Adobe Premiere Elements 1

DVD has its own separate button because, like Pinnacle Studio 9, DVD menu creation is built in. You can add DVD markers straight onto the timeline, choosing a thumbnail and text title for the chapter. These are then picked up in the DVD creation stage. Here, you can choose a DVD template from seven different themes such as sports and weddings. There's little capability to customise the overall design, however, with only the option to edit text and scene markers. The results can be saved to DVD or CD, at a chosen video quality or to fit the space available on the media. Thankfully, it's also possible to change from PAL to NTSC at this stage. Alternatively, you can export to a menu-less DVD, back to tape, or to a file as MPEG, QuickTime, or Windows Media, but not RealMedia.

Premiere Elements is already having a major effect on the entry-level video-editing software market. It can be no coincidence that Pinnacle has just released a new Plus version of Studio 9, complete with multiple video layers and chroma keying. While Studio has supreme ease of use on its side, and much more powerful DVD menu design capabilities, Premiere has aspirational appeal. And Premiere Elements is impressively featured compared to Premiere Pro - it even supports After Effects and VST plug-ins. Anyone looking for the most powerful video-editing package under £100 should get themselves a copy - it's a bargain.

Author: James Morris