What are the easiest tools to edit music videos you ask? Here are 4 of our favorite programs to create some cool Youtube clips, professional videos or just some fun vids
Even though MTV hardly plays videos anymore, that doesn’t mean the influence of the art itself is any less compelling. Whether you are an independent band putting videos up on YouTube, or you enjoy making videos for other’s music for fun, music videos require a special set of software. There are many options available so let’s look at a few of them.
1 Adobe Premier Elements
This is a stripped down version of the more expensive Adobe media suite, CS Pro. For those interested in only editing music videos that don’t have the spare $600, the much cheaper $75 elements is probably sufficient. It has much of the functionality of the pro version. It has tons and tons of automatic features which catalog your video collection, apply themes to your videos and much more. The interface, while easy to navigate for people with some experience in video editing, will take a bit of getting used to for those who are new to these sorts of programs.
2 Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 Production Suite
This is another stripped down version of a larger, more expensive program. Like Adobe’s programs, this version is under $80, while its big brother can cost several hundred. However, this is a full bodied video suite with hundreds of surprising, and occasionally baffling functions. For music video purposes, there’s a wave form visualizer, which makes synchronizing audio and video much easier. However, before you can use all of these things, you have to learn how, which can be a bit daunting for some.
3 WMM: Windows Movie Maker – Free Choice For Beginners
The biggest plus of this software is that you probably already have it as it comes free with many versions of Windows. It’s not as full featured as a paid program but for most purposes, it is perfectly sufficient. This program allows you to cut and paste sections of video together, though the amount of precision available leaves a bit to be desired. It has effects including text editing, color filters and various transitions. In all, it’s free and functional, which is enough for some people’s needs.
4 WAX
This program was originally an add-on to Vegas, but has since become a program in its own right. For a free program, it offers a surprising amount of tools for video editing. With this software, you can create green screen effects, with Chroma Key, add three dimensional effects, and use the rotoscoping tool to make live footage look like a cartoon. The program isn’t the most intuitive, however, so it might take quite a while to learn to use these functions. Also, the install may result in a lot of annoying tool bars being installed to your system if you’re not careful.
As to which program is the best for music videos, that depends on you. For hobbyists and other casual users, Windows Movie Maker is the best choice, especially for a beginner. For those looking for more professional results, the sheer amount of functionality that Vegas offers is the clear winner. Of course, for fully professional videos, the pro version is a necessity, but not everyone has the money to spend on it.
