Is VSP X4 useful to create semi-professional documentaries?

[cadudesun]

Hello,

Very recently I begin to use and I have liked very much Corel PaintShop Pro X4. The PSP community is giving an amazing support and this is great as well!

In this way, I am thinking to buy VideoStudio Pro X4 and I would appreciate some advice from VSP community. I am using VSP trial version, but I don’t have almost any knowledge about video editors to make by myself a mature evaluation/judgment (I just know Windows Movie Maker yet!!!).

a) My main usage will be to create semi-professional documentaries related to academic researches. Is VSP able to give high-features to support this kind of development?

b) Considering my satisfaction with PSP, my first choice tends to be VSP X4 ultimate. But after I have read a review, I am less confident about VSP. The review suggests => “VideoStudio Pro X4 offers no audio editing features beyond that except for a volume leveling feature that can be used when you are outputting your final product. A workaround to this is to download and install a free and powerful audio editing program called Audacity. However the fact that YOU can do this shows Corel being a little lazy here.” (from http://www.myeasydata.com/corel-video-s ... iew-4.html). So, considering my intending usage, what would be the implications of this audio problem? Is it really necessary to use other software (as Audacity) together VSP to achieve high performance on audio?

c) For those who also use PaintShop Pro, is there any feature/resource of this software that could be applied to achieve better results in VSP?

Thanks indeed in advance,
Cadu

My notebook configuration: Dell Vostro, Intel Corei5, 6GB RAM, Video Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6630M 1GB/128-bit, HD 7200 rpm.

[DVDDoug]

It is a "consumer application", but if you've got good-quality footage, you should be able to create a professional-quality production... If you feed-in great-quality audio & video, you can get great-quality video out!

I suggest you think about what features or effects you might want, and then download Video Studio and give it a try.

I actually use a 3rd-party audio editor* (usually GoldWave) for any "serious" audio editing, but I'd say Video Studio offers more audio editing than the review implies. You can add voice-over & background music tracks, etc. It depends on what kind of audio editing you need.

I'm pretty sure the "real pros" in Hollywood use a separate audio editor... The tricky part (for us amateurs) is keeping the audio & video in-sync. Usually that means making all of your cuts, splices, and transitions in your video editor, keeping the associated audio intact. Then export the audio for editing and don't do anything in the audio editor that changes the timing or length of the track (no cuts, splices, or transitions).

You might also run-into limitations when it comes to DVD authoring. For example, if you want multiple-language soundtracks and multiple-language subtitles, you'll need a special-purpose high-end DVD authoring program. (Again, this is separate step for "the pros".)


* I've been using GoldWave for about 10 years, and I'm very comfortable with it... I can edit audio in my sleep! It's just easier for me than learning to use something new.

[teknisyan]

You can download the trial version of VS X4 here.