Video Editing software - HitFilm

[col lamb]

As regulars must know I am a huge fan of both Premiere and Edius, but as Premiere has now gone subscription only; I have started to consider what alternatives are there.

I found this

http://hitfilm.com/

the product certainly looks impressive from the videos and also it has got some excellent reviews

Is anyone here using it or has trialled it?

[Mike Shaw]

I have to agree - it looks pretty stunning. It includes motion tracking as well which (in my mind) is an absolute essential for many complex compositing situations. It also claims to handle 3D models (I didn't check to see what format(s) they accept). And the price for the 'top' version seems very reasonable indeed for what is on offer.

The only thing I noticed that could cause a bit of a frown though is they have 'linked it' somehow with Vegas - which isn't one of my favourite editors. Certainly looks like one to look into seriously though. I'd also be very interested to hear some feedback from anyone using it. Maybe a trip to their forums will help as well ... that's where all the 'complaints' usually congregate!

[col lamb]

Mike
I noticed that on the Vegas web site, still I suppose that earned them quite a bit of much need cash for the Norwich based company

[Mike Shaw]

Makes a nice change to have a serious editor (by all accounts) from an English company. One to watch.

[TimStannard]

I own it.
I upgraded to the Vegas Pro Suite which included it when there was an offer on.
I bought it for the compositing capabilities rather than straightforward editing as Vegas is more than capable in that area. Basically I bought it as a poor mans After Effects (although it's not necessarily "poor" in capabilities, just in cost - for a start it had a genuine 3D particle generator whereas AE only has 2D)
I've only had the briefest of plays so far. I will use it as and when I need to - there is so much to it that learning without specific aims in mind will simply lead me to forget it all.

At present I have no need to try it out as an editor.

However if you have any specific questions I'd be happy to try things out if I can find the time (but please don't ask me to set up a project with 20 video tracks of mixed media)

Actually it never occurred to me to use it as an editor, I assumed it wasn't primarily designed for that otherwise why would Sony bundle it with Vegas?

EDIT: Just spotted Mike's comment about Vegas not being one of his favourites. I love it. I went down the Vegas route when I abandoned Pinnacle (as Mike went down another path). I find it really logical and intuitive in a way I don't find Premiere. Plenty of people find the reverse, I know, but I thought I'd get a good word in for the product.

[Mike Shaw]

Yes - it's not that I dislike Vegas - it just doesn't top my list. It's what you get used to and feel comfortable using, and Vegas involves slightly different workflows to those I am used to.

The thing I would like to know more about with Hit Film is its motion tracking capability - how effective, how accurate and how smooth is it.

Motion tracking is (to me) one of the most underrated features an editor can have - provided it is readily available to all relevant effects. For example, removing an unwanted object from a clip (TV aerial or a dustbin, perhaps) is made very simple when motion tracking is available.

[TimStannard]

The thing I would like to know more about with Hit Film is its motion tracking capability - how effective, how accurate and how smooth is it.

Your examples of the use of motion tracking are to do with "repairing" video, but I know too well that you would use it far more creatively than that.

There is an excellent and growing set of video tutorials for HitFilm which is searchable by subject or keywords here. http://hitfilm.com/video-tutorials I've watched most, but not worked through them (ie I've been watching at work when I've had a break rather than when I have my own computer in front of me).

Select the "Filter by Playlist" checkbox, then scroll down the selected videos and look at "2D Motion tracking basics". For a fuller understanding, I'd also look at the intros to compositing and parenting

Motion tracking, like all these techniques, is simple when you know how to do it and fully understand what's going on. I haven't quite got my head around how to do it in HitFilm but I suspect that is because I haven't quite grasped the significance of some of the subtleties (adding a layer with a point). This will probably come when I actually have a play.

[TimStannard]

Just one point about using HitFilm as an editor - it does seem rather limited in its export capabilities. It is not able to make use of all the codecs installed on your system - basically your choices are .H264 or uncompressed avi, so the chances are you will export in uncompressed format and use another package for delivery.

[Mike Shaw]

Thanks Tim. It works pretty much the same as the motion tracking in MC - which is pretty cool. In fact the tutorial I watched (motion tracking associated with colour correction in a specific area) with some very minor changes also can be applied to MC. I think the main difference is in the way the mask is created to define the area to be tracked - though HitFilm may well also have a pixel choosing or 'animatte' option as well as the conventional mask shapes for defining a changing mask shape. It definitely makes HitFilm a very interesting package - and I see there are some features in it which are not directly available in MC. Which makes it even more interesting! I'll watch more of the tutorials because they give a good insight into the way it works, as well as the potential.

The thing I would like to know more about with Hit Film is its motion tracking capability - how effective, how accurate and how smooth is it.
Your examples of the use of motion tracking are to do with "repairing" video, but I know too well that you would use it far more creatively than that.

Who - Moi?

[Mike Shaw]

I downloaded a trial version and have been playing with it. It is both exciting and disappointing - exciting in the compositing range and capabilities (though it has a different 'way of doing things' - to MC for example - which need to be learned) and disappointing in that it is a very basic editor. Also, as Tim points out, the export capabilities are somewhat limited too.

The trial version is definitely a good place to start and explore all the compositing capabilities - though output can be fed only to YouTube, and I think there is a 'movie length' restriction as well.

I'd say that this is primarily a compositing programme - the editing side is pretty trivial in comparison. Most of what I have seen so far is MC is capable of doing in terms of control - BUT HitFilm provides templates and 3D objects that MC doesn't, so I think it will make a very useful addition to the armoury. With the full (Ultimate) version it would be easy to pass clips to it from one's current editor for working on, then pass them back.

I shall therefore be adding it to my wish-list - thanks Col for drawing our attention to this one. Not quite what I thought on first sight - but could still be a worthy addition to have.

[TimStannard]

I'd say that this is primarily a compositing programme

Delighted to have a second opinion which concurs with my own. It confirms that if I am mistaken, i'm not alone
Seriously, if it had been a competent editing programme, i cannot see how Sony would have bundled it in their Vegas Pro Suite.
Axel Wilkinson's video tutorials are great as are his responses on teh forum, but it is so nice to have the English voice of Simon Jones on the tutorials he narrates.