Pinnacle Studio Plus Version 10 Editing Software Review (page 2)
More Under the Hood
DVD authoring is available with the Make Movie tab. With another library of pre-built styles, a pro look is just a couple mouse clicks away. The interface shows how much time is available on your disc and clicking the Create Disc button finishes the process. Speaking of DVDs, the Instant DVD Recorder really works this time around, recording and finishing a disc in almost real-time.
We haven't had time to mention HDV support, the picture-in-picture or green-screen effects, which add professional touches to your videos and the surround panner/mixer tool is awesome, In fact, there are a host of other options that could fill another article. Suffice it to say, you can create virtually any video you want with Pinnacle Studio Plus 10. If you don't mind a few quirks, and your machine is up to the task, Studio Plus 10 is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to make great basic video with minimum hassle.
TECH SPECS
Operating System: Windows XP
Minimum CPU: 1.4GHz
Minimum RAM: 512MB
HDD Space Required for Software Installation: 500MB
Formats supported: analog capture card, Mini DV, DVD camcorder, HDV, MPEG-4 formats
Batch Capture: n
User Interface: Storyboard, Timeline
Number of Video Tracks: 2
Number of Audio Tracks: 4
Nesting Tracks: n
A/V Level Envelopes: y
Audio Scrub: y
Scopes: none
Keyframe animation: n
Number of Transitions: 266
Number of Video Filters: 30
Background Rendering: y
Dual-Processor/Dual-Core/HT Optimized: n
Third-Party Plug-In Support: y
MPEG-2 Encoding: y
MPEG-4 Encoding: y
Batch Render: n
DVD Authoring Software Included: y
STRENGTHS
- Easy to use once installed
- Excellent titling and still image management
- Surround sound tool is easy
WEAKNESSES
- Unstable installer
- Bizarrely slow startup times
SUMMARY
This popular version of longtime market-leading Studio family is still a little quirky, but version 10 adds many new features.
Contributing Editor Hal Robertson is a digital media producer and technology consultant.
$100
Pinnacle Systems
280 N. Bernardo Ave.
Mountain View, CA 94043
(650) 526-1600
www.pinnaclesys.com
