Avid Technology pretty much wrote the book on digital video creation and editing. The vast majority of television shows, commercials, and feature films are created using an Avid product. But you don't need to be a Hollywood mogul to use Avid XPress DV.

Avid XPress DV 4.6 is a suite of powerful, professional-level video editing tools and effects. If you're new to video editing, the program has a steep learning curve, not because it's extremely difficult to use, but because it's jam-packed with features and tools. The program is also highly customizable, so once you get the hang of it, you can customize the menus, toolbars, buttons, and keyboard shortcuts to suit your preferred working style.

Avid XPress DV 4.6 offers more than 100 customizable real-time effects, including titling, transitions, and audio mixes, as well as real-time, one-step color correction tools. The NaturalMatch feature allows you to correct and match skin tones between scenes by clicking on a face in two different shots. It's as easy to revitalize old video footage as it is to tweak something you shot recently.

Some video editing programs make you wait for the video to render every time you make a change; Avid XPress DV 4.6 does everything in real time, so you can see the effects of your changes instantly, and make additional changes on the fly. The dynamic storyboarding features saves you time by allowing you to drag and drop clips to the timeline. The program also lets you go back in time with 32 levels of undo. You can track the effects of any changes you make using before and after split screens.


Pro: Professional-level video editing tools at a price that isn't out of reach for amateurs and hobbyists. Offers real-time effects, so you don't have to wait for the video to render before you can see the results. Package includes both the Windows and Macintosh versions.
Con: Steep learning curve for non-professionals.