A New AMV Maker....

[XiaoMovieMaker]

I have recently decided to start working on a couple of AMVs.
Now I have NEVER made a single AMV before so I felt that I should get my research done before i start working on this "project".

So here's a few questions I compiled after reading a bit around the forums:

1. Since i'm a beginner, is it good to make an AMV with Windows Movie Maker? Or should I just purchase Adobe Premiere/Vegas 7/Magix Movie Edit?

2. I downloaded the AMVapps and used DVD Decrypter to rip off the files, but unfortunately, they aren't in AVI format, which is supposedly the easiest to handle with, what should I do?

~In regards to the above situation, I used some DVD ripping freeware that outputs as an AVI file, but since it was freeware, it left an annoying watermark...

3. I was studying some filters and I currently have a program that handles two of them, Sharpening filters and smoother/temporal smoother filters, but i have no idea where to get the other filters in. What programs do you guys use?



I think those 3 questions should do for now, once I get organized and do a little more research, i'll start my first AMV!

Thank you~

[The Origonal Head Hunter]

1) Its all a matter of preference. I use Premiere Pro myself.

2) Read <a href=http://www.a-m-v.org/guides/avtech31/>ErMaC & AbsoluteDestiny's Friendly AMV Guides</a>

3) Read <a href=http://www.a-m-v.org/guides/avtech31/>ErMaC & AbsoluteDestiny's Friendly AMV Guides</a>

[godix]

Actually the <a href="http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/ ... eta/">beta updated guide</a> is probably more relevant these days.

[The Origonal Head Hunter]

meh, they need to update the link, I'm too lazy to copy-paste.

[NS]

eh... In a way I reccomend every editor start out with WMM.. it'll give them a more raw sense of editing so that they won't just start producing these whore effect vids that have no synch or anything.

[CrackTheSky]

What Head Hunter and godix said.

In regards to what program to use...I'd personally recommend making at least one video in WMM before moving up, just to see if it's really something you might want to invest your time and money in. If you decide you like the hobby and it's something you want to pursue more seriously, then go to websites like Adobe's homepage and Sony's homepage and download trial versions of their software to see which one suits you best.

No matter what program you use though, be absolutely sure to read the guide that godix linked you to. You will save yourself TONS of headaches, and if you fin you need help with something, for the love of God read the stickies in the appropriate Help forums.

All that said, welcome to the hobby!

[Koopiskeva]

www.magix.com

[Brad]

First off, welcome to the Org. It's good that you're asking questions instead of just assuming certain things and thusly hindering your progress. However, in the future please remember that we have several Help forums, so this post will likely be moved to the General Video forum.

1. Since i'm a beginner, is it good to make an AMV with Windows Movie Maker? Or should I just purchase Adobe Premiere/Vegas 7/Magix Movie Edit?

What editing program you use really all boils down to preference. Using one over another TYPICALLY doesn't relate as much to how good the video is as much as how much creativity and effort you put into it. I for one use Premiere 6.5 (the last version before it became Premiere Pro). I mainly like it for the fact that it makes it very fast for me to start up a project considering that I can use AVS files along side MJPEG-encoded AVI's to do the "bait-and-switch" method (I realize you don't know what I mean. Read through the guides that godix linked to)

2. I downloaded the AMVapps and used DVD Decrypter to rip off the files, but unfortunately, they aren't in AVI format, which is supposedly the easiest to handle with, what should I do?

~In regards to the above situation, I used some DVD ripping freeware that outputs as an AVI file, but since it was freeware, it left an annoying watermark...

When you rip a DVD, you are simply taking the original video files (VOB files, or Video OBject files. They contain the MPEG-2 video, the audio in whatever format it happens to be in, and any subtitle streams), decrypting them, and saving them to your hard drive. Why this is good for you is that it doesn't re-encode the video (meaning, you don't lose any quality at all. What's on the DVD is exactly what you have to edit with). Now, you can use a utility called "AVIsynth" which comes with AMVapp to take that VOB and make it into an editable format, by creating "AVS scripts" (which I mentioned above). The AVS script is just a text file that tells AVIsynth what it should do with the VOB (or almost any other type of video file, but in AMV creation, it is generally used to process VOB files). You can then treat the AVS file like any other video file (assuming that the editing program supports it, which is one of the main reasons I use Premiere, because it handles AVS files very well). I know that might sound like a long complicated process, but to break it down, it goes: Insert DVD -> Rip VOBs -> Make AVS script -> Bring AVS script into Premiere and edit.

There is more to it than just that, but thats the bare bones basic workflow.

All that being said, don't convert your DVDs to AVIs. You're re-encoding the video and thusly losing quality.

3. I was studying some filters and I currently have a program that handles two of them, Sharpening filters and smoother/temporal smoother filters, but i have no idea where to get the other filters in. What programs do you guys use?

You're more than likely reading about AVIsynth filters (or maybe VirtualDub filters). As I was saying about AVIsynth, it's a utility that processes video in many different ways, one of which is using various filters to "clean up" video. Not all DVDs have wonderful perfect footage, and so we use "cleaning scripts" in order to help eliminate some of the problems. But beware of "overcleaning" which can make the video look even worse than the original.

Might be a lot more information than you were looking for, but understand that if you really want your videos to look as best as they can, it takes some research and practice. Read through the updated guides that godix linked and practice for yourself.

Also remember that there are many people around here willing to help out when you have questions.

[purplepolecat]

I'd say go with WMM for a first project. It's way less complex, it's free, and it's fine as long as you're not doing anything tricky like lip sync.

[Malificus]

What Head Hunter and godix said.

In regards to what program to use...I'd personally recommend making at least one video in WMM before moving up, just to see if it's really something you might want to invest your time and money in.

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