video-editing posts

Filed under: Video, News, Windows, Microsoft

Windows Live Movie Maker leaves beta

by Lee Mathews Aug 19th 2009

It's been in beta for some time, but today, finally, Windows Live Movie Maker has gotten its release papers.

Yes, it's got the love-it-or-hate-it ribbon interface. On its tabs are loads of transition effects, filters and fades, caption tools, and ready access to editing functions. Videos can be created in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios and resolutions up to 1080p. YouTube uploading is now built-in and other services like Facebook, SmugMug, Picasa, and Drupal-based sites can be added via plugins.

For those of you who, like me, don't want to deal with the Live installer, head on over to Softpedia to download the new version directly.

Remember, this baby is Windows Vista or Windows 7 only.

Quick-fix updates have also been pushed to the rest of the Live suite and the Messenger Geek has a list of links to the individual .msi installers.

Tags: facebook, movie-maker, video-editing, windows-live, youtube

Filed under: Internet, Video, Web services, Yahoo!, web 2.0, Web

Yahoo! pulls the plug on JumpCut web based video editor

by Brad Linder Apr 17th 2009

Yahoo! has finally decided to pull the plug on Jumpcut, a web based video editor that has been on life support since December. That's when Yahoo! stopped letting users upload videos to the service, instead suggesting that they upload short videos to Flickr.

Now TechCrunch reports that Jumpcut is sending out emails to users letting them know that the service will be closed on June 15th, 2009.

It's too bad to see Jumpcut go down. The service could have been really useful. While it may seem strange to upload a video to the web before you've editied it, the truth is many of the free video editors for Windows and Linux computers either lack features or are too complicated for casual users. Jumpcut was simple to use, but offered a limited feature set. For instance, you couldn't download finished videos and you couldn't send them to YouTube, Yahoo! Video, or other sites. Rather, you had to direct viewers to Jumpcut or embed the Jumpcut video on your page.

Yahoo! will soon release a tool allowing existing users to download videos saved on the site -- something the company probably should have done ages ago.

Tags: jumpcut, online-video, video-editing

Filed under: Fun, Video, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Windows x64

Windows Movie Maker 2.6 available for Vista, Windows 7

by Lee Mathews Feb 11th 2009

Those of you who have run a recent Windows Live installation may have seen Windows Live Movie Maker. It's an attractive update, and a very simple way to put put together home video on your Windows computer. It does, however, lack some features users of good old Windows Movie Maker enjoyed.

If you've been waiting for an updated version to appear, you're in luck.

Microsoft has made version 2.6 of Movie Maker available for download, and it runs on both Windows Vista and Windows 7. While advanced users are likely using a more sophisticated video editing program, there's no denying that Movie Maker is an excellent, full-featured option for the average home user.

[via Channel 10]

Tags: desktop-video, video-editing, windows-movie-maker

Filed under: Utilities, Video, Windows, Freeware

Free Video Converter offers simple video editing, conversion

by Brad Linder Dec 31st 2008

There are plenty of free Windows applications that let you convert files from one format to another (for example, from MPG to H.264). And judging by its name, you'd think that Free Video Converter was just another of those apps. But the free utility also offers basic video editing capabilities.

You won't find any fades, transitions, or titles in Free Video Converter. But the program does let you make quick and dirty edits by selecting the frames of any video that you want to include or exclude. Just choose whether you want to select or deselect frames, drag your mouse over the timeline, and click the export button.

When it comes to video conversion, Free Video Converter can handle a number of popular file formats including AVI, FLV, MP4, MPG, RM, QT, and WMV using popular codecs like XviD and H.264. There are also presets for YouTube, iPod, iPhone, HDTV, and Flash videos for the web.

Tags: free-video-converter, video-conversion, video-editing, video-editor

Filed under: Internet, Video, Web services, Yahoo!, web 2.0, Web

Yahoo! cuts back online video editing service Jumpcut

by Brad Linder Dec 17th 2008

Yahoo! appears to be slowly pulling the plug on Jumpcut, the company's web-based video editing application. When you go to upload videos, you now get a message saying that Jumpcut is no longer accepting uploads. Users will be able to continue remixing videos that they or other users have already uploaded for the foreseeable future, but no new videos can be added to the site.

Yahoo! recommends users who want to continue uploading and sharing videos use Flickr. But there are a few major differences between Jumpcut and Flickr. First, Flickr users don't get the advanced editing tools that Jumpcut offers. And second, you currently need to pay for a Flickr Pro account to upload videos. So what Yahoo! is really doing here is driving users to YouTube and other free web video services.

Jumpcut showed a lot of promise. I think there's a need for a service like this, which allows users to upload videos and then perform some basic cut and paste edits, alter the soundtrack, or add subtitles and other effects. Not everyone has or needs Windows Movie Maker or iMovie on their computers, making a web-based service appealing. But Jumpcut always offered a walled garden approach. Users could upload and edit videos. But they couldn't export them. While you could embed Jumpcut videos on any web site, you couldn't save the finished video to your desktop or export it to YouTube.

[via TechCrunch]

Tags: jumpcut, video-editing, web-video

Filed under: Photo, Utilities, Video, Web

ZunaVision lets you place images and videos inside your videos

by Jay Hathaway Nov 29th 2008

ZunaVision is a video technology that movie studios have had for years, brought to the average user by the computer science department at Stanford University. It lets you place images and videos within existing videos. Want to put a poster or an advertisement on a building in the background of your footage? ZunaVision's got you covered. How about changing the painting in a picture frame? It can do that, too.

ZunaVision isn't very hard to use. You can just select a surface, and it does a capable job of making your image look like it could plausibly be hanging there. It's not just pasted haphazardly on top of your video. It's cool enough that I'm already worried it won't stay free for long. The last Stanford web toy I fell in love with, Vector Magic, turned into a pay service after a while. Zunavision looks like it could be worth selling, too, but maybe the creators can just turn a profit by sneaking ads into other videos.

UPDATED: The URL for Zunavision changed, so the links in this post were broken. They should be working now. Thanks to all the readers who pointed that out!

Tags: Stanford, video, video-editing, ZunaVision

Filed under: Video, Windows, Freeware

VideoSpin: Free video editor gives Windows Movie Maker a run for its money

by Brad Linder Feb 9th 2008

Windows Movie Maker is probably the most widely used free video editor for Windows. And there's a good reason for that. It comes free with Windows XP and Vista. But Windows Movie Maker might not always be the best tool for the job. VideoSpin is a free video editing application that has all the features of Windows Movie Maker and a few more for good measure.

Overall, the two applications have a similar look and feel. Both are designed for use by people who don't have a degree in video editing. You simply locate your video and audio files, arrange them on a timeline, and start snipping or rearranging. You can add a variety of transitions or sound effects to your movie. And unlike Windows Movie Maker, VideoSpin sports a pretty decent title editor. There's also an option to upload your finished videos directly to YouTube or Yahoo! Video.

Tags: pinnacle, video-editing, videospin, windows-movie-maker

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