Cut Pro X all day, and so far I like what I see, but I don't know if I like the price, and I don't know if there are better alternatives out there. I'm sure not a build-my-own-computer guy, at all, so I'm not sure if picking and choosing custom hardware would be an option for me unless a website or electronics place really helped me out on what to get (and then put it together for me!). It's where I'm thinking Apple might be my best route, but I just don't know. What I will say is that I don't think my current laptop (Windows Vista, HP Pavilion, completely filled memory and slow-as-heck processing) would do absolutely anything without a large amount of money also invested.
.