I'm new to making video with my DSLR: So far I have only used Movie Maker by Microsoft for editing. My PC has an i5 @3.2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, running Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit). Please...

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

So far I have only used Movie Maker by Microsoft for editing. My PC has an i5 @3.2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, running Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit). Please suggest a simple editor that has a short learning curve compatible with my computer.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

PHRubin wrote:

So far I have only used Movie Maker by Microsoft for editing. My PC has an i5 @3.2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, running Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit). Please suggest a simple editor that has a short learning curve compatible with my computer.

Contact UHH member Bill at Burkphoto. He does video and could best help you. Just PM him and he will have some suggestions for you.

therwol Loc: USA

PHRubin wrote:

So far I have only used Movie Maker by Microsoft for editing. My PC has an i5 @3.2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, running Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit). Please suggest a simple editor that has a short learning curve compatible with my computer.

Do you have a problem with Movie Maker? Seriously. I use it all of the time on Windows 10 machines. MS will no longer provide the download, but there are third parties that do.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

An i5 with 4GB of RAM severely limits the choices. "Simple editor with a short learning curve" cuts it down even more. Stick with Movie Maker if you have it working well.

That said, what do you want to do that Movie Maker won't do?

therwol Loc: USA

bsprague wrote:

An i5 with 4GB of RAM severely limits the choices. "Simple editor with a short learning curve" cuts it down even more. Stick with Movie Maker if you have it working well.

That said, what do you want to do that Movie Maker won't do?

That was what I was asking. Movie Maker was designed to run in Windows 7 on machines like yours. It does a fine job. It was fairly sophisticated in its time. (Last version 2012) If you're going to shoot 4K video and need to do things that Movie Maker can't do, then you're not only going to need new software, you'll need a new computer to run it.

Here is a CNET link to download Windows Live Essentials. Movie Maker is one of the components. Just install what you need. It may require you to update your .net framework, but it does it for you.

https://download.cnet.com/Windows-Live-Essentials-2012/3000-20418_4-10805747.html

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

bsprague wrote:

...That said, what do you want to do that Movie Maker won't do?

I can't correct exposure or white balance, I can't get a decent still shot from a frame, only a thumbnail.

Al Beatty Loc: Boise, Idaho

Hi Paul,

I'm loving the D700 I bought from you several years ago. One of my computers has the same "internals" as yours and I use Photoshop Elements 2015 on it. I use PSE 2022 on my other machines, but that newer version isn't supposed to work with Windows 7. I used PSE in the Expert Mode, but the Quick and Guided Modes are fairly easy to understand and follow. Take care & ...

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

Photoshop will do videos very well. You can apply the filters and such and save in many different formats. It's not hard to use.

therwol Loc: USA

CPR wrote:

Photoshop will do videos very well. You can apply the filters and such and save in many different formats. It's not hard to use.

Recent releases of Photoshop will not run in Windows 7 and need at least 8 gigs of RAM. The OP's computer is running Windows 7 with 4 gigs of RAM.

therwol Loc: USA

PHRubin wrote:

I can't correct exposure or white balance, I can't get a decent still shot from a frame, only a thumbnail.

Exposure can be corrected, but color and white balance cannot. Is a new computer an option for more advanced software?

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

PHRubin wrote:

I can't correct exposure or white balance, I can't get a decent still shot from a frame, only a thumbnail.

Do you have Lightroom Classic? It accepts video clips along with image files. The Develop module won't work with video, but some minimal exposure and white balance adjustments can be made in the Library module. It can also extract still shots.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

bsprague wrote:

Do you have Lightroom Classic? It accepts video clips along with image files. The Develop module won't work with video, but some minimal exposure and white balance adjustments can be made in the Library module. It can also extract still shots.

No - I don't have it and cannot find on their website minimum hardware requirements.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

PHRubin wrote:

So far I have only used Movie Maker by Microsoft for editing. My PC has an i5 @3.2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, running Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit). Please suggest a simple editor that has a short learning curve compatible with my computer.

Unfortunately, it’s time to upgrade. There is no currently available software that runs well on that configuration. The electronics world has moved on. It’s several orders of magnitude more advanced now. I recommend:

16 GB RAM minimum (PC)
8GB RAM minimum (M1 Mac)
1 TB Solid State Drive
4 to 8 Processor cores
Advanced multi-core graphics processor
Windows 10/11 or MacOS 12.x

Mirrorless cameras are generally better for videos than dSLRs, but you can certainly use dSLRs with good results.

The base Mac mini comes with everything needed to edit 1080p full HD video. iMovie comes with it and is awesome for casual users.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

burkphoto wrote:

Unfortunately, it’s time to upgrade. ..... The electronics world has moved on. It’s several orders of magnitude more advanced now....