Editing files

[outin]

Could someone recommend a good free software to edit .MOV files?  None of my present software does...Doesn't have to have a lot of options, I mostly just need to cut the files...

I tried deformatting them and then use what I have but the result was very poor quality.

I thought I'd ask you guys first before turning to Mr. Google, because I trust you more

[rachmaninoff_forever]

What computer do you have?

[outin]

Windows 7
Edit: 64-bit

[Bob]

I think you can download Windows Live Essentials that has Windows Movie Maker.  If that works with .mov files.  It's basic though, like MS Paint.

[outin]

I think you can download Windows Live Essentials that has Windows Movie Maker.  If that works with .mov files.  It's basic though, like MS Paint.

I've tried Movi Maker already but it refuses to read the files made with my new recorder
My camera makes avi.files and I have never had any problems. But nothing I have seems to be able to use the files from the Olympus recorder...

[quantum]

Try Lightworks.
https://www.lwks.com

StaxRip for conversion between formats.
https://staxmedia.sourceforge.net

[outin]

Try Lightworks.
https://www.lwks.com

Seems like a good option, I'll try it. Thanks! 

[oxy60]

I've tried Movi Maker already but it refuses to read the files made with my new recorder
My camera makes avi.files and I have never had any problems. But nothing I have seems to be able to use the files from the Olympus recorder...

Are those files audio or video? I didn't know Olympus made a video camera.

[outin]

Are those files audio or video? I didn't know Olympus made a video camera.

It's not a video camera, it's a video/audio recorder. The audio files are fine, it's just the video files that present a problem.

[oxy60]

It's not a video camera, it's a video/audio recorder. The audio files are fine, it's just the video files that present a problem.

Now that is a baffling problem. There are a lot of different formats out there, all with their own editor.

I have one of those flip video (cisco systems) cameras which will play pure HD (1080) through my TV. Editing that was a real problem. Ended up using their proprietary program.

[quantum]

I have one of those flip video (cisco systems) cameras which will play pure HD (1080) through my TV. Editing that was a real problem. Ended up using their proprietary program.

That's where a video conversion program like StaxRip comes in handy. 

Video can be quite archaic when it comes to formats, containers, codecs, and the like.  Sometimes getting a video from one device to even read in another device can become a headache.  There are even sites dedicated to such topics.  This one is good:
https://www.videohelp.com

[outin]

Now that is a baffling problem. There are a lot of different formats out there, all with their own editor.

I didn't have time to install Lightworks yet, but reading the specs I assume it should work.

At the moment I can do some editing with the device itself, but it's slow and impractical.

[andy1973]

Avidemux is one I like.

Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports many file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs. Tasks can be automated using projects, job queue and powerful scripting capabilities.
Avidemux is available for Linux, BSD, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows under the GNU GPL license. The program was written from scratch by Mean, but code from other people and projects has been used as well. Patches, translations and even bug reports are always welcome.

Others I haven't used are mpgtx, VirtualDub, and OpenShot.

From what I can tell, VirtualDub can't handle mov files by default.
VirtualDub: How to use mkv, mp4, flv, mov and other file formats with VirtualDub

If you're used to Windows, OpenShot would probably be your last resort. It's written for Linux, but they offer a "Live" DVD that you can download

To try OpenShot on any computer (without installing anything), please download the AV Linux Live DVD . Burn the ISO image to a DVD, and boot your computer with the DVD drive. OpenShot is installed by default, and you can safely evaluate it. AV Linux is a Debian-based multi-media focused Linux distribution.

All these ones I've mentioned are open source and free... not shareware or freeware.

Hopefully avidemux would suit your needs; it's relatively straightforward. I'm not an "expert" video editor but I use it for basic stuff.

Another full-featured editor called "LiVes" (Linux Video Editing System) which -- according to their site -- comes installed with the AV Linux Live DVD mentioned above with OpenShot.

[outin]

Thanks everyone. I have been a bit busy with other things, but I am sure I wil find something that works.