Digital Video Editing

[Texacon]

As most of you know I'm a real estate broker and we're always looking for new ways to market our listings.  We have recently gotten into Video Tours of our homes.  Not Virtual Tours but actual Video and we have taken a bit of a different tack on how to present the homes.  We actually have my wife 'show' the home to the camera like it is her 'customer'.

I think they are coming out ok but we bought a new HD camera to shoot the videos with and I needed some new software so we picked up Roxio Creator 2009. 

My question is;  Do any of you have any experience in video editing?  Have any tips or tricks?  Any suggestions on software?  I'm having a little bit of a problem with the AVCHD format the camera uses.  It seems to 'jump' when I'm editing so I convert it to something more compatable and work with that.

Just looking for some ideas.

KC

[Chris_]

Can't help you with the home PC based stuff.......spent many years in TV broadcasting, and we used the AVID System, which produces professional results......at a "professional price"......

I think that our smallest AVID suite ran about $200,000........but that was several years ago.......

doc

[Thor]

I know little about digital video editing, but someone who might would be Zo. You might want to email him or PM him.

http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php?action=profile;u=376

[Texacon]

Can't help you with the home PC based stuff.......spent many years in TV broadcasting, and we used the AVID System, which produces professional results......at a "professional price"......

I think that our smallest AVID suite ran about $200,000........but that was several years ago.......

doc

I don't think we do too bad with what we have (I may post one of our vids up here .....) but for $200,000 !!   

You know anyone with a bootleg copy I can get for $150,000?!  LOL

KC

[Texacon]

I know little about digital video editing, but someone who might would be Zo. You might want to email him or PM him.

http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php?action=profile;u=376

Thanks for the lead Thor but the email is hidden and the date last active is 9 October 2008.  I don't know that a PM would get read.

KC

[Thor]

Thanks for the lead Thor but the email is hidden and the date last active is 9 October 2008.  I don't know that a PM would get read.

KC

You can PM him or at least try. PMs get announced in a member's email.

[TheSarge]

I don't think we do too bad with what we have (I may post one of our vids up here .....) but for $200,000 !!   

You know anyone with a bootleg copy I can get for $150,000?!  LOL

KC

What he's talking about is the complete editing system with several hundred gigs of HD space mega ram etc.

My preference is Final Cut Pro...it runs around $400 the Express runs IRRC $99.

Adobe has a program called Premiere which I'm just learning (again) and of course Avid.

Some basic tips for shooting your video:

Use a tripod.

Don't zoom if you don't have to.  Move in closer to what you're trying to video.

Make each shot no less than 6 seconds.  This helps in the editing process and will probably cut down on a lot of the problems with the video "jumping"

If you have any narration for what the people are seeing, add that in after you shoot the video, don't do it while you are recording.  This will give you a better audio quality and a more professional feel to your product.

Vary your angles.  Don't shoot everything from eye level.  Don't be afraid to put the camera on the ground and tile the camera up...or shoot from a high angle looking down.

The more professional grade programs will handle more video formats such as the one you are using.  You also have to make sure the software you bought is capable of editing the HD format.

[Texacon]

What he's talking about is the complete editing system with several hundred gigs of HD space mega ram etc.

My preference is Final Cut Pro...it runs around $400 the Express runs IRRC $99.

Adobe has a program called Premiere which I'm just learning (again) and of course Avid.

Some basic tips for shooting your video:

Use a tripod.

Don't zoom if you don't have to.  Move in closer to what you're trying to video.

Make each shot no less than 6 seconds.  This helps in the editing process and will probably cut down on a lot of the problems with the video "jumping"

If you have any narration for what the people are seeing, add that in after you shoot the video, don't do it while you are recording.  This will give you a better audio quality and a more professional feel to your product.

Vary your angles.  Don't shoot everything from eye level.  Don't be afraid to put the camera on the ground and tile the camera up...or shoot from a high angle looking down.

The more professional grade programs will handle more video formats such as the one you are using.  You also have to make sure the software you bought is capable of editing the HD format.

Thanks for the tips TRG.  I will try some of these and some of them won't work with the format we are using to show the properties.  IE the adding the narration after the shoot.  Since we are doing it from a clients stand point and actually showing the home adding narration later would defeat the purpose.

Appreciate you taking the time to answer!

KC

[TheSarge]

Thanks for the tips TRG.  I will try some of these and some of them won't work with the format we are using to show the properties.  IE the adding the narration after the shoot.  Since we are doing it from a clients stand point and actually showing the home adding narration later would defeat the purpose.

Appreciate you taking the time to answer!

KC

Glad I could help.  Let me know if I can do anything else.

[Thor]

Hint hint: most of the time, one can find those programs via the torrent files...... or elsewhere around the web...