Unfortunately, you pay for what you get with the free stuff. If you plan on doing regular editing you should look at something that gives you a bit more flexibility.
I can tell you I used Sony Vegas for years (when it was owned by Sonic Foundry) and it was solid, when I was looking for some video editing software a few years ago I looked at Sony Vegas, but at $400 it was more than I wanted to spend. After looking around and weighing options I went with Sony Movie Studio Suite($139), the suite version has a bunch of effects, separate audio editor and DVD architect over the "Platinum "($79) version, well worth the extra money. Platinum will get it done however, albeit a bit less features in the long run.
I'm not sure that helps, but as someone who does it on occasion at work I personally would steer clear of the freeware and make a small investment. Going to need to make sure you have a computer that is capable of editing video too.
Here is a link for ya
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/moviestudiopp
