Pinnacle, part of the Avid family, made a lot of noise earlier in the year when they released VideoSpin for free download. Unlike the other products I looked at, VideoSpin does not include the ability to create a DVD. Its focus is on creating video for YouTube, Yahoo! Video, or exporting files for use on the web (including Flash Video format), PCs, or portable devices.

VideoSpin is simpler than the other applications, but it still includes some good editing capabilities. It is timeline-based, and allows you to work with video clips, transitions, titles, and still images. It also includes a collection of sound effects that you can incorporate into your video.

One of the things I did with VideoSpin was to create a slideshow. I imported a few dozen jpeg files, set the default duration of still images to four seconds, selected all the images, and dragged them to the timeline in one fell swoop. Next I selected “Make Movie”, selected “YouTube”, told it to create the video, and uploaded it to YouTube – all from within the VideoSpin product.

There is one very minor catch: The “Advanced Video Codecs” included with VideoSpin are available for a 15 day demo, after which they cost $14.99 if you’d like to buy them. And remember, VideoSpin will not create a DVD. However, if you’re looking for the fastest, least expensive way to create simple videos for YouTube or other web sites, VideoSpin is definitely worth a try.