After far too much time spent being abused or ignored by Pinnacle Studio and its manufacturer, I am looking for a new video editing package. My projects are rarely too challenging (e.g., DVDs of weddings or 1.5-2 hour "commemoratives" of theatre productions), though you couldn't tell that from my experience with "the other Studio".
I'm seriously considering moving to Video Studio 10 Plus, but want to avoid another go-round with "abusive software", so I'd like to hear from any Pinnacle refugees or other sadder-but-wiser former users of other packages about their experience in moving to Ulead Video Studio from the other platform. What were the primary attributes of Ulead's product that lead you to switch? What surprises (good and bad) did you have as you made the move?
Thanks!
Studio vs. Studio
Moderator: Ken Berry
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sjj1805
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This link will explain how to use VideoStudio and may help you decide by viewing the various screenshots.
From camcorder to DVD with VideoStudio
There are also several members of this forum who are willing to help out with any problems you encounter.
Welcome to our forum
From camcorder to DVD with VideoStudio
There are also several members of this forum who are willing to help out with any problems you encounter.
Welcome to our forum
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davidm-b
Thanks!
Many thanks, Steve. Your tutorials have already provided me with orders of magnitude more guidance than I ever got from Pinnacle. My usual practice has been essentially:
1. Capture from miniDV (Canon and/or Panasonic)
2. Edit/Clean footage
3. Add transitions
4. Add menus and chapters
5. Render to folder on hard drive
6. Create and review test DVD
7. Correct project as needed
8. Render "Gold" version to folder
9. Make copies from folder
If Ulead supports this process reliably (i.e., with minimal mysterious, time-consuming hangs, abrupt exits, or BSD), I will be a very happy customer.
1. Capture from miniDV (Canon and/or Panasonic)
2. Edit/Clean footage
3. Add transitions
4. Add menus and chapters
5. Render to folder on hard drive
6. Create and review test DVD
7. Correct project as needed
8. Render "Gold" version to folder
9. Make copies from folder
If Ulead supports this process reliably (i.e., with minimal mysterious, time-consuming hangs, abrupt exits, or BSD), I will be a very happy customer.
If its any help, I use both Pinnacle Studio 9+ and Videostudio 10+. I have tried to use Pinnacle Studio 10+ but like many others found that because they have changed the core of it to that of Liquid Edition many problems arised which were not present in previous versions. At the end of the day, most people want to edit videos not play around with graphics cards and altering settings just to get something to work.
I use both programmes because because I find some tasks I can do easier in one than the other. I have found that MPEG capture in Pinnacle to work a lot better than in Videostudio. On the other hand, I find rendering video files in Videostudio to be a lot quicker than in Pinnacle. Pinnacle Studio 9+ I use nearly all the time for video capture with which I can then edit in Videostudio 10 with no problems.
At present I would advise people to try and buy Pinnacle Studio 9+ which can be found quite cheaply and also Videostudio 10+. Due to my experiences, I would not advise people to buy Pinnacle Studio 10 due to the problems I and many others have experienced.
By the way, I also use Movie Factory, Photo Impact and DVD Workshop 1. I do like the Ulead products.
I must also say that I use normal off the shelf PC`s with virtually no problems using Ulead.
Howell
I use both programmes because because I find some tasks I can do easier in one than the other. I have found that MPEG capture in Pinnacle to work a lot better than in Videostudio. On the other hand, I find rendering video files in Videostudio to be a lot quicker than in Pinnacle. Pinnacle Studio 9+ I use nearly all the time for video capture with which I can then edit in Videostudio 10 with no problems.
At present I would advise people to try and buy Pinnacle Studio 9+ which can be found quite cheaply and also Videostudio 10+. Due to my experiences, I would not advise people to buy Pinnacle Studio 10 due to the problems I and many others have experienced.
By the way, I also use Movie Factory, Photo Impact and DVD Workshop 1. I do like the Ulead products.
I must also say that I use normal off the shelf PC`s with virtually no problems using Ulead.
Howell
I would agree with that... studio 9+ is a pretty good progam, but 10 is a disaster. The only thing I use it for is sound editing, and sometimes burning.
I have found that ALL of these video editor programs have their weak and strong points and its a matter of knowing where the strong points are in each NLE so you can take advantage of them. But I think Ulead comes the closest to an overall solid and dependable product.
I have Avid Liquid, Pinnacle studio 9, and 10, Video studio 10, MSP8, TmpGnc, Movie Factory3 and 4, Sony vegas mivie studio.... and a few others. I use every single one of these programs... depending on what exactly I am doing at the time.... they each have strong points in different areas. I have yet to find a program that is perfect in all areas.... It would be REALLY nice if all of these developers could sit down at ONE table and put it all together.... what a program it would be!
Don't give totally up on Pinnacle yet though... although this newest version is a complete write-off, they are in the middle of a major company shift right now (Avid just bought Pinnacle) and Avid produces some pretty good (and highend) edititors. It will be quite interesting to see which way they go with the pinnacle studio line. They just cleared out ALL of the old pinnacle hardware products so it looks anyway, that they are preparing to head in a completely new direction.... We'll see.
I have found that ALL of these video editor programs have their weak and strong points and its a matter of knowing where the strong points are in each NLE so you can take advantage of them. But I think Ulead comes the closest to an overall solid and dependable product.
I have Avid Liquid, Pinnacle studio 9, and 10, Video studio 10, MSP8, TmpGnc, Movie Factory3 and 4, Sony vegas mivie studio.... and a few others. I use every single one of these programs... depending on what exactly I am doing at the time.... they each have strong points in different areas. I have yet to find a program that is perfect in all areas.... It would be REALLY nice if all of these developers could sit down at ONE table and put it all together.... what a program it would be!
Don't give totally up on Pinnacle yet though... although this newest version is a complete write-off, they are in the middle of a major company shift right now (Avid just bought Pinnacle) and Avid produces some pretty good (and highend) edititors. It will be quite interesting to see which way they go with the pinnacle studio line. They just cleared out ALL of the old pinnacle hardware products so it looks anyway, that they are preparing to head in a completely new direction.... We'll see.
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LxR One N Only
All I can tell you is that Studio 10 crashes every 5 mintues and takes 10 mintues to boot up. That is the reason I switched to VideoStudio and it had been running fine until yesterday when it decided not to even open up anymore. In my opinion VideoStudio is better than Studio 10... atleast when it decides I can open the program.
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davidm-b
Very helpful
Many thanks, everyone. I know that Pinnacle and Ulead are in the same boat to some extent at a corporate level, with Avid acquiring Pinnacle and Intervideo taking over Ulead. Unfortunately, Avid/Pinnacle has stumbled badly out the gate with Studio 10 and I'm hard pressed to imagine that they'll retain more than half of their current installed base. I know if I can find something else that works, I'm off 9.4.3 immediately.
It sounds like Intervideo/Ulead face some of the same challenges, but from all that I've read on this board, it certainly doesn't seem like they've screwed up Video Studio yet.
It also seems that many of you use multiple packages ("horse for courses"). I use Nero for all my duplicating and it's been rock solid. Given that the vast majority of my work is simply capturing an hour or two of miniDV, editing it into DVD form (with a few transitions, menus, and such) and then creating a "Video_TS" for Nero to duplicate, has Video Studio proven reliable in this for most of you? While I appreciate Pinnacle's interface and toolsets, the fact that I too often end up with a useless, "unburnable" project after scores of hours of work is forcing me to look for the exits.
I should also note that I have TMPG Video Encoder Express (purchased on sale months ago), but have yet to investigate it in any depth. If anyone has experience to share with that package, it would be greatly appreciated.
To sum up: Does Ulead's reliability trump Pinnacle's usability, at least for the sort of work I've described?
It sounds like Intervideo/Ulead face some of the same challenges, but from all that I've read on this board, it certainly doesn't seem like they've screwed up Video Studio yet.
It also seems that many of you use multiple packages ("horse for courses"). I use Nero for all my duplicating and it's been rock solid. Given that the vast majority of my work is simply capturing an hour or two of miniDV, editing it into DVD form (with a few transitions, menus, and such) and then creating a "Video_TS" for Nero to duplicate, has Video Studio proven reliable in this for most of you? While I appreciate Pinnacle's interface and toolsets, the fact that I too often end up with a useless, "unburnable" project after scores of hours of work is forcing me to look for the exits.
I should also note that I have TMPG Video Encoder Express (purchased on sale months ago), but have yet to investigate it in any depth. If anyone has experience to share with that package, it would be greatly appreciated.
To sum up: Does Ulead's reliability trump Pinnacle's usability, at least for the sort of work I've described?
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richmg821
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Comparing the 2?
Pinnacle 10+, great menu layout, design, ease, understanding. Problem? Somethings with the menus, still don't work right, even with all the patches, betas. It took me 4 months, to even see the menus. The audio editing window looks crappy, and works the same, has bugs. In stereo or 5.1. The instant DVD, is great for direct copies from a tape machine, cam.
Though not always perfect (skips sometimes).
Ulead Studio 10+,
If you're not burning DL DVD's, perfect. It converts all 5.1 audio/videos to edit. Sony Vegas, you have to first use AC3 files. Pinnacle, you have to break the audio into components.
Using Ulead 10; making a DL DVD is my only problem. The menus come out fine. But the videos on the second layer, are incorrect; even if you burn a ISO file, using Nero6. I burned 10 chapters. 5 on the first layer, 5 on the other. The software burns chapter 1-5 again on the second layer.
I never had to contact Ulead before; because I never had a problem with Studios 4-7. Ulead taught me a valuble lesson. Never buy a video editing software, without a trial version first. Ulead is just as bad as Pin, when they can't find a answer. They don't answer. I just don't understand, how you design something, and can't fix it. This is not their first product.
Or does P & U, buy these products from a independent designers, and can't find them?
Pinnacle 10+, great menu layout, design, ease, understanding. Problem? Somethings with the menus, still don't work right, even with all the patches, betas. It took me 4 months, to even see the menus. The audio editing window looks crappy, and works the same, has bugs. In stereo or 5.1. The instant DVD, is great for direct copies from a tape machine, cam.
Though not always perfect (skips sometimes).
Ulead Studio 10+,
If you're not burning DL DVD's, perfect. It converts all 5.1 audio/videos to edit. Sony Vegas, you have to first use AC3 files. Pinnacle, you have to break the audio into components.
Using Ulead 10; making a DL DVD is my only problem. The menus come out fine. But the videos on the second layer, are incorrect; even if you burn a ISO file, using Nero6. I burned 10 chapters. 5 on the first layer, 5 on the other. The software burns chapter 1-5 again on the second layer.
I never had to contact Ulead before; because I never had a problem with Studios 4-7. Ulead taught me a valuble lesson. Never buy a video editing software, without a trial version first. Ulead is just as bad as Pin, when they can't find a answer. They don't answer. I just don't understand, how you design something, and can't fix it. This is not their first product.
Or does P & U, buy these products from a independent designers, and can't find them?