Product Reviews

It has been only five months since we reviewed PowerDirector 4, but already CyberLink has released a new version. The last version's beginner-friendly approach meant it lacked power even for casual use - and more capable editors such as Sony's Vegas Movie Studio and Adobe Premiere Elements were easier for beginners, anyway. Has CyberLink managed to address these issues in so little time?

The introduction of high-definition (HD) support is a good start. Capturing from HDV cameras is as easy as it is from conventional DV cameras. Footage is saved in MPEG2 format, which keeps things straightforward but it means the preview window is slow to update when jumping to points on the timeline. See the feature on page 220 and the advanced video software review on page 200 to find out how other software handles HDV more efficiently. HD brings with it support for widescreen, which is also available for standard definition (SD) projects. HD, SD, wide-aspect and normal-aspect footage can all be mixed on the same timeline. However, expanding a video clip to a widescreen aspect ratio uses the only available effect slot, and you can't switch aspect ratios halfway through a project.

The

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main editing tools now include a Magic Fix function for correcting shaky camerawork. It fixed subtle shakes well, but applying it to more problematic footage resulted in a loss of detail. Magic Style slaps an introductory sequence and, occasionally, an effect on a clip, but the supplied themes are quite naff. Best of the new features is the animated text. There are plenty of templates, but you can choose your own font, colour, shadow, border and start and end animations for each word, incorporate image files and set how long the text is static between its animated entry and exit.

Otherwise, the Edit mode is regrettably similar to that of version 4. There are a few more options for customising effects, but they still look gimmicky, with no key frame editing and abrupt start and end points, regardless of any transitions you apply to the source footage. PowerDirector's distinction between Clip and Movie editing wastes time, as does the sluggish response, even on a fast PC.

HD projects can be exported in MPEG2 or WMV HD formats, but AVC MPEG4 output requires an £11 upgrade. Sadly, HDV footage can't be exported back to tape. SD output has additional export options including DivX, RealMedia and QuickTime, while PlayStation Portable-compatible MPEG4 is a £16 optional extra. DVD authoring is reasonably well catered for by the template-driven authoring module.

Aside from the impressive text animation and patchy implementation of HDV, not much has changed since we last reviewed PowerDirector. In fact, HDV support serves only to emphasise the software's failings. Anyone who is enthusiastic enough about video to spend more than £1,000 on an HDV camera won't want to put up with such a basic, awkward editor. Neither should anyone else, for that matter.