Video editing software for an i5/Amd GPU laptop...

[lohsmith]

I have recently purchased a HP Probook 4330s. I plan to update it with a SATA 3 SSD. It has an i5 2nd gen processor, and an AMD switchable GPU. I am hoping to get some suggestions for cost effective video editing software that can make best use of the pretty impressive combined computing power of the CPU/GPU...
I will mainly be editing 720p GoPro Hero HD videos...though I do have video from a Panasonic SD60 1080p camcorder that I'd like to utilize...
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

HandBrake later in the year will support OpenCL on AMD CPUs.

[lohsmith]

HandBrake later in the year will support OpenCL on AMD CPUs.

Thanks for that suggestion...will add it to my growing list of software to look at. Any tips for software to use in the meantime? Seems like Sony Vegas is high up on the best buy list...but it costs a bomb!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Thanks for that suggestion...will add it to my growing list of software to look at. Any tips for software to use in the meantime? Seems like Sony Vegas is high up on the best buy list...but it costs a bomb!

HandBrake is one of the best known applications for transcoding and its free too.

SUPER is also meant to be quite decent AFAIK,but is CPU only AFAIK.

Remember,Intel Quick Sync can be used with your IGP which is the fastest encoding method. However,the vast majority of the GPU assisted encodes reduce quality when using the GPU. Even with OpenCL and HanddBralke you get lower quality than a CPU only encode. However,unlike all the other software which can use the GPU for encoding,HandBrake is free.

[kalniel]

Handbrake isn't an editor unfortunately, just a transcoder, and while you can use it to splice, it's quite inconvenient and you can forget about most of the usual editing things. Vegas is the recommendation I've heard most often as well. If price is the issue then you'll have to put up with slow encodes and use something free like Windows Live Movie Maker (which works OK for basic stuff, it's just slow)

[lohsmith]

Thanks for all the suggestions...I'm happy to spend up to £60 or so. Can't really justify spending much more though when it's pretty much for hobby use.
I think it's time for me to turn my attention back to all the countless video editor reviews! (It's a shame that Microsoft hasn't done an Apple, and made its own good quality software...maybe in Windows 8?!)

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Doh!!
Didn't read the OP properly.

Sony Vegas is OpenCL accelerated:

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/...puacceleration

[vinnyT]

Adobe Premiere Elements 10 (PC/Mac) is available from Amazon for £59.42, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adobe-Premie...0457681&sr=8-1, and is a cut down version of Adobe Premier, it has many of the important features and only seems to have lost those features that are really only relevant to pro users.

[kalniel]

That's true - you don't need the pro version of vegas. Platinum production suite only costs £35 or so.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Vegas-S...m_cr_pr_sims_t

[peterb]

If you fancy dabbling with linux, there are several open source video editors available.

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/top5-li...stem-software/

(As an aside, and no use to you, there are a lot of video editing applications for the Apple platforms, Final Cut Pro being one of the best, but not cheap!)

[Newblet]

Assuming OP is using Windows.

Sony Vegas very popular for editing videos and makes transitions a piece of cake.
Adobe After Effects is supposed to be very good for special effects.
Adobe Premier is also very popular, I assume it is more like Sony Vegas than Adobe After Effects.

I just had a quick look on Autodesk's website and there is a piece of software called "Smoke". Autodesk software is good because you can get it for completely free if you are a student IIRC. I've never tried getting any myself though, I don't know if your school has to give you a .edu email address like most software for education sites require (mine only gives me a .org). Upon further inspection, "Smoke" appears to only be available for Macs, this is probably why I haven't heard of it (many Mac users treat iMovie as the Holy Grail), or it just isn't very good.

[Paul_tech]

Try Windows Movie Maker, good and popular video editing software.

[Shraddha]

One of the biggest problems editing my road trip videos was adjusting the camera movement and warp. This new feature in Adobe PremierPro is just what I needed. I can't believe it took so long to get this feature out!