TCS - Midi Music and Multimedia SIG

Midi Music and Multimedia SIG

by Mike Henson
Tulsa Computer Society
From the February 2003 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter

We had 10 people come out to the January meeting, where we took a look at different Video Editing software programs, as a follow-up to the video capture card meeting we had in November. I had tested out about a dozen different software packages in preparation for this meeting, but only 3 of them did I really like. So we didn't go through most of them at the meeting, just the 3 good ones.

Ulead Video Studio 6

This is my favorite program for capturing the raw data from my camcorder or VCR. It has good controls and some decent editing features. I also like the fact that it never drops any frames while recording. Some of the other packages dropped frames more than I drop my socks on the floor. Video Studio 6 runs about $90, and can be found at www.ulead.com. They also have a less expensive product called DVD MovieFactory that captures just as well, and runs only $45.

We went around the room and filmed everyone waving at the camera and saying hello. Then, we filmed someone telling a joke. After connecting the camera to the PC, we played back our recordings and captured them into the PC as MPEG files.

Pinnacle Studio 8

Once we had the MPEG files recorded, we opened Pinnacle Studio 8 to do some editing. I like this one best for editing because it has so many transitions to pick from. You can cut, copy, paste, overlay, add sounds and titles, and of course pick from hundreds of transitions to make your video look pretty good. Studio 8 runs about $100, and can be found at www.pinnaclesys.com.

Muvee AutoProducer Cobalt

Of course, the biggest problem with video editing is that it takes so much time to make a really good looking end product. That is where Muvee comes out on top. This package will take your MPEG and AVI files and turn them into professional looking movies in a matter of a few minutes. It automatically chops up your movie into scenes, then mixes them up based on your selected style. It synchronizes the scenes and effects with your music. It does all of this very well, and in just a few minutes. Muvee runs about $50, and can be found at www.muvee.com.

The February meeting will be about MOD music. Just when you thought MOD music was dead, there comes along a bunch of new software and web sites for it. Come join the fun at the Harmon Foundation, 2901 S. Harvard, on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM.



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Tulsa Computer Society 2/02/2003
Don Singleton, President