 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
The result? A
great product that is a clear stand out in the realm of video-editing software.
Overview The interface of Pinnacle Studio Plus 9 is quite similar to other editing
tools in its class. It is largely based around three tabs; Capture,
Edit, and Make Movie. Keeping this style of interface makes it very
approachable to novices and helps to keep the editing task focused. For editing,
you have two visual modes called Storyboard and Timeline, as well
as one file-based mode called Text view.
The main screen in Pinnacle Studio Plus 9 New PiP Controls One of the most exciting new features in Pinnacle Studio Plus 9 is the set of
PiP controls. These controls allow you to add a video into an existing video,
like watching multiple TV channels with PIP-enabled TV sets. All you need to do
is drag the video you want as the background video to the Timeline and drag the
video than you want in the PIP box onto the Overlay track. Chroma Key Tool The Chroma Key tool enables you to add foreground objects into a video scene
after the fact. That is, you can add someone to a video scene even though they
weren't there when the original video scene was captured. This type of tool is
usually found only in high-end commercial grade applications, so I'm pleasantly
surprised that Pinnacle has decided this in. Lovely stuff. The Pan and Zoom Tool Pinnacle Studio Plus 9 also incorporates a new still-image pan and zoom tool.
This tool provides both red-eye reduction and image-rotation features, is very
easy to use. All you need to do is to set the start and end points within a
window, adjust the magnification with a zoom slider, and voila - you get a pan
and zoom effect. The Color Correction tool enables you to adjust a video clip's brightness,
contrast, hue, and saturation. Comparing Studio Plus with Adobe Premiere
Elements, I found that Studio Plus is way superior in color correction
capabilities. I tried color correction on a number of my test video files and
the results consistently indicate that Studio Plus gives better output. Audio Capabilities If you're a serious audiophile, you'll be glad to know that Studio Plus 9
adds Dolby Digital Stereo encoding. This was unavailable in previous versions
and is a definite boon for those who need to create professional level DVDs. The
new surround-sound capabilities are also sweet, allowing one to precisely
position each audio track within a 5.1 speaker configuration. Cool huh? Shortcomings One the whole, Pinnacle Studio Plus 9 is a great video editing application.
The only gripe I've heard from people is that Pinnacle's online help and
customer support fall sadly short of any acceptable standard. There are also
instances where the application crashed without warning (usually during DVD
burning) - but these are few and far between. Conclusion On the whole, there’s not much to dislike about the new Pinnacle Studio. I thought it was already an extremely simple product to use, putting a pretty advanced set of features and tools at the disposal of both novices and intermediate editors alike. The new enhanced tools serve to reinforce the product’s overall appeal, and I'd definitely recommend it or to anyone looking for a simple, yet powerful video editor.
Pinnacle Studio Plus Related ArticlesYou may also wish to read the following related articles:
Adobe Premiere Elements software review © 2007 Desktop-Video-Guide.com
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
An
Easy-to-Use Video Editing Program