You might want to read the announcement at the top of the page.

Thanks, I read it and found the info regarding my concerns.

@visualcreations

Thanks for joining the forum!

I think you're seeing what happens when you compare applications that come from completely different backgrounds (notwithstanding your questions about 64 bit etc). Vegas (if I remember correctly) came from an audio background, and Lightworks was the original computer-based film-cutting tool. Both LNEs are unconventional in comparison to Avid and FCP.

Now, Lightworks is being as unconventional as it's possible to get, by having free and paid-for versions (although for a vanishingly small subscription) and by being multi-platform.

That beeing said I wager the free version aims at the hobby filmer who wants ambitiously to cut his home made videos - and is at the moment not able to do so without a lot of hassle with transcoding remuxing and whatever:( .

All the mainstream consumer wants to do is import his digital footage and cut it with fun and thereby getting better and more professional. He does not want to dive into installing codecs, freeing diskspace having the importable copy of his footage and the original at the same time (in case something goes wrong) and so on....

As the vast majority of affordable camcorders records in AVCHD I would deem it reasonable to have a possibility to import that directly into LW - free or whatever version. I started this thread and read I regularily but I must have missed it nonetheless: is LW going to support those formats in its free form somewhere in the near future or not? I would be glad if one of the many pros here involved in the production of LW could clarify the matter or at least point me at the post that I have simply missed where its clarified. If the support for .MTS AVCHD is not coming in free LW this program is simply not for me and I might as well quit reading through the forums over and over. Thanks a lot and greetings from Germany...

[quote="McConnor" post=15100]

This is what VideoPad, iMovie, Vegas Movie Studio, Avid Studio (pinnacle Studio), etc. are all for. Normal consumers may not find the Lightworks workflow to be what they want for just slamming together a vacation. The consumerization of FCP has many people screaming, there really do need to be different methods for pro and consumer.

I agree, but the lack of AVCHD support doesn't make any NLE more pro. AVCHD is the de facto standard of today, as was DV 10 years ago.