VRONA
Loving YTtalk
In this thread I want to go over exactly how to get the right editing software for you. I want to do this after I noticed lot's of people fall into a trap of judging content by what editing software it was edited in. So first off, some background on what I use:
When my channel first began 4 years ago, I used MM for editing my videos, for about the first 2 years. Then the same point of getting better software came up again as I tried to improve my videos to try and get a even bigger audience than the one I had at time (which is smaller now, ironically, despite improved quality.) So I got Pinnacle Ultimate. I used it for a short while before actually switching back to Movie Maker. Why? Well for one main reason: I didn't use so many of its features anyway. It was more work to get everything into order to get the exact same product that I could've made in MM in a lot less time.
And it's wasn't about knowing how to use the program either. The guy I talked to even suggested I "learn how to use a better program while using MM, then fully switch when I am comfortable with it". But it wasn't about that either. I knew perfectly well how to use Pinnacle Ultimate and all its features.
Plus in all of my time using Movie Maker, I never had a situation where I thought "Oh, that would be nice to add to my video", only then to discover I cannot do it due to Movie Maker's limitations. Nor was it ever about a steep learning curve. I knew how to use all of Pinnacle Ultimate perfectly fine.
Also of course many people would have a prejudice against something like Movie Maker and my videos because you now know what I use. If I gave you a piece of chocolate but didn't tell you it was Tesco Everyday Value, you wouldn't give it connotations of cheap generic brand chocolate as you wouldn't know it is cheap generic brand chocolate. Same if I gave you some Cadbury chocolate. Unless you are some sort of chocolate expert, you wouldn't know it is Cadbury, and thus, you wouldn't have the positive connotations of Cadbury chocolate. You and pretty much everyone in the world thinks with a prejudice about things you know about. The only difference in this metaphor is that chocolate is a product, and editing software is a tool.
The right tool is the one which does that which you need it to do. Amateurs often have the misconception that professional or "the best" tools will instantly result in producing the "best" results and that is a false idea.
Let's illustrate it as:"Owning a £1,000 hammer will not make you a master carpenter just because you posses it." That should be obvious but amateurs run out and get After Effects or Sony Vegas or whatever because they see professionals use it and expect their videos to turn out as great hits. It does not happen. And that's what it really all boils down to. I know it is such a simple and logical thing to do, however so many people just don't use common sense and get something overpriced or underperforming for them. So don't fall into that trap. Here are some things you can research to see what type of program is best for you.
When my channel first began 4 years ago, I used MM for editing my videos, for about the first 2 years. Then the same point of getting better software came up again as I tried to improve my videos to try and get a even bigger audience than the one I had at time (which is smaller now, ironically, despite improved quality.) So I got Pinnacle Ultimate. I used it for a short while before actually switching back to Movie Maker. Why? Well for one main reason: I didn't use so many of its features anyway. It was more work to get everything into order to get the exact same product that I could've made in MM in a lot less time.
And it's wasn't about knowing how to use the program either. The guy I talked to even suggested I "learn how to use a better program while using MM, then fully switch when I am comfortable with it". But it wasn't about that either. I knew perfectly well how to use Pinnacle Ultimate and all its features.
Plus in all of my time using Movie Maker, I never had a situation where I thought "Oh, that would be nice to add to my video", only then to discover I cannot do it due to Movie Maker's limitations. Nor was it ever about a steep learning curve. I knew how to use all of Pinnacle Ultimate perfectly fine.
Also of course many people would have a prejudice against something like Movie Maker and my videos because you now know what I use. If I gave you a piece of chocolate but didn't tell you it was Tesco Everyday Value, you wouldn't give it connotations of cheap generic brand chocolate as you wouldn't know it is cheap generic brand chocolate. Same if I gave you some Cadbury chocolate. Unless you are some sort of chocolate expert, you wouldn't know it is Cadbury, and thus, you wouldn't have the positive connotations of Cadbury chocolate. You and pretty much everyone in the world thinks with a prejudice about things you know about. The only difference in this metaphor is that chocolate is a product, and editing software is a tool.
The right tool is the one which does that which you need it to do. Amateurs often have the misconception that professional or "the best" tools will instantly result in producing the "best" results and that is a false idea.
Let's illustrate it as:"Owning a £1,000 hammer will not make you a master carpenter just because you posses it." That should be obvious but amateurs run out and get After Effects or Sony Vegas or whatever because they see professionals use it and expect their videos to turn out as great hits. It does not happen. And that's what it really all boils down to. I know it is such a simple and logical thing to do, however so many people just don't use common sense and get something overpriced or underperforming for them. So don't fall into that trap. Here are some things you can research to see what type of program is best for you.
- Budget. How much are you willing to spend and for how many features.
- Look at your current video editing? Is there something there that clearly needs improving? Can it be solved in your current software?
- How are you adding value to your videos through editing? More entertaining? More informative? More upbeat and less boring bits? Think hard at exactly what editing does for your videos, what you want it to do, and what program will be the best at doing just that.
- Do your videos have a specific style? Do you want them to have a specific style? Then see if you can do that to the fullest in your current software or if others do it better.
- And probably the biggest one to save you money, stress, and time: See what you can do pre-production! If you use programs such as OBS to record, it can provide you with overlays, visual effects, audio effects and improvements, etc. Setting these up before recording and then having them work in the background can be just what you need! Depending on the program, you could have everything you need just working alongside you recording, leaving you less things to do while editing. This can save you from having to buy some extra software if you just need these features that are provided by the program. So make sure to see what can you do beforehand to really see how much work you have left afterwards, so you can decide what features do you still need.
