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Things can change fast in cyberspace. They also move quickly in computer software. For a long time I was convinced that no one could touch Pinnacle Systems regarding easy to use powerful video editing software for consumers. Their various applications managed to merge ease of use with powerful features. Studio 8 stood without real competition. That is until now.
Ulead really left a strong impression on me when I reviewed their Photoimpact 8. While it offered a profusion of windows, it also offered a great deal of power for some super price points. Consistent with that drive to merge powerful features with short learning curves, Ulead has managed to create a stand out application with Video Studio 7. This time out 7 is a lucky number.
While similarities between Studio 8 from Pinnacle and Video Studio 7 from Ulead can be seen, they are indeed slight, but present. While Pinnacle breaks down editing into three distinct areas, Ulead’s offering breaks them down into seven. On the surface this may seem to complicate matters. In action, this arrangement makes a great deal of sense. It also offers a considerable amount of power and customization in a program that is amazingly easy to grasp. Not to slight Pinnacle’s editing software, which is still an excellent application in many respects, Ulead from all appearances has crafted a smoother, easier to manage application that is high on features, and low on difficult to fathom features.
Following in Pinnacle’s proverbial footsteps, Video Studio 7 includes its own instruction video that is lean, and does recall the feel of Pinnacle’s. It takes roughly a half an hour with the enclosed instruction video to learn the basics on how to capture, edit and save video files. Accompanying the video is a manual that offers up added details rather than filler.
One of the big stand out features with Video Studio 7 is that it works so well with the Pentium 4 Processor and Windows XP. In my informal tests, this program did not crash, gasp or stall when pushed. Part of this may stem from the fact that Video Studio’s InstaView allows Pentium 4 users the ability to preview editing changes instantly without having to wait for them to be rendered. At the same time video can be previewed on devices connected via Firewire, or analog connections, to the PC. This gives a serious boost to editing in that it saves time, and just happens to be quick.
For those with older systems, Ulead’s Video Studio 7 actually has overcome the file size limit of 4 GB in Windows 98, and in some Windows 2000 systems running the older FAT32 file structure. Because of the huge sizes that videos can easily reach on a system, overcoming that limit becomes important in video manipulation. (As an aside, I do highly recommend the new and vastly improved file system NTFS utilized by Windows XP. If there was ever a time to upgrade, this is it without question. This is particularly true if video editing is something that you are interested in doing on a regular basis. Windows XP is stable and Ulead's video editing application takes full advantage of it and the relatively new DirectX 9, which Video Studio 7 fully supports (as well as the new Windows Media Player).
For those with Sony Camcorders that support Sony’s very own proprietary video technology, MICROM V, Ulead has a pleasant surprise in store. Finding applications that can support Sony’s digital tape technology has not been easy. For those that felt the choices are slim, Ulead makes a big point of stating support for this unique digital video format.
For those wishing to burn DVD’s, Video Studio 7 has that base covered. Saving time, the new authoring tools eliminate the need to render an MPEG file before making a DVD. What this effectively means is that encoding and burning of a DVD is nearly in real time due to improvements that have been implemented in this release.
For me the real joy is the preview window, and an easy to use timeline that takes a lot of the bother out of editing a video. Literally a study in ease of use, the main menu changes as you move through the editing, capture and final exporting stages of creation. The sheer number of features, customization and intuitive layout make this more of a pleasant activity than a laborious chore. I do believe that a great deal of simplicity in using this application comes from the manner in which the graphical user interface has been designed. From all appearances it looks as if Ulead has been listening to end users and from the input fashioned a system that is just that much easier to master than the competition.
Considering the speed, ease of use, and power that Ulead has invested in Video Studio 7, this is one application well worth getting to know well. Even though Windows XP comes with a built in MovieMaker, it is really best suited for casual users. For those that want more customization, professional effects, but do not want to spend hours over an instruction manual, Video Studio 7 serves as a nice bridge between professional features and consumer needs. Now if simplicity is all you want or need, you could be better served by Pinnacle’s Expression or Microsoft’s MovieMaker 2. However, if power, details and special effects are your interest, and price points are a consideration, you cannot go wrong with Ulead’s Video Studio 7.
Talk to Kurt in Graphics Unleashed Forums
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