MOVIE EDITING
Adobe’s Premiere Pro is a Creative Cloud app and therefore only available via subscription, but the movie editing scene is a really interesting one, in which pro-quality apps can be obtained for little outlay.
Premiere Elements 2019
( http://adobe.com/products/
elements-family.html) is Adobe’s cheaper entry into the market. It’s a competent video-editing app that comes with enough tutorial support to teach you the secrets of slicing up and reassembling movie files. This beginner-friendly approach means that for anyone not already trained in the subtle art of editing, it’s hard to recommend anything else, because many apps aren’t intuitive for beginners. Elements 2019 is $100, or $149 if you get the bundle with Photoshop Elements. There are discounts if you upgrade from earlier versions, too.
For $100, you can also get Cyberlink’s PowerDirector 17 Ultra ( www.cyberlink.com), which really piles on the features. It comes with ready-made templates to appeal to beginners, but it also offers pro-level color grading, frame-byframe object tracking, chroma-key editing for superimposing and effects, creative blending of clips, and much more. It’s so overboard on the features that it can be difficult to know where to start.
Corel’s VideoStudio Pro is worth a look, too, offering fast and easy movie editing. The 2018 version has a new, modern interface, along with new or updated lens correction tools, panning and zooming, 3D titles, stop motion animation, and effects. It also takes advantage of hardware acceleration to smoothly render the final result. It costs just $80. There’s also an Ultimate version, with more features and add-ons, for $100.
That’s not Corel’s only movie app, however. It also owns Pinnacle Systems, whose Pinnacle
Studio 22 ( www.pinnaclesys. com) offers a more pro-oriented approach, with color grading, split-screen video with keyframes, motion tracking, 3D objects, paint effects, and more. It’s available for $55, with an Ultimate version costing $110.