Pinnacle Studio 12, the next generation Video Editing Software
Pinnacle's Studio has a long and chequered history, and now it has reached the grand old age of version 12. Where Adobe Premiere brought the filmstrip timeline to PC video editing software, Studio introduced the stage-based approach using tabs for each stage. So it quickly became a firm favourite with novice editors, and the tabbed stages have now been copied by most entry-level apps.
Certified for Windows Vista, the Pinnacle Studio version 12 family consists of three affordably priced versions to meet the needs of consumers ranging from novices to dedicated video enthusiasts. In addition to Pinnacle Studio, the basic version, Pinnacle offers Studio Plus and Studio Ultimate with more advanced audio and video tools, including a complete HD workflow.
When you get to a version 12 product, what do you do to improve on it? You would think that everything that could be done to a product that is pushing its teens would have been done, but with version 12 the company has added some cool workflow features, a weird auto recovery feature, and the Montage. Within the scope of this review, a few of the new features will be covered.
Pinnacle Studio 12 - Features
Features
Exclusive Features
Pinnacle Montage
Pinnacle Montage is a completely new feature that makes it easy to achieve high-end results with multiple video layers, animated text and graphics.
Easy Moviemaking
Making great looking movies has never been easier. Simply select a theme complete with associated titles and animated graphics. Drop in your video and photos. Then surprise everyone with polished results.
Great Graphics
Each theme gives you access to a series of templates to give your video a fabulous “look”– over 80 templates for multi-layered effects, animated graphics and great titles.
Fantastic Results
Amaze your friends and family with professional style videos. Who ever thought that mixing your media together – video, photos, audio – could be so simple and create such amazing home movies?
11 Themes + 81 associated templates including:
50s Modern, Album, Baby, Instant Photo, Love, Multi-layer Mix, Season, Sports, Star, Tribute & Video Wall
Everything you need to make home movies.
Give it some style
Select from an impressive collection of titles, transitions, filters and effects.
Pinnacle Scorefitter music generator
Automatically generate a rich soundtrack to match the length of your movie.
Bring your still photos to life
Animate your photos with close-ups or motion pan-and-zoom features.
Keep your memories safe
Archive your video memories with Pinnacle Instant DVD Recorder.
Clean up and rejuvenate
Improve audio tracks, enhance color, remove noise, and fix poor lighting.
Built-in Disc Burning
Easily create DVDs with motion menus and custom navigation for playback on DVD players. With integrated CD and DVD authoring you can preview your work in progress with full, on-screen DVD controls.
Web publishing simplified
Direct upload to video sharing sites like YouTube and Yahoo! Video.
Enjoy your movies on the go
Enjoy your movies on your Sony PSP, Apple iPod, DivX certified players, and even 3GP cell phones.
Pinnacle Studio 12 - Minimum System Requirements
Minimum System Requirements
- Windows® XP SP2 (SP3), Windows Vista™ (SP1)
Intel® Pentium® or AMD Athlon™ 1.8 GHz (2.4 GHz or higher recommended)
- Intel Pentium HT or AMD Athlon 2.4 GHz or 1.6 GHz Dual core required for Windows Vista 1 GB system memory recommended
- DirectX® 9 or 10 compatible graphics card with 64 MB (128 MB or higher recommended) 128 MB required on Windows Vista (256 MB or higher recommended)
- DirectX 9 or higher compatible sound card
- 2 GB of disk space
- DVD-ROM drive to install software
- Optional:
CD burner for creating Video CDs or Super Video CDs (S-VCDs)
DVD burner for creating DVD* discs
Capture Options
- Capture from DV and Digital8 camcorders or VCRs (requires a FireWire® port)
- Capture from analog camcorders, 8 mm, HI 8, VHS, SVHS, VHS-C, SVHS-C, or VCRs (NTSC/PAL/SECAM). Requires DirectShow® compatible graphic board or TV tuner board with analog (Composite or S-Video) inputs
Output Options
- Output to DV or Digital8 tape (requires camcorder with DV Input port and a PC with a DV/FireWire port)
- Output to analog videotape (requires DirectShow compatible video device or video card with TV-output)
- Output to Apple® iPod® and Sony® PSP™ formats*
Import Formats
- Video: DV, AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, DivX®*, MPEG-4*, 3GP(MPEG-4)*, WMV, Non-encrypted DVD titles*
- Audio: MP3, MPA, WAV, AC3*
- Graphic: BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, PSD, TGA, TIF, WMF
Export Formats
- Video CD (VCD) or S-VCD with optional CD burner (CD-R or CD-RW)
- DVD* disc with optional DVD burner (DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R or DVD+RW, dual layer)
- Apple iPod and Sony PSP compatible (MPEG-4) formats*
- DV, AVI, DivX*, RealVideo® 8, WMV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4*, Flash, 3GP*, WAV, MP3* files
- Dolby® Digital 2 channel* and 5.1 channel** audio
Quote:
* Requires free product activation via Internet.
** Requires product activation via Internet at additional cost.
Pinnacle Studio 12 - Pricing, Availability
Pricing & Availability
The Pinnacle Studio 12 family is available now for pre-orders at the Pinnacle Systems estore and will be at e-tail and retail stores later this month. Upgrades from all of the previous Pinnacle Studio versions to version 12 are available from the Pinnacle Systems website – www.pinnaclesys.com - with prices ranging from $69.99 (upgrade to Pinnacle Studio Plus) to $99.99 (upgrade to Pinnacle Studio Ultimate).
Verdict
As one of the most mature video editing apps around, Pinnacle Studio's interface and core abilities haven't changed much over the last few versions. The Montage tool is the most significant new feature in this release, with most improvements being minor ones allegedly requested by users. But Studio remains one of the easiest apps for new users to get to grips with, and the Plus and Ultimate versions have plenty of power under the hood for the more experienced. The continuing lack of more than one extra video track could be a drawback for some users, but otherwise Pinnacle Studio 12 is a comprehensive option for newcomers and seasoned Studio users alike.