Virtual Edit

The illusion that anyone can create a video montage can be fascinating for some people. You can spend days filming a scene and make it look like it was filmed in a few minutes. No matter how much effort you put into a project, the results are not always satisfying. If you are on your way to create such projects, but you are not ready for advanced software, like Adobe Premiere, you can use Virtual Edit. It is a semi-professional software with enough tools to piece together any videos. It is more advanced than lightweight video editors but easier to use than professional ones.

You can use a trial version before buying the software. Some exporting features are restricted, but you can still use its core functions to figure out how the program works. The setup package is 40.5 Mb large and you can install Virtual Edit swiftly on Windows XP, Vista or Win 7.

The interface may seem a bit overloaded at first, buy this is how a video editor should look like if you want to create professional looking montages. When launching the software, you will encounter options for starting a new project and you will have to go through them before loading the core functions on the interface. You may create a standard project or an HD one, using PAL or NTSC frame rates.

The interface is divided in three areas, where you will find the video's timeline, preview and a clip browser. You can import videos images and audio files with the Import option, in the File menu or on the toolbar. Multiple media files, of different types, can be added to a list, on a separate window. When you are done, you must click the Import button, on the same window, and the software will start importing the files, one by one and sort them automatically in separate folders, in the clip browser. Virtual Edit differentiates itself from other lightweight video editors, due to the fact that it is capable of capturing videos from DV devices.

Once they are loaded, you may drag and drop the media files over the timeline, where they will be placed automatically in separate channels, according to the media type (video, audio or image). The inserted files are represented by color coded bars and you can move, expand or compress them with click and drag actions. If you want to insert more than one clip, you can place another one in the second video channel. A third clip will be added in the first channel and so on. Basically, if you want a transition between two video clips, they must be placed in separate channels. You can also add transition effects. They are illustrated with thumbnails in the clip browser and you can insert them, just like media files, between the video channels. Titles can be typed and edited on a separate window. When you save a title, it will be placed in the Keys folder, on the clip browser.