Ulead Videostudio 9

The first thing to say about Ulead Videostudio 9 is that it really is very easy to use.

Of all the applications reviewed here, only Videostudio really feels comfortable on a 15in display at a resolution of 1,024 x 768. Some applications cram window upon window into the workspace, which means you get plenty of tools, if you can find them.

By contrast, Videostudio manages to comfortably accommodate a library panel, timeline/storyboard, an Options panel, and still find room for a massive preview window in the middle.

One reason it can do this is that it breaks the editing process into no fewer than seven discrete tasks – Capture, Edit, Effect, Overlay, Title, Audio and Share – the tools for which are accessed via a tabbed panel arrangement at the top of the screen.

This version of Videostudio adds two new capture tools, Quick Scan and a DV-to-DVD wizard. The first provides a quick perusal of all the clips on a tape, so you can choose which ones to capture, rather than the usual grab everything approach.

Requiring even less effort, the wizard uses Quick Scan as the first step and virtually automatically takes you from there to a finished DVD complete with scene-based menus, titles, transitions and backing music.

If you prefer to get a little more involved in the process, you can assemble clips on the storyboard and add transitions in the edit tab. These tabs don’t actually confine you to a single activity, they just ensure the right tools are available.

Clicking the title tab, for example, displays title styles in the Library and editing and animation options in the Options panel, but you can also select titles from the library pulldown menu.

In addition to the video track, Videostudio has an overlay track, for picture-in-picture and new chromakey effects, a title track, a voiceover track and a track for background music.

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