Windows Movie Maker - Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2.1 is an XP-only download that gives you the tools to create, edit, and share home movies. There is a Vista version, Window Movie Maker 6. This is a pretty good editor for the price. Read my review on my blog: Windows Movie Maker vs VideoSpin: Which is Best? (Part 4)
VideoSpin is a freeware video editor with a few limits. No MPEG 2/4 support unless you ugrade ($5), but it has a few more features than you'll find in WMM. Also VideoSpin will give you more features for an inexpensive price when you're ready to move up in the world of video editing.
Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports many file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs. Tasks can be automated using projects, job queue and powerful scripting capabilities. It imports most common file types and exports video or audio ready for iPod, the Web or playback on a set top DVD player.
Available for: windows mac linux Avidemux offers simple video editing for your PC, but packs many more features than that. This open source project is great for DVD/DivX converting and editing. Avidemux also has scripting support... Read more |
Available for: windows VirtualDub is an open source video processor/editor. Even though it may not be able to do advanced editing like non-linear video editors - it has powerful features for processing your video clips.... Read more |
Available for: linux Kino is open source non-linear video editing at it's best. Easily imports DV video through IEEE-1394 (firewire) and allow detailed editing and transition effect for both video and audio. The move... Read more |
Available for: linux Cinelerra is a highly advanced and professional video editing, but still remains open source. Cinelerra solves three main tasks: capturing, editing and compositing. There is virtually no limit to the... Read more |
For a comparison of features, check out: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2124596,00.asp
One thing you have to know about working with video online, the end result will be Flash Video (.flv) files. It has become the default video format on the web and most online video sites use FLV to stream videos online.
Video Editing Software Review - TopTenReviews reviewed 10 of the top video editing sotware packages available today and chose PowerDirector their Gold choice. It's $70 for the Deluxe and $120 for Ultra. Ultra gives you more features, like Blue-ray disc and DVD disc authoring, and the ability to work with the AVCHD video format, which is big if you have a Sony or Panasonic HD camera. Most of the packages have a basic package and an upgraded package with HD support and more DVD authoring support like PowerDirector offers. Here are the 10 packages ranked in order according to TopTenReviews:
Format, or codec, is the means by which the video compresses. It’s like choosing the type of pencil that you use to draw a picture. For Windows Media, you’ll want to use Version 9, which is the most widely accepted. For Quicktime, the two best codecs are Sorenson 3 and H.264. Here is a list of most familiar codecs from Wikipedia.
If you would like to know the best compression settings you should use on your videos before uploading them to an online site, check out this article:
http://blog.motionbox.com/2007/01/compressing_video_for_the_web.html
Comparison of Streaming Video Services
Broadcast Yourself Live On The Web: Best Tools To Create Your Own Live Web TV - A Mini-Guide
Assessment - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2O0cARZ5GJ2KibD4cHvU_2bQ_3d_3d
Evaluation - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XKOOnNO2aYun_2bv7bZRcm9A_3d_3d