6 replies to this topic

[James S Cassidy]

Hi, everyone. I want to start making videos and doing let's plays of games with some friends.

Here are my system specs. Yes I know my computer sucks ass, but on a tight budget this is all I got.

System. --Click here to view--

What kind of programs would any of you suggest that I could get? It doesn't have to be a free program.

If my computer can't handle it, then tell me anyway for the sake of argument. Let's say I get a really good computer. Also, if would not be too much trouble, how would I set this up of recording off my TV? I probably could figure this out eventually, but I rather learn how to do it right first before I blow something up like my computer.

[Torxe]

Last year I had some kind of video project.

I used corel videostudio 10 (Very expensive license, I recommend download through torrents) to realise it, it's easy to learn and has (imo) more then enough built-in effects to help you.

I must say that your laptop isn't really suited to do any video editing, you're 2GB RAM is not going to be enough (I had trouble on my old laptop which I used for school and that one has 4GB so I continued on my laptop I bought recently which has 12GB)
Not to mention that it's a single core processor and you're running a windows Vista OS which is heavy on your machine's resources.

I'd say try to get a better laptop or at least format your pc and install a windows xp or 7 (it'll help a bit but it still won't give a decent speed).
Or try to upgrade from your windows vista to windows 7 although I've never done this before and have no idea what it'll do at the performance of your laptop.
Even with all this your video editing will be slow and you'll have to render very instead of directly being able to watch your adjustments in corel videostudio (which is what happened on my old laptop) on top of that the rendering will take extremely long in your case.

From the screenshot you included I can't deduce your graphical card but make sure that it has at a memory of at least 512 MB.

About the recording from your TV I've no experience with something like that and I'm aware that there are TV-tuner cards that make it possible to watch tv on your laptop. But again I'd download the material you want to edit and simply make it is in as high quality
as you can get it. (The more you reuse video images in video editing the more/faster it's quality will go down).

Don't worry about your laptop blowing up though I'd think your laptop will sooner get a bleuscreen due to overheating than it will blow because you made a bad connection somewhere (which is as far as I know) impossible.

Lastly I have this link about hardware used in video editing, I didn't read the whole thing but there's a table in here (between the beginning and the middle of the text) that basically answers your question about hardware requirements.

I don't mean to blow your ideas and hopes down with all this, just saying that if you want to edit video on that computer you're going to have a hard time with it.
Anyways good luck and I'll hope you'll share anything you made.

[James S Cassidy]

I figured my laptop was too slow to handle it, but thought I try. Piece of crap machine anyway, I wouldn't trust this thing to make me breakfast let alone video editing. I do want to save $700 to custom build a computer for the purposes I need and I know a few people who can help me make a really good computer using that money. I wanted to save up $1000, but they said that won't be necessary.

Software I can figure out, hardware is a different story. Until I know what I am getting into I rather not try anything that heavy. Why are windows computers so....fragile? I swear my windows breaks if I even sneeze on it the wrong way. Thanks for the help. (My laptop has been to the factory over 20 times in it's lifetime due to hardware AND software problems. Some not even of my doing. I was hoping they jsut send me a brand new computer after a while, but no they just send it back to me and say "fix it yourself.")

If anyone has any other good ideas or advice they want to give, feel free to lay it down here. I am planning on something big I want to do, but I have to do a ton of things first.

Edited by James S Cassidy, 18 April 2012 - 01:52 PM.

[Torxe]

Perhaps a link will be handier if you actually include it?

Link

Srr, BTW

[James S Cassidy]

Perhaps a link will be handier if you actually include it?

Huh? Sorry, but is that a question to me or what?

Link

Srr, BTW

Thanks, but my biggest concern the video recording software itself. A big argument among my computer genius friends is that some of the software is...wonky. I heard stories of one program being unable to convert it to a file type you want it to (Such as you want AVI and it converts to WMV.)

Problems with sound programming errors and being unable to record sound from the TV without turning the volume up WAAAAY High. Another problem with voice dubbing problems, but I think they are referring to the video editing, not recording.

The biggest errors I have seen though is the matter of HD vs Not HD. They always want it to be recorded in HD due to it is easier to work with and the program won't do it. There is a big argument between them all and when I just ask a simple questions, I can't get the answer I am looking for. So I am trying other sources.

[Torxe]

Huh? Sorry, but is that a question to me or what?

No, no I was talking to myself, if that even makes sense on a forum .

Thanks, but my biggest concern the video recording software itself. A big argument among my computer genius friends is that some of the software is...wonky. I heard stories of one program being unable to convert it to a file type you want it to (Such as you want AVI and it converts to WMV.)

Problems with sound programming errors and being unable to record sound from the TV without turning the volume up WAAAAY High. Another problem with voice dubbing problems, but I think they are referring to the video editing, not recording.

The biggest errors I have seen though is the matter of HD vs Not HD. They always want it to be recorded in HD due to it is easier to work with and the program won't do it. There is a big argument between them all and when I just ask a simple questions, I can't get the answer I am looking for. So I am trying other sources.

well corel video studio reads the video and audio and displays it as one file, then you're able to split the streams (actually copy the audio and mute the original) then you can divide the audio stream and modify however you want. You need the original back? Simple => Delete your customized stream and unmute the video stream you can copy the audio of it again if you want.

also I had no problems of rendering in HD, HD and non HD video streams are equally easy to edit. For the project my source material came from a sony handycam like gadget (sorry english is a bit lacking) and I was able to edit H264 (= MPEG4, if I understand correctly). I mixed it with pictures and some lower quality footage from my cellphone and had no problems whatsoever.

Again, I have no experience from recording directley from your tv and I don't understand why you would want to do that (especcialy audio) how you describe it, it sounds like you play the audio on your tv and hold a mike against the tv to record it? (which is probably the worst way to record/copy audio considering quality reduction adding of noise (=> white noise, ambient noises)

If it helps, these are programs my classmates used, sometimes in combination with other programs but it did the trick.

Sony vega
pinnacle studio
Windows Live movie maker

etc,...

Edited by Torxe, 18 April 2012 - 02:14 PM.

[James S Cassidy]

Thanks for all the help. The more I learn the better.

However, I don't think I am going to use Windows Live Movie Maker. I used that program before and it doesn't exactly have a high success rate. At least from my end it doesn't. More of a pain than an asset. I got Sony Vegas Pro somewhere and I know how good that is, but thanks. If I need backs up, your advice will come in handy. If not, I always got audacity, which is doing it the hard way, but still can work.

Now on to work.

Edited by James S Cassidy, 18 April 2012 - 02:57 PM.