HD Online Player (corel Videostudio Pro X5 Ultimate Se)
Edelmira Bendorf
This is the right time for the video editor. A few years ago, it really looked like all that consumers wanted to do was to shoot cute little clips of kittens and post them directly to YouTube, without all the fuss and bother of transferring to a computer for manual editing. But it turns out that we humans do have a deep creative itch, so that it can be quite fun and satisfying to shape a collection of video clips into our own movie story, to share with appreciative family and friends.
As a result, editing software brands, including Adobe, Corel, CyberLink, Nero, MAGIX, Pinnacle, Roxio and Sony Creative Software have responded with a fresh crop of video editing applications for Windows. (On Macs, Apple already provides iMovie as part of its iLife suite, and the Adobe Premiere Elements family is fully available on both platforms.) These are now well-established names, many who have been workings these fields for more than a decade, striking a delicate balance between simplicity and approachability for newbie editors, versus power and capability for more experienced users.
Another interesting trend has been in the cross-fertilization between consumer and professional tools. The historical progression has been: new technology is established in pro tools (as with DV and HD), and then trickle down to the consumer software, typically as part of a higher-end premium version of the product. However, consumer tools often are updated on a faster schedule, and so can include early implementations of new features. In addition, user interface innovations have been migrating up from consumer to pro tools, especially in packaging complex operations in easier-to-use guided workflows.
For this release cycle, the new generation of video editing software is more incremental, driven by the need to support a broad range of users, from novice to hobbyist to advanced, all driven by the continued fascination with user-generated content, and with the growth of Media Creativity as a new category in personal entertainment.
One key emphasis has been on enhancing usability in response to customer feedback, especially for newer users who want to do more with all that video that they have been shooting, as smartphones and digital cameras now have even more fully integrate video. This is reflected in cleaner interfaces without arrays of tiny tool icons, support for separate simple editing modes separate from a full timeline, and even more emphasis on templates, tutorials and guided editing, especially with links to online resources for help, more content and effects, and connections to a community of other users sharing discoveries.
These tools also have continued the performance improvements from hardware acceleration and now multiple GPUs, and are seeing even more impressive features flowing down from pro tools, including 3D editing, keyframed effects, blend modes, multi-cam editing, 4k and AVCHD 2.0 progressive formats, motion tracking, and color correction. Some have also added new technologies including screen recording, HTML5 authoring, and integration with tablet-based editing.
This is indeed a bumper crop of new video editing tools, well-matured and quite tasty for both the novice and more sophisticated palettes. They each have a distinct lineage, and provide different options for both your level of experience and for the kinds of activities and special functions that you want to perform with your videos.
Even novice users can get started easily with entry-level tools that cost around $69, with simplified interfaces and automated assists. And yet the basic tools still provide support for HD editing with hardware acceleration, including import of common formats from mobile to desktop, and sharing to the desktop, disc, mobile, and the Web. These tools also grow with your experience, providing more traditional timeline editing with impressive advanced features. Many also offer tempting step-up versions of the products with advanced features and additional plug-ins, for around $99 to $129.
The Elements applications instead are designed for more structured use, starting with a separate Organizer application used to assemble, tag, and pre-process your media. The automated assist technologies like facial recognition and clip quality analysis further reward your efforts as you move up the learning curve.
This Premiere Elements 11 release is focused on ease of use, with a revamped user interface featuring a less dark look, and with the sometimes-confusing clutter of toolbars replaced by big, bold icons. The Organizer now offers views based on People, Places, and Events, along with a map view. And Premiere Elements now includes a Quick Edit mode for people who have never edited video (in addition to Expert for advanced users). Other technology improvements include FilmLooks to match popular movie styles, slow- and fast-motion effects, and Photoshop-inspired blending modes to enhance clip colors and textures.
VideoStudio X5 has the most consumer-focused interface of this group, with a step-by-step workflow (1-Capture, 2-Edit, and 3-Share), plus Storyboard and Timeline views. This new version has a more flexible interface, and now supports up to 21 video or graphic tracks, plus two title or subtitle tracks and 4 audio tracks. It also features Instant Projects which creates complete movies from templates, with Corel Guide access to additional resources online.
But VideoStudio X5 also provides an impressive technology punch for more advanced users, with screen recording and a first look at the developing possibilities of HTML5 authoring to generate interactive online video experiences with hyperlinked on-screen cue and chapter points, plus graphics and titles.
The new editing features for new users include a combined storyboard timeline view and in-app video help. And more advanced users will appreciate features including dual master/source preview, customizable keyboard shortcuts, and project archiving.
Pinnacle Studio 16 Plus, for $100, steps up from six tracks to 24, with full editing capabilities, including simultaneous source and timeline windows, keyframe-based effects control, customizable keyboard shortcuts, and Dolby 5.1 surround mixing.
CyberLink is perhaps best known for its ubiquitous PowerDVD and other player and media tools, bundled with top desktops, laptops, and accessories. Its product line has seen the most dramatic change in this generation, bulking up to a full multimedia suite and extending into the professional market, with PowerDirector 11 for video and PhotoDirector 4 for digital imagery (from $100), plus the new AudioDirector for audio enhancement and restoration ($130), and even a new ColorDirector, bringing post-production video color correction and enhancement to consumer pricing ($130).
The impressively powerful features include the 64-bit TrueVelocity 3 engine that supports multi-GPGPU acceleration (as dedicated graphics processing units evolve to General-Purpose GPUs to further offload the CPU with even non-graphics operations), and support for even greater definition 2k and 4k resolution frames (to 4096 x 2160).
Then PowerDirector Ultimate for $130 adds NewBlueFX Paint and Motion effects and three CyberLink creative design packs. CyberLink also offers several software bundles, including the full Director Suite for $300 with all four applications for video, photo, color and audio editing.
MAGIX is celebrating its 20th year of developing multimedia software, and is the market leader in Germany and in other European markets. MAGIX positions itself in the market as delivering pro technology that can be used by a wide set of users, at affordable prices.
Movie Edit Pro 2013 is the next generation of this traditional video editor. The new release includes an improved user interface with quick access features, new decorative elements and templates, plus an enhanced hybrid video engine, new chroma key engine, and AVCHD support.
Movie Edit Pro 2013 Plus, for $100, steps up to 99 tracks, and adds professional movie templates. Music Editor 3.0 for audio editing and clean-up, plus advanced features including secondary color correction, screen capturing, slow-motion effects, Multicam editing (for two cameras), effect masks, travel route animations, and Dolby Digital 5.1 support.
Nero is best known for its disc tools, including the venerable Nero Burning ROM, plus Nero Express for quick burning and copying, Nero BackItUp, and Nero RescueAgent to recover damaged or corrupted files from PCs, USB drives and other media.
For video editing, Nero Video is a full-featured video editor, and Nero Recode is a separate tool for converting video formats, for both disc- and file-based media. The newer Nero Kwik Media organizer can catalog, access, sync and play movies, videos, photos and music.
The release still includes the core VideoWave editor, and now supports portable devices with faster video conversion and new device profiles for tablets and smartphones, and sharing online via YouTube, Facebook, Microsoft SkyDrive, Flickr, and Google+. But the real focus is the bundling of additional tools, especially for enhancing photos.
Begin your creative storytelling by editing video and get started. Any one of these editing software programs can help you do that and bring you one step further into the wonderful world of video production.
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There is a vast selection of tools available online to create engaging learning material to educate your customers, create employee training videos, or provide genuine learning experiences to any audience you may have as a course creator.
Impressive techniques that are popular among experienced moviemakers have become available to beginners too. Affordable software and easy-to-use apps empower course creators to unleash their creativity resulting in impressive instructional videos. The plethora of available video editing software makes it hard to choose one.
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