Prices on good video cameras have been coming down steadily for the last few years, while significant technology improvements have happened simultaneously. The possibilities of editing video have also changed dramatically, thanks to the rapid development of the personal computer.

In fact, we need go no further back in time than to the early 1990s, when it was impossible for an individual to obtain a computer powerful enough for editing video. Today is a different story altogether, and it is possible to obtain very impressive results with footage shot with your own video camera and edited on your own PC. Here below we will take a closer look at the equipment needed in order to start editing your own little movies. It doesn't really matter weather your desire is to document your children's progress in life or if you are a novice movie maker in a more general sense - the advice below will apply in any case.

Well "Spielberg", what is your desired result?

Saying for sure what the one best video editing software out there is, is an impossible task - it all depends on your ambitions and how you intend to publish the finished results. It is therefore recommended that you have a think about your own level of ambition.

For example, are you filming and video editing for the sole purpose of keeping memories alive for you and your family, or do you have intentions of showing of your footage to family and friends as well? Or perhaps even publish your work to the general public on blu-ray discs or on popular video sharing sites?

Generally speaking, if you are going to showcase your video to other people, a more polished video editing result is likely to be desirable - as other people may not be as "blown away" by a completely uncut rendition of your dearest memories (as they never experienced this first hand themselves).

A nice looking presentation goes a long way towards generating some genuine interest in your audience.

With that said, it is a good idea to invest a little bit more in your video editing software - as there will then be room for your creativity to grow as you become more skilled at editing your footage.

Yes, there are video applications out there that are completely free to use and you may want to start with such a program just to get a feel for the process. But you will soon want to upgrade to a lighter version of professional video editing software, such as Adobe Premiere Elements for the PC or Final Cut for the Mac.

Such applications also allow for editing HD quality video.

Editing video on your PC (without going slowly insane anyway) will require that you have a fairly new a powerful computer. You need a lot of space on the hard drive, plenty of RAM and a powerful processor - especially if you have plans of editing material shot in High Definition.  At the time of writing, something like this would be a good example of a powerful enough Windows based PC:  

• 3 gigaherts Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 processor
• 4 gigabytes RAM memory
• hard drive - SATA Raid, as much storage space as you can afford

 For the actual editing you may get away with a slightly lesser machine, but bear in mind that the rendering process for longer video segments will test your patience, even if you buy the fastest monster PC currently available. This isn't such a huge problem though, as you can leave your computer rendering over night on its own.  The main thing is that you do not want your computer to stall and/or crash during the actual editing process.  Depending on your video camera, you may also need special hardware in your computer in order to transfer the footage to your hard drive. But as this hub is dedicated mainly to the editing itself I'll cover that more thoroughly in another article/hub.