Sony Movie Studio Platinum Suite 12 (DVD-ROM)

   This is the third video software suite I have used and by far the best. It is faster and produces higher-quality output. Most important of all, it is completely stable and reliable. My first project was essentially jumping into the deep end of the pool: a nearly 2-hour 1080p blu-ray. Everything went smoothly and amazingly quickly, given that I was learning to use the software in the process. I have since completed other projects, all without a hitch.The software is so inexpensive that the casual user could easily justify the cost. It is so powerful that professional results are possible. I would recommend it as the first choice for nearly anyone who does video editing. Only someone making money from their work would need to put out the cash for Vegas Pro.Hint: Be sure to buy the suite in order to get the complete package, including the separate program required to put your work onto disc.Hint 2: Download the manual for Vegas Pro 12 from Sony. It is...Read more

When I opened a retail store four years ago, I was looking for something to help me edit little videos we'd post to YouTube that were anything from new stock updates to event coverage to brand introductions. I've had a lot of experience with other consumer-level apps and all were either far too limiting or extremely unstable. At the other end of the spectrum, real pro level apps are very expensive and have a lot of features related to broadcast and video tape that I don't need (and that I suspect almost no one does outside of a TV station). Sony themselves make one such product in the full-fledged Vegas software that Movie Studio used to be named after.But the interface, basic workflow and even many of the filters and effects in Movie Studio are directly carried over from Vegas. A pro could come into Movie Studio and, unless they were trying to output to tape, wouldn't feel like they were limited in what they could do and would know exactly where and how to do anything...Read more