Sammee
I would like to make basic edits to a video, like putting two videos together and cutting out pieces of the video. I have a HP laptop with Windows 7. I don't know if it has a video editing program (I looked but didn't find anything) or if there is a free website I could use. This will most likely be a one-time thing.
Thanks
Answer
Go to Gismo's site (link below) and find something you like. Windows Movie Maker sucks.
I use OpenShot, PiTiVi and Avidemux on my 2 year old cheap HP laptop (G62). I run LinuxMint.
Go to Gismo's site (link below) and find something you like. Windows Movie Maker sucks.
I use OpenShot, PiTiVi and Avidemux on my 2 year old cheap HP laptop (G62). I run LinuxMint.
Is this a good desktop to get for video editing?
Josh
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-i660-3036BK-Inspiron-Desktop/dp/B009JGTVOM/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
I am also looking at this one, it is pretty much the same pc but with windows 7 instead of 8.
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i660-5030BK-Desktop-Black/dp/B0084C392W/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1351916733&sr=8-19&keywords=i5+desktops
It isn't that i need the power but it's just when i encode a video to shrink its size it really bogs down my laptop, Also i want a good desktop for reasons to do with comfort because it's hard to do video editing on a laptop comfortably.
Answer
Hi Josh,
These are both fairly basic entry level machinges for video editing. The demands on a machine for "video editing" can vary widely depending on several factors. Are you editing HiDef video or Standard definition? (probably HD these days - or you will be soon). Do you make a lot of edits (transistions, cut and move clips, transitions, crop & zooms, overlayed text, etc.)? The more elaborate the editing, the greater the demand on the machine to encode/render your output. I have to disagree with Robert's comment... video editing and rendering is the highest demand most consumers will ever put on their computers, unless they also happen to be gamers.
The guts of these machines are essentially the same (with the 3036 just being the newer version) and either should be sufficient for fairly simple editing or home movies. Depending on what CPU and memory you have in your laptop, I expect either will be a very noticable impovement.
However, there are some difference that might be worth your consideration. The 5030 model has 8 USB ports compared to 6 on the 3036. However the 5030 only has 2 USB3 ports - while the 3036 has 4 of its 6 ports being USB3. If you use a lot of peripherals it might be worth the extra 2 ports. But I'd go for the 'future-proofing' of having more USB 3, which is 8-10 times faster transferring data than USB 2. At the very least you'll probably want to connect an external hard drive for saving your videos. Since rendering times seemed to be a concern for you, if you use separate drives for your source material and your output files when editing and encoding, you'll also see an improvement in rendering times - especially with USB 3. (BTW - USB 3 ports will work with USB 2 peripherals... but you won't get any speed benefit unless both the peripheral and the computer port are USB 3.)
The 3036 also has bluetooth. Doesn't mater if you're not going to use it for anything, but bluetooth is becoming more common and you might use it in the future.
Neither of these machines have a BluRay burner, only DVD. If you want to output to a disc in HD you'll need a BluRay burner. DVD burners can only record in SD. But, you don't need it to be built into the machine (although it's less expensive that way)... you could use an external BluRay burner. Or you can install an internal BluRay burner later.
I definately prefer editing on a desktop... and for the costs these days for a second monitor, there's nothing else that will give you a better bang for your buck for improving your worklow and reducing your editing time. Although they don't specifiy what graphics cards are in these machines, the pictures show cards that should support 2 monitors. But, I'd want to be sure of that.
I'm currently looking to upgrade my computer for imporved video editing as well, and I will be staying away from Windows 8 for now. Windows 7 is an established and proven OS with high reliability for video editing. Win 8 is brand new and has too many unknowns re: compatibility with editing software, peripherals, etc. (Windows 7 PRO vs. home tends to do somewhat better for video editing, but Win 7 Home will work okay for light - moderate projects.) Win 8 also a significantly different interface, meaning an added learning curve before being able to use it effortlessly.
So, if you're just dabbling with video editing and looking to do fairly simple edit/combining of something like home movies, these will do. But if you're thinking of getting into more complex editing or perhaps serious hobbying... you might find yourself outgrowing these machines fairly quickly.
You might want to consider calling Dell directly and letting them coach you through configuring a machine more specifically to you needs. You're only saving $1 buying thru AMZ (and maybe shipping). It's truly astounding what you can get for under a grand these days!!!
BTW - Dell has a reputation for not always having the latest drivers installed, which sometimes causes problems with video work. If you go Dell, I'd recommend going to their website (or the components manufacturers sites) and updating all drivers before installing your video editing software. Good luck on your search and have fun!
Hi Josh,
These are both fairly basic entry level machinges for video editing. The demands on a machine for "video editing" can vary widely depending on several factors. Are you editing HiDef video or Standard definition? (probably HD these days - or you will be soon). Do you make a lot of edits (transistions, cut and move clips, transitions, crop & zooms, overlayed text, etc.)? The more elaborate the editing, the greater the demand on the machine to encode/render your output. I have to disagree with Robert's comment... video editing and rendering is the highest demand most consumers will ever put on their computers, unless they also happen to be gamers.
The guts of these machines are essentially the same (with the 3036 just being the newer version) and either should be sufficient for fairly simple editing or home movies. Depending on what CPU and memory you have in your laptop, I expect either will be a very noticable impovement.
However, there are some difference that might be worth your consideration. The 5030 model has 8 USB ports compared to 6 on the 3036. However the 5030 only has 2 USB3 ports - while the 3036 has 4 of its 6 ports being USB3. If you use a lot of peripherals it might be worth the extra 2 ports. But I'd go for the 'future-proofing' of having more USB 3, which is 8-10 times faster transferring data than USB 2. At the very least you'll probably want to connect an external hard drive for saving your videos. Since rendering times seemed to be a concern for you, if you use separate drives for your source material and your output files when editing and encoding, you'll also see an improvement in rendering times - especially with USB 3. (BTW - USB 3 ports will work with USB 2 peripherals... but you won't get any speed benefit unless both the peripheral and the computer port are USB 3.)
The 3036 also has bluetooth. Doesn't mater if you're not going to use it for anything, but bluetooth is becoming more common and you might use it in the future.
Neither of these machines have a BluRay burner, only DVD. If you want to output to a disc in HD you'll need a BluRay burner. DVD burners can only record in SD. But, you don't need it to be built into the machine (although it's less expensive that way)... you could use an external BluRay burner. Or you can install an internal BluRay burner later.
I definately prefer editing on a desktop... and for the costs these days for a second monitor, there's nothing else that will give you a better bang for your buck for improving your worklow and reducing your editing time. Although they don't specifiy what graphics cards are in these machines, the pictures show cards that should support 2 monitors. But, I'd want to be sure of that.
I'm currently looking to upgrade my computer for imporved video editing as well, and I will be staying away from Windows 8 for now. Windows 7 is an established and proven OS with high reliability for video editing. Win 8 is brand new and has too many unknowns re: compatibility with editing software, peripherals, etc. (Windows 7 PRO vs. home tends to do somewhat better for video editing, but Win 7 Home will work okay for light - moderate projects.) Win 8 also a significantly different interface, meaning an added learning curve before being able to use it effortlessly.
So, if you're just dabbling with video editing and looking to do fairly simple edit/combining of something like home movies, these will do. But if you're thinking of getting into more complex editing or perhaps serious hobbying... you might find yourself outgrowing these machines fairly quickly.
You might want to consider calling Dell directly and letting them coach you through configuring a machine more specifically to you needs. You're only saving $1 buying thru AMZ (and maybe shipping). It's truly astounding what you can get for under a grand these days!!!
BTW - Dell has a reputation for not always having the latest drivers installed, which sometimes causes problems with video work. If you go Dell, I'd recommend going to their website (or the components manufacturers sites) and updating all drivers before installing your video editing software. Good luck on your search and have fun!
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