Buyers' Guide: Video-Editing Software

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This is a must for anyone hoping to turn hours of camcorder footage into tightly edited, watchable movies. There are a lot of packages to choose from, but new
tools geared towards the novice are popping up in all of them.

Not only are they making it easy to get your movies onto DVD, but a wider range of tools allow you to personalise what you’ve shot. Basic packages cover capture,
storyboarding, timeline video editing and template-based DVD authoring. More advanced software will let you create a wide range of special effects and are aimed at the home movie enthusiast.

Prices start at around £40, but it’s important to find a package with good help files – video-editing software often assumes a lot of prior knowledge.

Recommended Video-Editing Software:

Adobe Premiere Elements 2
The best video-editing package available for beginners and intermediate users
Review >
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Ulead Videostudio 9
Simple yet thorough, Videostudio offers plenty, whatever your level of expertise
Review >

AIST Movie DV 7
Good choice for those with some editing experience who are disappointed by what other consumer video editors have to offer
Review >

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