Does editing video on a computer leave you scratching your head? Video editing programs can be very confusing for the novice user. There is so much stuff crammed onto your monitor, it's hard to know where to start.

Video editing programs have five to six different windows up on the screen at once. Even more windows are hidden until you click the appropriate button. Each window functions independently and each is sort of like a different piece of equipment. In fact, before computers, video editing was done with about twenty different components. An editing suite was a large room crammed full of all these components. Now, with computers, it is a bit like each one of those components is shrunk down and stuffed into your computer.

Once you learn what all the windows do and how they operate together, video editing will make much more sense.

Most video editing programs are laid out in a similar fashion.

iMovie by Apple is one of the easiest to use.

iMovie is the free video editing program that comes on a Mac when you buy it.

The designers of iMovie started from scratch to create a simple, intuitive, drop and drag program that would be handy for novices who want a nice look but don't want to bother learning a complex program.

Everything you need is right there, but they were smart and limited the onscreen commands to only those that you use frequently. Contrast that with other video editing programs where you are confronted with literally hundreds of commands crammed onto every inch of screen space. That's great if you have used the program a long time and know what every button does, but it will only confuse the novice with choices she probably doesn't even want.

iMovie sticks with the basics and it is all drag and drop.

Music, photos and other media are all easily imported. iMovie provides easy access links into the other programs and all the software is 100% integrated automatically.

I've always been a fan of Apple products and I think Final Cut is the most fantastic video editing software on the planet. However, FCP takes a while to learn. iMovie doesn't.

If you are looking for an easy video editing software program, iMovie is another fantastic reason to leave the PC behind. iMovie knocks the socks off Windows Movie Maker.