Alternative to iMovie? Something Better? Not too expensive...

scitunesscitunes Member, Sous Chef Posts: 4,047
edited November -1 in Miscellaneous
I played around with animoto's web-based system and I like how easy it is to use. Problem is that the ease of use is a double edged sword - it does ALL the work for you which means that you cannot tweak anything (or at least not much).

I have screenflick for screen capture which works fine, but then when I put the clips in iMovie it just ends up looking so amateur.

I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars if I don't have to and I really don't have the time to learn a complicated piece of software.

Any ideas?

Thanks, guys!

Comments

  • TheGamerTheGamer Member Posts: 94
    Actually IMovie is quite capable, and I'm comparing it to Final Cut Studio 2 as I used to use it. If you want fancy effects you need to use Motion or After Effects. A suggestion would be to look at some game trailers, find a simple one that you like, and try to edit it in the same way.
  • LiquidGameworksLiquidGameworks Anchorage, AKMember, Sous Chef Posts: 956
    Try Apple Motion 5. Just $50.
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  • scitunesscitunes Member, Sous Chef Posts: 4,047
    LiquidGameworks said:
    Try Apple Motion 5. Just $50.

    I saw that on the mac appstore. Is it a standalone program? Or does it just make effects that can be used in something else like final cut?
  • DreamLabDreamLab Member Posts: 2,127
    I edit videos pretty much all day long at school. We use Final Cut Pro and after effects and sometimes premiere, but I highly recommend anything adobe branded. For VFX and cool titles, go with Adobe After effects. Although it is a bit to learn. Premiere and Final Cut Pro are similar but I think Premiere has a bit more bells and whistles. I would NOT recommend final cut pro X. It's not much different from Imovie. Final cut pro 7 would be the way to go for just video editing, or adobe premiere. You can also get Final Cut Express if you are on low budget.

    If you are a student, you can get student discounts that would REALLY help.
  • scitunesscitunes Member, Sous Chef Posts: 4,047
    Here's the thing. I want to spend my time making games not movies about games. So the big thing for me is the time. I would be willing to pay more for something that let me drag in some video clips, images, and mp3s and then let me pick from really slick effects. If I have to spend a long time learning the software and then a long time making the movie I would rather pay someone or just deal with the amateur look of iMovie.

    To summarize: What's the QUICKEST way to make a game trailer that is more polished and professional than iMovie?
  • TheGamerTheGamer Member Posts: 94
    There is no way to make it look professional without using advanced software, unfortunately there is no middle ground software on the market as far as I know. Although if you are a good editor, you can make some pretty good stuff in Imovie or other easy to use editors. But in this case I think you either have to pay someone or accept the limitation of your editing software/knowledge for now.
  • UnicornifyUnicornify Member Posts: 118
    I have used Final Cut X,
    Still looking for a great solution though.
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  • LiquidGameworksLiquidGameworks Anchorage, AKMember, Sous Chef Posts: 956
    @Scitunes

    I'm fairly certain its a standalone program (I'm considering it myself), and is the Apple equivelant of After Effects. Its also the official software of Apple, and can come packaged with Final Cut Suite.

    I watched a couple of youtube videos on it, and its seems to be all inclusive. I would check out youtube for Motion 5 vids and see what you can.

    "Single-step export settings
    Use the Share menu for output options that are preconfigured for popular devices and destinations. Export projects in formats for iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, DVD, or Blu-ray discs,* or publish directly to destinations such as YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook. You can also export to formats such as ProRes 422, ProRes 4444, and H.264." - Apple website

    Exports video, and has a timeline, so should be standalone?
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  • TheGamerTheGamer Member Posts: 94
    Motion 5 is standalone, final cut studio doesn't really exist anymore(few exceptions), only Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 and Compressor. They are all standalone and you can buy them separately.
  • scitunesscitunes Member, Sous Chef Posts: 4,047
    TheGamer said:
    Motion 5 is standalone, final cut studio doesn't really exist anymore(few exceptions), only Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 and Compressor. They are all standalone and you can buy them separately.

    So for $50 I can get motion 5, import video clips of my game, add titles, transitions, music, etc?
  • LiquidGameworksLiquidGameworks Anchorage, AKMember, Sous Chef Posts: 956
    yup :) (double check with vids and apple site)
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  • TheGamerTheGamer Member Posts: 94
    You can achieve most of it, as I haven't used motion that much and I've always done the edits in Final Cut, I suggest you do some research about it first. Audio on the other hand, you probably have to prepare in advance, as I don't remember it having much in the way of control once it's in motion, also check how many audio tracks it can handle.
  • MammothMammoth Member Posts: 640
    I used final cut express for to make this trailer for a client.



    I wish imovie was a little more flexible. It would be the best program to use period. Final cut express is good. But at the end of the day I just use imovie for everything..

    www.mammothinteractive.net
  • v00d0v00d0 Member Posts: 143
    m8 you can buy final cut in the apple store
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