Screenblast 3.0

vwcrusher wrote on 9/18/2003, 2:14 PM
I am seriously considering purchasing the above application, and I would appreciate any insights real users may have for what I want to accomplish.

I plan on using it to:
1) create slide shows on DVD
2) capture analog videos, edit them, and burn on DVDs.

This would be my first video creation effort, so I am a raw rookie.
I have been told that Vegas Video produces the best quality results, but is fairly difficult to learn..even for professionals.

I clearly do not need a professional program, but I do want as high a quality result as I can.

Any insights as to whether I am making a mistake or if Screenblast it exactly what I need would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Allen

Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 9/18/2003, 2:40 PM
Quality really isn't an issue, Allen. All video programs essentially produce the same quality result.

The real issues are:
1) Does this program do what I want it to do?
2) How easy is it to learn and use?
3) Does it have technical glitches that are going to drive me crazy?

Although there are several excellent programs out there that will let you edit video, Screenblast has some cool features you won't find on most products of similar cost (like 3 live video tracks, the ability to use chromakey, the ability to pan and zoom around a still photo) and, unlike the best-selling video editor, it seems to work virtually flawlessly on virtually any PC.

On the other hand, it does have a slight learning curve. Similar to Vegas (though even that isn't THAT bad). But in just a few days you'll develop a feel for it and your friends will be amazed at what you've produced!

It's technically not a professional editing app but, for most of our purposes, it's as powerful as your imagination!

Best $100 I've spent on a program. (Altough, after some rebates on an earlier version and the discounted upgrade fee, it really cost me considerably less!)
vwcrusher wrote on 9/18/2003, 3:50 PM
Wow, thanks for the reply.
Couldn't have asked for a more concise response.

It sounds exactly what I have been looking for.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 9/19/2003, 7:52 AM
> Vegas Video produces the best quality results, but is fairly difficult to learn..even for professionals

I don’t know who told you this but I just do this as a hobby and I found Vegas to be extremely easy to learn and use. I couldn’t stand how Premiere worked and felt they made everything 3 steps harder than it had to be. So perhaps a Premiere user told you Vegas was hard because it didn’t work like Premiere. That doesn’t make it hard to use, just different to use if you are use to another tool.

I agree with grisetti, the quality of the results of Vegas and Screenblast is identical, only the feature set is different. They share the same interface and lots of beginners find MovieStudio easy to use.

I would recommend you buy Screenblast. It should do everything you need.

~jr
Taney2 wrote on 9/19/2003, 7:38 PM
I'm new at this, but what kind of cool stuff can you do with THREE video tracks? Most of my video is of the kids playing ball, scouts, plays and so forth.

Also, is there a good source for learning how to do all of this stuff?

Thanks!
JohnnyRoy wrote on 9/19/2003, 8:03 PM
OK, so you’ve got the kids playing ball and you want to make a creative intro for the video. On the lowest video track you have one of the kids swinging the bat at the ball. On the next video track you have an animated GIF of a spinning baseball that you use the zoom function to make it look like the kid actually hit the ball straight at the screen. While the ball is still spinning, suspended, in the center of the screen, you use the third and highest video track to overlay a title that introduces the video. You just use your creativity.

~jr
Taney2 wrote on 9/20/2003, 12:14 AM
I'm starting to get the idea. The guys would really love that kind of stuff. Where do I get the animated GIF of the spinning baseball and/or how do I learn to create animated GIFs. Looks like that could be alot of fun too. My business will go belly up while I fiddle around with all of this, but at least I'll have a little fun. :)

Thanks Again. I appreciate your help.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 9/20/2003, 8:16 AM
This is a very addictive hobby if you like being creative. Learn to use Google.com to search for content. Google has an excellent image search so if you’re looking for a sunset or volcano, it will find you one in seconds. As long as you are making movies for personal use you usually don’t have to worry about copyrights but make sure the site you take something from doesn’t explicitly request that you not reuse their content even for personal use.

The Animation Factory is a great place for high quality GIF files. IconBAZAAR is another great place. As you find a site that you like don’t forget to bookmark it. You can make animated GIF’s in a number of programs. I use Paint Shop Pro, which is an excellent image editor and ships with a free GIF animator, but mostly I just find them on-line.

If you really want to make good quality animations easily, I would recommend getting Ulead Cool 3D Production Studio or even just the standard Cool 3D product. It’s easy to use and produces high quality output as an AVI file with transparency. (you can also make animated GIF files too) I use this for most of my 3D animations now.

Of course you will also want to add some sound like the crack of the bat and a crowd cheering when the title is displayed. So don’t forget to search for sound FX files as well. FindSounds.com is a great place to start.

Like I said, it’s dangerously addictive. ;-)

~jr
Taney2 wrote on 9/20/2003, 7:03 PM
I see what you mean. I could get buried in this, bit what a way to go!

Thanks.