Sony Z Mac switcher needs advice on iLife replacements for PC

Hello,

I am getting setteled back into the PC world after being a Mac user for several years. I was wondering if anyone here could suggest PC replacemts for the folowing OSX programs.

iPhoto
iMovie
Garageband
iWeb

I have tried to use the Windows live suite, but it dosent quite cut it.

In a photo program, I would like a simple interface that allows me access to all photos and be able to view, edit and catalog them elegantly.

When choosing a video editor, it seems that there are so many options. Adobe, Sony, Pinnacle.. ect. I would like power, but not crazy overboard.

Anything you can share would be extremely helpful. I want to get to work on my new Z

 

re: imovie, i would say sony vegas pro has a massive ton of features, capabilities, and power. able to do just about any video editing tasks i throw at it, and my friend, also a former mac user, now on windows, has adapted to it very quickly. definitely recommend it

 

re: Garageband
I would suggest AcidPro or SoundForge 10. But then, Garageband is more like 'preschool' compared to the 'university' that is SoundForge (it's used by enthusiasts and sometimes in lower-end industrial settings).

 

I've used iPhoto in the past. Sony give out Photoshop Elements free which i actually do prefer using to edit photos. They also give out Picasa free which i think you can download online anyway. Also, Windows media centre is there as well you could create slideshows.

Edited to add:
I see that Sony no longer bundle Photoshop free with the VPC-Z13 in the EU, they seemed to have stopped bundling this with the VPC-Z2. They do still appear to bundle Photoshop elements and Premiere elements with North American models. Photoshop Elements is a good editing tool that is fairly inexpensive. Premiere elements edits movies.

 

Sony vegas pro is over £500 it's not really an iMovie replacement as it is aimed really at professionals. Anyway i've got a camcorder and just a few days ago accquired Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10. The interface I believe is the same as the pro version but it's missing some features that the professional version has.
It's good and will take care of my video editing. It's more advanced than iMovie and takes a little while to get used to but it's not that hard. I do like iMovie though for ease of use but it's also targeted more at the amateur market. Vegas Studio is meant to be more stable than Adobe Preimere Elements especially where W7 is concerned.
I would recommend it anyway.
You can always download and demo a lot of the software out there now.

 

Vegas is good, albeit probably more powerful and more difficult to use than iMovie. I also like Picasa for photo management.

 

Re music:
Audacity is free, and runs on Windows, MacOS and Linux.
If you want something more polished, Adobe Audition (also known as CoolEdit) is one of the easier to come to grips with. You can sometimes pick it up cheap from various promotions and online sales.
At the other end of the scale you have full DAW software like Cubase+Nuendo and Protools, but then you're talking major bucks.

Re pictures: If you don't just want to catalogue your images, but also do simple editing (cropping, tilting, improving colour and contrast, simple fixes), few things beats Adobe Lightroom for convenience. Yes, it'll cost you a bit, but it's just SO much better than (ab)using Photoshop Elements and Picasa.

 

Use lightroom in lieu of iPhoto,
Just realized Arth stated that!

 

May I know why do you switch from Mac back to Windows?

I am a VPCZ1 owner and actually thinking to get a macbook pro...

 

I was growing tierd of waiting for Apple to step up and make a powerful 13" laptop. Also, their hardware was/is alwas downclocked and seemingly behind the curve.

The one thing that I can say is that when I ever did have a problem with my Mac, Apple fixed it and had it back to me withn 72 hours. After reading here on these boards, I dont think I could say the same for Sony.