Mac questions for the educated

Camerona93

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Hey everyone. I'm new to Computer Forums. I've just gotten a 20-inch 2.4GHz iMac for my birthday last thursday, and I got it pretty much mainly for video designing (although graphic[picture] designing is less important, but still good). The problem is, I've never attempted video editing. Well I have, but only on Windows Movie Maker. I've goofed around with iMovie and there's not a whole lot of effects I can do to make my movies look cool. So I've got a couple of questions...

Oh and I have Mac OS X Leopard too.

1) What is the best user-friendly video designing program that is less than $150?
2) What is the best video camera (less than $300) to use for home-made but good quality videos to edit on my iMac.
3) Is there any other things I need to do before buying or downloading anything?
4) Any other tips or suggestions?

Please respond soon. My birthday is almost over (well it is, but I still have not gotten all of my b-day presents) and Christmas is right around the corner!

I really appreciate it! Here is some other info on my computer:
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B00
SMC Version: 1.20f4
 
The only 2 video editing programs I know for Mac other than iMovie are Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro...neither of which are equal to or less than $150... Adobe is like $700 and Final Cut is about $1000. Stick with iMovie unless you got the money or find something cheaper. If you had Windows, I could recommend Sony Vegas Movie Studio. I use Movie Studio Platinum for my short films, and regular Movie Studio is cheaper and seems better suited for you.

I don't know about cameras, I got my Canon Elura 100 for $350 almost a yr ago. That camera was voted best consumer camera of 2006, however they stopped production of it in Jan '07. Great camera if you can find one. It probably won't be $300 or less if you do though.

You will need a 4-pin to 6-pin firewire cable to transfer from the camera to the computer. Cameras don't come with them.

You shouldn't use a whole bunch of effects/transitions, it makes videos look stupid, just a tip there. Star Wars is the only film I can think of that actually uses transitions other than fades. You should only use effects when it needs to be added, not just to "make it look better". I guarantee you it will end up worse in most cases.
 
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