Hi 8 - digitise?

[extremepat]

Hi, I am planning on making a movie of mountain bike footage I shot. I have been shooting on to a Hi 8 cassette. Would digitising my footage be the next best step? Also, could you advise me on the best free software I should use. I want the movie to include music and some arty effects.

[zacsg]

yes digitizing the footage is your next best step. whatelse? as long as you do not want to edit the video in analog decks, then you have to digitize them first.

i'd suggest you choose the best video capture card you can afford, as digitizing is the first step and it determines the quality of the video clips.

not much experience in free video editing software.