Review: Corel VideoStudio X6 eases creative video production

Version X6 of Corel VideoStudio brings the super-intuitive and easy-to-use video editor/producer within into a virtual dead heat with the feature sets offered by its competitors. New tricks in its bag include animation overlays, controlling DSLRs for stop motion animation, free-form motion editing, layer swapping, motion tracking, support for 2K and 4K video, and variable speed.

VideoStudio X6 also supports 50p/60p editing, AVCHD 2.0, 3D, surround sound, Blu-ray and most everything you could ask for. One cool new feature for subtitling is a form of audio beat detection that allows you to sync subtitles to speech more easily. There's even a whiteboard capture for animation overlays. Creatively, the VideoStudio X6 is very well-rounded.

The VideoStudio X6 interface isn't revolutionary, but because it doesn't overload you, it's easier to use than those it might resemble.

Most video editors have dark, paneled interfaces that rightfully focus your attention on the video. However, VideoStudio X6 manages to do it more cleanly and intuitively than Cyberlink PowerDirector or Adobe Premiere. It helps tremendously that Corel hasn't sized the icons for microscopes and has used them sparingly.

VideoStudio X6 also has a nice simple storyboard view that makes adding and arranging items a more intuitive process. You then use the timeline to tweak location and lengths, and add audio, multi-tracking, subtitles, and the like. I've only mentioned a few of the logical interface design decisions, but all told, they make VideoStudio X6's interface friendlier and more intuitive than just about anything out there.

VideoStudio X6 has a ton of transitions, effects, title styles, and what Corel calls instant projects which are basically templates. Drag an instant project element to your project, then edit details such as the audio file to be used, colors, text, videos to be used, etc. It's a bit different from the automatic productions you get from Muvee and others in that it requires your participation and creativity, but it's cool nonetheless.

2. The storyboard view in VideoStudio X6 makes it easier to order scenes than the standard timeline, which is also offered.

The Pro version of VideoStudio X6 costs $60, while the $100 Ultimate version adds a boatload of very nice effects from NewBlue and proDAD, plus the latter company's excellent video stabilization technology. Ultimate X6 is likely worth the extra $40, especially if you're editing lots of home video that needs steadying.

Corel may not be the powerhouse it once was, but the company is still putting out some very good software and VideoStudio Pro X6 is the evidence. For the average user it delivers a significantly easier, more intuitive, and more creative video editing experience than its major peers.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

Jon L. Jacobi has worked with computers since you flipped switches and punched cards to program them. He studied music at Juilliard, and now he power-mods his car for kicks.
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Review: PCmover Professional eases migration

Jon L. Jacobi has worked with computers since you flipped switches and punched cards to program them, studied music at Julliard, and power mods his car for kicks.
More by Jon L. Jacobi

Windows 8 is waiting in the wings, and while it represents a radical interface redesign, it's not all that different internally from Windows 7. According to Microsoft, upgrading won't require reinstalling your apps and data. However, if you move from Vista or XP to Windows 8, the transfer wizards move only settings and/or data. If you want to move your installed programs from XP or Vista to Windows 8, you might want to try PCmover Professional ($60, buy-only).

PCmover will transfer your OS data, programs, and settings by several means: Via network, USB, Windows EasyTransfer cable, or even external media. I opted for the network method.  I transferred settings from an existing XP installation to a pristine Windows 8 installation via a network connection. PCmover must be installed on both PCs for this operation. You can install later on the destination PC and use a "mover" file created with the settings from your old installation if this is not possible.

PCmover is easy to use and steps you through the transfer process using a series of dialogs such as this one.

Most of the work is done from the source PC. PCmover connects to the destination PC, makes a snapshot of the new PC, then allows you to map users, map the destination drive, filter files, and select applications. The process is easy, if not short. Check the list of programs to be transferred carefully—there may be some that you no longer need, or never used at all.

PCmover worked fine for me. Firefox, Opera, and several other programs transferred without a hitch. All my documents, pertinent settings, and users also showed up in Windows 8. I didn't encounter any programs that wouldn't run, but you should have your serial numbers handy for any programs that might require them. You can find a list of what is retained/transferred from each legacy operating system by the Windows 8 upgrade at Microsoft's site on the Windows 8 FAQ page.

If you don't want to hassle with reinstalling your applications (or you can't find the discs), PCmover is a handy, if expensive, utility that will move them over for you. However, there is something to be said for a fresh OS with a clean installation of your programs and settings … kind of like that new car smell.

Note: The "Buy it" button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

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