The Bottom Line
The fact is, working with video is time consuming. Unless you simply shoot and upload unedited video, video takes a lot of time. I've used everything from the low-end (free) to the very high-end; and Sony Vegas is the perfect mix of automation and manual settings. Web video is an important component in social media marketing.
Check out: Learn more about How To Create Web Video with Whitney Jacobson.
Description:
- Reviewed Product: Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11.0
- A video editing software program that outputs to web, DVD and Blu-ray.
- Produced by Sony Creative Software, Inc.
- Retail Price: starts at $94.99
What Sony Vegas Does
Sony Vegas takes audio, video and still photo footage and combines them into a professional quality video. Once the video is created, choose from many video formats including electronic (*.avi, *.wmv, *.MP4, *.mov, *.rm, *.mpa and more) and to DVD and Blu-Ray.
Guide Review:
To test the software, I created three of the most common video projects. I created:
- a new video from a set of video clips - cropping, transitioning and finishing
- a new video from a set of photos. I created transitions, added an audio track and intro slides
- a set of short videos from a clients lengthy 8 minute corporate video
The software is intuitive. After I played with the menus a little, I got a feel for how it worked. This initial playing time was around an hour and a half. After that, it was all straight ahead. I was producing videos faster than my computer and software could process them (my computer is pretty powerful).
The individual tracks are easy to manage (and it's easy add more). For example, when you open a new project you start with 6 tracks: text, video overlay, video, voice, music and sound effects.
Having clearly defined tracks for each component makes editing a breeze. Even before video is inserted into the track, you can trim it, inserting just the part(s) that you want. Audio is easily inserted, and moved on the timeline. It can be faded in and out according to the video track.
What I Love About Sony Vegas
The "Show Me How" Feature
The "Show Me How" feature is like having a video expert in your office with you. It doesn't just tell you in text how to do things - it explains through a series of specific interactive tutorials. From the 40 tutorials in the program you will learn, for example:
- How to edit on the timeline
- How to record audio
- How to crop, scale and rotate video
- How to add and customize a transition
- How to make a DVD
With the show me how tutorial wizard, I felt comfortable to just jump in and start using the software. When I came up to a task that I couldn't figure out, I choose the "Show Me How" option on the Help menu and in just a couple of minutes I knew just how to do it.
Slideshow Creator
In one of the test projects I wanted to create a professional video slideshow with a set of photos and a custom audio track. I did it manually through the Project Media window. It took me around 30 minutes to place and organize the set of 25 photos - which I felt was pretty good for the first time on the task. I then added audio, and rendered the project to HD web video. The whole project took around an hour and a half.
Afterward, I found the tutorial that explains how to do the same project in an automated way. Choosing Insert > Slideshow I was able to create a longer slideshow in less than 2 minutes. The wizard asks you to choose your photos, which you can arrange and straighten. Under the Settings tab in the Slideshow Creator you can choose how long you want each photo to display and what transition, or effect, you want between each photo. I found the "Fades with Pan" and "Fades with Pan and Zoom" gave quite a dramatic effect. Once you click create you can preview the video in the preview window. Adding an audio track takes just a minute and then you are good to render.
The Slideshow Creator is an amazingly simple tool that every site/blog/business can use. Instead of creating photo galleries, that can break and are not easy to share, a video photo slideshow is easily shared and doesn't need coding. Simply upload to YouTube - or another video sharing site and you're good to go.
Creating and sharing Web videos is an critical part of a content marketing plan.
Super Easy Video Rendering (Or Creation)
With some video editing software, it can be really hard to get the video format you want. With other software, it can be hard know which option you want, because of the 100's of variables offered. With Sony Vegas, it is really easy. From the Project menu, you choose from either:
- Render As...
- Share Online...
- Upload to YouTube...
If you are looking to create great video for your site/blog/business then you should try Sony Vegas. They have a free trial - just download and start using it. Using Web video is an important component in getting attention online and in the function of your site.
