PowerDirector 3 is the latest version of CyberLink’s DV editing application aimed at home video enthusiasts. It has been radically overhauled since the previous version 2.5, and includes many new features as well as a revamped interface.
On the capture front, a new quick-scan option enables fast pre-capture preview of an entire 60-minute DV tape in just six minutes. There’s also a new title editor, Picture-in-Picture (PiP) motion effects can be easily added, a three-track audio mixer provides real-time mixing during playback, and you can now record voiceover narration during timeline playback of a project.
As with many other budget video-editing applications that use a storyboard format, PowerDirector has added a timeline mode that emulates professional editing programs such as Adobe Premiere and Sony Vegas. The timeline provides scope for advanced editing features: there are six tracks for video clips, special effects filters, PiP overlays, titling, voiceover narration and a backing music track.
Again following the trend, PowerDirector divides the editing process into discrete capture, edit and burn tasks, and sports tabbed panels together with the necessary tools. As well as high-speed previewing, the capture module automatically senses connected devices, so if you don’t have a DV camcorder hooked up to the FireWire port, or a VHS connected to an analog capture card, it won’t give you those options. However, if you have a microphone plugged in or an audio CD in the drive, you can record from these sources. The capture module has a clean, functional look about it and provides good feedback on available disk space, size of captured files and dropped frames. Both content and timecode-based scene detection is supplied for DV capture, but isn’t available post-capture or for imported footage.
In editing mode, a library window flanked by mode buttons gives quick access to video and audio clips, still images, special effects filters, the title designer, transitions, the audio mixer and timeline narration window. The acid test of any video-editing application is the ease with which you can carry out basic editing functions; for example, dragging clips to the storyboard or timeline, trimming them, adding transitions and filters and previewing the results. PowerDirector scores highly here. In storyboard mode, you can quickly assemble a sequence by dragging and dropping clips from the library into the storyboard placeholders and dropping transitions in between.
The preview window may be toggled to play back either the currently selected clip or the entire project, and the enhanced Smart Video Rendering technology does a good job of maintaining near real-time playback of rendered footage. As with all unassisted real-time playback engines, resolution and frame rates are the early casualties when transitions, effects, overlays and titles are combined, but PowerDirector does, however, cope well under a moderate load.
In timeline mode, trimming is easily accomplished by dragging the end point of a clip; adjacent clips will automatically ripple to close any gaps. This method isn’t available in storyboard mode, but double-clicking a clip launches a dual-window trim editor, which displays the first and last frames, and allows you to set in and out points. This is pretty good as far as it goes, but we’d have preferred the option of setting in and out points in the playback monitor.
The ease with which you can add and animate PiP overlays is impressive. Once dropped in the PiP track, overlays appear in the playback monitor and can be positioned and sized by dragging. Double-clicking a PiP clip provides further tools.
The PiP designer lets you add a border and drop shadow, set transparency and apply preset motion effects. For example, a PiP clip can start off at the top right-hand side of the screen, fade in as it reaches the centre of the screen, pause,
then exit bottom-left. There isn’t the customised control provided by keyframes, but you can apply chromakey transparency, and what’s on offer strikes a good balance between features and ease of use.
Titling features are also simple. Having dragged a preset onto the title track from the Title room library, double-clicking launches the title designer. This provides a basic type editing tool and a few customisation options, but these just leave you wishing you could do more. You can blur text, add a drop shadow, apply a flat colour or gradient and adjust transparency, which is all good. But it would be a lot better if you could adjust these effects over time; for example, to start with a blurred effect and have it come into focus.
The Produce tab provides output to a variety of formats including MPEG-1
and MPEG-2 using a new VBR encoder, MPEG-4, WMV, RealVideo and QuickTime streaming formats, as well as recording back to DV tape. The Burn tab launches EZ Producer 2, a DVD authoring application with template-based menu construction tools, DVD preview and burning facilities.
PowerDirector 3 combines ease of use with a host of features that won’t disappoint new users, making a strong case for existing users to upgrade. However, the likes of Ulead VideoStudio 7 and even Microsoft’s Movie Maker 2 (free) are far superior.