I have one important question for you: African, or European?

I don't know that...

Well, let's assume that it can't be African, because they're non-migratory... ;)

Are you suggesting that coconuts are migratory?

Beat me my comment, that was going to be my question as well.

check out Ed's journal, he has some great self made tutorials on vidding...

http://brokenmnemonic.livejournal.com/

::GLOMPS::!!!

Also, thanks! That's an awesome tutorial!

Thanks for that!

I always used Windows Movie Maker because it was free and straightforward. It is super easy to use. The problem is that it doesn't have some of the snappier effects. I used it create all of my videos that are on youtube and you can tell I'm not going to be winning any vidding awards. My username on there is also 'chrisfaithalin' so you can search that if you want to see an example of a video made with WMM. I gave up on it because it was kind of finnicky with getting the right video format. But, it might be a good place to start just because it is on all Windows computers and it's free.

I've heard good things about Sony Vegas, but I've never been able to afford it. I think that is the program that a lot of the more serious video makers use. There are a lot more bells and whistles that make for more professional looking videos.

When I taught Gifted Research, all of my students used Windows Movie Maker b/c of the ease-of-use and user-friendly interface. I think it's great for getting your feet wet in the video-making world. (And it's the only one I've ever been able to figure out.) :-)

Are you using Windows or OS X? If Windows, I always used to use Sony Vegas, because it crashed much less often than WMM ever did, plus there were more effects. (ALSO more file types supported, I think). But more effects can be quite daunting, so maybe start out in WMM just to get the feel for actually cutting videos together. As well as that, the copy of SV I acquired wasn't exactly legit, so there's that. So it all just depends how comfortable you are with that kind of stuff.

If you're using OS X, I have no idea, and would actually like suggestions as well :)

Nope, we're both on Windows. :)

I'll have to take a look at Vegas. Thanks!

Would that be an African or European Swallow? ;)

I've been meaning to get into vidding for years, but still haven't gotten around to it!
As a die-hard otaku, I've seen a lot of anime music vids. I've attended several panels on techniques, and nearly EVERYONE recommends Sony Vegas, particularly Platinum Pro (version 9, I think).
also, my fave site AMV.org has a ton of various tutorials. You may need to join, but that's free.

Oh -- I've heard of AMV, but it hadn't occurred to me to check there. Thanks!