I wanna try some emulation...but is it worth it?

Daikun

For the past several months, I've been trying to find some free video editing software to escape the horrors of Windows Movie Maker, and although I've found a few potential candidates, they all seem to be lacking in certain features that I need that actually make WMM superior in comparison (yes, I know, it's sad).

Anyway, after doing a ton of comparisons, I've found that Mac and Linux users have a lot more options available to them without having to resort to Torrents or paying loads of cash for the high-end software. The problem is that I don't have a Mac or Linux, so I thought I'd resort to VirtualBox or something similar.

I've never used emulation of this sort before, and that makes me feeling cautious, so instead of diving in blindly, I thought I'd ask a forum with some experience in this sort of thing. If I wanted to download, say, iMovie on Windows XP, would emulation do the trick?

Thaed

I remember seeing some virtual machine software some time ago that actually did claim to run OSX, but I think most people just build a hackintosh. Windows Movie Maker for XP is barely usable, but the version that comes with Vista is actually fairly good for down and dirty editing. All my YouTube videos up to this point have been done with WMM. That being said, I just downloaded the trial of Sony Vegas Pro. This is extremely powerful, but there is a learning curve. I am still spending time with it. If I decide I like it, I'm going to pay the $500 or so and get it.

Cinelerra is free and there are those who like it if you have or can build a Linux box.

Daikun

Windows Movie Maker for XP is barely usable, but the version that comes with Vista is actually fairly good for down and dirty editing.

Not really. It's the same crap as the XP version with a prettier interface.

Andrew

Windows Movie Maker for XP is barely usable, but the version that comes with Vista is actually fairly good for down and dirty editing.

Not really. It's the same crap as the XP version with a prettier interface.

Really? I find the Vista version fairly well equipped. I make pretty much all of my movies with it and have only had one or two real issues. I do wish it had more publishing options such as setting a specific resolution and bitrate.

Thaed

Yes, exactly. The XP version doesn't do what you tell it to do, but the Vista version is fine. Andrew, have you tried Vegas Pro? You can publish in most formats with that.

Omnutia

You could use Wubi to install Linux inside your Windows install and boot into it. If you just get an Ubuntu CD and insert it while you're running Windows it will give you the option. It will run slightly slower than on it's own partition but (I'd guess) faster than emulation.