Hmm, AMVs...A Costly Investment?

downwithpants · Post by **downwithpants** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:05 pm

it can be done at no cost... if your local library stocks anime or you have some fanboi/fangirl friends and youre willing to use wmm or imovie, etc.

and be grateful the org offers free hosting too.

SarahtheBoring · Post by **SarahtheBoring** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:12 pm

moonie211 wrote:
inthesto wrote: just wait until Geneon/ADV have their gigantor blowout sales.
X2
Its also good to check out the bargin bins
You can find some good stuff in there sometimes

x4 or 5 or whatever it's up to right now. Maybe good, or maybe just usable.

There's also timing; old is cheap, used is cheap, individual discs are cheap when thinpacks come out. Kinda pathetic if you think about it too much, but they're still usable.

There's also borrowing, if you know anyone else IRL who likes anime.

There are lots of chances to trim off some bucks on DVDs, if you aren't looking for a particular R2-only release. It's still a more expensive hobby than, um, collecting bottlecaps? But it's not impossible.

YouTube · Post by **Ileia** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:36 pm

post-it wrote:
XiaoMovieMaker wrote:well it looks like i have much more research to do...
let's see: there's adobe, magix, sony...and that's the main ones i've heard of.
i'll look into each one and see which one suits my needs the most!
.. well, I can speed you up a little:

Adobe and Vegas have many specail affects and effects that come as Plug-in's $$$

Magix Pro 12 can not do what Adobe nor Vegas can do on affects ... $ ... 0_o

Ulead Video Studio 11 Plus is another option that is $60.00 but no plug-ins.

For the "Pro" lines of editors ... Magix < Ulead < Vegas < Adobe ... ease of use.

Learning Curves "Pro" line ... Ulead < Vegas < Magix < Adobe ... to make an AMV.

.. note:
I have owned and returned Adobe ( just didn't like it ) & Vegas ( not a "Pro" Line yet. )

But don't disclude Magix just due to lack of pre-loaded effects, especially considering the cost (I got Movie Edit Pro 11 for $25, that's about the cost of a DVD) and the fact that a person who is just starting out probably isn't ready to jump into a wide range of effects right off the bat. Better to learn the basics of editing before just clicking whatever looks pretty. And, as with all posts recommending certain programs, let's not forget that it's the editor that makes the video what it is, not the program. Some pretty impressive videos have been made with Magix. (*cough* the #1 and #3 top videos on this site *cough*) Every program has pros and cons, Magix's pros are simplicity and cost efficiency (and despite what you say, post-it, Magix IS easy to use), the con is lack of pre-loaded effects.

(Xiao, if you decide to get Magix, try to get Edit Pro 11, it's cheaper than 12 and the only real difference is the capacity to burn HD DVDs)

And as for DVDs, if it hasn't been suggested yet, I used to use Netflix back when I was super broke (rent and bills come before anime apparently), and it worked out pretty well. Granted, it just didn't feel as good as buying and owning my own DVDs, but it was at least marginally better than downloading fansubs.

post-it · Post by **post-it** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:11 am

.. well, Magix Pro 12 & Ulead Video Studio 11 Plus or Pinnacles Studio 11 Plus .. they are all fine programs ... its the Learning Curve that makes me wonder about where Video Editing might turn into over the Next 3 years ;o_o; sniff sniff .. I mean, just how difficult should an editing program be to use it ??? Yes, NetFlix or the local Library are very good places for Anime.
.. Personally, what I wouldn't give for a working copy disc of "AiST's Extreme 4.0" ( it was actually a 2 disc set ) I simply LOVED that program.

Keeper of Hellfire · Post by **Keeper of Hellfire** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:14 am

post-it wrote:... Personally, what I wouldn't give for a working copy disc of "AiST's Extreme 4.0" ( it was actually a 2 disc set ) I simply LOVED that program.

Me too. I'm working with AiST MoviePack 7, but I'd love to have some of the features of eXtreme. But an upgrade to Cinegy eXtreme 7 is a way to expensive. (AiST's Pro line is branded Cinegy since some years, and sadly they stopped selling consumer versions some months ago

)

About the learning curves and ease of use - it depends much on personal experience and taste. I'm used to AiST programs since years. For me it was easy to learn and it is easy to use. I did download the trial of Magix and it was a horror to use it. A long year Magix user told me the same about AiST products.

And regarding the starting question - imho there are a couple of reasons to look for an alternative to WMM for AMV making asap. And don't argue "it's the person who makes the AMV and not the editing program". I'm with you, but WMM has some downfalls that make it unnecessary hard.
The first was already mentioned - no frame accurate editing, what makes synching a hard job.
The second - you can't control the effect settings.
The third - only 2 project frame rates supported. Not to speak about resolutions.
The fourth - only 2 lossy codecs supported for export.

JaddziaDax · Post by **JaddziaDax** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:17 am

U4EA was made with magix and ms paint >.>

BasharOfTheAges · Post by **BasharOfTheAges** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:09 am

Reality check- the vast majority of videos here were created by people that didn't pay a dime for their Editing software or anime.

post-it · Post by **post-it** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:47 am

.. true, but even my first editor was 1993's Asymetric's Video Producer 3.0 -- microsoft HAD a free VidEdit program at that time ( a single line "clipper" ) but no Codec access.
.. I got the feeling, even back then, that microsoft `just didn't get it!

JaddziaDax · Post by **JaddziaDax** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:48 am

the first rule of edit club is you dont talk about edit club O:

jubjub2 · Post by **jubjub2** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:11 am

downwithpants wrote:it can be done at no cost... if your local library stocks anime or you have some fanboi/fangirl friends and youre willing to use wmm or imovie, etc.

and be grateful the org offers free hosting too.

x2 on the library access.

Also, I have most of my anime collection due to finds at my local GameStop. I pick up used DVDs on the cheap, but you can also trade in those old games of yours for store credit/cash/DVDs. Of course, that is if you are willing to trade them in for something other than more games. ^_^

As for editing, I personally use Premiere 6.5 because it came bundled with my capture card. (The card is mostly dead now, but Premiere is still humming.)

There is a list of editing programs and their approximate costs here. This list includes free and open source programs, so they are right within your budget.

Ileia is right about starting with the basics. You will still have a learning curve on anything that you select, but it's a fun process, and the better editing foundation you have, the better your end product.

/uncaffeinated ramblings