What editing program would you reccomend?

[PooglesBiggestFan]

Hi, if anyone would be so kind as to help me out here, it would be much appreciated. I've been working on AMVs for years now, and only recently got a copy of windows movie maker. (So much easier to make AMVs on than with a pen and paper.) I love the program, and it's simple to use, not to mention free, but my program has crashed so many times and erased files so many times, I've stopped using it because I'm afraid the program might crash for good soon and never open up again. I don't need anything special in a program, what the plain and simple XP or 2.1 version of WMM has to offer is good enough for me. I also don't want to have to pay for my editing program. If someone can reccomend me to a free (or cheap) program that runs similar to WMM, it would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[AaronAMV]

AviSynth, it's free.

[Zarxrax]

There's not really anything that's free and good.

[Mastamind]

You should look here, but if you're serious and want something at least decent you're probably going to end up paying. Good luck

[Kionon]

Your best bet is Avid FreeDV:

Avid Free DV was a non-linear editing program made by Avid Technology.
It was intended to give editors a sample of the Avid interface to use in deciding whether or not to purchase Avid software, so when compared with other Avid products its features were relatively minimal. When it was available it was not limited by time or watermarking, so it could be used as a non-linear editor for as long as desired.

Avid discontinued this product, stating: "Effective September 1, 2007, Avid is discontinuing the Avid Free DV application offer, and has no immediate plans to make an updated version available."

Comparisons

When compared with other consumer-end non-linear editors such as iMovie and Windows Movie Maker, it sported more powerful video processing tools, but lacked the ease-of-use and shallow learning curve emphasized in similar programs because it had the full interface of the professional Avid system. However, Avid did offer a number of flash-based tutorials to help new users learn how to use the program for capturing, editing, clipping, processing, and outputting audio/video, amongst other things.

Limitations

The limitations of Avid Free DV included that it allowed only two video and audio tracks, had fewer editing tools than other Avid products, had few import and export formats, and allowed capture and output of standard-definition DV only, via firewire. Avid Free DV projects and media were not compatible with other Avid systems.
As the name implied, Avid Free DV was available as a free download, although users were required to complete a short survey on the Avid website before they were given a download link and key.
In addition to using Free DV to evaluate Avid prior to purchase, it could also act as a stepping stone for people wishing to learn to use Avid's other editing products, such as Xpress Pro, Media Composer and Symphony. While additional skills and techniques are necessary to use these professional-geared systems, the basic operation remains the same.

Operating Systems

Avid Free DV was available for Windows XP and Mac OS X: Officially supported Mac OS X versions: Panther versions up to 10.3.5, and Tiger versions up to 10.4.3 only.

Supported formats

Avid Free DV supported QuickTime (MOV) and DV AVIs.

There are video tutorials on Youtube, but be aware, avid is fairly complicated, and FreeDV uses the same interface. Be ready for a steep learning curve. However its freeware license remains valid, even if the program is discontinued, and there are professional editors that use FreeDV still to work on projects. There is no reason why you cannot, with effort, make it work.

You could also get a mac and install iMovie HD 06 and use my tutorial.

[PooglesBiggestFan]

Thank you all very much! I'll be sure to check them all out!

[Fuzzy Chickens]

30-day trial version of Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5