I’m convinced that the free programs I’ve been using weren’t any good. I am fortunate to have located a place that provides older software for good prices (same place I got After Effects) and have obtained Premiere Pro CS6. I am looking at tutorials and experimenting and finding some success so far. I do enjoy the precision of its editing capabilities and hope that the export looks as good as my precise cuts. It’s not at all strenuous on my hardware.

I’m really not too dumb a guy and can be pretty expert in certain fields, but the level of knowledge of the folks on this site never ceases to amaze me. I really appreciate all the help so far.