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Unedited video is not for public consumption. Anyone who has ever endured the pain of viewing unedited, amateur video in any kind of group setting (who hasn't?) will instantly recognize the truth of that statement. And if you were the camera operator of that PDAV (Public Display of Amateur Video), go ahead and double your own personal pain factor. What seemed so fascinating while videotaping, suddenly appears so amateurish (to put it mildly).

In the worst cases of unedited video, all manner of seemingly endless and constantly shaking scenes convulse across the screen, not to mention the hopeless segments where the camera continues recording as the camera operator roams about. Add the much-too-loud comments from our rogue Spielberg and you have all the ingredients of a truly forgettable presentation. Hopefully, we are all aware of the folly of serving up raw footage in public without first preparing (editing) such digital dishes.

For those looking to take the first steps into digital video editing, here are some suggestions for getting yourself prepared. Since you'll be editing your video on a computer, you'll need a computer (desktop or laptop) adequately outfitted for the CPU-intensive task of crunching video. Minimum hardware requirements include a 2.5-GHz processor, a 120-gigabyte, 7200-RPM hard drive, 512 megabytes of RAM, a FireWire port, a video capture card, a DVD burner, and a 17-inch monitor.

Entry-level, low or no-cost software video editing solutions for PC users include (among many choices) Adobe Premier Elements ($99, adobe.com), Pinnacle 10.5 Studio Version ($49 to $99, pinnaclesys.com), and Microsoft MovieMaker (free with WindowsXP Pro).

For the MAC, iMovie comes free with OSX and is very easy to use. Final Cut Express ($299, apple.com) is a popular program with some very powerful features.

There are dozens of video editing programs covering a wide price range, so a little research goes a long way towards finding the one right for you, your budget, and your video production needs. One of the best ways to find other video editing tools is with the Google web search engine (google.com). Initiate a search for "digital video editing software" or similar phrases and you will end up with that "more-than-I-wanted-to-know" feeling.

If the finished video will be projected onto a large video screen or displayed on a TV, make sure you invest in software designed for big-screen, full-frame displays. Many people attempt to use software and hardware designed to prepare and compress video for the small screen (e-mail, portable media players, cell phones, and the web) and find a world of hurt awaiting them when they attempt to output their masterpiece to DVD.

This past weekend I received what could be called a "digital 9-1-1" phone call from a family in our church whose teenage son had created a beautiful 200-picture, 23-minute photo montage for a cousin's wedding, but he couldn't get it off the computer and onto a DVD. It turns out he was using media presentation software designed to produce media for everything but the big screen. A house call was definitely in order and the patient (the production) survived.

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