Rating 4.5 out of 5
Once again Corel have enlisted the help and advice of the senior members of their user forum thoughout both the alpha and beta rounds of testing the software.
The result of this smart move has been a marked increase in the usability and stabilty of the final release candidate of Corel Video Studio Pro X4.
So right from the outset here let me make it clear that I have no reservations in recommending Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 to anyone looking for video editing software at this level.
The program does everything it is supposed to do, does it very well and easily holds it’s own against the competition in the consumer grade video editing software market.
Before I get into the “meat and potatoes” of the program’s features let’s first of all take a look at what is new in Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 and sort out what is of real value and what is just sparkly fluff designed to distract you..
Stop Motion Animation
This new feature allows you to have the software control your camcorder so that you can make your own stop motion animations. If you have ever tried to do this you will know what a mind numbingly tedious process it is.
I really don’t understand why this has been added but possibly it was due to consumer demand. Personally I would consider this to be fluff… a very cool feature that most people will never actually use. Your mileage may vary.
Time-Lapse Photography
I like this new feature and think it is a worthy addition. It allows you to add images taken over a period of time of a particular scene and turn it into a video sequence. Similarly you can take a video file and treat it the same way giving the effect of it being time lapse.
Undockable Workspace
This is a great improvement to what is already a pretty good user interface. The timeline, the preview window and the library window can be detached, resized and moved to suit what tools you are working with at that time. This includes using a dual monitor set up.
The real value is that you can have 3 preset interface setups and switch between them. So for example if you are working on the audio of your project you can have a preset that minimizes the library and preview windows and brings the audio tracks up to occupy most of your monitor screen.
With a simple click of the mouse you can then restore the interface to your default setting. A great time saver.
HD Video Upscaling
In line with most of the new video editing software brands Corel have also introduced this functionality into VideoStudio. A valuable feature for you to start taking all your old standard defintion footage and getting it up to high definition.
It also solves the problem of incorporating standard defintion and high definition footage into the one project.
3D movie glasses woo hoo!
Only if you buy the boxed version but but hey! How could you possible go past the chance to have your own plastic 3D glasses!
Smart Packaging of Projects
A few years back Corel bought Winzip, the file compression software and have sold it ever since. In this new module they have created the ability for the software to package an entire project together and zip file it into a single package. In this way you can easily transfer the whole thing on to another computer seamlessly.
Again, not a compelling feature but a handy one all the same.
Hardware Acceleration
Corel have put a lot of work into this and I would definitely place this in the “compelling feature” category.
The new breed of video file formats are placing heavier and heavier workloads on the available resources of your editing computer.
Corel have reworked the software to more efficiently make use of modern processors and all available resources to extract as much speed out of your computer as it will allow.
All in all the new features combined with the existing reliability and stability make Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 an excellent choice for the home video enthusiast.
Click Here to Take a Look at Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 for Yourself
