Customer Reviews

SONY Vegas Movie Studio + DVD [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am a computer professional. After reading all the reviews (here on amazon and elsewhere) I hesitated to delve into consumer level video editing software because I expected buggy and awkward software and a frustrating experience.

Suffice it to say I decided to buy this as my video editing program about 15 minutes after opening it (make sure you download and try the fully functional 30 trial before purchase).

The "help wizards" (real time task oriented help) are very effective and the interface is very intuitive! I completed my first capture perfectly using just the wizard's instructions. I was very pleasantly surpised how intuitive the "timeline" interface is (all video and audio you are working with to make your movie is shown as data in 6 parrallel lines across the screen. You can easily see how every input lines up with the other "tracks" and where every element begins and ends, etc.

The install and the initial startup went perfectly (be forewarned however that even the free download requests online registration at first run)

I have a celeron laptop with 256 mb and performance is fine. I did drop a few frames during the capture but only when I tried to run other programs at the same time as the capture.

I understand Vegas doesnt support .mov files but my mini DV recorder doesn't use them so this is no limitation for me.

All in all, I highly recommend you download the free 30 day and give it a whirl if you want to archive your mini DV videos to your computer and/or create movies from them. http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com

This is a good product with many poweful features. At its simplest, you can throw together a quick movie however for a total newbie the layout can probably overwhelming. Given a small investment in getting to play with the program and learn it, you will be rewarded. It is also very stable with no gliches or crashes (I'm running Win2K).People are contantly amazed at the videos I produce with this software. This is the best program out there in terms of features, felxibility, and cost and I have tried them all (Ulead,Pinnacle etc) . I know that Premeire Elements has just come out, so I cannot compare to that one.

Also, not sure about the previous reviewers situation, I double checked and it imported quicktime movies from my digital camera just fine.

I have used a lot of video gear over the years. If it would do half of what it says on the box, life would be good. This product stands in stark contrast to the usual trend. It flat works.

It does what it says it will do. It does not crash. It is easy to learn, yet powerful enough for my needs. I had the old Sony Sceenblast and it worked great except for doing DVDs. This version fixes that.

Great product. I am totally satisfied with it.

I have tried Ulead, Nero and MyDVD but have had problems with
them all. MyDVD would crash once in a while, Nero kept dropping
frames while capturing from my DV camcorder and Ulead was just
too clunky to use.
I am not a Sony electronics fan as their products have
been quite bad. However, their Movie Studio 4.0 + DVD S/W
is quite good.

Pros: Intuitive video editing, quite nice actually. Transitions,
video effects and text addition are easy and fun. Credit rolls
and text fade in/fade out. Interactive 'show me' help.

Cons: Error msg on startup (harmless), confusing templates in
project properties (which one do I use?) Volume control for 3
audio tracks move independently but volume changes for all 3
tracks at once.

DVD Architect is also very good but a bit confusing to use at
first.

As I planned to invest a Benjamin into my first piece of mid-range video editing software, my inadequate research led me to Pinnacle 10. Long story short: Pinnacle completely destroyed my computer, so bad in fact, that I had to reformat my hard drive. Every negative review you read on Amazon about Pinnacle is absolutely true. I feel completely ripped off by Pinnacle.

After that experience, I decided to DEMO my second choice, Sony Vegas Movie Studio. I'm glad I did. I am a novice to video editing and I have to say, at first glance, I thought this program would be overwhelming. My experience thus far was with VERY basic programs from Roxio and Sonic...this was my first foray into the mid-range software.

After playing around with this software for about 15 minutes, I knew I had to buy it. I loaded the software this evening and in about 1 hour, had enough skill to capture, edit and burn a professional looking DVD.

I could write a lengthy review of all the features I love, but the point here is to say: If you are like me, and have your selections narrowed to Pinnacle vs. Vegas, please save yourself the grief and go with Vegas. It is a fantastic software for people with slightly better than average computer skills.

In my opinion this software is by far the best consumer video editor on the market. It is stable, intuitive and the transitions & video effects are cool and easy to use. Also, Vegas DOES support quicktime .mov files. You can import, export, etc just like you can with any other video format. I use the quicktime format quite a bit.

The reason I bought this software was because I tried Premiere 6.0 for 15 minutes and got thoroughly disgusted. Premiere 6.0 make you render everything before you can see it! SUPER SLOW!!! NO THANKS!!! Vegas lets you see your updates instantly!!! Thank you!!!! That's the way editing software should work! Premier 6.0 was a $600 program a few years ago. This program costs less than $100 bucks!

Sony Vegas Movie studio is a joy to use. It's intuitive and has a clean, easy to understand interface. It just works without causing you any hassles! If you need more power, just upgrade to Vegas 6.0. It looks amazing! I don't need all that power at the moment. I just needed something simple that wouldn't drive me insane while trying to use it! This program works and it works well! And, it makes sense!!! Thank you Sony!

Dave Morehead
(...)

I've never used any kind of video editing software before (though I have done graphic layout with various programs). Movie Studio is so easy to use that I put together a family video on my first afternoon of learning the program, after 5 minutes of orientation from a friend. Our organization is using it for producing professional videos for worldwide distribution, which will be modified by amateurs working in various languages. I'm recommending it without hesitation to everyone I know who feels at home with computers. It's just as good for the novice as for the professional. And it is good for professionals too. As my professional friend says, "You can't do everything with it that you can with Premiere, but for most purposes Premiere is overkill." It's especially nice for the price. Through an Amazon merchant, I bought the + DVD version for only $90.

Vegas Movie Studio is a perfect application for those wanting to get their feet wet with a scalable video application.
Some complain that you have to use a separate DVD Authoring application to burn DVDs, this is common in professional applications, and is more or less requisite if you want comprehensive menus, and high quality video. Someone suggested Pinnacle, a fine product. However, anyone comparing the output of both Vegas Movie Studio and Pinnacle will immediately see that Vegas Movie Studio/DVD Architect provide a significantly cleaner MPEG image (which is what goes on the DVD)
Personally, I can't stand integrated tools, no professional application has integrated tools, and what's nice about VMS with DVD Architect, is if you find you've outgrown the application or want to go more professional, all VMS projects will open in the more professional version of Vegas.
While VMS is perhaps aimed at the consumer market, its quality of output is good enough for broadcast. I've edited projects that went to broadcast using this application.

I've had both this version and the previous version known as Screenblast 3 and both are winners. Vegas Movie Studio is rock solid, though not a huge upgrade over Screenblast 3.

The feature that I love and use a lot is "Crop and Zoom", similar to the "Ken Burns Effect" in Apple's iMovie. Great for making a slide show with some life to it.

Good performance. I don't ever remembering this crash. It includes a really nice DVD burning app.

Highly recommend.