You may think that editing home videos using a standard desktop PC would be a bit of a bind. Well, the truth is that it's really very easy and above all, not that expensive to get great results. Whether you want to send video e-mails, stream granddad falling out of his chair on the Internet or go the whole hog and create a digital masterpiece on DVD, it's all possible with a bit of time, some creative juices and the right hardware and software. Find out what you need and where to get it in this Halfvalue.co.uk introduction to desktop video editing.

Overview

Until recently, desktop video editing was an exclusive pastime reserved to those with wads of cash. Today, it's possible to get semi-professional results with little out-lay. Manufacturers have seen an opening in the home video editing market and they've stuffed it full of peripherals and software packages aimed at making everyone a desktop director. So, whether you just want to send a few video e-mails to the other side of the world or you want to edit next year's Oscar winner, there's a video editing solution on the market to suit your needs.

Video Source

Before you buy a video editing solution for your home computer, there are a few important factors to take into account. One of the most important questions to ask yourself is "what am I using as a video source?" If you already have a video camcorder, look at what audio/video output connectors the unit has. If it is a new digital camcorder, it will probably have a FireWire (or IEEE 1394) connector on it. If you have an older analogue camcorder, the unit may have an S-Video and phono connectors. The type of connectors on your video source will determine what video editing solution you need to buy.

If you are about to invest in a camcorder, think about going digital as the quality is considerably higher than older analogue camcorders. Also, make sure that your digital camcorder has an IEEE 1394 connector on it. Sometimes called FireWire (Apple Trademark) or i.Link (Sony Trademark), FireWire transfers data from device to computer up to 400 Mbps, more than 30 times faster than standard USB. Because of this speed, FireWire is fast becoming the standard interface for intense data transfer operations such as digital video editing. Do be aware that there are also FireWire-compatible CD recorders, hard drives and scanners and they all benefit from a high transfer rate.

PC Requirements

Video editing is a huge beast that requires lots of feeding--all of the time. It has a staple diet of three things; memory, hard drive space and processor power. And the more you feed it, the easier it is to manage. In an ideal world, you should get the most of everything, but you don't need to if you're only creating a couple of quick video messages once in a while. A bare minimum PC for this type of work would be a Pentium II 400 processor with 128MB of RAM and a 20GB hard drive.

If however, you're going to be using raw DV footage, opt for a larger 80GB hard drive. It's worth noting that five minutes of DV footage--before editing--will take up 1GB of hard drive space. Fill your PC with as much memory as possible; 256MB should be a minimum. As for processor power, a 1.0GHz Pentium III would suffice.

Video Editing Hardware

Deciding on the type of video editing solution depends entirely on what you want to do. If you want to create some small video files to send as e-mails, a USB-based device with composite inputs costing under £50 would be sufficient. If you want to put your finished masterpiece onto an external storage media such as VHS video tape, get a capture device with audio/video-out. Again, this could be an external USB or FireWire device or an internal PCI card.

Although there are several different types of video capture device available, we would recommend FireWire. All current Apple Macintosh computers have FireWire ports as standard, and even some new PCs have them. Don't worry if yours doesn't, as an internal FireWire card is cheap as chips. A complete FireWire system with decent software would be a bit more expensive, but well worth the money.

The final key piece of hardware would be a CD-RW or DVD-R drive, both serve to make backups of files and to make distribution copies of your finished movie on CD-R or DVD. Burners are available as both internal and external devices, but if you have invested in a FireWire interface already, we suggest you take advantage of its high transfer rate and portability. It is worth noting that USB2 is fast becoming the interface of choice for external CD-RW drives due to its high transfer .

Software

When you buy a video editing solution, it will inevitably come with some form of software. Sometimes it will be the full version of a leading package, but it could be a cut-down or "lite" version--essentially the full version minus a few options or add-ons. The software that is included with video capture devices is a great place to start. If you find it all a bit basic, then look to upgrade to a more advanced package. Some are targeted at casual users who want quick results with a minimum of effort, while others are for those who aspire to perfection and need as much control as possible to aid them in their quest. A little research with this in mind will help with finding the software that's right for you. Take a look at the Halfvalue.co.uk video editing software section for some ideas.

Editing Your Video

The video editing process is essentially the same no matter what video editing software you use. First you capture the required footage and store it on your hard drive. Then, using the available editing tools, you drag it onto the timeline and slice and dice the individual files, arranging them in the desired sequence. You then add any special effects such as fades or transitions between scenes and any video titles or credits you wish to include. Most software packages allow you to add additional audio such as background music or sound effects.

Once you've edited your video, it's time to compile it into a standalone file and output it to its final resting place. This could be VHS video tape or back onto a DV tape if your camcorder is DV-in enabled. Or you could burn your video on a CD or post it on the Internet. If you are outputting to a digital tape or analogue source, the footage doesn't need to be compressed. However, if you want to put your creation on a CD or on the Internet, you need to compress the footage to make it smaller in file size in order for others to view it effectively. This is done with the help of CODECs (Compression/Decompression)--algorithms that reduce the file size of your finished product by allowing you to specify smaller image sizes, lower frame rates, lower image quality, etc. There are different CODECs for different media formats, so check which one is suitable for your destination media before you start compiling your data. If you're serious about your work, get hold of some professional compression software such as Cleaner 5.0.