Mastamind wrote:I always recommend Sony Vegas Pro, since it's cheap, can produce amazing video effects, and is easy to use

Cheap? you have GOT to be kidding

Still a fantastic program despite the price, though.
FYI, Windows Movie Maker is possibly one of the worst programs out there. It's easy to use, but the effects are very limited and you can only export to 2 different file formats.
Sony Vegas is good since it's way more advanced than Movie Maker, but still very easy to use. The Movie Studio version is pretty cheap too, though not as advanced as Vegas Pro. If you can't afford anything that fancy, then check out THIS program here:
http://www.debugmode.com/wax/It's completely free and has some features similar to those of Sony Vegas. The only downside is that the sound quality is AWFUL on the output files, so I'd recommend only using it for special effects.
Adobe After Effects or Particle Illusion might also be well worth an investment if you want to use special effects.
My advice is to check out a few trial versions and see what works for you.
