Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9

As little as I know about this kind of software this package seems to be able to do much more than I can imagine. Learn how to use it is the time consuming part. I don't know how long it will take me to understand all of the features. It would have been nice for the novice like me to have a list of terms and definitions along with examples to go by.

I really enjoy this video maker. I have been dabbling with movie making and this is very professional looking.

I bought my first p/c in 1994 with windows 3.1, I've gone through all the lock-ups & software glitches in the last 15 years, I even built computers for a living for a year back in 2001. I find this software very confusing & I feel that I need to take a course just to learn how to use it, their are user friendly programs out there that are simpler to use, maybe it's just me but I've been around the block a few times & for me this was a waste of money.

If you are determined and stick with it, this is a great editing software program, but be prepared for some frustration unless you are really a "techie." I kept at it and have produced two videos I am quite proud of which include titles, still pictures, edited video and music downloaded from iTunes. Lots of frustration with DVD Architect and the burning of the DVDs. Still haven't mastered the menu stuff. Took me several weeks to learn how to do this much and I still have a long way to go, but I have produced really professional looking videos. Tip: the included tutorials are very helpful, but I learned a lot by watching some of the tutorials on Utube. I purchased a SonyHD Handycam and needed software compatible with this camera and Vista 64 bit (the bane of my existence). I downloaded several free trial software packages and Vegas worked the best. I would recommend this software to anyone with "above beginner" skills. You have to persevere, but it will be worth it.

I've just tried the free trial version so far, don't know if there's any differences. I'm also very much the novice. This is my first camera, first exposure to video editing etc. I have tried a lot of stuff so far out there and know what it is I want to do. That being said.

This software handles the 'difficult' files very well (MTS, MPG2 etc.) The interface is not intuitive, a lot of research has to be done with YouTube tutorials etc and the built in tutorials. This is not a problem for me. I don't like stuff that's too easy and automated.

My only complaint so far is you seem to be limited to only two video tracks. This probably wouldn't be a problem for most people but I like to make movies with a lot of stuff going on. Two videos doesn't cut it for me.

Although an expensive solution I might get this just for the faithful file conversion properties. For editing though, funny enough, I use the TrakAxPC program which is, well, free and can handle more tracks, seems to have as many effects, is more intuitive and is less resource intensive although not quite as stable.