Should I upgrade to Video Pro X 13 or purchase Vegas Pro 18?

stevmjon wrote on 6/29/2021, 8:27 PM

not sure where to post this question because there are 2 forums. gotta start somewhere.

i currently own magix video pro x 10, and i keep getting update messages to upgrade. well i finally want to upgrade but not sure if i should upgrade to magic video pro x 13, or should i get vegas pro 18 instead.

the reason is i saw vegas pro 18 advertise new screen capture. is the new magix pro 13 as good?

what i want to do is make some tutorials where i capture the screen to make videos for youtube. i want to be able to edit the videos with arrows, circles, text on screen, and zoom in/out etc. if i could even write on screen while recording that would be awsome too.

i haven't tried screen capture yet with the current version i own. maybe this will be fine?

any help/advice is appreciated. thanks, stevmjon.

Comments

browj2 wrote on 6/29/2021, 9:15 PM

@stevmjon

Hi,

Take a look at some of my tutorials (under Tutorials at the top of this forum) about Movie Edit Pro. I have both MEP and Video Pro X. I use neither for screen capturing and I do not recommend either one or even Vegas - they are video editing programs video not video capture programs even though they can do it. Use a specialty program that does mainly screen capture, like Camtasia or Debut (free version available). I use Corel ScreenCap. There are many others.

Do not try to do anything fancy when you record a tutorial. Just record as best you can, then edit using VPX or another video editing program that has the features that you need for editing. Definitely do not try to write on the screen whilst recording. Although there are some gifted people out there who seem to be able to make a tutorial and capture themselves on a second screen talking, don't even try. I suspect that many of these people are just recording themselves reading the script, not creating the action. I script my tutorials...and so do they. Then, I record the action, rerecord, edit, rerecord, etc., change the script, record my voice - at about 2 sentences per recording before I botch it, and often have 2 or more takes just to get those 2 sentences reasonably acceptable. Then, I have to edit the audio to get rid of some background noise, reduce plosives, and level the sound. Annotations, arrows, circles, etc., are all added after the fact.

I use Xara Designer Graphics Pro for creating graphics and sometimes animations.

For reference, a 10 minute tutorial can take 10 to 40 hours or more of work - idea, script, trials, recordings, multiple redos, editing, exporting, correcting, external review by someone else who knows the subject and can spell, correction, exporting, publishing sometimes more than once.

At the end, it should look like you know what you are doing, with no unintentional mistakes, no glitches, no pauses, no stuttering, no mouse moving all over the screen, no typing mistakes when showing typing in something. Audio should be all at about the same level, with no or little background noise. It should look easy - it's 10 minutes long and only took 10 minutes to make, right?

Bottom line, do not use VPX or Vegas for screen capture. You know VPX, so stick with it for editing. Do not upgrade to VPX 13 until the bugs have been ironed out; VPX 10 should be good enough for what you want to do.

Good luck,

John CB

stevmjon wrote on 6/29/2021, 10:26 PM

thanks for the fast reply. i have wondered about screen capture, and your info has helped.

i have been visualising what to talk about and in what order to show things in the tutorial for quite a while now. i am glad i didn't just do this a year ago, because i have come up with a different approach several times now, and have come up with a better way to explain things. so i have done the research over and over, and am finally now ready to start the actual tutorial. i even have 3D software that i am making animations with to visualise certain steps i am explaining.

it is going to be a beginner tutorial video to visually show how a 3D engine works. to explain how the transformation stages fit together, and not only showing how it works but also why.

i hope it will be fun to make, and not a tear my hair out experience.

thanks, stevmjon.

Nalmcruto wrote on 6/30/2021, 9:02 PM

You should try them out. Plus, Vegas Pro 19 will be released in a month or two, so you can wait.

Nalmcruto wrote on 7/1/2021, 6:07 AM

You can take a look, Buy Vegas 18 get Vegas 18+19 : https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/vegas-pro/

stevmjon wrote on 7/1/2021, 7:39 PM

i will keep that vegas 18 + 19 deal in mind, thanks.

i did take browj2 advice and already purchased screen capture software. i looked around and ended up getting movovi screen recorder. easy to use and it even lets you draw directly on the screen.