Once you have shot your video, you are going to need some video editing software to turn all your footage into a professional looking video that may include titles, text, video graphics, transitions and video animation
(Click HERE to find out more about these).
There are many different video editing packages out there, and they vary in cost from free (Such as MovieMaker or iMovie) to thousands of dollars for high-end professional editing suites such as Avid, Final Cut or Adobe Premiere.
These professional video editing software packages are used by TV and movie companies, and are very complex, requiring a long time to learn how to use them.
You'll be pleased to hear that they are not suitable for your video editing needs ;-)
The other end of the spectrum are the free or low-cost video editing software applications like MovieMaker, Pinnacle, Ulead etc.
And whilst these editing packages are fine for creating simple home movies or basic videos for putting on YouTube, they are not suitable for producing professional looking web video ads or DVDs, as they lack some editing features that are essential.
Luckily for us, there is a shining star on the horizon.
Sony Movie Studio is very easy to use, and contains almost all of the high-end features of it's bigger brother, Sony Vegas Pro (Which costs $500+), including the excellent Sony Architect for creating DVDs.
It is excellent value at around $40-$60 for the basic version and $70-$90 for the 'Platinum' version. The 'Platinum' version can edit High Definition (HD) video, so you will need to go 'Platinum' if you have a HD camcorder.
Below are a selection of my recommended video editing products including Sony Movie Studio, along with some good instruction DVDs to help you get started.
I personally use Sony Movie Studio 9 Platinum and Sony Vegas Pro for all my videos and DVDs, and it is the video editing software I will be creating video tutorials for on this site.
So if you want to look over my shoulder and watch me show you how to use Sony Movie Studio to create videos and DVDs, I strongly recommend clicking on one of the links above and getting yourself a copy of Sony Movie Studio Platinum.
Remember, if you have a High Definition (HD) digital camcorder, you need to get the 'Platinum' version. If you have a standard definition (SD) digital camcorder, you only need to get the basic version.
If you're not sure if your camcorder is HD or SD, contact me at peter(AT)webvideofordummies(DOT)com telling me the make and model of your camcorder, and I'll tell you what it is.
You'll be pleased to hear that they are not suitable for your video editing needs ;-)