CyberLink added useful capabilities to
PowerDirector 6, but it still lacked a couple of key features: it was never quite a valid replacement for the mainstream alternatives from Adobe, Ulead and Pinnacle. But CyberLink hasn’t stood still. A lot has been added for the latest version, which may now tempt budding video editors over to PowerDirector 7.
The overall layout hasn’t changed much since the last version, but the look has, with PowerDirector 7 assuming the dark grey look similar to Adobe’s colour scheme. The biggest new interface feature is the ability to create subfolders in the media library, although only on one layer. So now you can organise your media according to criteria other than simply media type.
As with previous PowerDirectors, version 7 has adopted all the latest camcorder file formats. We tried progressive Full HD AVCHD from Canon’s HF10 and the MPEG-2-based equivalent shot on JVC’s Everio GZ-HD6, and the software didn’t miss a trick. In fact, it could handle both on the same timeline. We couldn’t find a single incompatible file format. Even MP4s from Toshiba’s new Camileo Pro HD were supported.
Where PowerDirector has made its biggest leap forward, however, is in its editing capabilities. Where version 6 added a single picture-in-picture track, version 7 allows up to six of them. This is still fewer than the competition, but there will be few occasions where you need even six extra tracks.
Video effects could already be layered in version 6, and there’s still a limit of up to seven at a time. However, now you can vary the parameters of these effects over the duration of a clip using keyframes. The interface is easy to use, although unfortunately you can’t export your custom effects settings as presets.
The Magic tools added in the last few versions can’t be keyframed. You wouldn’t expect the automatic editing functions to have keyframing, but the image-improvement tools should. At least these can now be added on top of effects without erasing them. You used to be able to apply only one improvement method at a time – now you can apply several simultaneously.
The previous version of PowerDirector already had a fairly powerful motion-control applet, with editable keyframes, onscreen motion paths, and the ability to save custom presets. Now you can also post those presets directly to CyberLink’s community sharing site, the DirectorZone, or download someone else’s creations. Templates for DVD menus can be shared in the same way.
This brings us to another new feature, which is unique to PowerDirector. The software links directly to the Flickr and Freesound online services, allowing you to import image and audio content straight into your media library.
PowerDirector 6 had been due to include an elaborate Slideshow Designer, which we were shown in preview beta code. But this never made it to the final version. At last, this sees the light of day in PowerDirector 7, and it’s one of the most sophisticated still-image animation tools we’ve seen. It’s still template-based, but offers much more than just fades and the odd gentle zoom. Pictures can be placed in frames, and there’s control over cropping. The slideshow can also be set in time to music using automatic beat detection.
There isn’t much new at the output stage, however. Disc authoring now includes support for 5.1 surround, but that’s about the only additional feature. As before, you can write your videos back to DV or HDV tape, and encode to AVI, MPEG-1, 2 and 4, with full control over codec settings.
The streaming options of WMV, RealVideo and QuickTime rely on presets, however, while the ability to upload to Streamload’s MediaMax service has been removed. But the Production Wizard will still link directly into your YouTube account, encoding and uploading straight to the Web.
You can also write video back to a hard disk-based camcorder (this only works if it’s made by JVC and shoots in high definition). Also, when outputting, the SVRT smart rendering system now extends to MPEG-4 H.264, so if the file format is the same as the input, only changed portions will require rendering.
It’s worth noting that, of the two versions available, only the Ultra version can create Blu-ray discs and write to MPEG-4, for an extra cost of US$50 ($53) on top of the US$70 ($75) asking price. But it’s worth the extra cash, and now that PowerDirector has comprehensive editing abilities to back up its file support, it’s starting to feel like a mature video-editing application.