Video Studio vs Movie Factory

Steve8456 · Post by **Steve8456** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:47 pm

I currently am using MF-5 for some of my video editing and assembly. It came with my Sanyo camera. While it does an adequet job with it's limitatons, I need more then it offers and wonder if I would be happy with upgrading to MF-6 or purchasing Video Studio. What are some of the inherent differences, etc? My version of MF seems to only save to DVD and I'd like to save to computer formats as well. VS is probably way more then I need but in it's more simple editing features, may have what I want over and above MF-5. Suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:53 pm

If your MF came with your camera, then it will be a stripped-down version.

As you seem to already know, MF is primarily a DVD authoring program that has limited editing abilities. VS, on the other hand, is primarily an editor with some limited authoring capabilities. Since you are the only one who can judge which would suit your needs I would recommend that you download the trial of both programs and give them a test drive.

BTW, the trial versions are fully functional, unlike your version of MF that came with your camera.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:28 pm

You also need to let us know exactly what model your Sanyo is. If it is a Xacti, for instance, which shoots using h.264/avchd format, then you could be stuck as the Xacti requires a special driver, and that is often put into the software which comes with the camera (by Sanyo) but may not necessarily be part of the full version issued by Corel/Ulead.

Steve8456 · Post by **Steve8456** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:09 am

I realize that my version of MF-5 is a stripped down version. It came with my Xacti Camera but I am now using my new Sony Mini DVD camera although I may want to mix some older videos. My question is more directed towards the differences between the more current version of MF-6 or VS-11? Which gives me the most editing and assembly features between the two. Are they basically the same product with different names and different outputs?

I guess I will download the MF-6 pro trial copy although I don't need some of the features, HD, Bluetooth, etc, and the VS-11 as suggested, and then I will get a feel for each. I was hoping to rely on some experience from this forum in making that decision because both would most likely be over my head at first. Most likely though, I will be able to make my way through each enough to make my decision.

Steve

Post by **Ken Berry** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:18 am

The programs are in fact fairly different from each other. You can also see their key features on the respective pages of the Ulead.com website. I use VS for editing and sometimes, authoring. I have tended in the past to use MF for authoring and particularly, putting together a slideshow at which it is great. However, more recently I have been experimenting with MF's bigger (but much older) brother, DVD Workshop to build my menus and burn a disc. It is, however, a little limited by its inability to handle widescreen menus, and it is probably going to be dropped.

But if your emphasis is going to be mainly on editing and using lots of effects and overlays etc, then you should get VS. It can still do quite sophisticated menus. But if you are not going to do much editing, and are more interested in getting quickly down to building a menu and burning, then go for MF.

Apart from myself, many of us here have both, and indeed use them and a variety of programs in any one video project. I use both, as already stated, but I will also use for example Cool 3D Production Studio or Xara 3D for very effective titles, Nero's Wave Editor for my audio touch-ups, SmartSound Sonic Fire Pro for background music, CanopusFX or Adorage for my transitions, and Nero to actually burn my DVDs. And this is not unusual. Different programs do different things better than others, as Donald Rumsfeld might have said!!

Steve8456 · Post by **Steve8456** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:22 pm

I can see that I have opened Pandora's box here with all the add on's I might need in my future quest of video production!! Thanks for you input, and, in the scheme of things, most likely I will end up with both and then some!

I downloaded VS+'s trial version last night and will now try to figure out if it will do some of the basics I want, etc. It looks nice at first glance and the price is reasonable if I decide to purchase it. It imported the video clips I wanted very smoothly and I quickly added some transitions between them so on the onset, it seems fairly intuitive and user friendly. I will spend more time this evening playing with it.

Steve

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:03 pm

I can see that I have opened Pandora's box here with all the add on's I might need in my future quest of video production!!

It's not about what you need, but what you want. VideoStudio can very easily do titles (though not 3D), audio touch-ups, background music, transitions, and burn your DVDs. Ken, as well as others, has just chosen to enhance his video production with these other applications.

Post by **Ron P.** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:59 pm

But I'll bet that he told his wife that he needed all these "tools" (toys)..

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:51 pm

ABSOLUTELY!!!

mdekker · Post by **mdekker** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:39 pm

Hi,

I also own both VS and MF in various versions and my PERSONAL

opinion is that VS is better in DVD-authoring than MF is in video-editing. If I personally had to choose only one of them, I would go for VS.

Cheers,

Martin

imjay · Post by **imjay** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:01 am

I love video studio and have done some things with it that amaze me so by all means use it.

I self taught starting with VS version 6 so I can say the user interface is one of the easier to master and the timeline functions are good the effects and transition options are okay and the options for rendering to different file types are really good.

I just don't think the dvd creation utilities allow you to create professional looking chapter menus so I suggest you embrace Video Studio and then find a separate DVD creation application for that piece of your dvd creation.