Description:
Magix Video deLuxe provides professional video editing tools at a budget price. Those who have used video editing software before will find the 16-track timeline easy to work with; drag clips, effects, and background sound in from the file browser and preview them in the monitor window. You can trim clips by hand or divide them into scenes automatically (handy if you've captured several sessions on one tape) and you can overlay multiple video tracks. While the yellow and gray interface isn't always easy on the eyes, this video editing software gives you an impressive range of sophisticated tools and effects you'd expect in a program 10 times the price. The video effects are impressive: in addition to gimmicky FX-like lens and color distortions, there are useful settings to let you adjust contrast and color saturation, for when the lighting wasn't quite right. Fine-tune and combine effects in an interface that lets you control exactly how the effects work and how extreme each effect is, so you can be as subtle or over the top as you prefer. You can add titles in a variety of styles very simply, too, again dragging them in from the list. Plus, you can work on your soundtrack in a fully featured mixing desk that lets you change the volume or timing of audio and add preset effects or tweak the sound by hand. The options are laid out logically and you can preview effects before you try them out. Working with some of the fade and transition tools was a bit awkward, however, and we found it easier to use the handles on each clip to manipulate them. Magix Video deLuxe can capture from a digital or analog camcorder, from TV or VHS, if you have the right capture card in your computer, or even from a Webcam, and you can record back to the camcorder or tape, or save on a CD-ROM. It's easy to export videos as files, and you can e-mail or publish on the Web. You'll need to spend time learning the interface and tools, but Magix Video deLuxe enables you to create impressive videos at a bargain price. --Mary Branscombe, Amazon.co.uk
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