Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 12; Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 (tie)
$130 - www.pinnaclesys.com
$100 - www.corel.com
Pinnacle has refined its flagship entry-level editing software from its earliest restrictive versions, making it fun for anyone who wants to edit video. For beginners just starting out, editing shouldn't be so advanced that their frustration level prevents them from enjoying the process, and Studio Ultimate12 has made it quite easy for the newbies. From its SmartMovie instant graphical creation to the one-click video online uploading, Pinnacle has made it so simple to capture, edit and share with Studio Ultimate12.

Corel's VideoStudio Pro X2 is a remarkably powerful but very accessible editing software app that can handle just about any format. Nearly all the tools you'll need are available. There's also a Painting Creator (make your own simple animation overlays), music creation capabilities, an automatic editor feature, proxy management for editing HD on older computers and automated YouTube exporting.

Read Videomaker's review of the Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 12.
Read Videomaker's review of the Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 .

Apple Final Cut Express 4
$199 - www.apple.com
Final Cut Express has been one of our favorite products to recommend over the years - and for good reason. It's a great stepping-stone product for Mac editing for those who outgrow iMovie and aren't quite ready for the full box of Final Cut Studio. You can learn the majority of what Final Cut Pro has to offer for a song. And FCE 4 is even better than before, adding AVCHD support (if you happen to have an Intel Mac), along with a lot of other niceties.

Read Videomaker's review of the Apple Final Cut Express 4.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium
$1,699 - www.adobe.com
The latest and greatest Adobe Creative Suite update (CS4) is a significant upgrade for the professional video editor. Adobe has increased compatibility with cutting-edge camcorder formats. Dynamic Link removes time-intensive barriers by enhancing program interactivity between applications. Any editor who jumps between After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop and Encore is likely to save a lot of time. The OnLocation application has become much more robust with metadata, which will also help busy video editors be more efficient. And Premiere Pro has a myriad of improvements that help improve timeline usability.

Read Videomaker's review of the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium.

proDAD Adorage
$73 - www.prodad.de
We saw some really cool effects software in 2008, but proDAD got the best marks this year for having the easiest software to spice up your video. Even better: the version that was just released is now available free of charge as a Starter Kit. (You can add more effects for an additional charge later - see our blog for a link to the Starter Kits for Adorage and proDAD's companion product, Vitascene.)

Read Videomaker's review of the proDAD Adorage .

LaCie 2big Dual 2TB RAID
$600 - www.lacie.com
Storage has taken a spotlight this year, and there's a lot of reasons why. HD files are becoming more common, and they're getting bigger as time goes by. The LaCie 2big Dual 2TB RAID stands out with its unique design (for instance, its big front-panel status indicator and novel way of selecting RAID configuration) and excellent performance, thanks in large part to its inclusion of an eSATA port.

Read Videomaker's review of the LaCie 2big Dual 2TB RAID.