Film Editing Software - Best Film Editing Softwares for Mac & PC

You need a really good film editing software that suites your needs and that's the reason you're here right?

I will give some tips on the best programs that even the pro's use, and as a matter of fact.. You don't need to be a rocketscientist to use them..

I mean you could have shot some amazing film material, but if the editing isn't good it all falls flat.

There are some great film editing programs for macs and there are great film editing programs for PC..

It's all comes down to a matter of style and personal taste. I personally like Macs because they are made for video and image work. PCs are much more allround..

Plus with a Mac, you can run PC programs by using a program called Paralells Desktop.

OK so which program should you use?

Well there are 3 major players that I want to introduce you to, but first I'd like to talk a little about the programs that comes with your computer.

If you have a mac you might already be familliar with a program called iMovie. It's one of the programs that are included with the iWorks package..

This program is good I guess if you are just starting out and editing your smaller family movies. However, you will outgrow this program fast.

The same goes for the program "Windows movie maker" which comes with almost every PC these days. It's also one of those programs that will reach its limit fast and you will end up wanting another program.

The programs that comes with your computer will do for the amatuer film maker / film editer, but eventually you would want to get programs that can do more, and have more choices.

If you want to take editing to the next level.. you should really check out the beginner adobe products.

Sure "Windows movie maker" and the Mac's iMovie are a good start, but they cannot match up with beginner adobe products.

The program from adobe you should be on the lookout for is called "Adobe Premiere Elements 4" and it's a fantastic software. To bad it only supports Windows.

It's perfect if you are still learning the ropes of editing and it's not so expensive. It costs $99.99 if you buy it directly from adobe.com.

Then if you know what you are doing and want more choices, adobe has a product called Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium. This program is available for both PC and MACs

This software is a little more advanced. You are now entering the level of which some of the contributions to the Sundance Film festival are using for film editing.

For example: Superman Returns, U2 3D, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Orange County Choppers and "The Aviator" are some of the big movies who used Adobe for editing and special effects..

There are manly two products in the above software that are worth mentioning a little bit extra.

They are:

Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional.

These two are really good if you are trying to go from beginner to advanced. The learning curve is a little longer with these two but once you've learned how to use them you can do much more than the beginner Adobe Premier Elements.

Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 costs $799

Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional costs $999

However, You can get a free 30 day trial of any of these softwares.

These two above are among the softwares that are included in the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium. However it's a little more expensiver..

Creative Suite 3 Production Premium costs $1,699

Apple have developed a great software for movie/film editing. It's called "Final Cut Studio 2" and it's simply great. It's like listening to mozart or beethoven. The program is beautiful and when you work with it seems so natural.

Some of the biggest film companies in hollywood use this software...

The movies 300, No country for old men, Letters from Iwo Jima and Jarhead are some of the movies that has been edited with Final Cut Studio 2.

This is a very professional software that you can do a lot with. You can either be a pro or an indie filmmaker. This is one of the best softwares out there..

For example:

In Final Cut Studio 2 you will have access to these independent programs..

Final Cut Pro 6

- This is the software that you will use for editing your films.

Motion 3

- With program you can create 3d motion graphics very easily.

Soundtrack Pro 2

- Edit the sound with this software.

Color

- This is the software were you will do you color grading. It's very advanced and you can tweak the colors endlessly.

Compressor 3

- With this program you convert your end result to a wide different formats. For example a video for your ipod.

DVD Studio Pro 4

- Ultimately you may want to get your film on a DVD? This program lets you to create beautiful DVD screen.

You can get these programs individually or the whole Final Cut Studio 2 at apple.

The price is $1,299 and you get a very advanced film editing software that the absolute top professionals are using.

Believe it! Sony has actually made a very good and easy to use film editing program. They have made a software for the mainstream market and it's great news for you..

You don't need to be an expert in the field to use the program. The software is called Sony Vegas Movie Studio and it's in the same class as Adobe Premiere Elemens. It's a good software to get started with and learn the ropes of film editing.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio is easier to pick up than Adobe Premiere Elements.

The software is quite cheap if you compare it to other film editing softwares in the business. $74.95 for the standard editon, $114.95 for the platinum edition and $549.95 for the pro version.

However you can get a free 30 day trial with this software..

This software comes for windows XP and Vista only.. To bad if you are a Mac user because this software is pretty good.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio is mostly used by entertaining artists. Artists such as Shania Twain, Rod Stewart and Sherryl Crow have used Sony Vegas Movie Studio in their post production work..