CyberLink PowerDirector 9 Deluxe

Pros: This application uses TrueVelocity which keeps it from slowing down your machine.

Cons: This application has so many great features so it takes time to master completely.

The Verdict: The best all around video editing software for any skill level is PowerProducer.

Not only does this application have all the great features you expect in video editing software but it is built with both novice and advanced users in mind. This application uses the hardware of your machine to the fullest extent which gives you the best environment for creating movies that you will want to share with friends and family.

Now you don't have to worry about making your movies look professional. With this video editing software you can make all of your home movies look professionally done without paying someone to do it for you. With all of the new technologies today it is simple to create a lasting impression of your children and share it in a variety of ways just by using this application. Not only can you combine videos taken with your camcorder but add photographs and music for that extra touch and export the whole thing in full HD.

This application doesn't even have the persistent video editing software ailment of being slow. While other products may bog down your machine with all of the demands of running such a large program, PowerDirection came up with a unique solution. The TrueVelocity is a combination of software and hardware techniques that will provide you with a quick and easy experience when using this application. You'll only find this solution in CyberLink products which is why we ranked this product number one.

CyberLink PowerDirector Deluxe incorporates five of the six techniques that make up TrueVelocity. The final, and likely most significant speed factor, native 64-bit processing, is available with the upgraded Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Ultra video editing software. It’s well worth the small extra investment if your computer is equipped with a 64-bit operating system.

All other aspects of TrueVelocity are incorporated into both versions of CyberLink PowerDirector 9. The TrueVelocity Parallel Engine makes it so all cores and threads of dual and quad core processors are being fully exploited simultaneously for fast video production. This includes a process called general-purpose computation on graphics processing units, GPGPU, which utilizes the computing power of high-end GPUs for purposes other than creating graphics. TrueVelocity Accelerator augments production speed further by allowing for hardware acceleration of video decoding and encoding. Using Direct Memory Access, DMA, content can be moved from video memory to system memory far more efficiently, essentially bypassing the CPU, making it available to accomplish other production chores.

Another facet of TrueVelocity is called FastRender, which saves time by allowing video production without re-encoding an entire video. With it, portions of a video that haven’t been changed don’t have to be decoded then rendered again, the most time-intensive part of the video creation process. An added benefit is that there’s no loss of quality because the result is identical to the source material. UltraSeek further speeds the overall process by using parallel processing to locate and index frames very quickly. It also provides full HD video previewing in real time. Finally, RapidEffect exploits the computing power of the GPU to increase the speed of computer- intensive processes like effects rendering.

Video Capture/Playback: 

Capturing video using CyberLink Power Director video editing software is a simple matter. The key is the logically designed capture window which can be accessed by clicking the Capture button on the main user interface. You're then set to capture an extensive array of file types from just about any device. Standard and high-definition input file types, from the most common to cutting-edge new formats, include HD MPEG-2, DVR-MS, DV-AVI, DAT, DivX, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, VOB, VRO, ASF, WMV, WMV HD, MOV, MOD, MPEG-4, AVC (H.264), TS, MTS, M2TS and WTV (single channel). New to this version of PowerDirector is the ability to capture flash video, or FLV format and MKV, the format that has become preferred for high definition for the internet.

Full HD video can be captured from a HDV camcorder directly to CyberLink PowerDirector. AVCHD capture or importing requires upgrading to the Ultra version. The fully digital format does not require conversion before use on the computer. Similarly, footage from a DV camcorder can be captured without need of conversion. Using the single scene capture mode allows you to transfer a long video segment without skipping sections. Batch capture can be particularly convenient for capturing multiple video clips automatically. You can even transfer the footage from your camcorder directly to a DVD using CyberLink PowerDirector's DV Backup functionality.

Of course, camcorders aren't the only devices that can be used to transfer files to CyberLink PowerDirector video editing software. You can also capture scenes from a webcam, a DVD or even a TV signal. You can also grab audio material to add to your video from a CD or microphone. Regardless of the format or source of the material, it's shown in the Captured Content area and, upon returning to the Edit window, it appears in the Media Room library.

Ease of Use: 

Most functionality in CyberLink PowerDirector video editing software uses drag-and-drop technology. You can get started by simply dragging clips from the Media Room to the timeline. Adding transitions and effects, trimming and splitting clips, and setting clip duration are all just as easy by dragging them or making selections on a menu.

Easiest of all to use is the Magic Movie Wizard. Even the newest user can easily experience the satisfaction of creating a high-quality movie, complete with edited video blended with professional looking effects and transitions by using this automatic programming. There are a number of other Magic features as well, which serve to make beginners look like seasoned pros or more experienced users look even better. The Magic Fix function can remove shakiness from footage, remove red-eye or enhance the focus of photos. Magic Motion will apply panning and zooming to your videos. It can even be used to animate still photos to make remarkably creative slideshows. You can also use this feature's Magic Motion Designer to manually customize motion. The Magic Cut feature can automatically condense long clips into shorter ones that contain only the highest quality footage. And finally, Magic Style gives you the ability to add pre-designed style templates for a professional look.

Editing Tools: 

The whole point of video editing software is to enhance raw footage that generally contains unwanted images and ones that are of less-than-desirable quality. CyberLink PowerDirector provides a seemingly endless array of tools to solve these issues to produce a final product that you'll be proud to show and that you're audience will want to watch. Most of this work is done in the drag-and-drop timeline, which allows for reordering clips as desired as well as adding effects and transitions to make the movie look its best. The timeline is also a great creativity tool in that it offers the use of 100 video and 100 audio tracks, far more than most users will ever need.

Splitting a clip is one of the most useful features of this video editing software. You can split a clip as many times as you like and move it wherever you choose on the timeline. You can also trim unwanted portions of video and audio content from your final product. A particularly useful property of trimming is that it doesn't delete anything from your original content, so anything that might be erroneously deleted can be easily redone.

The duration of clips can be modified by simply dragging their beginning or end points on the timeline. TrueTheater video enhancements are available to perform a number of impressive editing tasks. The ability to upscale standard-definition video content to HD quality is among our favorites. You can also enhance image details, naturalize colors and automatically adjust chroma and luminance using the TrueTheater Lighting function. Video noise can be removed from grainy clips and shaky images can be stabilized in real time.

A group of functions called Power Tools is also included as part of this video editing software. They include the ability to play a selected clip in reverse, crop and zoom in on selected portions of a clip, adjust the video speed freeze frame and even rotate the clip within the video.

Export/Production: 

The explosion in popularity of social networking sites has made sharing videos on the internet extremely popular. Uploading your completed project to either YouTube or Facebook is available at the click of a button with this video editing software. Loading your videos to portable devices like the iPad, iPod or iPhone is also a snap. So too is transferring them to a BlackBerry or many other mobile phones, PSP, Zune or most similar devices.

Editing Effects/Transitions: 

CyberLink PowerDirector offers a wealth of effects and transitions that can be applied to your video to make it look even more polished and professional. One of the most creative effects – unique to this video editing software – is the Particle Effect function. With it you can be remarkably creative by using a huge selection of dazzling images to trail across your video. You can even direct the path of images for just the right look. Adding picture-in-picture images is a snap, and adding from an enormous library of transitions and titles, including 3D ones, is easily done on the timeline.

Disc Creation: 

CyberLink PowerDirector 9 makes burning your finished movie to a disc easy. You can choose to burn to single or dual-layer DVDs and, new to this edition of the Deluxe version, you can create Blu-ray discs. Included is the ability to add professional looking title sets and chapter navigation. If you choose to upgrade to the Ultra version, you have the additional option of burning to the new BDXL discs with their enormous 128GB storage capacity.

Audio and Photo Editing: 

This video editing software takes photo editing to a new level. It includes the ability to import video footage or still images from many DSLR cameras. This includes importing still photos in RAW file format. Once imported to the application, all of the extraordinary editing features are available, including the ability to make slideshows that include 3D and motion effects.

You can edit audio, including 5.1 surround sound, using the integrated WaveEditor. It allows you to adjust volume and pitch, change speed and reduce noise effectively. Audio content can be separated from video for greater flexibility and creative control.

Help & Support: 

The DirectorZone is one of the most valuable features of CyberLink PowerDirector video editing software. It's an online community that allows users to download more than 100,000 effects, templates and tutorials. Users can upload their completed projects to the site allowing others to see them. Learning from the successes, as well as the shortcomings, of others is facilitated in that viewers can see not only the completed movie but also the project timeline to see exactly what others have done.

CyberLink's website includes a searchable FAQs section, tutorials and downloadable user manuals. Technical support can be contacted by email.

Summary:

CyberLink PowerDirector 9 Deluxe is our undisputed choice as the best video editing software available for hobbyists and beginning to intermediate users. This edition has new software architecture which makes the program notably faster and more stable than its already impressive predecessors. For an even higher level of performance that rivals even professional software, we invite you to view the accompanying review of CyberLink PowerDirector 9 Ultra.