As the demand for video increases, the video editing software market only gets more competitive. Scores of programs compete against each other with new options, refined workspaces and streamlined workflows. EDIUS 6, from Grass Valley, is a pro competitor with a solid interface, impressive features and some pleasant surprises.

Under the Hood

EDIUS 6 is a sporty video editor with high aims and a sizeable fan base. Competitively priced, EDIUS is in the company of some familiar big dogs in the editing arena like Premiere Pro, Avid and Final Cut. However, it's only available for Windows OS users. The box contains two discs, an install manual, a registration card, a USB key and an "Edit Anything. EDIUS." sticker. The first disc installs the program; the second holds all the bonus software and extra plug-ins. The manual contains 23 pages of installation help, the USB key is essentially a security dongle, and the sticker is just for fun.

Installation is quick and simple without additional updates or patches to download. The user interface is clean, easy to navigate and keeps important functions within reach. The arrangement and even color of the program windows is modifiable. The included bonus filters and plug-ins neatly round out EDIUS, giving it extra functionality.

Experience Required

EDIUS 6 is a professional product and not entirely suitable for casual enthusiasts. The learning curve can be steep for intermediate editors and guaranteed to be frustrating for folks who don't read manuals. Absent are project wizards, templates or big, bubbly buttons with lengthy tool-tips. When setting up your project, you need to know details of aspect ratios, video resolution, frame rates and so on.

For example, there's no preset for a 60i frame rate. In reality, 60i runs at 30 frames per second, 29.97 to be exact. And while there is a 29.97 setting, your new-to-video consumer is likely to get confused. Often EDIUS requires detailed setup before it'll do certain functions like capturing video, importing P2 files, etc. However, if and when you get past these challenges, EDIUS 6 can really perform for you.

Running Strong

Both high definition and standard video work side by side in the timeline without issue. You can even shuffle assets around in a sequence while the play head is moving, without bringing playback to a halt. And, mind you, this performance is on an older 2.5GHz AMD quad-core with 6GBs of RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250. EDIUS 6 doesn't require constant rendering as it works with most video formats natively. Even clips under the dreaded red render bar often play smoothly. Another cool feature is the "watch folder" function. When new files are loaded into a designated watch folder, EDIUS automatically loads them into the corresponding project's bin.

Individual sequence tracks can be given names up to 30 characters long. EDIUS allows switching between up to 16 video tracks in multicam mode as it rewrites the timeline accordingly on the fly. EDIUS even has an option to "check out" a project to a laptop, exporting it with space saving, low-res video files. Upon returning, the user can "check in" the project, which updates the original file to reflect any new edits. And the list of awesome features keeps going.