Scintilla wrote:
I think this is the core of the problem right here.
I'm getting the distinct impression that mantlepicture is mostly talking about editing from a professional standpoint (note emphasis on speed and efficiency in the editing process, among other things), while bum and the others who have been responding are mostly talking about it from a hobby standpoint, and the statement I bolded shows up the difference pretty clearly (I'm sure that relaxing while editing is not a very good way to meet a deadline).
And the discrepancy is resulting in confusion and other bad stuff.
So can we please just give it a rest?
You bring up a very good point. I've tried (and apparently failed) to get across the fact that I am speaking from a professional standpoint("professional editors need..."). Like I said, try all the programs out before buying them. Find what suits you. If you are just doing it as a hobby, get Premeire or Vegas, or even Pinnacle(though I haven't tested it yet). If you are getting into editing with the intention of making a career out of it, start with Avid. It is hard to learn, but it's better to form habits with it since that is what you will work with in the industry(or Final Cut, but it's pretty much the same idea).
AMVs, generally, are very simplistic and easy to make*. You can do them with WMM if you want. But if you want something that will grow with you as you get more experience, you want a higher end program(at least Premeire or Vegas).
*To make myself clear, I mean the technical aspects. Generally, it's cuts only with maybe a few dissolves. Anyone can piece together an AMV(not necessarily a good one). But when you decide you want to do nesting, color correction, 3D effects, grouping, matting, etc., WMM(and Premeire for a few of those things) will laugh at you.
Again, use each of the programs and decide what works best for you. You are the one who will be spending countless hours on it, so go with what makes you comfortable. I have taken many advanced editing courses, so it probably is a little unfair for me to expect everyone to be comfortable with Avid. But that is the most important part: find something that does what you need it to do and makes you feel comfortable doing it.