As a frequent user of Adobe Premiere and After Effects and also having used iMovie and Final Cut Pro, I have also dabbled with various video editing software.
For one, for the purpose of learning other software available in the market but also wanting to know which software would be beneficial for friends and family for their PC setup.
In the under $100 market, there are quite a number of video editing software available. From Sony’s “Movie Studio Platinum”, Corel’s VideoStudio Ultimate and also their Pinnacle Studio Ultimate, CyberLink’s Power Director, Adobe Premiere Elements and a few others.
With Corel have two major video editing software, one must wonder…which to go for…Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X8 or Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 18. Both have their similarities but Pinnacle’s roots are from the original Avid video editing software.
With Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X8, the software now incorporates plugins and tools from NewBlue, proDAD and Boris Graffiti.
Installation took less than 10 minutes as the first DVD installs VideoStudio Ultimate X8, Corel ScreenCap X8, Corel FastFlick X8 and Video Studio Learning and the second DVD installs the plug-ins and tools (this takes a bit longer…I say 15-20 or so minutes but this may vary especially if you are using a SSD Harddrive).
The new plug-ins include:
proDAD Adorage Starter Pack – Create high-quality trailers, transitions and credits with over 150 effects and transitions
NewBlue FX Essentials IV – Solve everyday production problems, turn day into night, create reflections, touch up skin and more
proDAD Mercalli SE – Get video stabilization capabilities that ensure rock-steady video. Rolling-shutter compensation removes wobble and skew
NewBlue FX Motion Effects – Achieve professional results with more than 100 presets in 10 incredibly efficient tools
proDAD VitaScene LE – Includes more than 100 broadcast-quality, fully customizable professional effects, filters and image enhancements
proDAD Handscript Animation – Instantly turns your titles into realistic near magical on-screen handwriting
Boris Graffiti 6 – Make sophisticated title animations, such as type on text, text on a path, jitter, and randomization
NewBlue FX ColorFast – Get the color you want no matter what the condition of your original video with streamlined color correction and color grading
proDAD RotoPen – Animated pen effects let you draw on maps, illustrate with light or video, or apply animated pen effects to any path
NewBlue Background Generator – Easily magnify and alter an image from your video into a beautiful backdrop, complete with a perpetual panning motion
But Corel builds upon the previous software by adding so much.
For the most part, this software offers sold basics in terms of samples of video introductions and static images to insert before a video, plenty of audio samples plus actual full vocal songs included with the Triple Scoop Music.
Another plus is the titling software, a lot more selections, many professional style of headlines instead of cheesy ones and the good news is that there is no having to create these yourself, there are pre-made and easy to edit titles.
As mentioned by others, did take out the Blu-ray authoring software tool. While you can purchase it for a little extra, perhaps the feeling was that most people would use Corel VideoStudio for video files for social media, streaming or DV or DVD authorizing, while those who want 4K Ultra HD or Blu-ray authoring, would purchase their Pinnacle Studio 18 Ultimate product.
But Corel does have the disclaimer: *Blu-ray authoring requires a plugin that can be purchased from within VideoStudio. For editing of 3D and full HD video, Corel recommends an Intel Core i7 or AMD Phenom II X8 processor with Windows 7 or Windows 8 64-bit operating system and minimum 4 GB of RAM. For editing of 4K video, a 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor is highly recommended.
Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X8 offers Audio Ducking. This will automatically lower the music if there is a narrator/voice over background music. This is a major plus as having used this on the more expensive software quite often, it’s great to have this feature in X8.
The software also features XAVCS support for 4K and HD. XAVC S is a new standard for video cameras in order for supporting of resolutions up to 4K (3840 x 2160).
X8 also offers overlaying objects, so you can put two images together and adjust the overlay.
While you can install as 32-bit, the 64-bit version is included and is optimized for newer PC’s. Which means better real-time playback and shorter rendering times.
You can also do an easy freeze frame and freeze a video frame which is another fantastic addition.
But X8 also does more than X7 by converting titles to Alpha channel files, there is now thumbnail ticking, multiple projects editing (so you can reuse footage from other projects). Also, for those who have wanted right-to-left text, you can now do that. There is also media library management software included, more formats such as support for AVI, MPEG-2, AVC/H2.64, WMV, MPEG-4, MKV and MOV (H.264 format) and more.
Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X8 offers a share function to post video on YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and Vimeo.
And like previous versions, you have up to 21 video tracks, four audio tracks, smart proxy, chroma key, multi-trim video, single clip trim, import DVD subtitle, smart pan & zoom and 5.1 Dolby Digital capabilities which X6 and X7 had previously.
There is no doubt that X8 is a solid improvement over X7 and X6.
I’m really impressed with how this software has evolved overtime. While the more expensive video editing software gives the user more control but also is a higher learning curve, there was a time when I can easily remember how far behind the under $100 video editing software had been. But the improvements made especially with Instant Editing with this software is really impressive…and for video and audio samples to use, there are so many to choose from.
For beginners who want an easy to use video editing software where a lot of the samples are pre-made but so many selections from transitions, menus, in need of sound effects, title effects, etc. You can’t really go wrong with this year’s offering of Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X8. While I know for some, not having the Blu-ray authorization software in this package is a bit of a bummer, you can easily purchase the plug-in or check out Corel’s other software, Pinnacle Studio 18.
But this is a solid software that gives you more bang for your buck! At under $100, this latest offering of Corel VideoStudio Ultimate is highly recommended!
