If you're a beginner and new to digital video production, there are a few suites of video production software you should consider. Don't bother about purchasing the absolute best and most fancy software, just get a reasonable entry level program. Once you build up confidence in digital video editing, you can then proceed to more advanced programs.

One of the best video production software suites suitable for beginners is Corel DVD MovieFactory. I love this program - I used to have tons of digital video captured on my camcorder and I wanted to digitize it quickly so as to distribute and share it with my family and friends.

DVD MovieFactory strength is just that - it allows you to very quickly clean up your videos, throw in some good video effects and burn everything into a DVD for sharing. Try it, you'll love it.
 

Box shot of Corel DVD MovieFactory
 

One thing to note - while you might be tempted to use free video editing software like Windows Movie Maker (see my guide here).

However, I'd say its not a good idea in the long run. No matter what, the features in a free software package will always lose out to a proper commercial grade software - so it's always wise to invest in a proper program, even if you're a beginner.

If you're an intermediate level user of video production software, you'll want something that is easy to use, but yet have some advanced video editing options you want. So extras like complex video transitions, special effects and in-depth DVD authoring should be available in the package. Some of the better packages which allow you to do this include Pinnacle Studio and Corel VideoStudio Pro. Personally, I prefer Pinnacle Studio as it is slightly more mature a product compared to Corel VideoStudio Pro.
 

Box shot of Pinnacle Studio

Now if you're an advanced level video editing professional, you need to have the industrial strength tools to do the job. The best package for professional grade video editing is, without doubt, Adobe Premiere Pro.

All the who's who in the digital video editing industry use this and if you're considering a career in digital video or are serious about it as a hobby, you should consider getting the (pretty costly) package and get yourself trained in it.
 

Conclusion