Easy-to-use school video-editing software?

[dan1104]

Hiya,

Sorry to be a pain and bug you with what I'm sure is a very simple question - I'm an English teacher at a UK secondary school (ages 11-18) that runs a multitude of media-based courses in addition to traditional GCSEs from the age of 14 upwards. At the moment, the Media GCSE and BTEC courses all use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit and produce student projects. Unfortunately, none of the teachers have received much in the way of training in the use of the software!

I seem to have picked up a bit of a reputation as a media whiz, partly because I can use fancy keyboard shortcuts and know my way around computers, SMARTboards and other technology pretty well - after noticing how the kids struggled to use Premiere because their teacher wasn't completely comfortable with it, I suggested obtaining some cheaper, more user-friendly software that would be suitable for the lower years.

I've used a few different packages, but that was a few years ago now and I'm a bit out-of-date as to what is considered cutting-edge. Basically, my question's this: What's the best choice of video-editing software for students from the age of 14 up, who often have literacy or numeracy difficulties (in addition to a fair host of students with dyslexia, dyspraxia and plenty of other SENs)? It would be great if this software is quick and easy to pick up on the teacher's part too! I know how powerful Premiere is, but we simply don't need it at this level!

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

Cheers.

[koala]

Hi, welcome to TSF

What kind of video editing will the students be doing? If it's just pasting clips into the timeline, adding transitions, re-ordering clips and overlaying text then the easiest program is Windows Movie Maker which comes as part of XP/Vista.

There are some other good freeware and shareware editors available we can recommend if this is too basic for your requirements, but WMM is the easiest to learn, though obviously not with as many advanced features as Premiere.

[dan1104]

Hey, thanks for your response.

Since there's quite a wide range of students using the media equipment, ranging from 14-year-olds who haven't ever edited footage before to A-Level students putting together semi-professional productions, it's difficult to say that there's a single specific audience in mind for the software.

I was aware that WMM was a fairly easy-to-use piece of software, and I'll certainly recommend it to the guy responsible for ordering software on Monday, but I've got a suspicion that some slightly more advanced features might be required - it's the user-friendly quick-to-pick-up interface that they really want. They're happy to pay for it too - by no means does it need to be share/freeware. I'm just posting on here because I'm a bit out of the loop and have no idea where to start!

Thanks again - any further suggestions would be great!

Cheers.

[koala]

I only do basic video editing with WMM, but here's a list of software we usually recommend for ease of use and a good range of features.

Adobe Premiere Elements 4 - £70 (shop around or check with Adobe for student discounts) - a cut-down version of Premiere, easier to use and allows the students to get more familiar with a professional video editor without the complexity and expense.

Pinnacle Studio 11 - £20 - popular choice, good features and easy to use interface.

Corel VideoStudio 11.5 Plus - £40 - similar to Pinnacle.

Zwei-Stein - freeware - excellent quality for the price. Recommended for beginners.

Sony Vegas Pro 8 - £400 (free demos and trial versions available if required) - similar to the full version of Premiere.

[dan1104]

That's perfect - exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a bunch!

[zuluclayman]

I teach in a secondary school - visual arts and photographic & digital media - we use Windows Moviemaker2 for some simple stuff but use Premiere Elements for more professional results - I use Premiere Elements at home too - loads of capabilities but can be used simply if necessary.