CyberLink PowerDirector 8

CyberLink PowerDirector was held again by a definite lack of options in comparison with the Adobe and Corel/Ulead alternate options. It was fantastic for easy edits, however very straightforward to outgrow. With PowerDirector 7, nevertheless, CyberLink introduced the app a lot nearer to the competitors, making it worthy of consideration. PowerDirector 8 is one other big improve, with each new results capabilities and adjustments to the underlying engine.

However, one space which hasn’t seen an enormous change is the interface, no less than not in look. The icons for the Magic features to the left of the timeline are actually colored, however apart from that issues look the identical. There are some new options, right here, although. In specific, CyberLink has elevated the variety of timeline tracks nonetheless additional over model 7, to 16 in complete. Nine of those are for picture-in-picture video, up from the earlier six. But the rise to 4 audio tracks is probably the most important improve. The two audio tracks allowed by the earlier model had been an excessive amount of of a limitation for those who needed to create a posh soundtrack involving music, voiceover and foleys on the similar time.

(centre)”’You can now have as much as 16 tracks on the timeline, together with 9 for video and 4 for audio”’(/centre)

There are extra basic adjustments to the code beneath the interface, nevertheless. Two essential improvements have been added to assist enhance productiveness. The most usually helpful is the brand new Shadow Editing system. This creates proxy recordsdata if you import excessive definition footage. It’s an non-compulsory function, and also you’re prompted to show it on if you import the recordsdata. When enabled, Shadow Editing mirrors your HD with commonplace definition MPEG-2 recordsdata, that are substituted throughout the enhancing course of.

(centre)”’Shadow Editing creates lower-resolution proxies for HD recordsdata to hurry up enhancing workflow”’(/centre)

The recordsdata are rendered within the background, and take a short while to create. But you can begin enhancing right away. When the Shadow Editing proxies are prepared, the workflow turns into so much smoother. Even once we layered a number of clips and added results to every, a real-time preview remained accessible, albeit not with out dropped frames, though the usage of lower-resolution proxies was apparent. Still, enhancing the HD instantly would have made the preview far too sluggish. The full decision recordsdata are then used once more for remaining rendering, so that is carried out at the very best high quality.

The different engine innovation is assist for GPU acceleration. CyberLink PowerDirector 8 can profit from each NVIDIA and ATI {hardware}, however completely different points of the software program are accelerated relying on which of the 2 kinds of card is in your system. An ATI card will pace up MPEG-2 and H.264 encoding, while an NVIDIA card simply does H.264. However, NVIDIA’s CUDA will be referred to as upon to energy a lot of PowerDirector’s results. If a suitable card is detected when the software program is loaded, the NVIDIA brand seems within the splash display and supported results get a brand within the nook.

(centre)”’The DirectorZone now hosts video samples with timeline previews to point out precisely how the results had been created”’(/centre)

There are some extra minor productiveness enhancements as nicely. It’s now potential to focus on a bit of the timeline, copy it, and paste it elsewhere. All layers throughout the part are copied. So when you’ve got a multi-layered portion, you’ll be able to repeat the entire thing very simply certainly. Full-screen output to a secondary monitor is now supported. Just toggle this subsequent to the preview window, and also you’ll see your undertaking in all its glory in your additional show.

CyberLink has additionally expanded its DirectorZone on-line group. This now additionally affords the power to hyperlink a YouTube video to the undertaking which created it. A schematic of the undertaking performs in time with the video, so you’ll be able to see exactly how every impact was created. This clearly has potential for studying new methods, though there weren’t many examples uploaded on the time of writing.

(centre)”’The Video Rotate impact inside Power Tools allows you to spin your video by 90, 180 or 270 levels”’(/centre)

Loads of results functionality was added in PowerDirector 7, however CyberLink hasn’t rested on its laurels for model 8. There’s a brand new tab on the high of the timeline referred to as PowerTools. This comprises 4 clip movement and resizing results, with some extra detailed than others. As the identify implies, Video Reverse merely performs the clip backwards, with no different parameters to configure. The Video Rotate instrument means that you can flip the video spherical by 90, 180 or 270 levels, with no different choices. Strangely, you’ll be able to’t apply it to picture-in-picture tracks, although.

More management is offered for the remaining two members of PowerTools. Video Crop is actually a movement management applet. You can crop and rotate video, and each change will be keyframed. So you’ll be able to comply with the motion inside a body or pan and scan a photograph. Annoyingly, nevertheless, like Video Rotate it might probably solely be used on the first timeline monitor. Video Speed allows you to change playback fee, and has the choice to resample audio in order that pitch is maintained because the clip performs sooner or slower, though solely as much as sure ranges. The pace algorithm additionally interpolates frames to easy the jerks out of gradual movement.

(centre)”’The Video Crop impact throughout the PowerTools permits totally keyframed panning and scanning of video and pictures”’(/centre)

Particle Room is the opposite huge results addition. This goes a lot additional than the particle filters included with earlier variations of PowerDirector, which stay for those who simply need canned results. If you want extra customisation, nevertheless, Particle Room supplies it in spades. This creates an animation you’ll be able to add to a picture-in-picture monitor as a separate clip. Control parameters embody the path, emitter width and technique, and magnificence of the particles, though these are all world and can’t change throughout the animation. So if you’d like your emitter to maneuver throughout the body, you will have to use additional results to the animation you may have created.

(centre)”’The Particle Room allows you to create particle animations to play over your video, that are person configurable however not keyframable”’(/centre)

One space of PowerDirector which hasn’t obtained fairly a lot consideration as others is the output stage. However, the software program was already fairly nicely endowed on this respect. Internet add choices now embody Facebook in addition to YouTube, with 720p excessive definition templates offered for each. The DVD authoring interface now features a construction view, which illustrates the interactive stream of your disc menus. Most different areas stay the identical as earlier than, aside from the graphics card encoding acceleration we now have already talked about.

”’Verdict”’

With each model, CyberLink PowerDirector creeps inexorably nearer to the competitors. Version 8 is now mature sufficient to be a severe various to Adobe Premiere Elements 7, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 or Pinnacle Studio 12. In testing with a late beta launch, we discovered the software program very secure, too. So while it nonetheless lacks a few of the particular options we talked about in our verdict for model 7, PowerDirector 8 may be very a lot price contemplating. However, be aware that there are two editions, with Ultra being the one one in a position to deal with AVCHD and burn Blu-ray discs. This is equally priced to probably the most totally featured variations of the competitors, so might not be sufficient to lure customers of different apps away from their present software program.