Vidding question for the hive mind

[dalekboy]

So, in the last couple of weeks, I had to put together some clips. Now in the old days, I would have just grabbed the video tapes, cross-taped the relevant bits, and the whole thing would have been done in a few hours. It was literally pause recording where I wanted the next clip, set the source running, release pause, press stop and it was done. With all my source stuff on their separate tapes, I could chuck together a presentation in 2-3 hours.

With DVDs I find it's get the clip, dump it down, try to put it in the editing program, find the program didn't like the format, fuck about for a few hours trying variations, lather, rinse, repeat. The five minutes of clips from a single DVD literally took me well over a week to get sorted. Once I solved the basic issues and figured workarounds, it was quicker, but still slow and clunky.

As I have a few friends doing the songvid thing, I wanted to ask what programs people are using. Preferably free programs, though I'm not averse to paying for stuff. What are the pros and cons for the progs you're using, how do you find the functionality, formatting, and so on.

Basically I'd like to break the process down to the smallest number of steps possible, so I can have a nice collection of good quality clips for panels and the like at the end, without losing days and days to the drudge-work..

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I usually use DVD Fab Platinum to rip as an AVI file, then you can edit as you like. For me, I then rip the audio (which is what I need at the moment for the podcast) using the free version of AoA Audio Extractor and then cut the clip in Audacity. DVD Fab Platinum is pretty reliable.

[king-espresso.livejournal.com]

Oops that was me.

[jack-ryder.livejournal.com]

You need a Neuros OSD. Not free (about $220) but you connect it twixt your tv and video source, plug in a memory card or USB drive and you can record anything as an mp4.

Project X is a java based ( i.e. cross platform) video editor/convertor which is quite powerful and free

[ascetic-hedony.livejournal.com]

Windows Movie Maker comes included with most iterations of the OS, and is useable. It can be clunky at times and it's advisable to save often, but suitable for the occasional vidder.

Depending on your connection/ethical stance and so forth, it can be easier to grab copies of the source material online, rather than ripping it yourself.

[rachelholkner.livejournal.com]

I use Handbrake on a PC to rip the source, which sometimes needs trimming in Quicktime 7 Pro (not sure if you can still get this) to make the file manageable (Handbrake can only select down to Chapter level, which is stupid if all you need is 3 seconds). Then transfer to Mac to edit in iMovie.
It's laborious, but necessary to get the picture quality IMO.
I love iMovie (mostly) *hugs software*