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There's an option to save custom Window Layouts, and the same menu choice offers presets that duplicate the Dashboard's choices, such as Add Text and Titles, and Add Video Transitions.Ī helpful feature in Movie Studio pops its head up as soon as you start the app: It gives you choices for starting from a sample project or opening an existing one. The Dashboard panel is an attempt to make up for this, with its large buttons for Add/Arrange Media, Text, Graphics, Transitions, and Effects.īy contrast, Adobe Premiere Elements and other programs have entire modes (also called tabs or workspaces) that take you through the steps of importing, editing, outputting. There are small buttons below the timeline for editing options that most novice users won't care about, but none above, which most programs have for the major trimming options, audio, effects, and so on. At the outset, it's modern looking and dark with a reasonable number of buttons. Though it has improved, Vegas Movie Studio's interface still feels somewhat pieced together, with some elements looking modern and some appearing to be holdovers from the Windows XP era-for example, the Preferences menu. On first run, a dialog asks for your license key and email address, or lets you star the free trial. Then you choose language (English, German, French, Spanish, or Polish), accept the user license, and choose a folder location for the program. Adobe Premiere Elements and Corel VideoStudio Ultimate both cost $99.99, and MAGIX Movie Edit Pro Premium is $79.99.Īt installation, the program gives you a choice of modules, which is helpful if you don't need all the extra effects or the included system tune-up utility. Those prices are at the low end of the range for enthusiast-level video editing software: CyberLink PowerDirector Ultimate and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate both list for $129 and change. This edition adds six NewBlue plug-in effects, including Titler Pro Express, Chroma Key Pro, and Stylizers 5 Cartoonr Plus. The top-shelf Vegas Movie Studio 16 Suite lists for $139.99. Platinum increases the track limit to 200 and adds back all those missing tools. For a full-power option, I recommend the Platinum Edition, which lists at $79.99 that's the version this review is based on.
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The base edition lists for $49.99, limits you to ten video tracks, and doesn't provide Blu-ray burning, picture-in-picture, 3D editing, plug-ins, or 360-degree support, along with various other tools.
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Vegas Movie Studio comes in three editions. The previous update, Version 16, added several capabilities, too. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.
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