Free video editing software?

Hey, I have a laptop (10.4) and it didn't come with iMovie (I got it used). Does anyone know of any free movie editing software that will work with my mac?

Mac OS X (10.4.11), ?????

Posted on Aug 28, 2010 2:14 PM

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9 replies

Aug 29, 2010 3:28 PM in response to chicken joe

Well iMovie is impossible to compete with; though it's relatively new: the free GIMP was designed before PhotoShop, and designed to edit scratches from frames in Hollywood films and such ⎪period⎥

I'm using 'Character Palette' to type this, and the period is no longer accessible ⎢period⎥

My 'Video Editors' folder has an alias to 'MPEG Streamclip':

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15466/mpeg-streamclip

Once I copied a TV documentary as part MPEG-2, part DV: the DV was a dream to edit with iMovie; but I should have used MPEG Streamclip to convert the whole documentary to DV--but no disk space, for the edited DV was beautiful, but just removing the commercials in MPEG-2 was a nightmare ⎢period⎥

Try MPEG Streamclip, which edits any video played by a Mac; you'll know why to convert the file or stream to DV format first--this conversion needs lots of disk space, which is why I bought a LaCie 1 TB hard drive ⎢period⎥

Good luck!

Aug 29, 2010 3:44 PM in response to Bruce Bathurst

iMovie is impossible to compete with; though it's relatively new

No it isn't.

iMovie was originally released by Apple in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application bundled with the first FireWire-enabled consumer Apple model – iMac DV.[1] Since version 3, iMovie has been a Mac OS X only application bundled in the iLife suite of Macintosh applications.

the free GIMP was designed before PhotoShop

No it wasn't

The license to distribute Photoshop was purchased by Adobe Systems in September 1988

GIMP originally stood for the General Image Manipulation Program.[5] GIMP's original creators, Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis, began developing GIMP in 1995 as a semester-long project at the University of California, Berkeley. The first public release of GIMP (0.54) was made in January 1996

I'm using 'Character Palette' to type this, and the period is no longer accessible

Then you are doing something wrong because it is on mine.

mpegStreamclip:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html

is indeed free, but you must also have the Apple mpeg2 plugin :

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/

which is a mere $20, in order to convert mpeg2 files.

Please check your facts before you post (yet another series of) misleading statements that only serve to confuse the OPs and/or does not directly relate to their question.

Please check your facts before you post (yet another series of) misleading statements that only serve to confuse the OPs and do not directly relate to their question.

Aug 29, 2010 6:00 PM in response to Klaus1

Klaus,

If you keep this up, I'll have to bring up the long debate we had several years ago about malware ⎢period⎥

Bruce

PS In nineteen ninety-five, I was working on Irix and some Solaris: GIMP I learned of first; but I avoided commercial software ⎢period⎥ New features are always being added to iMovie: point of the post: edit in DV: disagree?

Aug 29, 2010 6:36 PM in response to chicken joe

Please note Klaus's reminding me that MPEG Streamclip does require a US$20 Apple software addition to edit MPEG-2, which I completely about ⎢period⎥

Note also his many other fine corrections: my experience was limited to workstations at that time ⎢period⎥

Ask Klaus about conversion to DV, for I can't remember ever editing MPEG-1 camera video with free MPEG Streamclip ⎢period⎥ This sequence I used most, was excellent though: NTSC TV ➪ MPEG-2 ➪ DV ➪ DVD ⎢period⎥ MPEG-2 to DVD may not be a free transforation, though ⎢period⎥

So, your software choice depends upon what video device you start and end with ⎢period⎥

Aug 29, 2010 10:27 PM in response to Klaus1

Klaus,

+I'm using 'Character Palette' to type this, and the period is no longer accessible+

'Then you are doing something wrong because it is on mine.'

I don't believe so, the mac is broken- However it worries me that my help gives you such a low opinion of my competence- You've read it for some time:

Why is there no Security Discussion?
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5167151&#5167151

Ironic that the first Trojan, living in any executable, prevented people from contacting security organizations to remove it- {The same Trojan was very common in Windows at that time-}

Tiger, on this PowerBook was thoroughly 'trashed' by a relative before giving it to her mother; the fact that it worsens with time is even more worrying- When my health is better, I shall rebuild it and my Quicksilver- {Using Debian GNU/linux until then-}

However, your quote of rules raise good points: Because I've had no access to a working mac for two years {capitals are going}, I can't test mpg3-streamclip or vlc {which is in my old 'video editors' folder} on various files or streams- I do remember that vlc will change contrast, hue, brightness, etc- Perhaps someone has an mpeg-1 movie from an inexpensive still camera they can edit freely with each editor?

on the second regulation, which neil obeys flawlessly, I cannot: 'There is nothing more practical than theory': Boltzmann- I always try and explain my reasoning- mineralogy I once taught using only the table of elements, one other theory explaining bonding in metals, and logic: all else were deductions- This is how I work- Anecdotes make theory and experience palatable; and my responses were purposely broad, for people with similar problems searching the database

Goodbye, until I have more expertise with macs in particular- Best of luck- Try and explain theory a little- I'm writing a little for treatise for geologists: it uses nomograms, not computers- 🙂

Bruce

Aug 30, 2010 2:36 AM in response to Bruce Bathurst

the mac is broken
until I have more expertise with macs in particular


Bruce, I know you are a respected scientist, but I would (tongue-in-cheek) define Geology as 'the study of that which moves as slowly as anything can', and computers as 'tools that utilize the speed of light, and technology that evolves almost daily'! 🙂

Theory is fine, but when you are sitting in front of a non-functioning computer asking for help, you want a solution not an explanation - although an explanation of the solution is fine!

My point is simply this: advice on today's problems on a Mac can be confusing at best, seriously erroneous at worst, if that advice is based on out-of-date hardware and software and lack of practical experience.

I rarely venture into the world of Snow Leopard for that reason: I am not qualified to give advice if I have never run that system (because I can't on this iMac). I leave that to those who do. I confine myself to contributing comments and advice on operating systems I run or have run, and applications I actually use.

So I would respectfully suggest that you limit your posting in these forums to advice about which you are 100% certain.

And that you reward yourself with a new keyboard! 🙂

Oct 3, 2010 7:28 PM in response to Klaus1

Klaus,

Thank you for reminding me that I had not explained to the O.P. why I advise converting to DV format.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15466/mpeg-streamclip

MPEG Streamclip is a free application that could prove very useful in editing the MPEG-1 format movies produced by inexpensive still cameras. This is because MPEG-1 is not as compressed as MPEG-2 based formats, allowing one to scroll more slowly and smoothly through the clip. When editing MPEG-2, I was unable to press the scroll button fast enough to end where I wanted, and delete commercials.

Have you tried the free MPEG Streamclip on a still camera's movies?

The second reason I recommended converting highly compressed to DV format is the number of free applications written for DV format.

Convert Clip to DV (not free)
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15217/dropdv

iMovie 05 doesn't give me the dates and times recorded by my camcorder. (This appears a strange oversight.) Instead I Ctrl-click a .dv file from my movie using Finder with the following contextual menu addition:

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/21325/dvfiledatecm

So, for ease of editing and numerous, free applications, I recommend converting to DV format. What do you recommend for the O.P.?

Bruce

PS. I've used and repaired all 12 versions of Tiger. My trivial facts are from memory, which I shall respect your opinion and eliminate. In the '80s and '90s, films weren't edited by me on PCs, but on Workstations (which Macs now are). Most programs used proprietary software with which I wrote scientific visualization programs to interpret supercomputer results. Geologists, especially seismologists, need the fastest computers.

The dates were of releases for Workstations, for I consulted as a numerical analyst. However, that was decades ago, and I apologize for any inaccuracies (I haven't checked). I don't consider dates to be the fascinating subject of this thread. I'm sorry there isn't more discussion.

Oct 3, 2010 7:50 PM in response to Klaus1

Klaus,

Oh, the keyboard isn't the problem, even though a USB keyboard worked for a while. Apple replaced the keyboard for US$ 150: that's why the computer was given to me as hopeless to repair.

I popped in the install disc, opened 'terminal', ran 'cat " "', and every key appeared on the screen: the problem wasn't hardware or firmware, but software. I'm installing three operating systems on the PowerBook, one OS for each family member. 🙂

Distinguishing an obscure problem as hardware, firmware, or software is often difficult. (It wasn't here.)

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