When it comes to video editing, I have been a long time user of Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro on my Mac. But when I travel and want something out on YouTube or social media while I’m in another location, I have used a Windows laptop and my go to software has been using CyberLink’s Power Director since version 12.
Because I don’t use a souped out laptop while traveling with a lot of memory, I have used CyberLink’s software because it’s affordable for many consumers and when it’s consumer-targeted, it’s typically for a demographic that wants to get into video editing and are more than likely not going to spend on a high end machine but has the appropriate operating system with enough memory and a good amount of free disc space.
For basic usage, it works great and if you want to invest in more plugins and effects, CyberLink offers them on their site ranging from $29.99-$49.99.
CyberLink’s PowerDirector 17 Ultra didn’t take too long to install. Mostly everything is on one disc, the second disc has he content pack essential which includes the PiP, Title files and menu templates.
Installation didn’t take too long and it was quite quick. After installing the main software, then you can add the various plugins (four total on disc 1) and I do recommend these for those who want visual effects and then the second disc afterward. It doesn’t take long. (NOTE: Installation speed is subjective to your PC/Laptop, whether your using an SSD drive or SATA drive, etc.)
As for learning curve, that depends on the user but the good news is that a lot of stuff can be found via tutorials online.
I did not have the last few previous versions of PowerDirector but the interface and how things work are much more intuitive. I was able to edit a 4K video and a 360 video with no problems. In fact, part of the issue I had with my previous PowerDirector was it didn’t know how to utilize a 360 video file that well, but I was able to do it just fine PowerDirector17 Ultra.
Everything that I literally need this software does offer, adding many types of titles at the beginning of my video or doing an overlay. Adding transitions, especially the basic yet important fade in’s and outs in Designer (PiP Designer), ability to reverse or slow down a video or increase the speed (thanks to Video Speed Designer in Power Tools), the ability to unlike my video and audio, add audio fade outs and more.
But also importantly, making sure video export options are available, especially if I want to export to 4K and highest output.
A lot of those general things that many people will need to make produce videos, may it be for social media or personal videos that require editing, this software does offer it. Granted, the more needs one will need for heavy editing and visual effects, that’s where the more expensive software comes into play or the purchasing of extra filter or sound effects for PowerDirector 17.
But for those wanting to edit and produce videos for personal or business use but want to keep things on a budget, at under a $100, you can’t really go wrong.
As for the problems with crashing, I’ve already exported projects without any problems with crashing but I think it’s subjective on the PC/laptop you are using.
And for those who are wondering if they need a powerful computer, I’m using an i5 laptop for traveling with 8GB memory running Windows 10 on an SSD drive. Not a whole lot of memory but I do keep the files I am editing on an external drive. But for my needs and my use for video editing when I’m traveling overseas, it gets the job done.
Overall, while I’m not going to ditch my Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro for CyberLink PowerDirector 17 Ultra for all my video editing, whenever I’m traveling with my laptop, this has and will continue to be my go to software. It’s inexpensive, easy to learn and use, nor does it hog a lot of HD space or eats up a lot of memory.
It’s great for those who are new to video editing but also for those who are video editing on a budget, CyberLink PowerDirector 17 Ultra has a lot to offer and is recommended!
