Pinnacle Studio Plus 10.5 Titanium Edition is an ideal application for home users who are new to video editing. It's reasonably priced, it offers a solid collection of tools, and best of all, it's easy to use.

The user interface is well organized and uncluttered. Three tabs at the top of the workspace provide easy access to the three main functions: Capture, Edit, and Make Movie. Pinnacle Studio Plus can capture video from analog and video sources, including camcorders, web cams, and VCRs. It can also import VOB (Video Object) files directly from non-copy protected DVDs, complete with titles and chapters.

In Edit mode, the bottom half of the window displays stills from your movie; a small window on the right side of the workspace is available for viewing video clips. The top left half of the workspace provides easy access to editing tools, and displays titles, transitions, and other available effects when you select these options. The package includes a small selection of music and audio effects; it's also easy to add your own effects and still images. New Insta-Save technology saves your files frequently while you work, so you don't have to worry about losing everything in the event of a crash.

One of the problems with adding audio tracks to movie clips is synchronizing them, so that they both start and end at the same time. Pinnacle Studio Plus 10.5 includes a new feature that allows you to slow down the audio track a bit, without any noticeable effect on the quality, so that it won't run out before the video does.

When you're happy with the results of your editing, you can then output it for almost any use, including CD or DVD, tape, or a file that can be viewed on a computer, a web site, a portable movie player or a mobile phone.

A 30-day trial version of Pinnacle Studio Plus 10.5 is available for downloading from the Pinnacle Systems web site.

Pinnacle Studio Plus 10.5 Titanium Edition is a good choice for individuals who are new to video editing, but it lacks some of the more advanced tools that more experienced users demand.


Pros: Easy to use, can capture or import video from a variety of analog and digital sources
Cons: Lacks some advanced video editing tool

Specifications:
Available for: IBM PCs and compatibles.

Minimum requirements (PC):
Windows XP
Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon 1.4 GHz or higher (2.4 GHz or higher recommended)
512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended. 1 GB required for HD)
DirectX 9 or higher compatible graphics card with 64 MB (ATI Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce 3 or higher with 128 MB recommended for SD (128 MB required for 720p HD, 256 MB required for 1080i HD)
DirectX 9 or higher compatible sound card (Creative Audigy or M-Audio recommended)
1 GB of disk space to install software and 3 GB to install bonus content
Optional:
DVD-ROM drive (required to install Bonus Content)
CD burner for creating Video CDs or Super Video CDs (S-VCDs)*
DVD burner for creating DVDs*
Sound card with surround sound output required for preview of surround sound mixes**
* Capture, import and export of HDV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and DivX files, Dolby Digital 2 channel audio and DVD Titles and burning of S-VCD and DVDs require free product activation via Internet at the first use.
** Output of Dolby 5.1 format requires Advanced Codec Pack, which can be activated inside Studio Plus at an additional cost