EDLD5363+Week+2+Entry+-+Editing+Software

May I state up front that, although last week’s assignment was a bed of roses and nary a bump in the proverbial rode was to be found, Week Two’s assignment to hunt down “free” video editing software has proved to be my comeuppance! As I drilled down into the suggested shareware Wax, it was not too long until I realized Wax was not going to be totally free due to some zipping issues. My next choice was the unpronounceable Zwei-Stein Full Version 3.01, which downloaded very smoothly. I was a bit taken aback, however, by the folder hierarchy name, “Thugs At Bay.” The name made me wonder just exactly what I was getting my precious PC into. Opening the software, Initially, Zwei-Stein did not read my .wmv file and I had to pull down the drop down menu to see my video to import. Where is the “Play” button? This software is not very intuitive. I chose Source / Play, but nothing happened. The correct command was Destination / Export. What? If I am a newbie to the video editing world, I am most likely familiar with standard commands and menu choices. Zwei-Stein finally did reveal a somewhat standard menu bar, but my frustration level is already a bit high with this free software. I still have not tried to edit my clip. After looking around more in the four part screen, the word “edit” was not to be found. It was not hiding beneath any of the commands on the menu, nor was it a tool tip when I hovered over any of the stage. With that being said, may I state that I tried a new and innovative software, and have decided to use the tried and true Windows Movie Maker to complete Part 1 of Week 2, EDLD 5363 assignment.  Windows Movie Maker is free software that comes with most PCs. The most recent version that comes with Office 7 is amazing. And the very last command on the tool bar was the magic word I was looking for – EDIT! I welcomed myself home to this comfortable software. I have grown up with MovieMaker. In 2004, with my first the first Multimedia class I taught, I was a bit apprehensive when we got to the video editing portion of my TEKS. There was nothing, however, to fear. MovieMaker was there for me. Over the years, MovieMaker has evolved into a very slick, yet basic video editing software. The latest version even offers an icon for YouTube uploading. I am able to drag the video playhead wherever I like, choose “edit,” and then “trim.” I can add music easily as well. From evaluating these two video editing software programs, I realized that sometimes free is good. Also, sometimes it is better to organize software in a manner that will be familiar to the user, and that many people prefer to use the recognized menu bars and commands. Navigating software because the creator chose to be innovative can be time consuming and frustrating. I will continue to upgrade my video editing skills in MovieMaker.  Desktop-Video-Guide. (n.d.). Top 5 free video editing software programs. Retrieved on September 3, 2010, ,from http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/top-7-video-editing-software-review.html 