I have a new laptop, so no longer have Windows Movie Maker. I have been searching for and downloading new programs, and so far I hate all of them. They are not intuitive at all.

I just want something FREE and simple. Just want to be able to easily clip videos, add in photos, music, titles, etc... Googling has led me to Shotcut, VSDC, Lightworks, etc.. I downloaded and tried a couple of them, but couldn't even figure out how to clip a video.. Maybe I'm just too dumb for the new programs, but then I wonder if they just make these things intentionally more difficult, to get you to buy the "pro" versions or whatever...

Anyway, what's the least painful way to be able to continue editing videos as I was previously with Windows Movie Maker? Thanks..

I've got no experience with Movie Maker, so I don't know how it works, but the program I use is kdenlive.

It's a fairly capable editor, but it maintains a classic editing format, so it was very easy for me to pick up.

It can do all the things you want it to, and I would say fairly easily. The only thing that could be considered difficult is the way it handles titles, but this is well documented, so you can find tutorials of how to do it.

I have VSDC downloaded now. It is the third I have tried, and so far seems marginally less totally horrible than the others. Though I still cannot trim a video. Why on earth they make these things so unintuitive is beyond me. I have already wasted 20 minutes on tedious tutorials and not found an easy way to do it.

Seems crazy to me that there used to be WMM, which even I could figure out - and trim and cut out bits and do slow-mo and add pics and music and titles etc.. Now I need a bloody tutorial just to clip 30 seconds off the beginning of the raw footage...

I made one video in VSDC, and I agree, it was tedious.

Trimming in kdenlive is easy! You drag the files you want to edit into your "Project bin" which is the space on the far left. When you click on a file, it opens in the "Clip Monitor" which is the preview for the clip. As you play through, get to the point you want the video to start, and press I for 'in point'. Scrub to the point where you want it to end and press O for 'out point". The section of video will highlight in blue, then you drag the actual preview onto the timeline. Badabing badaboom.

Alternatively, just drag the file from the project bin onto the timeline, then grab each end point and drag it. That will trim the clip, as well.

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

I have a new laptop, so no longer have Windows Movie Maker. I have been searching for and downloading new programs, and so far I hate all of them. They are not intuitive at all.

I just want something FREE and simple. Just want to be able to easily clip videos, add in photos, music, titles, etc... Googling has led me to Shotcut, VSDC, Lightworks, etc.. I downloaded and tried a couple of them, but couldn't even figure out how to clip a video.. Maybe I'm just too dumb for the new programs, but then I wonder if they just make these things intentionally more difficult, to get you to buy the "pro" versions or whatever...

Anyway, what's the least painful way to be able to continue editing videos as I was previously with Windows Movie Maker? Thanks..

Boy, am I with you! I have a Mobius and a couple of the crappy El Cheapo key chain (808?) cams. I have no aspirations to become a Hollywood director or award winning film editor. I just want it to be EASY for NORMAL people to edit a video for saving or uploading. I don't want to spend hours, days or even weeks learning a program just to be able to crop 5 seconds from a video. Argh! I have better things to do.

Jos

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

I have a new laptop, so no longer have Windows Movie Maker...........

I just want something FREE and simple. ..............

Free for sure, but I don't know what you mean with simple.
You can try the award winning open source video editing software OpenShot that advert with "simple and free"

https://www.openshot.org/

does this work?
https://www.techradar.com/how-to/win...n-video-editor

I use davinci resolve. its free. pro quality.
- wouldn't call it easy, exactly. but tons of YT guides on how to use it.

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

I have a new laptop, so no longer have Windows Movie Maker. I have been searching for and downloading new programs, and so far I hate all of them. They are not intuitive at all.

I just want something FREE and simple. Just want to be able to easily clip videos, add in photos, music, titles, etc... Googling has led me to Shotcut, VSDC, Lightworks, etc.. I downloaded and tried a couple of them, but couldn't even figure out how to clip a video.. Maybe I'm just too dumb for the new programs, but then I wonder if they just make these things intentionally more difficult, to get you to buy the "pro" versions or whatever...

Anyway, what's the least painful way to be able to continue editing videos as I was previously with Windows Movie Maker? Thanks..

Well first, I assume you are on a W10 platform. You can still D/L WMM 2012 that was part of Window Live Essentials 2012 before MS stopped supporting it. Do a Google search for D.L sites. It runs perfectly under W10.

For strictly trimming, I use AviDemux for Windows. The benefit of this one is it does NOT need to re-encode your video if you are just trimming, so you don't lose any quality. You have to make your cuts on "full I-frames", but you can easily move forward and backwards through the I-frames by clicking arrow buttons. This one can do some basic editing of video for re-sizing, changes to color, contrast, exposure, sharpness, etc., but then you will need to re-encode your final video. It does not do any titling, though.

The open source Open Shot editor that was mentioned is finally (after a couple of years of development) in a reasonably stable state for Window platforms and can do all sorts of editing, but it will re-encode them for final output. The transitions are not the easiest to manage, though, unless you just want to fade from one cut to the next by overlapping the clips on the timeline. It's worth looking at, though, as an alternative to WMM.

Try Videopad. There is a free version that works well for basic editing. Just select the top menu after opening.

I find it absolutely crazy that there is nothing simple like WMM and free for basic video editing. If it requires bloody YouTube tutorials to learn how to clip 20 seconds off the beginning and end of a clip, well, no thanks... I’ll just not make videos. It really sucks though.

I’ll look into Videopad. The idea of having to use one program just to trim, and another for other editing, is cumbersome in the extreme. I don’t understand how to find WMM. I’ve tried many times searching for it on google.

I use Videopad occasionally but normally I use ISkysoft because I paid for it.
Videopad will do all your basic stuff in the free version.

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

I’ve tried many times searching for it on google.

does this work right?

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/mo...ot:overviewtab

WMM older versions are here

https://www.topwin-movie-maker.com/download.aspx

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

I find it absolutely crazy that there is nothing simple like WMM and free for basic video editing.
...
The idea of having to use one program just to trim, and another for other editing, is cumbersome in the extreme.

You may have overlooked a basic video editing program (as I did) that comes with W10, because it named "PHOTOS", but it can edit videos as well as combine photos into a packaged movie format. Trimming, adding text overlays as well as many graphic and special effects filters are within it's abilities. I don't like the basic way the editing is handled by the program, but it has pop-up tools that explain how the various functions are used. It may meet your needs.

Originally Posted by Tom Frank

You may have overlooked a basic video editing program (as I did) that comes with W10, because it named "PHOTOS", but it can edit videos as well as combine photos into a packaged movie format. Trimming, adding text overlays as well as many graphic and special effects filters are within it's abilities. I don't like the basic way the editing is handled by the program, but it has pop-up tools that explain how the various functions are used. It may meet your needs.

already posted link to that idea in post 7. crickets.