VideoStudio Pro Feedback

[lyom]

Thank you for your trial. After evaluating the product, I have decided against a purchase. In return for letting me evaluate your product, I provide you with feedback from a new user to your product that you may use to improve your product in future.

The main issues within the last two hours that I have found with VideoStudio are:

(1)
Exporting a video is awkward. I have videos with a very specific size (for example, 500x490px). After operating on the video, I would like to save it in that exact size - no downscaling, no upscaling - just that size. If I use "Create Video File" and then "Same as First Video Clip", then it only offers me the source format of the first video clip (mp4) and refuses to save the file due to the dimensions. "Custom" -> "MPEG-4" doesn't let me change the sizes (why?); I can only use preselect entries.

So, the only way I have found to get the video, and have it in mp4 is the following:
- I have to first right click a video clip, get the exact dimensions, remember them, plug them into the project settings.
- I must not forget to select "Microsoft AVI files" in that dialog.
- I can then create the video file "Same as Project Settings". This gives me an uncompressed AVI, which thankfully I can use FFMPEG to convert to a mp4.

A commercial tool like you should really be able to export to mp4 at any size. I mean, FFMPEG can do it, why can't you?

(2)
I found no way to crop the rightmost pixel from a video. My source file is just a bit too wide - 501 pixels. I want to make it 500 pixels, by removing the rightmost border. VideoStudio Pro does not provide me with a tool to achieve this goal.

I see three "Video Filters" that have to do with cropping. The first one, using a Mac UI on a Windows PC, "Crop Borders" removes the borders, but stretches the video. Can't it just leave the video the size - what was cropped? "Scale", "Overlay" and "Extend" do what they say, which isn't what I need. "Transparent" does the same as "Extend" - it uses the colors from the border pixels to fill in the now empty line. Where is the option to make the video smaller (501 pixels, crop one, 500 pixels left), or to at least fill it with a solid color?

The second filter is the same as the first one - a lack of polish that your product is permeated with. One of the filters should be removed, this is a bug.
The third filter looks promising, but it only lets me specify percentages. Even 99% crops more than a pixel on any video > 199 pixels. In addition, when I press the backspace to empty the Width text box, this happens (| is the caret) :

50| (backspace)
5| (backspace)
|5

If I now type in 60 without looking, the text box reads "605" and VideoStudio shows an error message "Unable to load string" (lack of polish and interrupting my main task; if it reads 605 without erroring out on me and undoing my changes, I can realize that and hit "Del" - the way you do it, I have to confirm the error message box, and then change the text box in a way so that it is never 0 or greater than 100 at any point, even if I'm still editing).
So I can't do what I can do in any other program, namely delete the text, and write something new in.
If I want to change 50 to 99, I have to do this:

50| (backspace)
5| (backspace)
|5 (press 9)
9|5 (press Del)
9| (press 9)
99|

This is bad UI design, and awkward.

Also, even if I use this filter, to make it "static", I have to enter the same value twice on each end of the video - otherwise the filter is animated. Lots of steps for something this simple.

(3)
Minor details that are confusing and that shouldn't occur in a product of this maturity.

If I want to cut a video clip, I can right click and click "Cut".
But, if I want to cut an audio clip, I first have to select it by left-clicking, and then I can right click it. Lack of polish.

Why does adding a 1 second cross-fade transition between two video clips shorten the duration of the second video clip by 1 second? It should stay the same, since I am adding a transition, not shortening it.

Why is the scale of the video preview window wrong? I have found no option to correct it.

Somehow I managed to export the video and the title text was stretched. I had to re-export it to get it right. What happened there? This was not what the preview showed me.

(4)
Contacting your support is very difficult. There is no contact address on the site (except for paid support). I am not going to delve into a product that will treat me like a hassle (unless I pay) 90 days after I bought the product.

http://apps.corel.com/store/faq/gb/Gene ... ns.html#q6 - "Contact Corel" is a broken link ("This Page Could Not Be Found"). Lack of polish. Looks like support isn't important?
In fact, this forum is the only place I have found that lets me "officially" communicate with Corel (save for guessing e-mail addresses and twitter or facebook).
Put some heart into your product, and I'll reconsider. If I didn't find another product (googling for help on 1 and 2 got me to a few examples that showed me how to do it - on a different product though) in the meantime.

[BrianCee]

Thank you very much for the time and the detailed feedback

HOWEVER

You are not talking to Corel here and we are not an "official" contact point - we are all users just like you and apart from a couple of occasional Corel Visitors none of us are paid by Corel - and in the case of the current three active site Admins are not paid by anyone.

Pity you could not work with it many of us have used VideoStudio for many years and are almost completely satisfied ( have to accept that it could do with a couple of improvements.)

If you want to talk to Corel direct the only place you can get even close is here :- https://www.facebook.com/corelvideostudio?fref=ts

Still that is why a free trial is provided if it doesn't work for you then you have not lost any money

Thanks anyway

[Terfyn]

The one thing I have found with VideoStudio is that it has a fairly open architecture. There is usually a way to do most of what I want but the way to get there is sometimes not the most obvious. I found this, with help from the Forum, when I changed from Avid Pinnacle Studio.

Most of these editors are aimed at a general domestic and small commercial market so the powers that may be available in a professional editor will not be there. Personally I have yet to reach the limitations of VS X5 and now X6.

Perhaps the Avid Media Composer or DS range may be more suitable.

[lata]

Hi

1 / Custom Avi-Microsoft Video 1-- will allow for User Defined frame size

also Try Custom – Quick Time—Mpeg4 Visual will allow for User Defined frame size.
There are other options........

2 / Set the project properties to use AVI-Microsoft Video 1- 500 frame size
Add video to overlay track and fit to screen
Share Create Video File – same as project settings

3a / position curser where you wish to cut, use the scissors above digital clock.
3b / The way the program is designed is to overlay the video clips by the length of the transition, it may be different to other editors but that does not make it wrong.

3c / Don’t really understand the problem, the preview window defaults to either 4:3 or 16:9 that’s the standard size for video, if you wish to change the projects preview read item 2.

3d / again probably using a 500px video in a standard widescreen view.
Most video use Non square Pixel Rendering, some nonstandard do not, this may cause the movement of the text.

4 / Brian believe covered contacting Corel, I wish you luck.