- PROS
Fast rendering. Clear interface. Loads of effects. The most 360-degree video capabilities of whatever video editor. Multicam editing. 3D in addition to 4K capability. Motion tracking. Screen recording.
- CONS
No trimming inward source panel. Number of options tin john build interface overwhelming. Weak color matching.
- BOTTOM LINE
PowerDirector is i of the fastest in addition to most capable consumer-level video editing apps for Windows around, in addition to the kickoff to back upwards 360-degree VR footage.
The amateur video landscape has advanced considerably inward the lastly few years, in addition to software similar CyberLink's PowerDirector video editing software bridges the gap betwixt professional person editing in addition to consumer ease-of-use. It has oft been led pro products with back upwards for novel formats in addition to novel technologies such equally 360-degree video. It's loaded with tools that assist yous set together a compelling digital movie, consummate with transitions, effects, in addition to titles. Best of all: It's fast. PowerDirector is the prosumer video editing software to beat.
What's New?
For longtime PowerDirector users, here's a rundown of novel characteristic highlights inward version 17, reviewed here. I'll hash out in addition to evaluate each inward the appropriate sections below.
- Pre-cut. This novel tool lets yous create multiple brusk clips from long ones with single- or multi-trim.
- Nested Video. This lets yous combine clips in addition to edits to reuse inward projects.
- Multicam inward Video Collage. You tin john immediately role synced multicam shoots inward video collages.
- AI fine art styles. You immediately acquire Prisma-like Impressionist, Van Gogh, in addition to Chinese Painting filters.
- New Text Effects. The text designer lets yous add together animated fire, electricity, in addition to to a greater extent than to your captions, in addition to yous tin john create buttons with text backgrounds.
- Improved Chroma Key. You tin john immediately role to a greater extent than than i cardinal color for background replacement.
- Best Matched Profile. This novel tool helps yous select the video profile that best suits your video output based on its source clips.
- Integrated Tutorial Links. When yous start to perform complicated actions, the computer program displays a link that takes yous to a video tutorial.
As a refresher, the previous version (16) added a raft of 360-degree capabilities, including stabilization, displace tracking, titles, transitions, in addition to View Designer for cool effects like Little Planet. It also added color tools, including color matching, LUTs (lookup tables) filters, dissever toning, in addition to HDR effects. Animated picture-in-picture templates called Video Collages in addition to automatic sound ducking to lower background sound levels also made their debut inward the previous version.
Pricing in addition to Installation
PowerDirector runs on Windows seven through Windows 10, with 64-bit versions recommended. You tin john essay out the software with a 30-day downloadable trial version that adds build watermarks in addition to doesn't back upwards 4K. Two editions of the standalone video editor are available, the $99.99 Ultra in addition to the $129.99 Ultimate, reviewed here. (Note that those prices are oft discounted.) Another alternative is to package it with CyberLink's ColorDirector, AudioDirector, and PhotoDirector in the Director Suite bundle, which lists for $299.99.
The higher-end options add together loads of third-party special effects from the likes of BorixFX, NewBlue, in addition to proDAD. To consider just which is inward each edition, become to CyberLink's comparing page. The pricing is competitive with that of Premiere Elements ($99.99), Corel VideoStudio ($99.99), in addition to our Mac Editors' Choice for video editing, Apple Final Cut Pro ($299.99). You tin john also acquire the consummate PowerDirector suite for a subscription at $49.99 for 3 months or $99.99 per year.
View All Installing the computer program takes upwards nearly a gigabyte of your difficult drive, so live certain to role a machine with room to spare. I tested the Ultimate edition on my Asus Zen AiO Pro Z240IC running 64-bit Windows 10.
Interface
The program's user interface is virtually equally clear in addition to elementary equally a computer program with such a vast divulge of options tin john be, but it tin john soundless acquire overwhelming when you're deep inward the weeds of fine-tuning video or sound effects. It's non equally unintimidating as Adobe Premiere Elements, however. You start off inward a Welcome covert offering large clit options of Timeline Mode, Storyboard Mode, in addition to Slideshow Creator. Two choices below those include Auto Mode in addition to 360 Editor—all these modes are self-explanatory.
If yous don't demand or desire all these choices every fourth dimension yous start the program, a elementary Always Enter Timeline Mode checkbox is for you. On this welcome screen, yous tin john also pick out your video project's aspect ratio—16:9, 4:3, in addition to a 9:16 tall mode, since some people never seem to larn to concur their phones sideways for videos.
The PowerDirector editing interface maintains the traditional source in addition to preview dissever panels on the top, with your rails timeline along the whole width of the bottom of the screen. The storyboard stance is to a greater extent than than just clip thumbnails. You tin john drag transitions betwixt clips, apply effects, in addition to add together sound clips without switching to timeline view. I also similar the buttons at the top for showing just video, just photos, or just sound inward the source panel. New for Version 17 are buttons that link to video tutorials that pop upwards inward the upper-right corner based on your electrical flow activity.
Four trend choices draw of piece of work upwards at the top: Capture, Edit, Produce, in addition to Create Disc. The timeline is like shooting fish in a barrel to customize in addition to navigate, with a clit for adding tracks. You're allowed upwards to 100 tracks. Vegas Movie Studio$59.99 at MAGIX Software limits yous to twenty tracks, which is already in all likelihood to a greater extent than than most people need, though non plenty for high-end projects.
The Edit trend is where yous pass most of your time, in addition to yous tin john drag media straight onto its source panel or fifty-fifty onto the timeline. You tin john tag media in addition to each projection retains its ain laid of content, but yous don't acquire bins, which convey together all the assets for your project, including transitions in addition to effects, equally yous do with the pro-level products in addition to Pinnacle Studio. You can, however, pack projection assets into a folder, in addition to role the novel Nested Project capability, discussed below.
By default, yous acquire 3 pairs of video in addition to sound tracks with Cyberlink, equally good equally effects, title, voice, in addition to music tracks. You tin john lock, disable/enable view, or rename tracks from the left track-info area, in addition to yous tin john fifty-fifty role drag in addition to drib to displace them upwards in addition to downward on the timeline. Zooming the timeline inward in addition to out is also a snap, either with Ctrl-Mouse cycle or a slider control.
Basic Video Editing
As with most nonlinear video editing software, PowerDirector lets yous bring together in addition to reduce clips on the timeline. CyberLink has changed the default timeline conduct a chip with this release: Instead of a clip firmly snapping adjacent to an existing clip on the timeline, when yous drag i onto the timeline, you're probable to overlap with the existing clip to the left. You acquire a tooltip with 5 options: Overwrite, Insert, Insert in addition to Move All Clips, Crossfade, in addition to Replace. If yous role the Insert clit that appears below the source panel when yous select a clip, yous tin john acquire your clip lined upwards without whatever fuss.
The Trim tool (opened with a pair of scissors icon) allows precise command (down to the private frame) with 2 sliders, in addition to the multi-trim tool lets yous grade several In in addition to Out points on your clip—a useful tool for cutting out the chaff. Some professionally trained video editors I know lament, however, that yous can't do a petroleum reduce on a clip earlier dragging it downward into PowerDirector's projection timeline, equally yous tin john in Final Cut Pro X$299.99 at iTunes Storeand Premiere Pro.
The novel Precut tool lets yous travel on source clips earlier yous add together them to the timeline. This is how pro editors work, so it's practiced to consider CyberLink add together the capability. In previous versions, yous couldn't do trimming until after yous dropped a clip onto the timeline, which left professionally trained editors scratching their heads. You tin john either do a elementary in-and-out reduce to create a unmarried trimmed clip, or role PowerDirector's wonderful Multi-Trim tool to create multiple Precut clips.
You role PowerDirector's unique in addition to intuitive selection cursor to dissever video in addition to delete sections. Fix/Enhance options also include video denoise, sound denoise, in addition to enhancements to punch upwards color in addition to sharpness. PowerDirector also makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to cook lighting in addition to color. You tin john independently accommodate the brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, sharpness, in addition to white balance.
The included Color Match alternative is of import for movies shot at unlike angles with unlike equipment in addition to lighting. It appears when yous receive got 2 clips selected. You scrub to the frame inward each that yous desire to match. It did a spotty task inward my tests with scenery in addition to décor, sometimes non applying a darker aspect when my source clip was darker than my target. The tool could do goodness from human face upwards detection, equally it didn't gibe peel tones betwixt clips real well. Color matching is manifestly difficult to do; when Final Cut Pro X kickoff introduced the feature, it was similarly deficient, afterwards to live greatly improved.
The back upwards for LUTs, or lookup tables, tin john give your film a uniform aspect past times applying a color mood similar those yous consider inward the cinema—for example, the cool bluish aspect of The Revenant. PowerDirector uses the alternate acronym inward its interface—CLUT, for color lookup table. The computer program supports a salubrious divulge of file formats, including 3DL, CSP, CUBE, M3D, MGA, RV3DLUT, in addition to VF. Unfortunately, CyberLink doesn't give yous much back upwards inward actually locating LUTs—you're pretty much on your own. I was successfully able to show LUT back upwards using Kodak film-style in addition to day-for-night LUTs from Adobe Premiere Pro.
Assisted Movie Making
One of the best things to come upwards to dwelling video editors inward recent years was pioneered past times Apple with the Trailers characteristic of the Mac's included iMovie app. Adobe lately added a similar tool, Premiere Elements' Video Story feature. With either of these, yous fill upwards templates inward with video in addition to photograph content that meets the needs of a spot inward the production, such equally Group shot, close-up, or Action shot. These are elaborated with transitions in addition to background music that gibe your chosen theme. PowerDirector has a similar tool, Express Project, which yous tin john travel inward straight from the computer program startup panel.
Express Project joins some other similar tool, the Magic Movie Wizard, which takes yous through 5 steps: importing source content, adjusting that content, previewing, in addition to producing. You tin john download nearly 50 Express Projects from DirectorZone.com, Cyberlink's Web resources site. Unlike the similariMovie tool, PowerDirector requires yous to add together your ain background music—there are no canned scores inward the sorcerer or for Express Projects.
An Express Project only requires 2 steps: Dragging an Opening, Middle, in addition to Ending onto the timeline, in addition to filling the resulting clip tracks with your media. It's nowhere close equally intuitive or clear equally Apple iTunes' Trailers characteristic or Adobe Premiere Elements' Video Story feature. But it does offering guidance inward crafting a digital movie, it is genuinely to a greater extent than customizable, in addition to the results aspect pretty cool.
Video Collages
You access the Video Collage Designer from the Plug-ins card item. This opens a novel window that shows templates with your clips on the side. You only drag in addition to drib the latter into the former, in addition to yous acquire a nifty animated icon inward picture. PowerDirector already had i of the strongest picture-in-picture tools around, but this is an easier way to acquire a pleasing result.
A novel way to acquire to the Video Collage Designer is via the Multicam Designer, which immediately offers collages in addition to an output for its multi-angle clip syncing. Unfortunately, when I synced 2 clips, the extra part of the clip was soundless transferred to the collage. The root of this occupation is that yous can't reduce inward the Multicam Designer.
Working With 360-Degree Footage
When yous add together a 360-degree clip to your project, PowerDirector pops upwards a dialog box yell for whether yous desire your output to live 360 or 2D. If yous pick out the latter, the View Designer window opens, which allow yous pick out the resulting movie's betoken of view. You tin john displace the angle some inward this window's preview inward 3 axes (x, y, in addition to z) with the mouse pointer.
Clicking on up, down, left, in addition to right, arrows alters your betoken of view, in addition to clicking the optic of the arrow command snaps the stance to straight on. You tin john zoom the view, in addition to real usefully, role keyframes to automatically switch from i viewpoint to another. That lastly alternative tin john accept payoff of the Ease In option, which makes the displace to a greater extent than naturally accelerate in addition to decelerate, rather than happening mechanically.
A real cool effect, which I kickoff saw on Vimeo, is produced past times the Little Planet dropdown inward the View Designer. This takes 360-degree content in addition to realigns it so that the reason is shaped similar a ball that whatever people inward the video are walking around. Drag on the prototype downward in addition to yous tin john create the opposite type of world, inward which the inhabitants are on the within of a sphere. H5N1 cool alternative is to role keyframes to rotate the reason smoothly.
Stabilization and, remarkably, displace tracking tin john also live applied to your 360-degree videos. CyberLink has genuinely pushed the envelope with these first-mover features. When I tested 360 stabilization inward the lastly version, I could non acquire practiced stabilization results inward footage from my Samsung Gear 360, but when I tried sample shaky footage from CyberLink's Steven Lien, the characteristic worked well. With version 17, the society has added a novel Enhanced VR Stabilizer that gives yous to a greater extent than controls to accommodate the stabilization effect.
Motion tracking industrial plant virtually the same equally it does inward 2D footage, except the selection box changes shape to reverberate its seat inward 3D space. It's a elementary three-step process: You box the object yous desire to track, run the tracker, in addition to so attach text or graphics to follow it. Lo in addition to behold: It industrial plant amend than whatever displace tracking I've tested to date. The tracker displayed a circle centering on in addition to a box some the colleague's caput I was tracking, in addition to it locked on perfectly. In the past times these tools receive got tended to lose the tracked object, beingness distracted past times background objects. It fifty-fifty kept upwards with the trackee when he walked behind a drinking glass door. That's impressive!
For projects that yous intend to output inward 360-degree format, yous tin john soundless role the basic trimming, splitting, in addition to joining editing tools, but at that topographic point are a bunch of PowerDirector features yous cannot use: Magic Movie, video cropping (think virtually it), in addition to content-aware editing. You also cannot successfully mix non-360 content into a 360 project.
Adding titles in addition to transitions is soundless possible, equally is making color corrections, in addition to fourth dimension speedups in addition to slowdowns. The computer program offers x 360-degree championship options, including some with fly-in animations. You tin john also alter upwards the fonts with over 100 choices in addition to apply effects similar stroke in addition to drib shadow. These 360 titles remain inward house equally the viewer moves around, rather than just statically remaining over the image. But yous tin john also displace them around, alter transparency, in addition to scale, all using keyframes—pretty cool.
Once you've edited the content to taste, yous output to H.264 AVC .MP4 format, in addition to immediately to H.265 HEVC equally well. Alternatively, yous tin john upload straight to Facebook, YouTube, in addition to Vimeo. The exporter lets yous pick out a privacy bird in addition to resolution, including 4K equally an option.
Action Camera Tools
PowerDirector tin john of course of report import in addition to edit footage from GoPro cameras, equally good equally from other activeness cameras from the likes of Sony, Kodak, in addition to Ion. But the dedicated Action Camera Center nether the Tools card exceptional appears when yous select a clip. This offers effects similar camera-profile-based corrections for fisheye distortion, vignette, photographic idiot box camera shake, in addition to color. It also includes effects favored past times activeness cam users, such equally freeze-frame in addition to time-shifts similar slowdowns, speedups, in addition to replays.
The fisheye cook has an payoff over GoPro's ain video editor inward that it cuts off less of the border of the screen, in addition to inward my show shot it distorted faces less than the GoPro software. Stabilization isn't an alternative inward the stock GoPro software, in addition to CyberLink offers enhanced stabilization in addition to the mightiness to cook photographic idiot box camera rotation for a smoother look. The enhanced stabilization (which takes much longer) did a prissy task of smoothing out bumpy shots, but I soundless occasionally saw some warping—a mutual artifact of stabilization technology.
The Effect tab of Action Camera Center is where yous discover the highly in-demand Replay, Speed, in addition to Freeze-Frame tools. The kickoff offers buttons for replay in addition to reverse, in addition to speed effects. You pick out how long a slice of the clip the outcome should live applied to, in addition to from banking company check boxes yous tin john pick out Ease In in addition to Ease Out options. The tool lets yous easily create fun effects that are prized past times skateboarders, surfers, in addition to other fun lovers.
Another tangentially action-cam related capability is the mightiness to import in addition to edit clips shot at a high frame rate, such equally 120fps in addition to 240fps. I imported a sample of the latter from an iPhone 6, in addition to when I dragged it into my timeline, I got a alert box telling me the frame charge per unit of measurement differed from that of my project, but Settings only offered a maximum of 60fps for a project. H5N1 CyberLink contact informed me that the bound only applied to the timeline view, in addition to assured me that 240fps content is preserved at output time. Adding a slo-mo outcome to my show clip turned a paw clap into a terrifying bass thump.
PowerDirector has a Stop Motion outcome inward the Action Camera Center, but it's non similar Corel VideoStudio's existent stop-motion tool, which lets yous create your own Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. In PowerDirector, the tool only freezes the activeness for a specified amount of fourth dimension on selected frames.
Motion Tracking
Motion tracking lets an object, text, or outcome follow some something moving inward your video. You pick the Motion Tracker selection from the same Tools card equally the Action Camera, after selecting a clip inward the timeline. The tool makes tracking an object in addition to adding a title, effect, or fifty-fifty some other media clip a elementary three-step process. You start past times positioning a target box on the object yous desire tracked, so press the Track button, which runs through the video spell next your boxed object. And so yous pick out what yous desire to follow the tracked object.
As mentioned above, the 360-degree tracker worked extremely well, but the 2D tracker soundless lost rails of my subject's human face upwards when he turned around, a mutual limitation inward such tools. I fixed this pretty easily past times stopping the tracking, realigning the box, in addition to starting tracking again. It's easier to acquire a rails right than in Corel VideoStudio$89.99 at Corel. Adobe Premiere Elements' displace tracking tool also lost rails of a skateboarder inward my show footage when he passed behind a pole.
For attaching text to motion-tracked objects inward PowerDirector, yous tin john easily attach a mosaic, spotlight, or blur effect, in addition to yous acquire a practiced selection of many fonts, colors, in addition to sizes. You tin john fifty-fifty rotate the text with a handle. One matter I'd similar to live able to add, however, is a speech communication bubble, something offered past times Adobe in addition to Corel.
Content-Aware in addition to Multicam Editing
PowerDirector tin john analyze your clip for people, zooming, panning, speech, motion, in addition to shaky video. This enables yous to select or turn down areas of involvement or boringness. Premiere Elements has a tool that lets yous manually pick your favorite moments, but it's non automated similar PowerDirector's. The Edit using Content Aware Editing right-click selection processes a clip, in addition to so it shows a dialog with tracks for each of the detected events, such equally Zoom, Pan, Faces, Speech, Shaky video, pitiable lighting, in addition to more. Clicking on whatever of the detected clip segments lets yous easily select or deselect that part of the clip for role inward your project. Note that this characteristic doesn't travel with 360-degree content.
With so many people shooting events simultaneously with their hard disk drive photographic idiot box camera phones, multicam is no longer just for professionals. PowerDirector allows upwards to 100 multicam tracks, but what this genuinely agency is that yous tin john sync that many tracks past times sound inward the primary timeline. The actual multicam-switching interface soundless just has iv video sources.
For synchronization, yous acquire a selection of Audio Analysis (the best selection for amateurs), Manual, Timecodes, File Created Time, in addition to Markers on Clips. When I used Audio Analysis, my 2 clips synced perfectly. The computer program lets yous pick out which track's sound should live used, or yous tin john import a separate sound track. Hitting Record played all angles synchronized, letting me switch alongside them. The tool creates sub-clips labeled 1 to 4 for the photographic idiot box camera angles, with adjustable dissever points.
When you're done cutting, the clip sequence appears on the regular timeline. Subclips are inward separate tracks, but yous can't accommodate the cutting points at that topographic point without losing footage in addition to messing upwards the synchronization. The multicam designer itself lets yous accommodate these. Thankfully, yous tin john also reopen a multicam sequence inward the designer after you've sent it to the timeline. In all, it's a well-done in addition to powerful tool.
Near-Pro Video Editing
Both Adobe Premiere Pro in addition to Apple Final Cut Pro X allow yous combine edited groups of clips in addition to displace them some equally a unit. With Version 17, PowerDirector's Nested Projects characteristic adds this capability. To role it, yous only create a novel project, in addition to drib an existing i onto the timeline. This creates a tabbed interface inward a higher house the timeline, which lets yous edit the nested projection separately from within the novel primary project.
If you're into keyframe editing (which allows precise command over when effects start in addition to halt based on exact frames yous choose) PowerDirector is at that topographic point for you. It offers picture-in-picture (PiP), overlays, motion, cropping, in addition to fourth dimension codes. All effects in addition to adjustments tin john live pegged to keyframes. You acquire over 100 transitions in addition to special effects to pick out from, including x from NewBlue. And the app lets yous install third-party outcome plug-ins from Pixelan in addition to ProDAD.
Transitions are like shooting fish in a barrel to add, in addition to the computer program tin john create upwards one's remove heed what textile earlier in addition to after to role when yous drib this form of outcome to a bring together draw of piece of work betwixt clips. H5N1 search box lets yous discover a specific type, similar Page Curl. And yous tin john fifty-fifty create custom transitions using your images with the Alpha laid of transitions, which rely on masking in addition to transparency. It's fun making a transition out of a friend's head, equally shown below.
PowerDirector's chroma-key tool lets yous shoot somebody with solid-color backgrounds (usually green) in addition to create the appearance that they're inward an exotic scene past times choosing a unlike background. CyberLink has simplified the controls from iv to two: Now at that topographic point are just Color Range in addition to Denoise controls. You tin john immediately add together to a greater extent than than i color key, too. I tried this with an orangish in addition to greyish background in addition to with a xanthous in addition to greyish background. These color choices showed me why pros role green: The orangish background keyed out my subject's lips, in addition to it was harder to acquire the right mask.
With a greenscreen, the keying worked well. Even inward the default mode, I noticed none of the dark-green halo I sometimes consider some show subjects inward other programs.
The Mask Designer lets yous add together transparency to mask objects (including your ain images) in addition to text. It was pretty fun to role my mugshot equally a mask over a flowing river inward the show video below. As with just virtually every effect, yous tin john role keyframes to gradually ease inward in addition to out of these mask effects.
The Title Designer gets fifty-fifty to a greater extent than powerful inward version 17, adding novel effects similar fire, electrical waves, in addition to neon, along with a practiced selection of fly-in animations. Two-color gradients, lighting, in addition to glow are also at your disposal. These tin john give those weekend George Lucases blockbuster opening credits. You tin john also set boxes some text to acquire a button, which yous could role equally your Subscribe clit on online media.
The computer program offers preset PiP grids—from 2 past times 2 to 10 past times 10—and your clip tracks snap to fill upwards the resulting spaces. The PiP Designer window makes creating PiP movies simpler than inward whatever competing app. And none of the contest tin john preview these types of movies without stop-and-start jerky playback.
AI icon trend filters were popularized past times the iPhone app called Prisma. Now PowerDirector offers plugins that perform similar magic on yous video clips. Four packs of these AI styles are available with PowerDirector 17: Chinese Painting, Van Gogh, Impressionists 1 (Manet), in addition to Impressionists 2 (Monet). CyberLink plans to create novel AI packs on a monthly reason for subscribers. Note that they're non small, at some a 300MB download.
You don't acquire to these novel styles from the Effects tab, but from the Plugins card choice. (Effects already include non-AI Chinese Painting). The novel styles opened upwards a novel window, where yous demand to opened upwards the clip for the outcome again. So it's non genuinely integrated into the editor equally the old Effects are, which travel right on timeline clips selected.
The effects, similar those from Prisma, are quite entrancing in addition to beautiful. I do wishing yous could accommodate their forcefulness with a slider, but I gauge that's upwards to the AI, rather than my inferior intelligence. You tin john reduce the clip you're applying the outcome to, in addition to so yous hitting the Transform button. It's non superfast: H5N1 16-second clip took 2 minutes to transform.
4K in addition to 3D
PowerDirector supports 4K video content. The software supports XAVC-S measure of 4K in addition to hard disk drive videos used inward Sony cameras in addition to camcorders. This joins back upwards for Canon 1DC, JVC HMQ-10, in addition to GoPro Hero3 4K content.
In editing Go Pro 4K footage, surgical physical care for is amend than I expected, non fifty-fifty slowing downward with complex transitions. Being kickoff with 4K capability is a existent plume inward CyberLink's cap, but much of the competition, such equally Corel VideoStudio, also supports 4K.
Unlike Premiere Elements, PowerDirector tin john import, edit, display, in addition to create 3D video. It tin john fifty-fifty endeavor to convert 2D content to 3D. It supports diverse 3D systems, including anaglyph (red/cyan glasses), 3D-ready HDTVs, in addition to pop video in addition to photograph 3D formats. I downloaded several 3D samples, including high-definition content, in addition to PowerDirector had no occupation displaying it. Once you've got your 3D content inward the program, yous tin john add together 3D transitions, particles, in addition to titles.
Audio
Audio tracks inward the timeline past times default present waveform lines, in addition to yous tin john plough upwards in addition to downward mass past times grabbing in addition to dragging them. The Audio Room, a elementary track-volume mixer, features Normalize buttons for each rails to fifty-fifty out clip sound levels. It's also like shooting fish in a barrel to create voiceovers with the Voice-Over Recording Room, accessible from a tab sporting a microphone icon. CyberLink's WaveEditor is a separate included app that lets yous right distortion, equalize, generate reverb, in addition to apply a few special effects. It also includes VST plug-in back upwards for third-party effects.
You acquire loads of canned background music, in addition to the measure video editor includes rhythm out detection, which puts markers on the timeline at music beats so yous tin john synchronize clip action.
For genuinely advanced mixing, recording, syncing, cleaning, in addition to restoration, there's AudioDirector (included with the Ultimate Suite edition). With this separate app yous tin john easily apply effects in addition to fixes that are preserved when yous afterwards opened upwards them inward PowerDirector. New inward AudioDirector is Auto Remix, which fits soundtrack music to your video length. It tin john accept whatever song, analyze it, in addition to oft convincingly shorten or lengthen it. But yous demand to manually travel inward the novel length time; it doesn't convey your film inward for automatic fitting. You tin john consider where the edit occurred with a squiggly line. Listening to the result, I couldn't say that the music had been cutting at that point.
Automatic ducking doesn't add together quacks to your soundtrack. Instead, it automatically lowers background sound during dialog on some other track. It didn't do much for a loud concert video on top of an interview but worked amend with a measure background track.
Performance
CyberLink's investment inward 64-bit optimizations in addition to graphics hardware acceleration has paid off. Other speed-boosters include OpenCL (Open Computing Language) back upwards in addition to intelligent SVRT, which determines how your clips should live rendered for the best-quality output in addition to fastest editing. In my latest circular of surgical physical care for testing, the computer program remains the fastest alongside its peers.
I tested rendering fourth dimension past times creating a film consisting of iv clips of mixed types (some 1080p, some SD, some 4K) with a measure laid of transitions in addition to rendered it to 1080p30 MPEG-4 at 15Mbps, H.264 High Profile. Audio was MPEG AAC Audio: 192 Kbps. I tested on the Asus Zen AiO Pro Z240IC running 64-bit Windows 10 Home in addition to sporting a 4K display, 16GB RAM, a quad-core Intel Core i7-6700T CPU, in addition to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M discrete graphics card.
The show film (whose duration is just nether 5 minutes) took 1:29 (minutes:seconds) for PowerDirector to render. The next-best competition this yr was Pinnacle Studio 22, with a fourth dimension of 1:54. Both of those handily outpaced Corel VideoStudio's 4:20 in addition to Adobe Premiere Elements's 5:18. Its homecoming speed with OpenCL acceleration enabled is cipher brusk of astonishing. During rendering, PowerDirector also shows yous the fourth dimension elapsed, fourth dimension remaining, in addition to what frame inward the film you're at during the process.
Real Power for Your Video Editing
PowerDirector continues to Pb the way alongside consumer video editing software. The latest version's Precut, Nested Projects, in addition to advanced titling features convey it closer to the professional person level. There isn't room hither to hash out the vast characteristic set, including slideshows, disc menus, in addition to animated object pattern tools to yell just a few. Its wealth of powerful tools would live plenty to give it a potent recommendation, but the speed with which PowerDirector handles editing in addition to rendering digital movies genuinely gives it the upper paw inward the human face upwards of many competing products. CyberLink PowerDirector 17 Ultimate remains PCMag's Editors' Choice for enthusiast-level video-editing software, along with Corel VideoStudio and, for Mac users, Apple Final Cut Pro X.
CyberLink PowerDirector
Bottom Line: PowerDirector is i of the fastest in addition to most capable consumer-level video editing apps for Windows around, in addition to the kickoff to back upwards 360-degree VR footage.
