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Configurability is only part of the story, as proven by Pinnacle Studio 8 ($99.99 direct). Pinnacle Studio has decent editing tools, though it doesn't compare to VideoStudio in configurability.
Pinnacle Studio includes an impressive assortment of fun tools for adding finishing touches to a project. For example, Pinnacle Studio has particularly good title creation tools, offering superior placement controls and attractive style presets, as well as advanced controls for kerning and leading. The program offers Hollywood FX transitions for such events. Even more choices are available in Plus Hollywood Effects ($49.99).
Pinnacle Studio has excellent audio tools. Whereas Ulead VideoStudio, like Movie Maker 2, lets you adjust the volume only for an entire track at a time, with Pinnacle Studio you can adjust the volume at any point on the track, and an audio mixer lets you adjust the volume levels of tracks in real time. Pinnacle Studio also includes an integrated version of SmartSound, a program that lets you easily create theme-based, custom-length musical soundtracks.
Pinnacle Studio provides flexible DVD-authoring capabilities, while VideoStudio's offerings are much more limited. Pinnacle Studio is relatively light on special effects, but its most significant weakness is an anemic 320-by-240 preview window.
I haven't encountered major problems in testing it.
There are many consumer-oriented video editors, including Broderbund's MovieShop and ArcSoft's ShowBiz. These products often have flaws and limitations. For example, in ShowBiz the trimming controls?the bread and butter of any video editor?are very primitive. And MovieShop limits your ability to view layers simultaneously.
The code
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