Video Editing Software For Your Camcorder

For several years, Panasonic camcorders shipped with the HD Writer AE video editing software. In 2010, new camcorders, like the Panasonic HDC-HS60, shipped with HD Writer AE 2.0. This version includes several cosmetic changes, as well as the ability to edit 1080/60p video. (The 2010 flagship camcorders from Panasonic—including the HDC-TM700—have native 1080/60p recording, which is not compatible with earlier versions of HD Writer.)

Note: HD Writer AE 2.0 (like previous versions of the HD Writer software) is only compatible with Windows operating systems. If you own a Mac, you'll need to use iMovie or another third party program to transfer/edit footage.

We were very happy to find that the 2.0 version of the software was more stable than previous versions we had used. In versions 1.5 and earlier, we received frequent error messages that were both confusing and unpredictable. In the 2.0 version, we were able to carry out all functions without any error messages appearing.

What we don't like is the new aesthetic. Previous versions of the software featured a deep teal colour scheme; HD Writer AE 2.0 looks like a generic Windows program:

 
The most vital responsibility of any editing software is transferring footage from the camcorder to your computer. Whether you have a standard definition or high definition Panasonic camcorder, you can't just 'drag and drop' your footage and expect to play back the videos, burn to a DVD, or upload to YouTube. Even if you don't want to edit your videos, you'll need a software program to transfer the footage first.

HD Writer is certainly capable of transferring footage, but the process isn't as simple as we've seen with included software from other manufacturers. When we launched the program, there was no automatic window that popped up for video transfer. We had to navigate to that option ourselves. Once we clicked on the 'Copy to PC' button, there were several screens to navigate before the process was complete. It was similar to a software installation wizard on a PC, but with a bit less hand-holding.

Step 1 of the import process.		Step 2 of the import process.

Step 3 of the import process.		Step 4 of the import process.

Once you've imported your footage, the easiest things to do are burn your video to a DVD and upload to YouTube. The YouTube upload interface is excellent—one of the best systems we've seen on any included software, including that of the Flip. Everything you need to upload is on a single screen and you can choose to fill out as much or as little information as you want.

Better still, you can upload multiple videos at once and either use the same information for all of them or enter unique tags, descriptions, etc. for each one. It's an excellent interface with only one disappointing omission: easy support for other video sharing sites like Vimeo, MySpace, Flickr, etc.

The YouTube uploading process is very well designed.

 
The final element of the HD Writer software is editing. The 2.0 version of the software added the ability to edit 1080/60p footage: a crucial addition since the 2010 flagship models are the first from Panasonic to offer native 1080/60p recording.

The interface itself is similar to last year's. It's a simplistic version of the time line that you'll find in more advanced software. Unfortunately, however, it makes it pretty difficult to do any fine trimming or advanced editing. You have very little control over audio levels, video speed, or anything like that. You can, however, do basic trimming or add transitions and/or title screens. It's all the editing that most consumers will ever want to use. 

The editing time line from the 1.5 version (above) is a more colourful version of the new 2.0 version.