The most major feature enhancement with Studio HD 15 is its ability to archive projects. This was the first mainstream consumer-grade video editing app to take a tabbed approach to the stages of the process, and it’s still the easiest app for novices to get to grips with in its class.
Although both share the same underlying code base, their interfaces are rather different, and Pinnacle Studio still holds the upper hand for ease of use. However, there are clear interface distinctions between the two. Although Studio persists, it too now has a questionable future since Avid released its own-branded Studio software.
Pinnacle was purchased by Avid a few years ago, and the company’s semi-professional Liquid software was discontinued after version 7. However, it does have just about enough new features to warrant the number revision. Taking a scan down the feature list, Pinnacle Studio HD 15 isn’t a huge improvement over its predecessor. But, like Star Trek movies, there have been Pinnacle Studio updates of greater or lesser excellence along the way.
The range of adjustments available here is comprehensive, and with the keyframing available in Plus and Ultimate, it’s possible to create some highly professional-looking effects.When a piece of software reaches its 15th version, you would expect it to be a pretty finely honed experience. The pop-out effects monitor of Avid Studio is still available, though, letting you tweak a clip and change effects parameters with a larger video preview.
This does mean reduced space for the media and effects pane, but will be a familiar arrangement for anyone with professional aspirations. A leaf has been taken out of professional video editing software, and Studio now gives the option of having preview windows for both the source clips and the timeline on screen at once, rather than having to switch between them. Pinnacle Studio 16 Ultimate – InterfaceĪt first glance, the interface doesn’t look that different to before, either, but there are subtle improvements over both Studio HD 15 and Avid Studio 1.1. The different approach to tracks used by the previous Studio was also preserved, with tracks renamed according to their more specialised roles in the earlier software. We tried this with a project created in Pinnacle Studio HD 15 and it came in without a hitch, preserving transitions, effects and titles in their original forms. You can import projects from previous versions of Studio. So, in answer to the question “What’s new?” the answer is actually “Everything.” In fact, although the interface looks superficially similar, Studio 16 is based on the code base of Avid Studio, which was developed by previous Pinnacle owner Avid. However, this version isn’t quite a tweak of Studio HD 15.
Red Giant’s Filmmaker’s and Motion Graphics Toolkits are included, plus there is a piece of green-screen material in the box as well, which has been a bonus with the top version of Studio for some years now. The Ultimate version justifies its additional premium with some third-party extras as standard. There are more effects, transitions, titles and templates as you move up the range, and if you want to author Blu-ray or import and export 5.1 surround sound you will need Plus or above.Įffects keyframing is also only available with Plus or higher. The basic version provides three audio and three video tracks, whilst Plus increases this to 12 apiece, and the Ultimate version on test here is unlimited. After all, it has been a pretty equal fight between the two applications for over a decade, and both have large followings.Īs usual, there are multiple editions of Studio, with a range of features and bundled extras. We’re not sure where Corel’s ownership of two such similar products is likely to head, but for now Studio is receiving the same progression of development as its stable mate. So Studio 16 sits alongside VideoStudio 16, with which it used to be a direct competitor, and in some ways now is even more so.
The latest owner, as of about a year ago, is Corel. Studio is one of the longest-standing brands in its field, and has passed through numerous hands. Studio 16 Ultimate is the top version of Pinnacle’s latest consumer video editing application.