Editing of Videos for Personal Use
October 8, 2019

Tools - Basic

If the objective is to just do transitions between photos and mix audio and video snippets, then a simple tool is sufficient. These tools allow you to add photo, video, perform basic transitions and mix audio.

For Mac, iMovie is free and the best out there.

For Windows, VSDC (http://www.videosoftdev.com/) is a free tool that can be used for basic editing

Tools - Advanced

Personally, I prefer advanced tools as there is always a need for some advance tasks like correction, effects, granular adjustments to various characteristics and ability to mix and play.

Cyberlink Powerdirector, is the tool that I use currently. This is a paid version and was purchased few years back. It provides some pretty good features and back then I wanted a tool that would work with Windows. This was a very good tool and continue to help me achieve whatever is required. If I am purchasing now, would I buy one ? Probably yes, given the cost ! This is a good cheaper option

Final Cut Pro X (Mac), is a very powerful and easy to use tool. It is from Apple and works only with Mac. Though the tool is on the costly side, they have a month long free trial that gives sufficient time to do one video and try out various features before deciding to purchase. I have used this tool to create my personal video and was very impressed with the features. If I had a Mac for personal use, I would buy this. Makes lot of tasks very simple but they do come at a price.

Adobe Premiere Pro, has some good reviews, but I have not used it. With a 7 day trial, there is not much time to try something either.

There are other tools that are even more advanced. These are more for professionals though Final Cut Pro X is also considered a professional tool.

Tools - Audio

Almost all video editing software provide some amount of audio mixing capabilities that are sufficient for personal use. If you really want to do some advanced audio mixing, Audacity is very good and is open source, free and available on all platforms.

Tools - Photo

What if you want to edit some photos for the video. You can use editing software like Adobe Photoshop (paid) or Paint.net (Windows - free, but requires plugins (they are also free) to be installed for advanced editing). Sometimes, I even use Microsoft Powerpoint to achieve what I am looking for.

Depending on what you are attempting to do, there are quite a few choices - Blender can be used for advanced graphics, PowToons for animated content, Pencil2D for hand drawn animation, etc.

Tips

  • For personal videos, esp. family ones, music is a key element. If sharing via youtube, be aware of copyright issues and select accordingly. if copyrighted music, then you can only mark the video as unlisted (or) private.
  • I generally try to select photos with smiles in it. It always works out. If personal, select photos that have pleasant memories associated with it.
  • Tell a story - sequence it such that there is always a story that can be constructed
  • Always have a surprise element. It can be a subtle one or a bold one
  • Break the monotony - Keep adding something to break the monotony. For e.g. if there are a 100 pics - a slideshow of 100 will take the interest away. Add some titles, effects, etc. Help the viewer connect, think, pause and enjoy the series

Summary

  • Start with simple editing, using iMovie (Mac) or VSDC (Windows). Both are free and this will help you understand the complexity and process

  • If you need advanced features and on Mac, try Final Cut Pro X. Either trial or purchase

  • If on Windows, need advanced features and on low budget, try Cyberlink Powerdirector

  • If you would like to take it to next level and like the monthly pricing model, try Adobe Premiere Pro.