[DM-MUG] Digital Video Camera Recommendations

[Matt W]

For what you're doing with iMovie, you're getting close to Final Cut=20
Express/Pro territory. Handling of audio and video is much better in=20
the FC line. It's not as simple as the one-window of iMovie, but after=20=

I passed my first learning curve in FCE/FCP, I won't use iMovie=20
anymore. Non-destructive editing is extremely liberating (but also=20
storage and CPU demanding)!

For trimming audio in iMovie (using the audio editing checkbox and=20
volume level markers in the timeline) you shouldn't have to remove the=20=

audio into QT Pro, that adds at least 6 extra steps and an additional=20
$30. I have found that zooming all the way in and adding valleys where=20=

the 'blips' are usually removes the offending sound. It is decidedly=20
not as controlled as Final Cut, but it is pretty good. If you edit the=20=

volume level while playing a track, iMovie will replay the edit for you=20=

every time you make a change=97handy for getting it just right.

I did my first iMovie a few years ago on an iMac DV 400 MHz. I spent 8=20=

hours the first day. The project wasn't all that great, but I'll never=20=

delete it because it took so long to do. I think that was the last time=20=

I *ever* spent 8 consecutive hours doing anything I considered fun=20
(work doesn't count).

Matthew


On Oct 4, 2004, at 11:46 AM, Darcy Baston wrote:
>
> It took me 3 days to edit the wedding video, about 6 hours of work per=20=

> day. iMovie gets very slow and saves like a turtle when you've got=20
> around 50 clips in the timeline. You can walk away and make coffee at=20=

> times. I thought my iBook G4 933Mhz was pretty speedy until that=20
> context! Audio editing is a little wonky when you get into manual=20
> volume fades in the timeline. Sometimes you're left with 1/100s blip=20=

> of sound even when the sound is muted for that whole clip. I sometimes=20=

> had to export a clip, mute it in QT pro, and reimport it into iMovie.=20=

> Audio extraction is not flawless in iMovie. You can often yank the=20
> audio out, delete it, and the clip will still do a quick click/blip=20
> sound at the beginning and/or end of the remaining video clip.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> warm wishes,
> Darcy