What software do you recommend to easily import and edit tapes?

Question

We've got loads of tapes filmed with an old camera that are just sitting there never being watched, and we want an easy way to import and play with them.

We purchased the Dazzle DVC100, which seems to be working fine, but I'm trying to find the right set of tools to import them.

I gave Pinnacle Movie Studio a try, but although the scene detection is really good (detects all the missed footage, blue/black screens, etc), using the software itself is rather agravating and complicated.

So, keeping in mind my father, who isn't very tech savy, is going to be doing the importing, what software would you recommend for us ? We need to :

• Be able to work with the Dazzle DVC100/be able to import footage easily
• Be able to detect scenes, so we can get rid of blue/black screens and things we don't want
• Be able to add little transitions and a tittle at the beggining
• Needs to be fairly easy to use

Any tips on what I should try/buy ? Currently trying Pinnacle Movie Studio 17, but it's pretty heavy, and is probably a bit too advanced for something as simple as what we are trying to achieve.

Thanks a lot ! Mark

Answer 1

I used to translate videos from tape to digital with a capture device. The program i used was Ulead Video Studio which is really easy to set up and use. Right now it is called Corel VideoStudio.

It has a bunch of transitions and media generators to add titles and credits.

http://www.corel.com/corel/product/index.jsp?pid=prod4900075

Oh the other hand, going to a much cheaper option, you could try Lightworks, it is a lightweight program that has a lot of functionallity suitable for what you are asking.

Hope it helps