Corel Updates VideoStudio Pro

Corel this week delivered a feature-packed new edition of VideoStudio Pro, one of the company's three existing video editing software products. New capabilities in VideoStudio Pro X6 include motion tracking, Ultra HD video support, a DSLR Stop Motion and Enlarge Mode, and much more, said Greg Wood, senior product marketing manager, in an interview with Notebook Review.

Like the Corel-owned Pinnacle Studio and more entry-level Roxio VideoWave products, VideoStudio Pro is geared to ease of use, according to Wood. Corel is positioning Pinnacle Studio to be "a bit upmarket" from Video Studio Pro, he added.

"There is some overlap. But Video Studio has features, such as the new motion tracking, that Pinnacle Studio doesn't, whereas VideoStudio doesn't have the same support for 3D as Pinnacle, for example," he noted. Corel obtained the Pinnacle line-up through an acquisition from Avid Technology, and the Roxio business through an acqusition from Rovi Corp.

"We offer a full spectrum of consumer video editing products," contended the senior product marketing manager.

Motion Tracking in VideoStudio Pro X6

With the new motion tracking feature in VideoStudio Pro X6, the software automatically tracks an object as it moves from frame to frame, attaching the same graphics to the object in each frame. You can also use "multiple simultaneous trackers," he said.

In a demo, Wood showed how this feature can be used to attach an arrow to a skiier as she skis down a slope, or to attach names to runners that stay with them as they move down the road during a race.

The new subtitle editor, which replaces the timeline-based subtitle editor in X5, is aimed at speeding the process of adding subtitles by automatically detecting speech in video, providing an editable list of "potential subtitle moments," said Wood. "It's much more intuitive," he maintained.

Features for DSLR & Action Cameras

Other new capabilities in X6 are aimed at supporting popular types of video cameras. "DSLRs continue modest growth and great quality," according to Wood.

The new DSLR Stop Motion and Enlarge Mode in X6 emulates the viewfinder on a DSLR camera, offering a larger composition window that provides full control over aperture, shutter, white balance, ISO, and stop motion, for instance, without the need to touch your camera.

"Action cameras are hot! The GoPro and Countour face many new rivals," he said. Meanwhile, the WiFi-enabled GoPro Hero Black action camera, priced at just $399, supports 4K "Ultra HD" resolution and AVCHD 2.0, he pointed out.

In a feature aimed in particular at action and 50/60p video, X6 offers new variable speed settings for making adjustments to playback speed at multiple intervals. The package also adds support for 4K input, edit and output in AVC and MPEG-4 resolutions. By zooming in on images, you can produce videos at full 1080i/p HD resolution, for display on HDTVs, he said.

Other new features include support for the AVCHD 2.0 specification, QuiickTime movies with alpha channels, and overlay track swapping.

As with previous editions, X6 doesn't come with built-in help. However, Wood told NotebookReview that the PDF document for the online Corel Guide is much more easily downloadable for X6 than for X5.

Corel VideoStudio Pro X6 is priced at $79.99. Pricing is $20.00 higher for the Ultimate Edition, which adds NewBlue FX transitions and filters; Boris Graffiti 6; and the Handscript Animation, Mercalli, Vitascene, and Rotopen plug-ins from ProDAD.

Free downloads of a fully functional trial version of VideoStudio Pro X6 are available on Corel's Web site.