Amazon.com: Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection V14 [OLD VERSION]: Software

104 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(40)

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2.7 out of 5 stars (104 customer reviews)

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75 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Simple interface, poor functionality/installation, horrible customer support, December 8, 2009

A Teacher (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection V14 [OLD VERSION] (Software)

The Pinnacle Studio line of video processing software has a
very simple and intuitive interface. It is relatively easy
to learn the software. Even though it is for beginners/home
users, it does provide options for more advanced, Hollywood
style video processing. But only when it works.

I have used Studio consistently since its version 9. The
most recent version is now Studio 14 and it comes
in several variations: basic, ultimate, and ultimate
collection.

My recommendation: 4 stars for its simple interface. Zero
for everything else.

* Installing Studio 14 (in my case the Ultimate version)

If you purchased earlier "Ultimate" or "Plus" versions of
Studio, or if you bought fancy "transitions" or similar
premium features for earlier versions of Studio, the ONLY
way that you can take advantages of only SOME of them,
is to re-install the older Studio versions. In previous
installations of Studio, you could simply reuse your
activation code to get those features, plugins, or premium
options back. For Studio 14, your earlier activation codes
or serial numbers mean nothing. You have to reinstall old
software. But how many customers keep three, four earlier
versions of a software? Pinnacle never gave a hint that
an older version has to be kept.

Furthermore, even with older versions, you cannot recover
everything for Studio 14. For example, I had already paid
for two plugins (known as Heroglyph and Adorage). Even
though I re-installed Studio versions 11 and 12, I was
unable to get these two plugins activated. I contacted
Pinnacle. They asked me to repay for these plugins! That's
absolutely unacceptable.

Note that the above problems are well documented in
Pinnacle's own users' forums: to visit, go to pinnaclesys
dot com, under support, click on forums, and follow the
"edit" forum. Many customers have complained that they had
to go back and install Studio 10, 11, 12 in order to get
back some of their "transitions" or other premium features.

* Customer service: absolutely horrible

You will have a service code that entitles you to one phone
call. For other calls, you will have to pay. When I called
the support, it was an absolute waste of time. First,
there is a long queue. Second, the person only talked
in uncertain terms: "it should", "I think so", "try it",
"I am not 100% sure", etc. No definite or precise responses
to any of my installation or activiation questions.

* Pixelation problems continue

A popular feature of many video processing software is that
of making a video (DVD) of still photos, using certain
transitions or filters to make photo presentation more
fun. A common (and well documented) problem with Studio
version 10 and afterward has been pixelation. The photos,
especially at transition points, get pixelated and look
ugly. Pinnacle's response: it is your hard-drive, update
your video card driver, replace your video card driver,
re-size your photos, etc.

The pixelation problem is a very serious one as there are
several threads in the "edit" forum, each consisting of at
least 40-50 individuals experiencing the same problem and
complaining.

* Personal experience with Studio 14

No MAJOR differences with Studio 12. It crashed the very
first time but worked the second time. However, because I
still do not have access to many of the "transitions",
premium features, and plugins that I already purchased
with earlier versions of Studio, I do not know if I can
do anything other than simple video processing that I can
do otherwise with the free video software that comes with
the Windows operating systems.

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86 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some stability issues but otherwise 5 well deserved stars, November 7, 2009

Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection V14 [OLD VERSION] (Software)

This is my third iteration of Pinnacle Studio, having owned versions 11 and 12 as well. I also own and have used several other video editing packages running from high to low end. At the top of the low end range, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection 14 comes in as a solid five-star performer - if you are willing to tolerate some minor stability issues. For reasons I don't pretend to understand, all video editing programs seem to have stability issues to one degree or another. Sometimes I think I may be part of the problem as I rush ahead performing other operations while the CPU is still rendering what I've already done. Other times, I just plain don't know: like Adobe Premiere Elements 7 simply not running on a Vista 32-bit system while it ran on a 64-bit version without problems. Given time, I could probably narrow down the issues, but I'm not that concerned. With Pinnacle, I am politely informed that the program has malfunctioned and given an option to close the program. Do that, restart Pinnacle and I'm back in business within a few seconds. Do frequent saves and the occasional crashes don't hurt.

Pinnacle runs about a 12 month cycle between new major releases. Frankly, every other release could probably be skipped because the improvements are not generally that earthshaking.

I am glad, however, that I upgraded to Version 14. There are three variants, each having a few more features than the others. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection is the top of V14 line. The only drawback is that some of the bonus content, such as the SoundSoap program, are no longer included and earlier versions will not run in V14.

The good news is that the user interface has been simplified again. Pinnacle uses context-sensitive functions. In other words, double-clicking on a video clip brings up a different menu than you'd get by double-clicking on a still image. I've found the current interface to be somewhat more sensible and easier to use. There are three primary tabs: import media, edit and render output. Import gives you the choices you would expect, covering the waterfront from analog video to AVCHD. It's pretty simple to use with some good on the fly scene selection options. There are also options for directly importing from a digital camera, and interesting, a stop motion option that lets you build something resembling a flip book. Automatic scene detection is available for those who want it. Personally I find it more of a nuisance than a help.

The editing section has everything you could want in a solid low-end program. The user interface offers a storyboard or timeline or text listing formats. I am generally in the timeline view. There are scrubbers both in the movie preview window and at the bottom of the timeline, so reviewing video is an efficient procedure. Lots of keyboard shortcuts permit a speedy workflow. There are dozens of ordinary transitions and a couple of dozen other effects that will probably see little use. Plug-ins offer special features such as pan and zoom on still images, RGB color correction and so on. There is Picture-In-Picture and Chromakeying. Pinnacle provides its own custom music program called ScoreFitter, which as the name implies will generate music of a sort to fit the time of your clips. There are also some sound effects.

There are tracks for primary video, overlay video (which can also be used for dual camera shoots), titles, music, sound effects and voice overs. All in all, it's a nice, functional layout.

Pinnacle provides two competent, if not brilliant, titling programs. One creates static text which may be kerned and otherwise adjusted. It may be used to create DVD menus and the like. The other, called Motion Titler, allows more dynamic titles. Third-party titling programs run rings around it, but it is still quite usable for those who don't want exceptionally elaborate titles.

Pinnacle includes something they call "Montage Themes" which the user can customize with clips, photo and captions. They are pretty hokey, in my opinion, and not something I would use.

You can output to just about anything. DVD menu layouts are included and you can create your own. Almost all common codecs are included for video output, which is nice.

Overall, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection V14 is a very nice video editing application that I would rank at the top end of the low-end programs. It has everything the average hobbyist videographer and, in a way, functions are more accessible than in Adobe Premiere Elements. But there's a caveat: buy the printed manual if it isn't included with your Pinnacle package. The manual itself is somewhat difficult to deal with, but comes in extremely handy as a ready reference when you need it. I have several low-end video editing packages and Pinnacle is the one I find myself using most often. It offers, I think, good value for the money and an unusually good user interface.

Jerry

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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Review of the top 7 video editing software titles, March 5, 2010

C. Helm "THROW?" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection V14 [OLD VERSION] (Software)

Sorry about the formatting, Amazon is removing all my spaces when I publish even though it looks fine in the editor.

Computer Specs:
Intel Core2 Duo @ 1.86 GHz
2 GB RAM
256 MB Video
32 bit
Windows Vista

My test:
Added 2 videos.
Added image stabilization to one
3D transition between them.
Rendered the project.
AVCHD in and MPG2 out (both in full HD, 1920*1440, Dolby 5.1 if available)
Video length 4 minutes and 20 seconds.

Overall Review:
***** Corel Video Studio Pro X3
***** Cyberlink PowerDirector 8
*** Sony Vegas Movie Studio Pro Plus 9
**1/2 Adobe Premiere Elements 8
** Magix Edit Pro 15
* Roxio Creator 2010
* Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 14

Package Options:
My reviews are against the top versions of each product line. You will find that most of the differences between the top versions and the base are Blu-ray export options, and some add some extra sound options. See for yourself the option that suits you at the manufacturer's website in their respective product comparison guides.

Windows 7:
All seemed to work for me in windows 7, 64 bit with 4 GB RAM. I didn't do any tests with it b/c I wanted to use an older machine that would come closer to representing the average computer. This includes Roxio 2009, but not 2010 for reasons stated below.

Final Opinion:
If you want something super easy to use, then I would go with Cyberlink PowerDirector 8. If you want something with a bit more power that you can grow into, I would go with Corel Video Studio Pro X3. Sony Vegas Movie Studio Pro plus 9 may very well be good, but I see no reason to purchase it with the power of the Corel package.
If you are a masochist, go with Adobe, Magix, Roxio, or Pinnacle.

DETAILS:
Adobe Premiere Elements 8
65 min render time
Pros:
You can search effects
Layout was good but not great
Interface was pretty straightforward
Cons:
Virtually locked my system
Slow and temporarily froze frequently
Output menu was cumbersome

Corel Video Studio Pro X3
19 min render time
Pros:
Great Output menu
Very fast
Easy to use user interface
Proxy editing*
Autofit for timeline
Cons:
No search function for effects

Cyberlink PowerDirector 8
30 min render time
Pros:
Output menu was nice
Very nice and easy to use layout
Cons:
No Blu-ray output

Magix Edit Pro 15
41 min Render time
Pros:
Simple
Cons:
Poor user interface
Oversimplified (Too simple I think for most people)
Very Cumbersome to use and add effects
Output options were confusing and cumbersome
Extremely limited options for PC output (which is what many will be doing)
A couple of lock ups

Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 14
Pros:
Nice little finished project to see what can be done
Nice interface for editing
Cons:
ONLY SOFTWARE that I was not able to import a video
Locked up my system many times and left errant process running at 80% CPU
Took 50 seconds just to load the import video TAB
When I selected videos to import and hit start import, absolutely nothing happened
Tried one of their movies and went to help to find stabilization and it crashed on me b/c I didn't have enough memory
No Blu-ray output
Cons on install on windows 7 computer:
Failure on export of file on all formats
I actually tried Pinnacle about 10 years ago and had absolutely nothing but problems. Spent many days downloading patches just to get it to work. Then, like a moron, I did an entire project and when I went to burn it, the burn failed every time. I see a decade later, I still can't export a file.

Roxio Creator 2010
Pros:
-----
Cons:
They don't allow a trial download. I contacted them asking them if I could download a trial and even noted that I was a current customer. I personally like the 2009 Roxio. It was a nice "all-purpose" program. They told me that I had to buy it. I was offered a money back guarantee, but to do so, I had to send in a letter of destruction. This is way too much effort on my end to see if your software works for me.
I find it ridiculous in this day and age that you can't have a trial version of something, especially when EVERY ONE of your competitors does. In addition, this is how they were treating an existing customer!
You throw in all the compatibility issues that can occur in software in general and video software in particular, and that leaves me to think they have nothing to hide.
As icing on the cake, the following sentence was in their reply.
"Creator 2010 does support AVCHD software and hasn't been know to have any issues thus far!"
I replied to them about this OUTRIGHT LIE! First, you can read the compatibility issues on Amazon. Second, as a person that writes programs, there is no such thing as bug free software, especially video editing software.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Pro Plus 9
14 minute render time (NO ANTI-SHAKE IN RENDER, see below)
Pros:
Computer stayed pretty responsive during render
Savable packages of effects
How to guide is nice
Cons:
Couldn't search effects
Very, very cumbersome to use
Couldn't find stabilization
The render time approximation stayed at around 1 minute or 2 left the entire time
Here is my issue with Sony Vegas. I have compared its features with many of the other programs and they are all very similar. Now, when compared with Corel Video Studio Pro X3 and Cyberlink PowerDirector, they are virtually identical. I personally think Sony leaves their software cumbersome so that it "looks/seems" more powerful.
I was definitely most disappointed in this product because it was the one that I was looking the most forward to using. When I say that it is cumbersome to use, it doesn't mean that it can't be used. Let me give an example. I am a programmer, and in something like excel, I like the ability to write my own code to create functions and tools that it doesn't offer or to tweak ones that it does. HOWEVER, when I want to enter numbers in boxes, I just want to enter numbers in boxes. I don't want to click in a box, go to a menu or right click, select some gadget and then enter a number. It is ok for complicated things to be complicated, but simple things should not only be simple, but also INTUITIVE.
The main thing that I saw that you could do in Sony Vegas that you couldn't do in the others is change your transitions (both audio and video) ramp as far as how quickly they come in and go out. I am not talking about changing the time, but how your out video accelerates out and how you in video accelerates in during that time. It is a cool feature, but something that 99% of people will only not use, but won't care about either.
Another thing, the image stabilizer should be easy to do, and it may be. However, I did a search in help for stabilize, stabilizer, sta, shake, anti, etc. and could not find out how to do this very simple thing. This worries me greatly that if this isn't readily available in the help docs, then much of the other stuff probably isn't either.

*A note on proxy editing.
Proxy editing is basically you working on a very low def version of your file, but when it comes time to actually render your output, the original file is used. Some view this as a crutch because they say you should be able to optimize the software to work with the high def video. My opinion is that if I can work faster, then I will work faster. Who cares what my resolution is while I am editing. If you have the fastest software out there for HD, and you can do your edits in very low def and it is even faster still, then why would you not want that?

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Not good. Not good at all.
Frankly, I hated this program. I've been using Vegas, which, while complex, is flexible and powerful. And it works. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Bradford Schmidt

4.0 out of 5 stars As easy or complex as you want to make it
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Published 1 month ago by P. Falcioni

1.0 out of 5 stars Crashes constantly and hangs computer
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