The product I'm looking for may not exist, but I have to ask...

Is there a software product on the market which is to video as Lightroom is to photos? I'm at the beginning stages of trying to wrangle together a disparate batch of home family video files. AVIs, WMVs, DVDs, all in various stages of pre- and post-processing.

Basic editing and/or DVD-authoring functionality would be nice, but it's not a requirement. I'm more interested in something which can organize, play, and edit the metadata of "final product" video. Something that I can use for years as my digital home video organizer and player.

I'm on a PC. If the product I seek is available on a Mac, tell me. I'm platform-agnostic.

Thanks!

The iLife suite might be what you're looking for. iPhoto for video organization, tagging, etc, iMovie for basic editing/exporting and iDVD for, well, you know.

Toss in a copy of QuickTime Pro for MPEG2 compatibility, and you're set.

Oh, and don't try to do this stuff on a Mac Mini or MacBook. Get at least an iMac with a desktop-class hard drive and a real video card, not the Intel or nVidia integrated video stuff. Real-time transition previews and exporting are hardware intensive. You said you want it to last for years :)

Originally Posted by iotashan Oh, and don't try to do this stuff on a Mac Mini or MacBook. Get at least an iMac with a desktop-class hard drive and a real video card, not the Intel or nVidia integrated video stuff. Real-time transition previews and exporting are hardware intensive. You said you want it to last for years :)

Thanks for the advice. I've looked into iMovie, and it sure seems to offer the combination of (more than) basic editing and decent organization capabilities. We of course don't have a Mac. While I'm platform-agnostic, I'm also frugal. So, perhaps a Mac will be in our future when we need a new machine, but our PC is serving us well other than the movie issue at the moment.

So, any other Windows recommendations? I see good things about the Sony Vegas line, but I'm not sure about its organization chops. I also see things about staying away from Ulead and Pinnacle products.

Windows Movie maker has fit my needs thus far for editing; it's the organization piece which is so lacking for us right now. Any further advice from those in the know? Thanks!

For editing on Windows, check out Adobe Premiere Elements. It's actually on sale today on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox

Shan